bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Focal Increases of Axoplasmic Ca2+, Aggregation of Sodium–Calcium Exchanger, N-type Ca2+Channel, and Actin Define the Sites of Spheroids in Axons Undergoing Oxidative Stress
Authors: Barsukova Anna G. , Forte Michael , Bourdette Dennis
Published: August 2012

Axonal spheroids occur as part of the pathology of a variety of neurologic diseases. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) trigger formation of spheroids, axonal severing, and Ca2+overload. The mechanisms by which ROS lead to the spheroid formation at specific axonal sites remain elusive. Here, using adult mouse primary neurons, we investigate the role of Ca2+, its regulating systems, and cytoskeletal changes in formation of axonal spheroids triggered by ROS. The results reveal that dramatically higher axoplasmic Ca2+levels occur at the sites of axonal spheroids than in the rest of the axon. High focal axoplasmic Ca2+levels correlate with focal aggregation of the reverse Na+/Ca2+exchanger 1, voltage-gated N-type Ca2+channel α1B subunit, and actin at the sites of spheroids in individual axons. This study provides new insights into the mechanism of a spheroid formation at specific sites along axons undergoing oxidative stress and a basis for new neuroprotective strategies.
Actin Polymerization-Dependent Increase in Synaptic Arc/Arg3.1 Expression in the Amygdala Is Crucial for the Expression of Aversive Memory Associated with Drug Withdrawal
Authors: Liu Yao , Zhou Qi-Xin , Hou Yuan-Yuan , Lu Bin , Yu Chuan , Chen Jie , Ling Qing-Lan , Cao Jun , Chi Zhi-Qiang , Xu Lin , Liu Jing-Gen
Published: August 2012

Aversive memories associated with drug withdrawal may contribute to persistent drug seeking. Molecular mechanisms that are critical for aversive memory formation have yet to be elucidated. Recently, we showed in a rat conditioned place aversion (CPA) model that synaptic actin polymerization in the amygdala were required for aversive memory information. Here, we demonstrated that actin polymerization within the amygdala triggered transportation of activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1) into amygdalar synapses. Increased synaptic Arc/Arg3.1 expression contributed to aversive memory formation by regulating synaptic AMPA receptor (AMPAR) endocytosis, asin vivoknockdown of amygdalar Arc/Arg3.1 with Arc/Arg3.1-shRNA prevented both AMPAR endocytosis and CPA formation. We also demonstrated that conditioned morphine withdrawal led to induction of LTD in the amygdala through AMPAR endocytosis. We further demonstrated that Arc/Arg3.1-regulated AMPAR endocytosis was GluR2 dependent, as intra-amygdala injection of Tat-GluR23Y, a GluR2-derived peptide that has been shown to specifically block regulated, but not constitutive, AMPAR endocytosis, prevented AMPAR endocytosis, LTD induction, and aversive memory formation. Therefore, this study extends previous studies on the role of actin polymerization in synaptic plasticity and memory formation by revealing the critical molecular events involved in aversive memory formation as well as LTD induction, and by showing that Arc/Arg3.1 is a crucial mediator for actin polymerization functions, and, thus, underscores the unknown details of how actin polymerization mediates synaptic plasticity and memory.
Mechanisms of Hippocampal Long-Term Depression Are Required for Memory Enhancement by Novelty Exploration
Authors: Dong Zhifang , Gong Bo , Li Hongjie , Bai Yanrui , Wu Xiaoyan , Huang Yan , He Wenting , Li Tingyu , Wang Yu Tian
Published: August 2012

It is well known that novel environments can enhance learning and memory. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we report that, in freely moving rats, novelty exploration facilitates the production of hippocampal CA1 long-term depression (LTD), a well characterized form of synaptic plasticity believed to be a cellular substrate of spatial learning, and thereby converts short-term memory (STM) into long-term memory (LTM) in an inhibitory avoidance learning procedure. Blocking the induction or the expression of CA1 LTD with two mechanistically and structurally distinct inhibitors prevents not only novelty acquisition but also the novelty exploration-promoted conversion of STM into LTM. Moreover, production of LTD with a strong electrical stimulation induction protocol or facilitation of hippocampal LTD by pharmacological inhibition of glutamate transporter activity mimics the behavioral effects of novelty exploration, sufficiently promoting the conversion of STM into LTM. Together, our findings suggest that induction of LTD may play an essential role not only in novelty acquisition but also in novelty-mediated memory enhancement.
The C-Type Natriuretic Peptide Induces Thermal Hyperalgesia through a Noncanonical Gβγ-dependent Modulation of TRPV1 Channel
Authors: Loo Lipin , Shepherd Andrew J. , Mickle Aaron D. , Lorca Ramón A. , Shutov Leonid P. , Usachev Yuriy M. , Mohapatra Durga P.
Published: August 2012

