bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of cytosine methylation on transcription factor binding sites
Authors: Medvedeva Yulia A , Khamis Abdullah M , Kulakovskiy Ivan V , Ba-Alawi Wail , Bhuyan Md Shariful I , Kawaji Hideya , Lassmann Timo , Harbers Matthias , Forrest Alistair RR , Bajic Vladimir B ,   The FANTOM consortium
Published: March 2014

Background

DNA methylation in promoters is closely linked to downstream gene repression. However, whether DNA methylation is a cause or a consequence of gene repression remains an open question. If it is a cause, then DNA methylation may affect the affinity of transcription factors (TFs) for their binding sites (TFBSs). If it is a consequence, then gene repression caused by chromatin modification may be stabilized by DNA methylation. Until now, these two possibilities have been supported only by non-systematic evidence and they have not been tested on a wide range of TFs. An average promoter methylation is usually used in studies, whereas recent results suggested that methylation of individual cytosines can also be important.

Results

We found that the methylation profiles of 16.6% of cytosines and the expression profiles of neighboring transcriptional start sites (TSSs) were significantly negatively correlated. We called the CpGs corresponding to such cytosines “traffic lights”. We observed a strong selection against CpG “traffic lights” within TFBSs. The negative selection was stronger for transcriptional repressors as compared with transcriptional activators or multifunctional TFs as well as for core TFBS positions as compared with flanking TFBS positions.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that direct and selective methylation of certain TFBS that prevents TF binding is restricted to special cases and cannot be considered as a general regulatory mechanism of transcription.
Global gene expression in endometrium of high and low fertility heifers during the mid-luteal phase of the estrous cycle
Authors: Killeen Aideen P , Morris Dermot G , Kenny David A , Mullen Michael P , Diskin Michael G , Waters Sinéad M
Published: March 2014

Background

In both beef and dairy cattle, the majority of early embryo loss occurs within the first 14 days following insemination. During this time-period, embryos are completely dependent on their maternal uterine environment for development, growth and ultimately survival, therefore an optimum uterine environment is critical to their survival. The objective of this study was to investigate whether differences in endometrial gene expression during the mid-luteal phase of the estrous cycle exist between crossbred beef heifers ranked as either high (HF) or low fertility (LF) (following four rounds of artificial insemination (AI)) using the Affymetrix® 23 K Bovine Gene Chip.

Results

Conception rates for each of the four rounds of AI were within a normal range: 70–73.3%. Microarray analysis of endometrial tissue collected on day 7 of the estrous cycle detected 419 differentially expressed genes (DEG) between HF (n = 6) and LF (n = 6) animals. The main gene pathways affected were, cellular growth and proliferation, angiogenesis, lipid metabolism, cellular and tissue morphology and development, inflammation and metabolic exchange. DEG included, FST, SLC45A2, MMP19, FADS1 and GALNT6.

Conclusions

This study highlights, some of the molecular mechanisms potentially controlling uterine endometrial function during the mid-luteal phase of the estrous cycle, which may contribute to uterine endometrial mediated impaired fertility in cattle. Differentially expressed genes are potential candidate genes for the identification of genetic variation influencing cow fertility, which may be incorporated into future breeding programmes.
Immature articular cartilage and subchondral bone covered by menisci are potentially susceptive to mechanical load
Authors: Iijima Hirotaka , Aoyama Tomoki , Ito Akira , Tajino Junichi , Nagai Momoko , Zhang Xiangkai , Yamaguchi Shoki , Akiyama Haruhiko , Kuroki Hiroshi
Published: March 2014

Background

The differences of mechanical and histological properties between cartilage covered by menisci and uncovered by menisci may contribute to the osteoarthritis after meniscectomy and these differences are not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate potential differences in the mechanical and histological properties, and in particular the collagen architecture, of the superficial cartilage layer and subchondral bone between regions covered and uncovered by menisci using immature knee.

Methods

Osteochondral plugs were obtained from porcine tibial cartilage that was either covered or uncovered by menisci. Investigation of the thickness, mechanical properties, histology, and water content of the cartilage as well as micro-computed tomography analysis of the subchondral bone was performed to compare these regions. Collagen architecture was also assessed by using scanning electron microscopy.

