bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The spectrum of an altered state of consciousness, where information is accessed or abilities realized beyond what is ordinarily possible
Authors: Payne Pam
Published: April 2013

As an artist I am interested in creative states of consciousness and the direct expression of altered states of consciousness in forms such as musical improvisation and the automatic writings and drawings of the Surrealist Artists. I have been investigating a particular spectrum of
altered states characterized by an enhanced experience where out-of-the-ordinary information is accessed or an enhanced ability is realized beyond what would ordinarily be possible. Within this realm we would find the ‘peak performance’ state of athletes and musicians, as well
as a state of intellectual inspiration where a complex problem is solved and also the phenomenon of premonition. It is related to the ‘flow state’ as described in Flow, The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Mihályi Csíkszentmihályi, 1990) and the experience
of the American clairvoyant Edgar Cayce who resolved complex medical ailments when in a self-induced hypnotic trance. Additional examples include Haitian Vodou ritualized possession and all experiences where healing and foretelling of the future takes place through a communion with spirits.
It is a broad spectrum that has been described in various ways throughout history and within all cultures. But though the descriptions vary, this spectrum of consciousness shares the common characteristic of accessing extraordinary information or demonstrating extraordinary skill or ability.
This article is an attempt to help clarify and define this particular spectrum of consciousness.
Re-presenting racial reality:Chicago’s new (media) Negro artists of the depression era
Authors: Courage Richard A.
Published: April 2013

Since literary historian Robert Bone published his seminal essay ‘Richard Wright and the Chicago Renaissance’ in 1986, scholars have created new cartographies of previously unexplored terrain in American cultural history. The earliest studies focused on literature, but more
recently attention has turned to other disciplines, including visual arts. Recent publication of The Muse in Bronzeville: African American Creative Expression in Chicago, 1932–1950 (2011) by Robert Bone and Richard A. Courage promises to decisively broaden scholarly understandings of
the scope and significance of Chicago-centred cultural production during the Great Depression and post-war years. Of particular relevance to contemporary studies of new media art is the manner in which then-emergent ideas and practices – centring on racialized subject matter, elite and
mass audiences, traditional and new mediums of expression, private vs public sponsorship, and passive vs active reception of art objects – converged to create new paradigms and possibilities for visual artists to reshape consciousness in a period of institutional collapse and change.
Chicago’s New Negro artists of the 1930s and 1940s, like their counterparts in 1920s Harlem, sought to reframe perceptions of African American life, to re-present the black subject as something other than an object of contempt or amusement beneath the privileged gaze of the white viewer.
Just as these artists sought to revise perceptions of racial reality, examination of the wide range of actual images they created and the mediums and styles they explored revises reductive notions about creative expression in this period, which often portray a mere subordination of art to
propaganda and an embrace of representational aesthetics and simplistic narratives in a fruitless detour in the evolution from modernism to postmodernism. On the contrary, Andrew Hemingway notes the range of stylistic experiment and characterizes so-called ‘social art’ as ‘a
hybrid and unstable mode [which] had to carry the imperative to be an art equal in formal achievement to both the great art of the past and the modern tradition … [and] to suggest a political orientation without becoming overt revolutionary propaganda’ (2002).New media theorist
Oliver Grau observes thatIn many quarters, virtual reality is viewed as a totally new phenomenon… but it did not make its first appearance with the technical invention of computer-aided virtual realities. On the contrary, virtual reality forms part of the core of the relationship
of humans to images… grounded in art traditions that have receivedscant attention up to now.(2004)In the midst of another period of change, of transformed and transforming ideas and practices in the arts, we have much to learn from the attempts of Chicago’s New (Media)
Negro artists to create ‘art for the people’, to immerse broad audiences in such accessible media as mural painting, photography and graphic arts.
Watchful Reading: Optical illusion in static and transient characters
Authors: Tibus Alexander Christian
Published: April 2013

Today, knowledge on ideal text legibility and high-quality typefaces support fast reading and are accessible to almost everybody who uses a computer. Instead of accelerating the reading process, the kind of typography discussed in this article invites the observer to play in order to
catch attention and go beyond the sheer process of reading. Text, which tricks our perception, is observed more intensely than usual ones. Roman Terpitz’ exhibition poster (Figure 1) and the typeface Wirefox (Figure 2) demonstrate how this works in static images. Currently, there is
quick growth of still and moving images. Flickering screens catch attention while their content is exchangeable anytime. Hand-held devices like smart phones, touch pads or large, facade-covering LED billboards allow text to be convertible over time. The experiment Dancing type (Figure 3) shows
how animated characters can change between text and texture. Words reveal out of a graphical structure and immediately dissolve afterwards. This claims the observer’s attention. This article will introduce and analyse a typography that leads to questions like where it could be used beyond
advertising, which applications make sense, if it could improve communication qualities of certain texts and how it can add benefits to current screen technologies.
Frederick Froebel’s philosophies of drawing: Play, representation and invention
Authors: Weida Courtney Lee
Published: April 2013