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) control natriuresis and normalize changes in blood pressure. Recent studies suggest that NPs are also involved in the regulation of pain sensitivity, although the underlying mechanisms remain essentially unknown. Many biological effects of NPs are mediated by guanylate cyclase (GC)-coupled NP receptors, NPR-A and NPR-B, whereas the third NP receptor, NPR-C, lacks the GC kinase domain and acts as the NP clearance receptor. In addition, NPR-C can couple to specific Gαi–Gβγ-mediated intracellular signaling cascades in numerous cell types. We found that NPR-C is coexpressed in transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1)-expressing mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. NPR-C can be coimmunoprecipitated with Gαi, and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) treatment induced translocation of protein kinase Cε (PKCε) to the plasma membrane of these neurons, which was inhibited by pertussis toxin pretreatment. Application of CNP potentiated capsaicin- and proton-activated TRPV1 currents in cultured mouse DRG neurons and increased their firing frequency, an effect that was absent in DRG neurons fromTRPV1−/−mice. CNP-induced sensitization of TRPV1 activity was attenuated by pretreatment of DRG neurons with the specific inhibitors of Gβγ, phospholipase C-β (PLCβ), or PKC, but not of protein kinase A, and was abolished by mutations at two PKC phosphorylation sites in TRPV1. Furthermore, CNP injection into mouse hindpaw led to the development of thermal hyperalgesia that was attenuated by administration of specific inhibitors of Gβγ or TRPV1 and was also absent inTRPV1−/−mice. Thus, our work identifies the Gβγ–PLCβ–PKC-dependent potentiation of TRPV1 as a novel signaling cascade recruited by CNP in mouse DRG neurons that can lead to enhanced nociceptor excitability and thermal hypersensitivity.
Neural Correlates of Reactivation and Retrieval-Induced Distortion
Authors: Bridge Donna J. , Paller Ken A.
Published: August 2012

Reactivation of recently acquired information can strengthen memory storage and likely contributes to memory consolidation. Retrieval (generating information about prior events) may improve memory storage because it entails reactivation. Alternatively, retrieval may promote storage of retrieved information, and, if retrieval is inaccurate, subsequent recall could be distorted by the retrieved information. If retrieval modifies memory storage, as hypothesized, neural signals associated with accurate retrieval at that time may be distinct from neural signals associated with the degree of repeated retrieval error evident at some later time. We tested this prediction using a 3-session protocol. During session 1, people learned object-location associations to criterion and completed a cued-recall test in which locations were recalled upon viewing objects. During session 2, an electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded during cued recall for a subset of the associations. During session 3, cued recall was tested for all associations. Retrieval improved storage, in that recall at session 3 was superior for objects tested in session 2 compared with those not tested. Retrieval-induced distortion was revealed in session 3 for those objects tested in session 2, in that those objects were generally placed closer to locations retrieved at session 2 relative to original study locations. EEG analyses revealed positive potentials (400–700 ms) associated with relatively accurate recall at session 2. Memory updating was reflected in positive potentials after 700 ms that differentially predicted the degree to which recall promoted storage of the session-2-retrieved location. These findings demonstrate unique neurocognitive processing whereby memories are updated with information produced during retrieval.
Red Nucleus Neurons Actively Contribute to the Acquisition of Classically Conditioned Eyelid Responses in Rabbits
Authors: Pacheco-Calderón Renny , Carretero-Guillén Alejandro , Delgado-García José M. , Gruart Agnès
Published: August 2012

The red nucleus (RN) is a midbrain premotor center that has been suggested as being involved in the acquisition and/or performance of classically conditioned nictitating membrane/eyelid responses. We recorded in rabbits the activity of RN and pararubral neurons during classical eyeblink conditioning using a delay paradigm. Neurons were identified by their antidromic activation from contralateral facial and accessory abducens nuclei and by their synaptic activation from the ipsilateral motor cortex (MC) and the contralateral cerebellar interpositus (IP) nucleus. For conditioning, we used a tone as a conditioned stimulus (CS) followed 250 ms later by a 100 ms air puff as an unconditioned stimulus (US) coterminating with it. Conditioned responses (CRs) were determined from the evoked changes in the electromyographic activity of the orbicularis oculi (OO) muscle. Recorded neurons were classified by their antidromic activation and by their changes in firing rate during the CS–US interval. Identified neurons increased their firing rates in relation to the successive conditioning sessions, but their discharge rates were related more to the EMG activity of the OO muscle than to the learning curves. Reversible inactivation of the IP nucleus with lidocaine during conditioning evoked a complete disappearance of both conditioned and unconditioned eyelid responses, and a progressive decrease in CR-related activity of RN neurons. In contrast, MC inactivation evoked a decrease in the acquisition process and an initial disfacilitation of neuronal firing (which was later recovered), together with the late appearance of CRs. Thus, RN neurons presented learning-dependent changes in activity following MC inactivation.
Selectivity for Three-Dimensional Shape and Grasping-Related Activity in the Macaque Ventral Premotor Cortex
Authors: Theys Tom , Pani Pierpaolo , van Loon Johannes , Goffin Jan , Janssen Peter
Published: August 2012