Results

Compared to the cartilage uncovered by menisci, that covered by menisci was thinner and showed a higher deformity to compression loading and higher water content. In the superficial layer of cartilage in the uncovered regions, collagen fibers showed high density, whereas they showed low density in covered regions. Furthermore, subchondral bone architecture varied between the 2 regions, and showed low bone density in covered regions.

Conclusions

Cartilage covered by menisci differed from that uncovered in both its mechanical and histological properties, especially with regards to the density of the superficial collagen layer. These regional differences may be related to local mechanical environment in normal condition and indicate that cartilage covered by menisci is tightly guarded by menisci from extreme mechanical loading. Our results indicate that immature cartilage degeneration and subchondral microfracture may occur easily to extreme direct mechanical loading in covered region after meniscectomy.
A machine learning framework for TCP round-trip time estimation
Authors: Arouche Nunes Bruno Astuto , Veenstra Kerry , Ballenthin William , Lukin Stephanie , Obraczka Katia
Published: March 2014

In this paper, we explore a novel approach to end-to-end round-trip time (RTT) estimation using a machine-learning technique known as the experts framework. In our proposal, each of several ‘experts’ guesses a fixed value. The weighted average of these guesses estimates the RTT, with the weights updated after every RTT measurement based on the difference between the estimated and actual RTT.

Through extensive simulations, we show that the proposed machine-learning algorithm adapts very quickly to changes in the RTT. Our results show a considerable reduction in the number of retransmitted packets and an increase in goodput, especially in more heavily congested scenarios. We corroborate our results through ‘live’ experiments using an implementation of the proposed algorithm in the Linux kernel. These experiments confirm the higher RTT estimation accuracy of the machine learning approach which yields over 40% improvement when compared against both standard transmission control protocol (TCP) as well as the well known Eifel RTT estimator. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first attempt to use on-line learning algorithms to predict network performance and, given the promising results reported here, creates the opportunity of applying on-line learning to estimate other important network variables.
Implementation of fast HEVC encoder based on SIMD and data-level parallelism
Authors: Ahn Yong-Jo , Hwang Tae-Jin , Sim Dong-Gyu , Han Woo-Jin
Published: March 2014

This paper presents several optimization algorithms for a High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoder based on single instruction multiple data (SIMD) operations and data-level parallelism. Based on the analysis of the computational complexity of HEVC encoder, we found that interpolation filter, cost function, and transform take around 68% of the total computation, on average. In this paper, several software optimization techniques, including frame-level interpolation filter and SIMD implementation for those computationally intensive parts, are presented for a fast HEVC encoder. In addition, we propose a slice-level parallelization and its load-balancing algorithm on multi-core platforms from the estimated computational load of each slice during the encoding process. The encoding speed of the proposed parallelized HEVC encoder is accelerated by approximately ten times compared to the HEVC reference model (HM) software, with minimal loss of coding efficiency.
Bioprospecting for acidophilic lipid-rich green microalgae isolated from abandoned mine site water bodies
Authors: Eibl Joseph K , Corcoran Jason D , Senhorinho Gerusa N A , Zhang Kejian , Hosseini Nekoo Seyed , Marsden James , Laamanen Corey A , Scott John A , Ross Gregory M
Published: March 2014

With fossil fuel sources in limited supply, microalgae show tremendous promise as a carbon neutral source of biofuel. Current microalgae biofuel strategies typically rely on growing high-lipid producing laboratory strains of microalgae in open raceways or closed system photobioreactors. Unfortunately, these microalgae species are found to be sensitive to environmental stresses or competition by regional strains. Contamination by invasive species can diminish productivity of commercial algal processes. A potential improvement to current strategies is to identify high-lipid producing microalgae, which thrive in selected culture conditions that reduce the risk of contamination, such as low pH. Here we report the identification of a novel high-lipid producing microalgae which can tolerate low pH growth conditions. Lig 290 is a Scenedesmus spp. isolated from a low pH waterbody (pH = 4.5) in proximity to an abandoned lignite mine in Northern Ontario, Canada. Compared to a laboratory strain of Scendesmus dimorphus, Lig 290 demonstrated robust growth rates, a strong growth profile, and high lipid production. As a consequence, Lig 290 may have potential application as a robust microalgal species for use in biofuel production.
Sex hormone associations with breast cancer risk and the mediation of randomized trial postmenopausal hormone therapy effects
Authors: Zhao Shanshan , Chlebowski Rowan T , Anderson Garnet L , Kuller Lewis H , Manson JoAnn E , Gass Margery , Patterson Ruth , Rohan Thomas E , Lane Dorothy S , Beresford Shirley AA , Lavasani Sayeh , Rossouw Jacques E , Prentice Ross L
Published: March 2014