This article explores the drawing practice within the educational philosophies of Frederick Froebel. Froebel offers art education and studio practice a great deal of influential approaches, unique media inspirations and enduring philosophical contexts for drawing. Froebel introduced
exercises in linear drawing with horizontal and vertical lines, outline drawing of contours, free-hand and nature drawing, circular drawing and drawing from memory. Froebel also suggested more exploratory drawing activities in the service of observing, connecting and evoking form. His approaches
towards drawing as varied explorations of nature, contour and shape with unique art media can open up pedagogical possibilities for the rich understanding of form and playful, sensory experiences in contemporary art education.
Drawing: From education to artistic practice
Authors: Ross Jonathan H. S.
Published: April 2013

This report is a self-reflective analysis on my art education and its influences on the drawing skills of a graduate. It relates the influence of teaching on my present drawing practice, which is essentially driven by a mark-making process and not focused on the end result. I aim to
show that shifting the focus of drawing practice towards process as a primary action may highlight possible teaching and learning problems in art education, as there is an ever-present emphasis on the end product that is needed in order to be assessed.
Thoughts to draw upon
Authors: Swartz Amy
Published: April 2013

In our modern world filled with exacting information and result-oriented activities, drawing is both a process and product that feeds the imagination, rescues the mind from literal explanation and builds a connection between emotion and rational thought. The drawn mark can transform
into a plethora of optical possibilities, creating visual poetry and free association of ideas. This article is based on my own thoughts about the mark marking process and the wide-ranging, inventive and unexpected ways students' create complex, personally relevant contemporary drawing.
Kooperierende Mobile Roboter
Authors: Behnke Sven
Published: April 2013

Der Einsatz von Teams kooperierender mobiler Roboter ist erforderlich, wenn eine Aufgabe inhärent verteilt ist oder nicht von einem Roboter allein bewältigt werden kann. Auch wenn Aufgaben prinzipiell von Einzelrobotern erledigt werden können, kann der Einsatz mehrerer Roboter Vorteile bringen, da Roboterteams schneller, robuster und skalierbarer sein können. Bei der Steuerung kooperierender mobiler Robotern müssen vielfältige Ressourcenzuordnungsprobleme gelöst werden, beispielsweise die Aufgabenzuordnung oder die Zuordnung von Gebieten des Arbeitsraums. Im Artikel werden Kommunikations- und Kontrollarchitekturen, sowie Pfadplanungs- und Lernverfahren diskutiert, die für Multi-Roboter-Systeme entwickelt wurden. Die mögliche Nützlichkeit kooperierender mobiler Roboter wird durch vier Anwendungsbeispiele illustriert.
Flugroboter. Ein Überblick über technologische und operationelle Entwicklungen und Trends
Authors: Hecker Peter , Bretschneider Lutz , Bestmann Ulf , Schachtebeck Per Martin
Published: April 2013

Technologische Fortschritte in den Kernbereichen der Luftfahrt- und Informationstechnologie wie z. B. dem Leichtbau, der Aerodynamik, der Antriebs- und Energiespeichertechnik sowie der Flugsysteme haben der Entwicklung von autonomen und oftmals miniaturisierten Fluggeräten erheblichen Vortrieb geliefert. In Verbindung mit neuen Methoden der automatisierten Luftfahrzeugführung erobern Flugroboter in bisher ungeahntem Ausmaß neue Anwendungsfelder. Der vorliegende Artikel soll einen kurzen Überblick über Trends in der Entwicklung dieser Systeme bieten.
Simulation-Driven Engineering für mobile Systeme. Virtuelle Welten als Entwicklungsplattform für mobile Robotik - Von der Planetenexploration bis in den Wald
Authors: Roßmann Jürgen , Schluse Michael , Rast Malte
Published: April 2013

Moderne 3D-Simulationstechnik legt die Grundlagen zur effizienten Zusammenführung komplexer Entwicklungsvorhaben für die mobile Robotik, indem sie neue Methoden zur multidisziplinären Entwicklung mobiler Systeme bereitstellt. Hierzu müssen Systemmodelle, Simulations-, Steuerungs- und Daten verarbeitende Algorithmen sowie reale Systeme für die ganzheitliche Betrachtung des dynamischen Gesamtsystems integriert werden. Die so geschaffene aktive Wissensbasis vereinfacht die Verifikation neu entwickelter Methoden unter frei wählbaren Randbedingungen und deren Übertragung auf andere Anwendungsfelder im Zuge eines effizienten Technologietransfers. Neue Konzepte wie das der Virtuellen Testbeds legen hierzu die konzeptionelle Grundlage.
Crystal structure of trans-diacetonitrile diaqua(N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine) nickel(II) diiodide, [Ni(tmen)(CH3CN)2(H2O)2]2+·2I–, C10H26I2N4NiO2
Authors: Ishikawa Yuki , Miyamoto Keiko , Horn Ernst
Published: April 2013

C10H26I2N4NiO2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 7.6587(4) Å, b = 17.4436(8) Å, c = 15.0273(7) Å, β = 98.770(1)°, V = 1984.1 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0406, wRref(F) = 0.0435, T = 296 K.
Crystal structure of catena-((μ3-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylato-κ6O)- triaqua- erbium(III)sesquihydrate), Er(C9H3O6)(H2O)3·1.5H2O, C9H12ErO10.50
Authors: Zhang Wei-Min , Dong Ting-Fang , Lu Zhong-Min , Ding Yi
Published: April 2013