Anatomical studies indicate that area F5 in the macaque ventral premotor cortex consists of three different sectors. One of these is F5a in the posterior bank of the inferior arcuate sulcus, but no functional characterization of F5a at the single-cell level exists. We investigated the neuronal selectivity for three-dimensional (3D) shape and grasping activity in F5a. In contrast to neighboring regions F5p and 45B, the great majority of F5a neurons showed selectivity for disparity-defined curved surfaces, and most neurons preserved this selectivity across positions in depth, indicating higher-order disparity selectivity. Thus, as predicted by monkey fMRI data, F5a neurons showed robust 3D-shape selectivity in the absence of a motor response. To investigate the relationship between disparity selectivity and grasping activity, we recorded from 3D-shape-selective F5a neurons during a visually guided grasping task and during grasping in the dark. F5a neurons encoding the depth profile of curved surfaces frequently responded during grasping of real-world objects in the light, but not in the dark, whereas nearby neurons were also active in the dark. The presence of 3D-shape-selective and “visual-dominant” neurons demonstrates that the F5a sector is distinct from neighboring regions of ventral premotor cortex, in line with recent anatomical connectivity studies.
Cell-Autonomous Inactivation of the Reelin Pathway Impairs Adult Neurogenesis in the Hippocampus
Authors: Teixeira Catia M. , Kron Michelle M. , Masachs Nuria , Zhang Helen , Lagace Diane C. , Martinez Albert , Reillo Isabel , Duan Xin , Bosch Carles , Pujadas Lluis , Brunso Lucas , Song Hongjun , Eisch Amelia J. , Borrell Victor , Howell Brian W. , Parent Jack M. , Soriano Eduardo
Published: August 2012

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is thought to be essential for learning and memory, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several disorders. Although recent studies have identified key factors regulating neuroprogenitor proliferation in the adult hippocampus, the mechanisms that control the migration and integration of adult-born neurons into circuits are largely unknown. Reelin is an extracellular matrix protein that is vital for neuronal development. Activation of the Reelin cascade leads to phosphorylation of Disabled-1, an adaptor protein required for Reelin signaling. Here we used transgenic mouse and retroviral reporters along with Reelin signaling gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies to show that the Reelin pathway regulates migration and dendritic development of adult-generated hippocampal neurons. Whereas overexpression of Reelin accelerated dendritic maturation, inactivation of the Reelin signaling pathway specifically in adult neuroprogenitor cells resulted in aberrant migration, decreased dendrite development, formation of ectopic dendrites in the hilus, and the establishment of aberrant circuits. Our findings support a cell-autonomous and critical role for the Reelin pathway in regulating dendritic development and the integration of adult-generated granule cells and point to this pathway as a key regulator of adult neurogenesis. Moreover, our data reveal a novel role of the Reelin cascade in adult brain function with potential implications for the pathogenesis of several neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Top-Down Processing of Symbolic Meanings Modulates the Visual Word Form Area
Authors: Song Yiying , Tian Moqian , Liu Jia
Published: August 2012

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on humans have identified a region in the left middle fusiform gyrus consistently activated by written words. This region is called the visual word form area (VWFA). Recently, a hypothesis, called the interactive account, is proposed that to effectively analyze the bottom-up visual properties of words, the VWFA receives predictive feedback from higher-order regions engaged in processing sounds, meanings, or actions associated with words. Further, this top-down influence on the VWFA is independent of stimulus formats. To test this hypothesis, we used fMRI to examine whether a symbolic nonword object (e.g., the Eiffel Tower) intended to represent something other than itself (i.e., Paris) could activate the VWFA. We found that scenes associated with symbolic meanings elicited a higher VWFA response than those not associated with symbolic meanings, and such top-down modulation on the VWFA can be established through short-term associative learning, even across modalities. In addition, the magnitude of the symbolic effect observed in the VWFA was positively correlated with the subjective experience on the strength of symbol–referent association across individuals. Therefore, the VWFA is likely a neural substrate for the interaction of the top-down processing of symbolic meanings with the analysis of bottom-up visual properties of sensory inputs, making the VWFA the location where the symbolic meaning of both words and nonword objects is represented.
Time to Pay Attention: Attentional Performance Time-Stamped Prefrontal Cholinergic Activation, Diurnality, and Performance
Authors: Paolone Giovanna , Lee Theresa M. , Sarter Martin
Published: August 2012

Although the impairments in cognitive performance that result from shifting or disrupting daily rhythms have been demonstrated, the neuronal mechanisms that optimize fixed-time daily performance are poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that daily practice of a sustained attention task (SAT) evokes a diurnal activity pattern in rats. Here, we report that SAT practice at a fixed time produced practice time-stamped increases in prefrontal cholinergic neurotransmission that persisted after SAT practice was terminated and in a different environment. SAT time-stamped cholinergic activation occurred regardless of whether the SAT was practiced during the light or dark phase or in constant-light conditions. In contrast, prior daily practice of an operant schedule of reinforcement, albeit generating more rewards and lever presses per session than the SAT, neither activated the cholinergic system nor affected the animals' nocturnal activity pattern. Likewise, food-restricted animals exhibited strong food anticipatory activity (FAA) and attenuated activity during the dark phase but FAA was not associated with increases in prefrontal cholinergic activity. Removal of cholinergic neurons impaired SAT performance and facilitated the reemergence of nocturnality. Shifting SAT practice away from a fixed time resulted in significantly lower performance. In conclusion, these experiments demonstrated that fixed-time, daily practice of a task assessing attention generates a precisely practice time-stamped activation of the cortical cholinergic input system. Time-stamped cholinergic activation benefits fixed-time performance and, if practiced during the light phase, contributes to a diurnal activity pattern.
Parietal Influence on Temporal Encoding Indexed by Simultaneous Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Electroencephalography
Authors: Wiener Martin , Kliot Dasha , Turkeltaub Peter E. , Hamilton Roy H. , Wolk David A. , Coslett H. Branch
Published: August 2012