Introduction

Paradoxically, a breast cancer risk reduction with conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and a risk elevation with CEE plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (CEE + MPA) were observed in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) randomized controlled trials. The effects of hormone therapy on serum sex hormone levels, and on the association between baseline sex hormones and disease risk, may help explain these divergent breast cancer findings.

Methods

Serum sex hormone concentrations were measured for 348 breast cancer cases in the CEE + MPA trial and for 235 cases in the CEE trial along with corresponding pair-matched controls, nested within the WHI trials of healthy postmenopausal women. Association and mediation analyses, to examine the extent to which sex hormone levels and changes can explain the breast cancer findings, were conducted using logistic regression.

Results

Following CEE treatment, breast cancer risk was associated with higher concentrations of baseline serum estrogens, and with lower concentrations of sex hormone binding globulin. However, following CEE + MPA, there was no association of breast cancer risk with baseline sex hormone levels. The sex hormone changes from baseline to year 1 provided an explanation for much of the reduced breast cancer risk with CEE. Specifically, the treatment odds ratio (95% confidence interval) increased from 0.71 (0.43, 1.15) to 0.92 (0.41, 2.09) when the year 1 measures were included in the logistic regression analysis. In comparison, the CEE + MPA odds ratio was essentially unchanged when these year 1 measures were included.

Conclusions

Breast cancer risk remains low following CEE use among women having favorable baseline sex hormone profiles, but CEE + MPA evidently produces a breast cancer risk for all women similar to that for women having an unfavorable baseline sex hormone profile. These patterns could reflect breast ductal epithelial cell stimulation by CEE + MPA that is substantially avoided with CEE, in conjunction with relatively more favorable effects of either regimen following a sustained period of estrogen deprivation. These findings may have implications for other hormone therapy formulations and routes of delivery.

Trial registration

clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00000611.
Human adult bone marrow-derived stem cells decrease severity of lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome in sheep
Authors: Rojas Mauricio , Cárdenes Nayra , Kocyildirim Ergin , Tedrow John R , Cáceres Eder , Deans Robert , Ting Anthony , Bermúdez Christian
Published: March 2014

Introduction

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most common cause of respiratory failure among critically ill subjects, sepsis and severe bacterial pneumonia being its most common causes. The only interventions that have proven beneficial are protective ventilation strategies and fluid conservation approaches. New therapies are needed to address this common clinical problem. Others and we have previously shown the beneficial effect of infusion of exogenous adult stem cells in different pre-clinical models of ARDS.

Methods

In the present study endotoxin was infused intravenously into 14 sheep from which 6 received different doses of adult stem cells by intrabronchial delivery to evaluate the effect of stem cell therapy.

Results

After administration of endotoxin, there was a rapid decline in oxygenation to hypoxemic values, indicative of severe-to-moderate ARDS. None of the animals treated with saline solution recovered to normal baseline values during the 6 hours that the animals were followed. In contrast, sheep treated with a dose of 40 million adult stem cells returned their levels of oxygen in their blood to baseline two hours after the cells were infused. Similarly, improvements in carbon dioxide (CO2) clearance, pulmonary vascular pressures and inflammation were observed and confirmed by histology and by the decrease in lung edema.