C9H12ErO10.50, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 20.415(2) Å, b = 9.8975(7) Å, c = 15.189(1) Å, β = 126.130(1)°, V = 2478.8 Å3, Z = 8, Rgt(F) = 0.0199, wRref(F2) = 0.0486, T = 296 K.
Crystal structure of (2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-2,6-dioxo-1Hpurin- 8-yl-κC)(di-thiocarboxylato-2-κ2C,S)-tris(trimethylphosphine-κP) cobalt(I) tetrahydrofuran solvate, C22H44CoN4O3P3S2
Authors: Zheng Tingting , Xu Wengang , Li Junye , Lu Faguan
Published: April 2013

C22H44CoN4O3P3S2, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 12.775(3) Å, b = 14.680(3) Å, c = 16.174(3) Å, β = 104.15(3)°, V = 2941.2 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0242, wRref(F2) = 0.0640, T = 293 K.
Photoelastic Analysis on Different Retention Methods of Implant-Supported Prosthesis
Authors: Pimentel Angélica Castro , Manzi Marcello Roberto , Polo Cristiane Ibanhês , Sendyk Claudio Luiz , da Graça Naclério-Homem Maria , Sendyk Wilson Roberto
Published: April 2013

The aim of this study was to evaluate the stress distribution of different retention systems (screwed, cemented, and mixed) in 5-unit implant-supported fixed partial dentures through the photoelasticity method. Twenty standardized titanium suprastructures were manufactured, of which 5 were screw retained, 5 were cement retained, and 10 were mixed (with an alternating sequence of abutments), each supported by 5 external hexagon (4.0 mm × 11.5 mm) implants. A circular polariscope was used, and an axial compressive load of 100 N was applied on a universal testing machine. The results were photographed and qualitatively analyzed. We observed the formation of isochromatic fringes as a result of the stresses generated around the implant after installation of the different suprastructures and after the application of a compressive axial load of 100 N. We conclude that a lack of passive adaptation was observed in all suprastructures with the formation of low-magnitude stress in some implants. When cemented and mixed suprastructures were subjected to a compressive load, they displayed lower levels of stress distribution and lower intensity fringes compared to the screwed prosthesis.
A Mid‐Infrared Spectroscopy Method to Determine the Glucosamine, Galactosamine, and Muramic Acid Concentrations in Soil Hydrolysates
Authors: Zhang Bin , Yang Xueming , Drury Craig F. , Zhang Xudong
Published: April 2013

The current method for determining amino sugars in soils involves a derivatization process which is time‐consuming and involves working with and disposing of hazardous chemicals. This study aims to evaluate the potential of mid‐infrared (MIR) spectroscopy to predict amino sugar concentrations in soil. Two separate sets of the same 60 soil samples were hydrolyzed and purified, and then one set of samples was transformed into amino sugar derivatives for gas chromatography (GC) determination and the other set of samples was used for MIR spectra collection without further processing. The GC‐measured concentrations of amino sugars were calibrated, using test‐set data set (n = 20) and leave‐one‐out data set, against the MIR spectral data with partial least squares (PLS) regression. Based on the values of coefficient of determination (R2) and residual prediction deviation (RPD), the calibration models for amino sugars were good for both data sets, with R2 values ranging from 0.82 to 0.98 and RPD values from 2.38 to 7.76. For test‐set validation, predictions were excellent for total amino sugars (R2 = 0.96, RPD = 5.14), glucosamine (R2 = 0.97, RPD = 6.27), galactosamine (R2 = 0.94, RPD = 4.16), and good for muramic acid (R2 = 0.84, RPD = 2.52). For leave‐one‐out cross‐validation, predictions were excellent for glucosamine (R2 = 0.91, RPD = 3.28), good for total amino sugars (R2 = 0.86, RPD = 2.70) and galactosamine (R2 = 0.81, RPD = 2.29), but relatively poor for muramic acid (R2 = 0.61, RPD = 1.61). We concluded that the MIR spectroscopy has high potential to estimate the concentrations of amino sugars in soil with significant savings in time, cost, and chemicals.
Soil Carbon Dynamics for Irrigated Corn under Two Tillage Systems
Authors: Follett Ronald F. , Jantalia Claudia Pozzi , Halvorson Ardell D.
Published: April 2013

Conventional tillage (CT) with high N rates and irrigation is used more frequently than no‐till (NT) for growing continuous corn (Zea mays L.) in the central Great Plains of the United States. The objective of this study was to evaluate soil organic C (SOC) stocks throughout the soil profile as well as the potential for maintaining or sequestering SOC within the soil profile (0– 120 cm) under irrigated, continuous corn as affected by NT and CT and three N rates. Isotopic δ13C techniques provided information about the fate of C added to soil by corn (C4–C) and of residual C3–C from cool‐season plants grown before this study. Relative contributions of C4–C and C3–C to SOC stocks after 8 yr were determined. Retention of C4–C from corn was measured under NT and CT. Nitrogen fertilization slowed losses of C3–C and improved retention of C4–C. No‐till was superior to CT in maintaining SOC. Deep soil sampling to 120 cm and the use of stable C isotope techniques allowed evaluation of changes in SOC stocks during the 8‐yr period. Change in SOC under NT vs. CT resulted from greater loss of C3–C stocks under CT throughout the soil profile. Irrigated corn has a low potential to sequester SOC in the central Great Plains, especially under CT. The results of this study indicate that stability of the soil organic matter and its perceived “recalcitrance” is altered by environmental and biological controls.
American Society of Nephrology Quiz and Questionnaire 2012
Authors: Mehrotra Rajnish , Glassock Richard J. , Bleyer Anthony J.
Published: April 2013