Previous studies have suggested that contingent negative variation (CNV), as recorded by electroencaphalography (EEG), may serve as an index of temporal encoding. The interpretation of these studies is complicated by the fact that, in a majority of studies, the CNV signal was obtained at a time when subjects were not only registering stimulus duration but also making decisions and preparing to act. Previously, we demonstrated that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the right supramarginal gyrus (rSMG) in humans lengthened the perceived duration of a visual stimulus (Wiener et al., 2010a), suggesting the rSMG is involved in basic encoding processes. Here, we report a replication of this effect with simultaneous EEG recordings during the encoding of stimulus duration. Stimulation of the rSMG led to an increase in perceived duration and the amplitude of N1 and CNV components recorded from frontocentral sites. Furthermore, the size of the CNV amplitude, but not N1, positively correlated with the size of the rTMS effect but negatively correlated with bias (the baseline tendency to report a comparison stimulus as shorter), suggesting that the CNV indexes stimulus duration. These results suggest that a feedforward mechanism from parietal to prefrontal regions mediates temporal encoding and demonstrate a dissociation between early and late phases of encoding processes.
The Selectivity of Task-Dependent Attention Varies with Surrounding Context
Authors: Kim Yee-Joon , Verghese Preeti
Published: August 2012

Attention is thought to operate by enhancing the target of interest and suppressing the surroundings. We hypothesized that the spatial profile of attention depends on the surround's relationship to the target. Using high-density electroencephalographic measurements, we examined the spatial profile of attention to a grating target surrounded by an annular grating that was either coextensive with the target (unsegmented) or appeared segmented from it due to a gap or phase offset. We directly probed the spread of attention from the central target into the surround by flickering the surround and monitoring frequency-tagged steady-state visual-evoked potentials. Observers were required to detect a contrast increment that occurred only on the target. Successful detection of the increment required selecting the target and suppressing the surround, particularly when the target did not readily segment from the surround. The profile of attention was investigated in five visual regions of interest (ROIs) (V1, V4, V3A, lateral occipital complex, and human middle temporal area), mapped in a separate anatomical magnetic resonance imaging scan. We found that in most ROIs, attention to the target generated smaller responses from the surrounding annulus when it was contiguous compared with when it was clearly segmented. This result shows that the profile of attention depends on task demands and on surrounding context; attention is tightly focused when the target region needs to be isolated but loosely focused when the target region is clearly segmented.
GSK3β/Axin-1/β-Catenin Complex Is Involved in Semaphorin3A Signaling
Authors: Hida Tomonobu , Yamashita Naoya , Usui Hiroshi , Nakamura Fumio , Sasaki Yukio , Kikuchi Akira , Goshima Yoshio
Published: August 2012

Semaphorin3A (Sema3A) exerts a wide variety of biological functions by regulating reorganization of actin and tubulin cytoskeletal proteins through signaling pathways including sequential phosphorylation of collapsin response mediator protein 1 (CRMP1) and CRMP2 by cyclin-dependent kinase-5 and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β). To delineate how GSK3β mediates Sema3A signaling, we here determined the substrates of GSK3β involved. Introduction of either GSK3β mutants, GSK3β-R96A, L128A, or K85M into chick dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons suppressed Sema3A-induced growth cone collapse, thereby suggesting that unprimed as well as primed substrates are involved in Sema3A signaling. Axin-1, a key player in Wnt signaling, is an unprimed substrate of GSK3β. The phosphorylation of Axin-1 by GSK3β accelerates the association of Axin-1 with β-catenin. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that Sema3A induced an increase in the intensity levels of β-catenin in the DRG growth cones. Axin-1 siRNA knockdown suppressed Sema3A-induced growth cone collapse. The reintroduction of RNAi-resistant Axin-1 (rAxin-1)-wt rescued the responsiveness to Sema3A, while that of nonphosphorylated mutants, rAxin S322A/S326A/S330A and T485A/S490A/S497A, did not. Sema3A also enhanced the colocalization of GSK3β, Axin-1, and β-catenin in the growth cones. The increase of β-catenin in the growth cones was suppressed by the siRNA knockdown of Axin-1. Furthermore, either Axin-1 or β-catenin RNAi knockdown suppressed the internalization of Sema3A. These results suggest that Sema3A induces the formation of GSK3β/Axin-1/β-catenin complex, which regulates signaling cascade of Sema3A via an endocytotic mechanism. This finding should provide clue for understanding of mechanisms of a wide variety of biological functions of Sema3A.
Voluntary and Reactive Recruitment of Locomotor Muscle Synergies during Perturbed Walking
Authors: Chvatal Stacie A. , Ting Lena H.
Published: August 2012

The modular control of muscles in groups, often referred to as muscle synergies, has been proposed to provide a motor repertoire of actions for the robust control of movement. However, it is not clear whether muscle synergies identified in one task are also recruited by different neural pathways subserving other motor behaviors. We tested the hypothesis that voluntary and reactive modifications to walking in humans result from the recruitment of locomotor muscle synergies. We recorded the activity of 16 muscles in the right leg as subjects walked a 7.5 m path at two different speeds. To elicit a second motor behavior, midway through the path we imposed ramp and hold translation perturbations of the support surface in each of four cardinal directions. Variations in the temporal recruitment of locomotor muscle synergies could account for cycle-by-cycle variations in muscle activity across strides. Locomotor muscle synergies were also recruited in atypical phases of gait, accounting for both anticipatory gait modifications before perturbations and reactive feedback responses to perturbations. Our findings are consistent with the idea that a common pool of spatially fixed locomotor muscle synergies can be recruited by different neural pathways, including the central pattern generator for walking, brainstem pathways for balance control, and cortical pathways mediating voluntary gait modifications. Together with electrophysiological studies, our work suggests that muscle synergies may provide a library of motor subtasks that can be flexibly recruited by parallel descending pathways to generate a variety of complex natural movements in the upper and lower limbs.
Swimming with Spears
Authors: endo tetsuhiko
Published: August 2012