Conclusions

We concluded that instillation of adult non-hematopoietic stem cells can diminish the impact of endotoxin and accelerate recovery of oxygenation, CO2 removal and inflammation in the ovine model, making the use of adult stem cells a real alternative for future therapies for ARDS.
Inositol pyrophosphates mediate the effects of aging on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by inhibiting Akt signaling
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Zhao Chuanxu , Liu Bing , Liang Dong , Qin Xing , Li Xiujuan , Zhang Rongqing , Li Congye , Wang Haichang , Sun Dongdong , Cao Feng
Published: March 2014

Introduction

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have been proposed as an ideal autologous stem cell source for cell-based therapy for myocardial infarction (MI). However, decreased viability and impaired function of aged MSCs hampered the therapeutic efficacy of engrafted MSCs, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclarified. Here, we investigated the role of inositol phosphates 6 kinase (IP6Ks) inhibition on the therapeutic efficacy of BM-MSCs and its underlying mechanism.

Methods

BM-MSCs isolated from young (8-week-old) or aged (18-month-old) donor male C57BL/6 mice, were subjected to hypoxia and serum deprivation (H/SD) injury with or without administration of inositol phosphates 6 kinase (IP6Ks) inhibitor TNP (10 μM). MSC apoptosis induced by H/SD was determined by flow cytometry and TUNEL assays. Protein expressions were evaluated by Western blot assay. Furthermore, the paracrine effects of MSCs were measured by reverse transcriptase–polymerized chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analyses.

Results

Aged BM-MSCs exhibited more Inositol pyrophosphate 7 (IP7) production, compared with young BM-MSCs. Meanwhile, the expression of phospho-Akt (Thr308) was significantly decreased in the aged MSCs, resulting in enhanced Bad activation and decreased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Moreover, the apoptosis in aged BM-MSCs was increased, compared with young BM-MSCs. Furthermore, TNP administration significantly inhibited IP7 production and increased the phosphorylation of Akt under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Meanwhile, IP6Ks inhibition reduced apoptotic index of aged MSCs, associated with decreased expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad and increased anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. The expressions of angiogenic factors, including VEGF, bFGF, IGF-1 and HGF, were decreased in MSCs from aged mice. In addition, TNP administration enhanced the paracrine efficiency of aged BM-MSCs under normoxic and hypoxic conditions.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates for the first time that IP6Ks and IP7 play critical role in the aging related vulnerability to hypoxic injury and impaired paracrine efficiency of BM-MSCs, which is associated with impaired Akt activation.
Phase II study of concurrent selective lymph node late course accelerated hyper-fractionated radiotherapy and pemetrexed and cisplatin for locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Fu C , Li B , Guo L , Li H , Huang W , Gong H , Sun M , Wang Z , Zhou T , Liu C
Published: March 2014

Objective:

To determine the clinical efficacy and toxicity of pemetrexed combined with low-dose cisplatin (CDDP) concurrent with late-course accelerated hyperfractionated (LCAF) intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in patients with inoperable locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods:

Patients with locally advanced ESCC (less than or equal to 75 years of age, clinical stages IIB–IVA and Karnofsky performance status ≥70) were enrolled into the study. A target group size of 22 was projected based on the estimation that 2-year overall survival (OS) would increase from 20% to 40%. Patients were treated with pemetrexed, low-dose CDDP and LCAF IMRT concurrently. The main objective of the study was for a 2-year OS, and the secondary objectives were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response, locoregional failure rate, and acute and late toxicities.

Results:

25 patients were recruited from October 2008 to July 2011. The median OS was 21 months, with 2- and 5-year OS rates of 44% and 44%, respectively. The median PFS was 18.2 months. The objective response rate was 96% (24/25), with 11 complete responses and 13 partial responses. The locoregional failure rate was 16%. Grades 4 and 5 acute toxicity rates were 8% and 4%, respectively, while no Grade 3 or greater late toxicity was observed.

Conclusion:

The findings of this Phase II study indicated that the therapeutic regimen appears to achieve an excellent response rate and favourable survival for locally advanced ESCC. However, the severe acute side effects should be considered cautiously in further studies.