Presentation of the Nephrology Quiz and Questionnaire has become an annual tradition at the meetings of the American Society of Nephrology. It is a very popular session judged by consistently large attendance. Members of the audience test their knowledge and judgment on a series of case-oriented questions prepared and discussed by experts. They can also compare their answers in real time, using audience response devices, with the answers of program directors of nephrology training programs in the United States acquired through an Internet-based questionnaire. Topics presented here include fluid and electrolyte disorders, glomerular diseases, transplantation, and ESRD and dialysis. Cases representing each of these categories along with single best answer questions were prepared by a panel of experts (Drs. Palmer, Fervenza, and Brennan and Mehrotra, respectively). The correct and incorrect answers then were briefly discussed after the audience responses, and the results of the questionnaire were displayed. This article tries to recapitulate the session and reproduce its educational value for a larger audience—the readers of the CJASN.
Candidate Gene Analysis of Arteriovenous Fistula Failure in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Verschuren Jeffrey J.W. , Ocak Gurbey , Dekker Friedo W. , Rabelink Ton J. , Jukema J. Wouter , Rotmans Joris I.
Published: April 2013

Background and objectives

Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) failure remains an important cause of morbidity in hemodialysis patients. The exact underlying mechanisms responsible for AVF failure are unknown but processes like proliferation, inflammation, vascular remodeling, and thrombosis are thought to be involved. The current objective was to investigate the association between AVF failure and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes related to these pathophysiologic processes in a large population of incident hemodialysis patients.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

A total of 479 incident hemodialysis patients were included between January 1997 and April 2004. Follow-up lasted 2 years or until AVF failure, defined as surgery, percutaneous endovascular intervention, or abandonment of the vascular access. Forty-three SNPs in 26 genes, related to proliferation, inflammation, endothelial function, vascular remodeling, coagulation, and calcium/phosphate metabolism, were genotyped. Relations were analyzed using Cox regression analysis.

Results

In total, 207 (43.2%) patients developed AVF failure. After adjustment, two SNPs were significantly associated with an increased risk of AVF failure. The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of LRP1 rs1466535 was 1.75 (1.15 to 2.66) and patients with factor V Leiden had a hazard ratio of 2.54 (1.41 to 4.56) to develop AVF failure. The other SNPs were not associated with AVF failure.

Conclusions

In this large cohort of hemodialysis patients, only 2 of the 43 candidate SNPs were associated with an increased risk of AVF failure. Whether other factors, like local hemodynamic circumstances, are more important or other SNPs play a role in AVF failure remains to be elucidated.
PKCδ Impaired Vessel Formation and Angiogenic Factor Expression in Diabetic Ischemic Limbs
Authors: Lizotte Farah , Paré Martin , Denhez Benoit , Leitges Michael , Guay Andréanne , Geraldes Pedro
Published: April 2013

Decreased collateral vessel formation in diabetic peripheral limbs is characterized by abnormalities of the angiogenic response to ischemia. Hyperglycemia is known to activate protein kinase C (PKC), affecting the expression and activity of growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). The current study investigates the role of PKCδ in diabetes-induced poor collateral vessel formation and inhibition of angiogenic factors expression and actions. Ischemic adductor muscles of diabetic Prkcd+/+ mice exhibited reduced blood reperfusion, vascular density, and number of small vessels compared with nondiabetic Prkcd+/+ mice. By contrast, diabetic Prkcd−/− mice showed significant increased blood flow, capillary density, and number of capillaries. Although expression of various PKC isoforms was unchanged, activation of PKCδ was increased in diabetic Prkcd+/+ mice. VEGF and PDGF mRNA and protein expression were decreased in the muscles of diabetic Prkcd+/+ mice and were normalized in diabetic Prkcd−/− mice. Furthermore, phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and PDGF receptor-β (PDGFR-β) were blunted in diabetic Prkcd+/+ mice but elevated in diabetic Prkcd−/− mice. The inhibition of VEGFR2 and PDGFR-β activity was associated with increased SHP-1 expression. In conclusion, our data have uncovered the mechanisms by which PKCδ activation induced poor collateral vessel formation, offering potential novel targets to regulate angiogenesis therapeutically in diabetic patients.
Effects of Common Genetic Variants Associated With Type 2 Diabetes and Glycemic Traits on α- and β-Cell Function and Insulin Action in Humans
Authors: Jonsson Anna , Ladenvall Claes , Ahluwalia Tarunveer Singh , Kravic Jasmina , Krus Ulrika , Taneera Jalal , Isomaa Bo , Tuomi Tiinamaija , Renström Erik , Groop Leif , Lyssenko Valeriya
Published: April 2013