This article is about the relationship between man and meal and how that relationship is affected by having to source, stalk, and kill your own food. When Tetsuhiko Endo takes up spearfishing while living in a small town on the coast of New South Wales, Australia, his knowledge of fish doesn't extend very far beyond the table. As he begins to explore his watery surroundings with only goggles, a spear gun, and a sharp knife, his knowledge and appreciation of both fish and their environment grow into a mild obsession. He weaves small anecdotes from the history of fishing into his quest to bring food from the ocean to the table in order to bring to life the strange and alien realm that becomes the backdrop for his watery wanderings. Fear, danger, beauty, death, aggression, and delicious fish mingle together in this unique adventure yarn-cum-locavore's feast.
Banking on Beach Plums
Authors: garrick les
Published: August 2012

Beach plums (Prunus maritima) are small, native stone fruits that grow wild along the coast from Maryland to Maine. Ripe fruit are picked in late summer, made into purple jelly, and sold locally. Commercialization of the beach plum, like the blueberry, therefore, would appear to be easy, except that yields are not predictable. Even so, around 1938, schemes to improve and elevate the beach plum beyond a simple cottage industry took root in Massachusetts, led by two women independently on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod. For twenty years, amateur beach plum growers (especially the Cape Cod Beach Plum Growers Association) and horticulturists (from the USDA and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University) selected, propagated, and grew new varieties with superior fruit. One of these cultivars, called “Autumn,” was touted as an annual bearer of fruit, but it was a false promise. By 1958 the commercialization effort waned. Fortunately, horticulturists are again interested in the beach plum. The Cape May County (New Jersey) Beach Plum Association is planting thousands of beach plum shrubs to hold dunes and to bear fruit, and Cornell University and Seaberry Farm in Maryland are developing niche markets for orchard-grown beach plum products.
Manioc: A Brazilian Chef Claims Her Roots
Authors: franklin sara b.
Published: August 2012

The manioc root (also commonly known as yuca and cassava) has been vital to Brazil's inhabitants for millenia. Native to the Amazon River basin, manioc has long been used by Brazilian native peoples and became the lifeblood of the Portuguese colonists who settled there as well. Though manioc is commonly looked upon as a peasant or “vernacular” food, Rio de Janeiro-born-and-based chef and activist Teresa Corção argues that the root is a crucial tenet of Brazilian cuisine and identity. Corção, who has been in the restaurant business for more than thirty-five years, came slowly to the realization that Brazilian native ingredients were not being given their due by Brazilian chefs. For the past ten years, Corção has taken up the cause of promoting overlooked Brazilian ingredients within Brazil and abroad—with manioc and its many derivatives as her top priority— through her work with chefs, small farmers, consumers, and markets.
Tuesday Night Is Nut Loaf: Women's Music-Festival Foods
Authors: morris bonnie j.
Published: August 2012

As the title suggests, this essay is a humorous but appreciative look at the cuisine of lesbian/feminist music festivals, which since 1974 have ranged from one-day events to two-week campouts in almost all of the fifty American states. Fans of the women's music movement—which long before Lilith Fair had introduced artists as diverse as Holly Near, Toshi Reagon, Melissa Etheridge, and the Indigo Girls—enjoy several days of concerts and receive meals with their festival packages. These usually vegetarian repasts are an entire subculture of humor and socializing around “lesbian food” of a certain era. How is food important, politically, to this feisty community? How do workers prepare meals for up to 8,000 shirtless women in the woods, in all kinds of weather? And in this very informed, radical community, is the traditional women's work of cooking and cleaning truly respected—or, ironically, taken for granted?
Eating Ukraine and Its Lard(er)
Authors: kollegaeva katrina
Published: August 2012

In the Ukraine, salo is lard or cured pork fat, a product widely considered as the quintessential Ukrainian product. Salo has played an important gastronomical, symbolic, and political role on the territory of Ukraine for centuries, having acquired the role of a national product. This article explores salo's roots and its cultural and social meaning in contemporary Ukraine. The country's complicated geographical and political position between Russia and the European Union is a background, as well as the associated (perceived or otherwise) tensions between the Western and Eastern parts of Ukraine. The author traveled through the country during the summer of 2011 to carry out a short piece of fieldwork and visit several small-scale producers of salo (some were part of Slow Food or organic movements) in the Carpathian Mountains and near Kiev. The curator of the museum of salo in Lviv, an art-gallery that uses salo as innovative material and provocative concept, was interviewed. Salo appears to play a unifying role between different generations and parts of the country otherwise often perceived in opposition. The production and consumption of salo, more than most other foods, is a playground where wider concerns over industrialization of food, longing for lost past, Ukrainian identity and belonging (or lack of) to EU are voiced.
Tooth for Tooth
Authors: caruth nicole j.
Published: August 2012