Advances in knowledge:

To our knowledge, this is the first study that introduced pemetrexed and low-dose CDDP combined with LCAF IMRT to treat locally advanced ESCC. The 5-year OS rate was as high as 44%, which was more favourable than other studies.
RF3:GTP promotes rapid dissociation of the class 1 termination factor
Authors: Koutmou Kristin S. , McDonald Megan E. , Brunelle Julie L. , Green Rachel
Published: March 2014

Translation termination is promoted by class 1 and class 2 release factors in all domains of life. While the role of the bacterial class 1 factors, RF1 and RF2, in translation termination is well understood, the precise contribution of the bacterial class 2 release factor, RF3, to this process remains less clear. Here, we use a combination of binding assays and pre-steady state kinetics to provide a kinetic and thermodynamic framework for understanding the role of the translational GTPase RF3 in bacterial translation termination. First, we find that GDP and GTP have similar affinities for RF3 and that, on average, the t1/2 for nucleotide dissociation from the protein is 1–2 min. We further show that RF3:GDPNP, but not RF3:GDP, tightly associates with the ribosome pre- and post-termination complexes. Finally, we use stopped-flow fluorescence to demonstrate that RF3:GTP enhances RF1 dissociation rates by over 500-fold, providing the first direct observation of this step. Importantly, catalytically inactive variants of RF1 are not rapidly dissociated from the ribosome by RF3:GTP, arguing that a rotated state of the ribosome must be sampled for this step to efficiently occur. Together, these data define a more precise role for RF3 in translation termination and provide insights into the function of this family of translational GTPases.
Prevalent RNA recognition motif duplication in the human genome
Authors: Tsai Yihsuan S. , Gomez Shawn M. , Wang Zefeng
Published: March 2014

The sequence-specific recognition of RNA by proteins is mediated through various RNA binding domains, with the RNA recognition motif (RRM) being the most frequent and present in >50% of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Many RBPs contain multiple RRMs, and it is unclear how each RRM contributes to the binding specificity of the entire protein. We found that RRMs within the same RBP (i.e., sibling RRMs) tend to have significantly higher similarity than expected by chance. Sibling RRM pairs from RBPs shared by multiple species tend to have lower similarity than those found only in a single species, suggesting that multiple RRMs within the same protein might arise from domain duplication followed by divergence through random mutations. This finding is exemplified by a recent RRM domain duplication in DAZ proteins and an ancient duplication in PABP proteins. Additionally, we found that different similarities between sibling RRMs are associated with distinct functions of an RBP and that the RBPs tend to contain repetitive sequences with low complexity. Taken together, this study suggests that the number of RBPs with multiple RRMs has expanded in mammals and that the multiple sibling RRMs may recognize similar target motifs in a cooperative manner.
Research Commentary—The Disciplines of Information: Lessons from the History of the Discipline of Medicine
Authors: Schwartz David G.
Published: March 2014

In this research commentary we show that the discipline of information systems (IS) has much that can be learned from the history of the discipline of medicine. We argue that as interest in historical studies of information systems grows, there are important historical lessons to be drawn from disciplines other than IS, with the medical discipline providing fertile ground. Of particular interest are the circumstances that surrounded the practice of the medical craft in the 1800's—circumstances that drove a process of unification and specialization resulting in the modern conceptualization of medical education, research, and practice. In analyzing the history of the field of medicine, with its long-established methods for general practice, specialization, and sub-specialization we find that it serves as an example of a discipline that has dealt effectively with its initial establishment as a scientific discipline, exponential growth of knowledge and ensuing diversity of practice over centuries, and has much to say in regards to a number of discipline-wide debates of IS. Our objective is to isolate the key factors that can be observed from the writings of leading medical historians, and examine those factors from the perspective of the information systems discipline today. Through our analysis we identify the primary factors and structural changes which preceded a modern medical discipline characterized by unification and specialization. We identify these same historic factors within the present-day information systems milieu and discuss the implications of following a unification and specialization strategy for the future of the disciplines of information.
Synthesis, characterization and crystal structure of new cobalt (III) complex: [Tris(1,10-phenanthroline-Îº2N,Nâ€™) Cobalt (III)] trinitrate monohydrate [Co(C12H8N2)3](NO3)3.H2O
Authors: Abdelhak Jawher , Cherni Saoussen Namouchi , Zid Mohamed Faouzi
Published: March 2014

We report herein the synthesis and the physicochemical characterization of a new cobalt(III) complex of formula [Co(C12H8N2)3](NO3)3.H2O. This compound has been prepared by slow evaporation at room temperature and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, IR, UV-VIS spectra and thermal analysis (TG and DTA). Structural cohesion is established essentially by Ï€-Ï€ interactions between the rings of phenanthroline groups and intermolecular hydrogen bonds connecting the nitrate entities and uncoordinated water molecules.
The Internet‘s Faustian Bargain
Authors: Barnes Susan B.
Published: March 2014