Although meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies have identified >60 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with type 2 diabetes and/or glycemic traits, there is little information on whether these variants also affect α-cell function. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of glycemia-associated genetic loci on islet function in vivo and in vitro. We studied 43 SNPs in 4,654 normoglycemic participants from the Finnish population-based Prevalence, Prediction, and Prevention of Diabetes-Botnia (PPP-Botnia) Study. Islet function was assessed, in vivo, by measuring insulin and glucagon concentrations during oral glucose tolerance test, and, in vitro, by measuring glucose-stimulated insulin and glucagon secretion from human pancreatic islets. Carriers of risk variants in BCL11A, HHEX, ZBED3, HNF1A, IGF1, and NOTCH2 showed elevated whereas those in CRY2, IGF2BP2, TSPAN8, and KCNJ11 showed decreased fasting and/or 2-h glucagon concentrations in vivo. Variants in BCL11A, TSPAN8, and NOTCH2 affected glucagon secretion both in vivo and in vitro. The MTNR1B variant was a clear outlier in the relationship analysis between insulin secretion and action, as well as between insulin, glucose, and glucagon. Many of the genetic variants shown to be associated with type 2 diabetes or glycemic traits also exert pleiotropic in vivo and in vitro effects on islet function.
Population pharmacokinetic of antiepileptic drugs in different populations
Authors: Milovanovic Jasmina , Jankovic Slobodan
Published: April 2013

This article reviews a population pharmacokinetics studies conducted during the past few years in Serbia. Studies have included three the most frequently used antiepileptic drugs (valproate, carbamazepine and lamotrigine) and different populations of epileptic patients: children, adults and heterogeneous population composed of both children and adults. The review compares obtained values of population pharmacokinetic models of clearance of these drugs, and factors that are significantly determined, making brief comments on the results of other authors on the same topic. Individualization of drug dosage is the basis of rational therapy, and factors of variability will always be subject of scientific research.
Progressive course of isolated splenic myeloid sarcoma
Authors: Antic Darko , Perunicic Jovanovic Maja , Knezevic Djordje , Ostojic Slavenko , Elezovic Ivo
Published: April 2013

A previously healthy 40-year-old male presented with a 2-week history of fever and abdominal discomfort that was resistant to empirical broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment. The patient’s blood cell count and complete biochemical panel was normal, except for an increased lactate dehydrogenase level. Ultrasonography and computed tomography of the abdomen showed a large, soft tissue mass had infiltrated superior part of the spleen. Splenectomy with total tumor mass removal were performed. The pathological examination of the tumor tissue confirmed diagnosis of isolated myeloid sarcoma with monoblastic differentiation. Despite intensive antileukemic therapy, patient died four months after diagnosis was established.
The possible protective mechanism of Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in memory impairments induced by Aβ25–35 in rats
Authors: Tian XiaoQiang , Zhang LiDa , Wang JingMei , Dai JianGuo , Shen ShanShan , Yang Lin , Huang PeiLin
Published: April 2013

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation and deposition of Aβ peptides in human brains. Aβ peptides are toxic to neurons by lots of mechanisms of which Aβ induced oxidative stress is one of the hypothesis. The present study aimed to determine the effect of Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on Aβ25–35 induced cognitive deficits and oxidative stress and apoptosis effects in rats. Rats were given an injection of aggregated Aβ25–35. After treatment with HBO for 20days, the learning and memory ability, hippocampus neuronal apoptosis, the activity of SOD, GSH content and the MDA level and mRNA and proteins expression of Bcl-2 and Bax were detected. Our results demonstrated that HBO could significantly improved the apoptosis hippocampus neuronal induced by Aβ25–35, involving the improvement of the learning and memory impairment, which accompanied of increasing the gene and protein expression of bcl-2 and enhancing the activity of SOD and GSH content. These findings suggest that treatment of HBO might prevent the Aβ25–35 induced learning and memory impairment by increasing the gene and protein expression of bcl-2 and enhancing the activity of SOD and GSH content to alleviate the apoptosis hippocampus neuronal. This suggests that HBO may be a potential therapeutic agent for AD.
Hemothorax after chest tube insertion for pneumothorax as a complication of clopidogrel
Authors: Ohara Gen , Kagohashi Katsunori , Kurishima Koichi , Miyazaki Kunihiko , Satoh Hiroaki
Published: April 2013

Hemorrhagic complications are recognized when anti-platelet agents are used during or after surgical procedures. We present a 69-year-old male patient who developed hemothorax after chest tube insertion for pneumothorax as a complication of clopidogrel and aspirin following ischemic heart disease. Hemothorax associated clopidogrel has rarely been reported and this is the first academic publication of this complication type following chest tube insertion shortly after the cessation of clopidogrel. Our case demonstrates the possibility of hemothorax when chest tube insertion is indicated under such conditions.
Lateral hypothalamic area deep brain stimulation for refractory obesity: a pilot study with preliminary data on safety, body weight, and energy metabolism
Authors: Whiting Donald M. , Tomycz Nestor D. , Bailes Julian , de Jonge Lilian , Lecoultre Virgile , Wilent Bryan , Alcindor Dunbar , Prostko E. Richard , Cheng Boyle C. , Angle Cynthia , Cantella Diane , Whiting Benjamin B. , Mizes J. Scott , Finnis Kirk W. , Ravussin Eric , Oh Michael Y.
Published: April 2013

Object

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) has been suggested as a potential treatment for intractable obesity. The authors present the 2-year safety results as well as early efficacy and metabolic effects in 3 patients undergoing bilateral LHA DBS in the first study of this approach in humans.