In 2011, Brooklyn-based artist Heather Hart introduced her interactive installation The Oracle of Epicure: Tooth for Tooth. For this, she transcribed a selection of recipes onto note cards and adorned each with an original drawing. Filed in a recipe box and set on top of a desk, viewers were invited to take one card in exchange for a recipe of their own that was to be written from memory on the spot. This article gives the particulars of Heather's installation with special attention given to the source of her recipes: Harry H. Hart's Favorite Recipes of Williams College, with Training Table Records, Notes and Menus (1951). Harry Hart, a chef at Williams College from 1917 to 1954, was Heather's great grandfather. Harry Hart, Jr., Heather's grandfather, was also a chef at Williams College from 1938 until circa 1959. By way of Tooth for Tooth, the Hart family's rich culinary history is conveyed for the first time here.
Fighting Sicilian Corruption, One Vine at a Time
Authors: doezema marie
Published: August 2012

For the last decade, Libera Terra has been operating in Italy as a cooperative that turns land once used by the mafia into organic farms and undulating vineyards. Lemons, lentils, chickpeas, grapes—the land is as stunningly beautiful as it is heavy with history. The cooperative aims to make products that people buy not just for their stories but for their quality; provide workers with fair wages and respect; improve the daunting unemployment rate in Sicily, particularly among youth; and undo decades worth of systemic corruption. In 1996, the Italian government passed a law allowing land formerly used by the Mafia to be taken over by social cooperatives like Libera Terra.

Centopassi is a winery under the umbrella of the Libera Terra cooperative. Self-described as “an attempt to produce high-quality wines as a way to give new dignity to lands and people that deserve a better future,” the wine label takes its name from the 2000 film of the same name, meaning “One Hundred Steps,” about the life of Giuseppe “Peppino” Impastato, an anti-Mafia activist who was killed in 1976.
Michel Guérard on French Cuisine
Authors: santich barbara
Published: August 2012

In this interview, Michel Guérard elaborates his ideas on the education and training of chefs for a future when cuisine will be increasingly focused on health and cooks will need to know more about the relationships between food and disease prevention. At the same time, nutritionists will need to develop a better understanding of cooking. Guérard disagrees with commentators, such as Michael Steinberger, who conclude that French cuisine is in decline; in his view, this conclusion is exaggerated and the quality of products such as cheese and wine has actually improved. He expresses optimism for the future of French cuisine, which he believes will be a simple and honest “cuisine naturaliste.”
Il Gusto: José de Ribera's Personification of Taste
Authors: vergara lisa
Published: August 2012

José de Ribera's personification of Taste (c. 1615), part of a set of paintings depicting The Five Senses, has gained fame for its vivid, earthy depiction of a man and his meal. This essay attempts to situate Taste in the social milieu of its time, paying attention to the human figure in relation to the foodstuffs arranged before him. It briefly explores the man's physical type, pose, gestures, and clothing; the fare displayed on the table; the impact of the cost of food in Rome on various social classes; and the place of the image within artistic representations of the Five Senses. Surprisingly, Ribera deviated from traditional alimentary symbols of Taste by including a number of culinary conundrums. Wine, olives, and bread present no problems, but there also appears a prominent plate of food that has never been conclusively identified. Moreover, two additional items on the table remain a mystery. Therefore, consideration is limited here to the figure in conjunction with the comestibles that are easily recognized and the sheer quantity of the unknown food in the dish.
Swimming Upstream
Authors: estabrook barry
Published: August 2012

Once found in schools of millions off much of the eastern seaboard, river herring have been overfished in many areas to the point of virtual extinction. As small, minnow-like forage fish, river herring play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem by providing food for striped bass, bluefish, and other commercially important species.
Industrialized Delicacies: The Rise of the Umbrian Truffle Business
Authors: rittersma rengenier c.
Published: August 2012

This article deals with the emergence of the Umbrian truffle business in the period between 1860 and 1918, paying special attention to the Franco-Umbrian connection in truffle affairs. The central question is how and why the French truffle sector, which during the whole nineteenth century completely dominated the global truffle market, could cede its hegemonic position to a handful of Umbrian companies. Thematically, the focus is on the role of technical expertise in this commercial exchange, especially on the mutual transfer of packaging techniques. It is argued that the advances made by Umbrian companies in food preservation were closely linked with local industrial activity and that this technological knowledge turned out to be one of the key factors in the rise of Umbrian truffle commerce. From a cultural point of view, this article also illustrates the role of truffles in the gastronomic rivalry between France and Italy.
Comparison of a soluble co-formulation of insulin degludec/insulin aspart vs biphasic insulin aspart 30 in type 2 diabetes: a randomised trial
Authors: Niskanen Leo , Leiter Lawrence A , Franek Edward , Weng Jianping , Damci Taner , Muñoz-Torres Manuel , Donnet Jean-Paul , Endahl Lars , Skjøth Trine Vang , Vaag Allan
Published: August 2012

The journal and the authors apologise for errors in Table 2 of this article that was published in the August issue (vol 167, pp 287–294). The n values were incorrectly published. The correct values are presented below and the table is published in full below.Table 2

Observed mean changes from baseline HbA1c, FPG and body weight. Data are observed as mean (s.d.) for all randomised subjects (full analysis set).