Methods

Three patients meeting strict criteria for intractable obesity, including failed bariatric surgery, underwent bilateral implantation of LHA DBS electrodes as part of an institutional review board– and FDA-approved pilot study. The primary focus of the study was safety; however, the authors also received approval to collect data on early efficacy including weight change and energy metabolism.

Results

No serious adverse effects, including detrimental psychological consequences, were observed with continuous LHA DBS after a mean follow-up of 35 months (range 30–39 months). Three-dimensional nonlinear transformation of postoperative imaging superimposed onto brain atlas anatomy was used to confirm and study DBS contact proximity to the LHA. No significant weight loss trends were seen when DBS was programmed using standard settings derived from movement disorder DBS surgery. However, promising weight loss trends have been observed when monopolar DBS stimulation has been applied via specific contacts found to increase the resting metabolic rate measured in a respiratory chamber.

Conclusions

Deep brain stimulation of the LHA may be applied safely to humans with intractable obesity. Early evidence for some weight loss under metabolically optimized settings provides the first “proof of principle” for this novel antiobesity strategy. A larger follow-up study focused on efficacy along with a more rigorous metabolic analysis is planned to further explore the benefits and therapeutic mechanism behind this investigational therapy.
Procollagen Type I C-terminal propeptide, procollagen Type III N-terminal propeptide, hyaluronic acid, and laminin in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats with communicating hydrocephalus
Authors: Xu Hao , Wang Zhanxiang , Zhang Shaolin , Tan Guowei , Zhu Hongwei
Published: April 2013

Object

Fibrosis along the route of CSF flow is indicated by the development of hydrocephalus. The changes of fibrosis index might reflect the level of hydrocephalus and even become a diagnostic index of hydrocephalus. The object of this study was to analyze the levels of procollagen Type I C-terminal propeptide (PICP), procollagen Type III N-terminal propeptide (PIIINP), hyaluronic acid (HA), and laminin (LN) and their significance in the CSF of communicating hydrocephalus rat models.

Methods

Thirty adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: hydrocephalus group (20 rats) with intraventricular kaolin injections, sham control group (5 rats) with saline injections, and normal group (5 rats) without any processing. The levels of PICP, PIIINP, HA, and LN in the CSF were detected using ELISA.

Results

Levels of PICP, PIIINP, HA, and LN in the hydrocephalus group were significantly higher than those in the saline control group (p < 0.05). It was revealed by correlation analysis that the increase was positively correlated with the severity of ventricular dilation.

Conclusions

Results indicated that PICP, PIIINP, HA, and LN continue to rise dramatically in experimental hydrocephalus and may serve as the diagnostic index of hydrocephalus.
Molecular oncogenesis of craniopharyngioma: current and future strategies for the development of targeted therapies
Authors: Hussain Ibrahim , Eloy Jean Anderson , Carmel Peter W. , Liu James K.
Published: April 2013

Craniopharyngiomas are benign intracranial tumors that arise in the suprasellar and intrasellar region in children and adults. They are associated with calcification on neuroimaging, endocrinopathies, vision problems, and recurrence following subtotal resection. Molecular studies into their genetic basis have been limited, and therefore targeted medical therapies for this tumor have eluded physicians. With the discovery of aberrant Wnt/β-catenin pathway signaling in the pathogenesis of the most common subtype of craniopharyngioma (adamantinomatous), the identification of candidate genes and proteins implicated in this cascade provide attractive targets for future therapies. The recent development of a genetically engineered animal model of this tumor may also serve as a platform for evaluating potential therapies prior to clinical trials in humans. Advances in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of tumor recurrence have also been made, providing clues to develop adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapies to couple with tumor resection for optimal response rates. Finally, advances in genomic technologies and next-generation sequencing will underlie the translation of these genetic and molecular studies from the bench to clinical practice. In this review, the authors present an analysis of the molecular oncogenesis of craniopharyngioma and current directions in the development of novel therapies for these morbid, yet poorly understood brain tumors.
Revision surgery after interbody fusion with rhBMP-2: a cautionary tale for spine surgeons
Authors: Rodgers Shaun D. , Marascalchi Bryan J. , Grobelny Bartosz T. , Smith Michael L. , Samadani Uzma
Published: April 2013

Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein–2 (rhBMP-2) promotes the induction of bone growth and is widely used in spine surgery to enhance arthrodesis. Recombinant human BMP-2 has been associated with a variety of complications including ectopic bone formation, adjacent-level fusion, local bone resorption, osteolysis, and radiculitis. Some of the complications associated with rhBMP-2 may be the result of rhBMP-2 induction of the inflammatory host response. In this paper the authors report on a patient with prior transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) using an interbody cage packed with rhBMP-2, in which rhBMP-2 possibly contributed to vascular injury during an attempted anterior lumbar interbody fusion. This 63-year-old man presented with a 1-year history of worsening refractory low-back pain and radiculopathy caused by a Grade 1 spondylolisthesis at L4–5. He underwent an uncomplicated L4–5 TLIF using an rhBMP-2–packed interbody cage. Postoperatively, he experienced marginal improvement of his symptoms. Within the next year and a half the patient returned with unremitting low-back pain and neurogenic claudication that failed to respond to conservative measures. Radiological imaging of the patient revealed screw loosening and pseudarthrosis. He underwent an anterior retroperitoneal approach with a plan for removal of the previous cage, complete discectomy, and placement of a femoral ring. During the retroperitoneal approach the iliac vein was adhered with scarring and fibrosis to the underlying previously operated L4–5 interbody space. During mobilization the left iliac vein was torn, resulting in significant blood loss and cardiac arrest requiring chest compression, defibrillator shocks, and blood transfusion. The patient was stabilized, the operation was terminated, and he was transferred to the intensive care unit. He recovered over the next several days and was discharged at his neurological baseline. The authors propose that the rhBMP-2–induced host inflammatory response partially contributed to vessel fibrosis and scarring, resulting in the life-threatening vascular injury during the reoperation. Spine surgeons should be aware of this potential inflammatory fibrosis in addition to other reported complications related to rhBMP-2.
Stand und Perspektiven einer landesweiten Baumartenklassifikation mit digitalen Luftbildern
Authors: Waser Lars T.
Published: April 2013

Status and perspectives of country-wide tree species classification based on digital aerial images

There is an increasing interest on area-wide and high-resolution data of forest composition. In Switzerland, tree species distribution will be considered periodically by the Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI), but the claims will be only partly fulfilled by the existing forest type maps since they are relatively poor regarding spatial accuracy, updating, and reproducibility. Providing consistent, reproducible and up-to-date information on various forest parameters is the main advantage of using the latest remote sensing data and methods. New possibilities are given by the airborne digital sensor ADS80, which records the entire country during the vegetation season every six years. This paper presents a robust methodology of classifying tree species in different study areas. The obtained accuracies for beech, ash, Norway spruce, Scots pine, larch, willow and silver fir are in average 71–85%, but lower for other deciduous tree species. These are mainly less dominant tree species within a study area such as maple and birch. A small sample data set and shadows of other neighboring trees seem to be the main reasons for this. Based on the experiences made in this study, a country-wide classification of tree species has become more feasible. The usage of airborne digital sensor ADS80 data in combination with a high degree of automation from the developed methods will enable the generation of country-wide products on the distinction of coniferous and deciduous tree species until 2015.
Castellucci's Theatre of the ‘Abject/Sublime’: or, the Theatre of Failed Transcendence
Authors: Fisher Tony
Published: April 2013

In this paper I look at Castellucci's On the Concept of the Face, Regarding the Son of God as a means to sketch out what I would like to call a theatre of the ‘abject/sublime’. In contrast to the Kantian notion of the sublime, which requires nothing less than the acknowledgment of the moral law by the subject, I will situate Castellucci's work within a reading of the ‘sublime’ that embraces the failure of the subject to achieve transcendence. By this I mean the subject fails to achieve the kind of ethical autonomy that Kant's radical sublime demands. Instead, I propose to interpret Castellucci's work in two ‘heteronymous’ ways: firstly, in light of Kristeva's dictum that the ‘abject is edged with the sublime’, and secondly, in terms of Levinas' claim that the face is nothing less than the ‘infinite which blinks’ (OB: 93). What results, I argue, is a theatre of ‘failed transcendence’, in which Castellucci's ‘face’ of God, returned to the abject condition of its own corporeality, marks the traumatic site of the ethical demand..
Processual Passing: Ron Vawter PerformsPhiloktetes
Authors: Collard Christophe
Published: April 2013

Experimental dramaturge-director John Jesurun in 1994 devised a multi-media theatre adaptation of Sophocles' Philoctetes at the behest of the iconic American avant-garde actor Ron Vawter, who at the time was dying of AIDS. Feeding on classical Greek drama and Jesurun's own trademark ‘mediaturgies’ alike, this production presented its audience with a barren and alien landscape where communication is both problematic as well as the only possible means of salvation. More concretely, it featured Vawter in the lead role creating a troubling tension between the play's fictional theme of physical suffering and the ‘embodied liveness’ it highlighted through the HIV-induced purple Kaposi rash on the actor's naked body. At the same time Jesurun'sPhiloktetesis also a funeral play about a stricken warrior narrating his own demise from beyond the grave, a memento mori that unsettles its ancient predecessor by recycling the mythological story of Philoctetes the existential transgressor who refuses to either die or live as he rather opts physically to rot in the isolation of a deserted island. The production thereby deliberately dramatized the actual crossing of the border between life and death with Vawter's naked Philoktetes re-enacting and commenting the process of his passing – all while literally decaying before the eyes of the spectators. Arguably, therefore, when the stricken warrior of Jesurun's play hauntingly reminds us that “the body knows the answer” whereas we ourselves “don't know the question,” he opens up a panoply of problems with the potential to range far beyond mere descriptions of story, scene, or theme. If anything, the case of Vawter'sPhiloktetes-performance indeed indicates that drawing attention to the mediation behind the artistic creation, and particularly the physical embodiment of the actor performing it, highlights both the artificiality and – above all – the negotiability of the illusion, thereby intrinsically invalidating reductive readings.
The Quantum Dance and the World's ‘Extraordinary Liveliness’: Refiguring Corporeal Ethics in Karen Barad's Agential Realism
Authors: Hinton Peta
Published: April 2013