nBaselineaWeek 16bChange from baselineHbA1c (%) IDegAsp618.5 (1.2)6.7 (1.0)−1.8 (1.1)c AF598.5 (0.9)6.6 (0.6)−1.9 (1.1)c BIAsp 30628.6 (1.0)6.7 (0.7)−1.8 (0.9)cFPG (mmol/l) IDegAsp6111.5 (2.6)6.4 (2.2)−5.1 (2.9) AF5911.8 (2.9)6.5 (1.9)−5.3 (3.0) BIAsp 306211.7 (3.1)7.5 (2.1)−4.3 (3.0)Body Weight (kg) IDegAsp6187.5 (16.3)88.6 (16.9)1.1 (2.8) AF5984.9 (14.3)85.6 (14.9)0.7 (2.5) BIAsp 306291.8 (13.5)93.2 (13.1)1.4 (3.2)a

Values at randomisation.

b

Last observation carried forward.

c

% points.
Nucleation and Growth Behavior of Quaternary-Sputtered Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide Thin Films
Authors: Myers Jason D. , Frantz Jesse A. , Bekele Robel Y. , Nguyen Vinh Q. , Bruce Allan , Frolov Sergey V. , Cyrus Michael , Sanghera Jas S.
Published: August 2012

In the past two decades, the growing global demand for solar energy has spurred scientific interest in alternative technologies to conventional silicon. In particular, CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS) has emerged as a competitor. We have developed a scalable deposition technique using RF magnetron sputtering of quaternary CIGS. Notably, the resulting films do not require postselenization, reducing processing time and cost. We have fabricated devices above 10% efficiency using this approach, showing its promise as a production method for highperformance CIGS photovoltaics. However, the morphology of the sputtered CIGS layer is markedly different from conventional evaporated films; grain sizes vary through the thickness of the film, with numerous small grains dominating at the Mo/CIGS interface that then either terminate or grow in an inverted-pyramid fashion to form large, columnar grains at the CIGS/CdS interface.

To better understand the origin of this morphology, we have studied the growth behavior of the CIGS layer using a combination of atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy to observe initial nucleation and grain growth behavior of quaternary-sputtered CIGS. We also discuss the effects of interfacial layers at the Mo/CIGS interface, demonstrating a novel wetting layer that conformally coats the Mo surface.
Synthesis of Iron Pyrite Film through Low Temperature Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition
Authors: Adusumilli Siva P , Dhakal Tara P , Westgate Charles R
Published: August 2012

Pyrite phase of FeS2 has attracted substantial attention in the field of thin film solar technology because of its high optical absorption coefficient (~5 x 105 cm-1 at hν > 1.3eV) and the band gap of 0.95 eV. In this research, we have grown highly pure iron pyrite films using a low temperature atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition technique. The synthesis temperature is in the range of 375-400°C and Di-tert-butyl disulfide (TBDS) is used as the sulfur precursor. TBDS is a safe and low cost sulfur source unlike H2S, which is highly toxic and requires extreme care in handling. The films obtained were uniform and free from common impurity phases such as troilite and marcasite. The FeS2 films grown earlier with CVD synthesis and sulfurized using H2S had pinholes and contained secondary phases like marcasite and troilite. The FeS2 pyrite phase was confirmed using various characterization techniques that included SEM, EDS, XRD and XPS.
New Screen-printed Metal Paste Options for PV Manufacturing
Authors: Bakhshizadeh N. , Sivoththaman S.
Published: August 2012

While the global market for photovoltaic (PV) modules continues to grow 30% - 40% annually, manufacturers are looking at advanced technologies and cell concepts in order to improve the cost performance and reliability. One of the challenges faced by the silicon (Si) PV manufacturers is the lack of efficient metal screen-printing technologies. While screen-printing is a long-established technology, THE traditional silver-based pastes have technical limits in terms of paste composition, drying and thermal-firing conditions, line-width, aspect ratio, contact resistance, etc. Such limits keep the industrial cell structure from being close to an ideal PV cell architecture. In an effort to develop alternate printable pastes electrically, electrically conductive adhesives are considered in this study to provide fine-line contacts and low thermal budget so that performance-driven solar cell designs can be reliably implemented in manufacturing. Mechanical properties of solar cell printed by conductive adhesives are experimentally investigated in this work and confirmed with the simulation results.
Electroluminescence of p-GaN/MgO/n-ZnO Heterojunction Light-emitting Diodes
Authors: Chen XinYi , Ng Alan M. C. , Djurišić Aleksandra B. , Ling Chi Chung , Chan Wai-Kin , Fong Wai Keung , Lui Hsian Fei , Surya Charles
Published: August 2012

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on p-GaN/ZnO heterojunction were fabricated. GaN was deposited on sapphire using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and two kinds of ZnO i.e. ZnO thin film deposited by sputtering and ZnO nanorods (NRs) grown by hydrothermal method were used as n-type layer respectively. MgO film with the thickness around 10 nm was deposited by electron-beam deposition to act as an interlayer between GaN and ZnO. Photoluminescence, electroluminescence and I-V curves were measured to compare the properties of GaN based heterojunction LEDs with different architectures. The existence of MgO interlayer as well as the morphology of ZnO obviously influenced the electrical and optical properties of GaN based LEDs. The effect of MgO interlayer on ZnO growth, properties and I-V curves and emission spectra of LEDs is discussed in detail.
Hematological parameters of Iranian cichlid Iranocichla hormuzensis: Coad, 1982 (Perciformes) in Mehran River
Authors: Daneshvar Ehsan , Ardestani Mahsa Y. , Dorafshan Salar , Martins Mauricio L.
Published: August 2012