In her 2007 monograph Meeting the Universe Halfway, Karen Barad introduces her reader to a world of movement and flux, where bodies ceaselessly participate in their own material configuration, where bodily integrity and identity is entangled in the dynamic materialisation of its social and political significance, and where processes of understanding and meaning making are bound up in ‘an ongoing performance of the world in its differential dance of intelligibility and unintelligibility’ (2007: 149). Through her reading of Niels Bohr's ‘philosophy-physics’, Barad introduces us to a quantum universe that poses some counterintuitive challenges to the modernist worldview which understands matter to be determinate and measurable, or that may quietly preserve something of matter's evidence against culture's symbolic dexterity. In advancing her agential realist account, Baradmoves beyond anthropocentric constraints to conceive of the world in its ‘extraordinary liveliness’ (2007: 91), an enlarged and productive scene of agency engaged in an ongoing performance of its own intelligibility, articulating itself differently. With the suggestion that agency is extended beyond the framework that assigns it to the intentions and accountability of the human subject, Barad offers a powerful rethinking of the politics and ethics of identity in her claim that the ethical call is ‘embodied in the very worlding of the world’ (2007: 160). In this paper I undertake a close reading of Barad's argument to consider its implications for how we might conceive a corporeal ethics that accounts for the production of inequalities and exclusions within the very becoming of the world, and becoming embodied. In the process, I argue that through asomatechnical unfolding of matter, the experimental apparatus, and concept, Barad prompts some challenging considerations for feminist approaches to what ‘the ethical’ constitutes or should achieve.
Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Volarevic Vladislav , Erceg Slaven , Bhattacharya Shom Shanker , Stojkovic Petra , Horner Philip , Stojkovic Miodrag
Published: April 2013

Stem cells (SCs) represent a new therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury (SCI) by enabling improved sensory and motor functions in animal models. The main goal of SC-based therapy for SCI is the replacement of neurons and glial cells that undergo cell death soon after injury. Stem cells are able to promote remyelination via oligodendroglia cell replacement to produce trophic factors enhancing neurite outgrowth, axonal elongation, and fiber density and to activate resident or transplanted progenitor cells across the lesion cavity. While several SC transplantation strategies have shown promising yet partial efficacy, mechanistic proof is generally lacking and is arguably the largest impediment toward faster progress and clinical application. The main challenge ahead is to spur on cooperation between clinicians, researchers, and patients in order to define and optimize the mechanisms of SC function and to establish the ideal source/s of SCs that produce efficient and also safe therapeutic approaches.
Direct Reprogramming of Adult Somatic Cells into other Lineages: Past Evidence and Future Perspectives
Authors: Nizzardo Monica , Simone Chiara , Falcone Marianna , Riboldi Giulietta , Comi Giacomo P. , Bresolin Nereo , Corti Stefania
Published: April 2013

Direct reprogramming of an adult cell into another differentiated lineage—such as fibroblasts into neurons, cardiomyocytes, or blood cells—without passage through an undifferentiated pluripotent stage is a new area of research that has recently emerged alongside stem cell technology and induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming; indeed, this avenue of investigation has begun to play a central role in basic biological research and regenerative medicine. Even though the field seems new, its origins go back to the 1980s when it was demonstrated that differentiated adult cells can be converted into another cell lineage through the overexpression of transcription factors, establishing mature cell plasticity. Here, we retrace transdifferentiation experiments from the discovery of master control genes to recent in vivo reprogramming of one somatic cell into another from the perspective of possible applications for the development of new therapeutic approaches for human diseases.
Human Liver Endothelial Cells, But Not Macrovascular or Microvascular Endothelial Cells, Engraft in the Mouse Liver
Authors: Filali Ebtisam El , Hiralall Johan K. , Van Veen Henk A. , Stolz Donna B. , Seppen Jurgen
Published: April 2013

Liver cell transplantation has had limited clinical success so far, partly due to poor engraftment of hepatocytes. Instead of hepatocytes. other cell types, such as endothelial cells, could be used in ex vivo liver gene therapy. The goal of the present study was to compare the grafting and repopulation capacity of human endothelial cells derived from various tissues. Human endothelial cells were isolated from adult and fetal livers using anti-human CD31 antibody-conjugated magnetic beads. Human macrovascular endothelial cells were obtained from umbilical vein. Human microvascular endothelial cells were isolated from adipose tissue. Cells were characterized using flow cytometry. Liver engraftment and repopulation of endothelial cells was studied after intrasplenic transplantation in monocrotaline-treated immunodeficient mice. Following transplantation, human liver endothelial cells engrafted throughout the mouse liver. With immunoscanning electron microscopy, fenestrae in engrafted human liver endothelial cells were identified, a characteristic feature of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. In contrast, CD31-negative liver cells, human macrovascular and microvascular endothelial cells were not capable of repopulating mouse liver. Characterization of human liver, macrovascular, and microvascular endothelial cells demonstrated expression of CD31, CD34, and CD146 but not CD45. Our study shows that only human liver endothelial cells, but not macro- and microvascular endothelial cells, have the unique capacity to engraft and repopulate the mouse liver. These results indicate that mature endothelial cells cannot transdifferentiate in vivo and thus do not exhibit phenotypic plasticity. Our results have set a basis for further research to the potential of human liver endothelial cells in liver-directed cell and gene therapy.