This study describes the hematological parameters in Iranocichla hormuzensis, an Iranian freshwater cichlid important as ornamental and food fish. Forty fish were captured with seine net at Mehran river Hormozgan province, Iran. Blood was used to determine the total counts of red blood cells (RBC) and white blood cells (WBC), hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and morphometric data of erythrocytes. The Iranian fish showed lower RBC and WBC values than the other cichlids (Oreochromis niloticus, O. aureus, O. mossambicus, O. hybrid, Cichlasoma dimerus and Cichla monoculus). Hematocrit did not vary among the species, but MCV, MCH and MCHC in I. hormuzensis were higher than those for O. niloticus, O. aureus, O. hybrid, C. dimerus and C. monoculus. These differences may be related to different life habit of fish. This study suggests that I. hormuzensis is well acclimated to the environment being the first report for its hematology. It is also suggested high efficiency in oxygen transportation, and an efficient inflow of oxygen by the gills, indicating the welfare of fish on this environment.
Iron transportation across the placenta
Authors: Oliveira Claudia M. de , Rodrigues Marcio N. , Miglino Maria Angélica
Published: August 2012

According to the classification of placental types among animals, the transfer of iron through the placenta can occur via: absorption connected to transferin through the outer surface of the trophoblast in direct contact with circulating maternal blood; absorption of the erythrocytes by the chorionic epithelium in direct contact with accumulation of blood extravased from haemotophagous areas; absorption by the chorionic epithelium in direct contact with iron enriched secretions from the endometrial glands and absorption by extravasations of the blood in the maternal-fetal surface and the subsequent phagocytosis of the erythrocytes by trophoblast cells described in bovine, small ruminants, canine and feline. The function of erythrophagocytosis observed after the extravasation of blood in the maternal-fetal interface is undefined in several species. Possibly, the iron is transferred to the fetus through the trophoblastic erythrophagocytosis in the hemophogous area of the placenta and also in the endometrial glands. In this literature survey, new methods of studies regarding placental transfer involving iron and other nutrients necessary for survival and maintenance of embryonic fetus to birth are proposed.
Demonstração do complemento total no liquido cefalorraqueano normal
Authors: Reis-Filho João Baptista
Published: August 2012

Até o presente momento, todos os autores afirmam que o líquido cefalorraqueano (LCR) normal do homem não apresenta atividade hemolítica do complemento total. Alguns pesquisadores verificaram, entretanto, a presença de todos os quatro componentes em muitas amostras de LCR normal sem conseguir, porém, demonstrar a atividade hemolítica do complemento total. Este fato parecia indicar que o LCR normal era desprovido da atividade hemolítica do complemento total provavelmente por motivo da concentração insuficiente de suas proteínas. Para investigar esta hipótese foi feita uma prova preliminar, concentrando 10 amostras de LCR normal, dividindo-se o concentrado em duas partes, uma das quais foi inativada à temperatura de 56°C, durante 20 minutos. Esta prova revelou hemólise das hemácias sensibilizadas somente em relação com o LCR concentrado ativo. Em prosseguimento foram feitas pesquisas em 108 amostras de LCR normal obtidas por punção cisternal, selecionadas de pacientes sem doença de ordem geral, porém com perturbações neurológicas ou psíquicas que, em geral, não costumam determinar alterações do LCR. As amostras de LCR foram concentradas vinte vezes o seu volume, pelo método da diálise sob pressão negativa em camisa de colódio, segundo o processo de Mies. Esta pesquisa proporcionou resultados que permitiram concluir que o líquido cefalorraqueano normal concentrado apresenta atividade hemolítica do complemento total em 98% dos casos. O título do complemento total variou de 0 a 23 unidades de hemólise 50% em 1 ml de líquido concentrado.
Timectomia na miastenia grave: avaliação dos resultados em 73 pacientes
Authors: Assis J. Lamartine de , Curi Nagib
Published: August 2012

Foi feita avaliação dos resultados da timectomia transtorácica em 73 pacientes com miastenia grave generalizada, sendo 64 não timomatosos e 9 com timomas. Os resultados foram analisados à curto, médio e, em muitos casos, a longo prazo. Foi feito, também um estudo comparativo dos resultados em relação à idade, sexo, tempo de doença e à presença ou não do timoma. A experiência adquirida neste grupo de pacientes sugere que a timectomia transtorácica é método terapêutico útil na miastenia grave generalizada não timomatosa; seu efeito benéfico aparece no pós-operatório mediato e se mantém a longo prazo na maioria dos pacientes. Os resultados da timectomia em pacientes com timoma foram menos favoráveis. A análise estatística não mostrou diferenças significantes na evolução pós-operatória entre os pacientes não timomatos selecionados e não selecionados.
Impressão basilar e malformação de Arnold-Chiari: considerações técnico-cirúrgicas a propósito de 13 casos
Authors: Silva José A. Gonçalves da , Silva Cláudio E. Gonçalves da , Brito José C. de Farias , Sousa Maricélia B. Rodrigues de , Silva João B. Gonçalves da
Published: August 2012

Os autores empregaram detalhes técnicos pessoais para descompressão da fossa posterior em casos de impressão basilar e/ou maliormação de Arnold-Chiari, consistente em intuoação endotraqueal sem retroflexão da cabeça do paciente, sendo o mesmo operado em posição sentada e com a cabeça ereta. Foi realizada plástica da paquimeninge da fossa posterior com dura-mater de cadáver conservada em glicerina.