This Internet probe utilizes Postman’s concept that “all technological change is a Faustian Bargain” to explore online interpersonal relationships. By applying the media ecological concepts of message direction, symbolic form, and the conditions of attendance, this probe discusses the ways in which the Internet’s media environment fosters both positive and negative human behavior patterns.
Reviews
Authors: Albrecht Robert , Petkanas Bill , Zimmer Michael T. , Fallon Peter K. , Leverette Marc , Leverette Marc , Ozersky Josh
Published: March 2014

Bishop, John. Oh What a Blow That Phantom Gave Me. Dir. John Bishop. Prod. John Bishop and Harald Prins. Videocassette. Media Generation/Documentary Educational Resources. 2003. 270 pp. 52 min..

Cavell, Richard. McLuhan in Space: A Cultural Geography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. 322 pp. Cloth $65.00, ISBN 0-802-03610-4. Paper $29.95, ISBN 0-802-08658-6.

Crowley, David, and Paul Heyer, eds. Comunication in History: Technology, Culture, Society (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Allyn and Bacon, 2003. 352 pp. Paper $76.00, ISBN 0-321-08805-0.

Ozersky, Josh. Archie Bunker’s America: TV in an Era of Change, 1968-1978. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2003. 194 pp. Cloth $45.00, ISBN 0-80932-507-1.

Heyer, Paul. Harold Innis. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. 176 pp. Cloth $65.00, ISBN 0-742-52483-3. Paper $21.95, ISBN 0-742-52484-1.

Kaha White, C. Media and the Communication Matrix. New York: Peter Lang Publishers, 2003. 193 pp. Paper $24.95, ISBN 0-820-46177-6

Lavery, David, ed. This Thing of Ours: Investigating the Sopranos. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. 225 pp. Cloth $60.00, ISBN 0-231-12780-4. Paper $17.95, ISBN 0-231-12781-2.
Walking Mornings
Authors: Joyce Michael
Published: March 2014

A highly idiosyncratic and poetic meditation upon attention, this essay considers the phrase, walking mornings, as a complex of possibility framing a reconsideration of technological theories, practices, histories, and futures. Among the many superlatives with which digital culture and commerce bestows itself, the essay claims, we may perhaps add, that never before have human beings been as surrounded as we are now by so much empty possibility. Never before has there been such potentiality harnessed only to displaying itself. In highly personal terms, the essay considers how we might recover a certain necessary silence in the face of a horizon of infinity, how to attend beyond the distractions of the foreground. Walking mornings is a trope for possibility, moving through gathering potentialities, turning and returning toward endlessness within the silence of ourselves.
Reviews
Authors: Cattrysse Patrick , Greer Dr Stephen , Poore Dr Benjamin
Published: March 2014

Translation, Adaptation and Transformation, Laurence Raw (Ed.) (2012) UK: Continuum, 240 pp., ISBN: 9781441157843, h/bk, £67.50

Martin Sherman: Skipping over Quicksand, Trish Dace (2012) Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 345 pp., Print ISBN: 9780786466627, eBook ISBN: 9780786488131, p/bk, $40

Bleak House (BFI TV classics), Christine Geraghty (2012) Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 139 pp., ISBN: 9781844574179, p/bk, £13.99

A Companion to Literature, Film, and Adaptation, Deborah Cartmell (ed.) (2012) Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 433 pp., ISBN: 9781444334975, h/bk, £120.00
Hamlet is Heimat
Authors: Hopkins Lisa
Published: March 2014

This article considers some of the cultural uses made of Hamlet in Edgar Reitz’s two sequels to Heimat (1984), Die Zweite Heimat (1992) and Die Dritte Heimat (2004). A definining characteristic of the young people on whom Die Zweite Heimat focuses is that they are all deeply uneasy about who their elders really are, both in terms of local and specific uncertainties about their own identities and of the wider and all-besetting question of what the older generation did in the war, and whether or not they were Nazis. In Die Dritte Heimat there is again repeated emphasis on father–son relationships, though this time the focus is principally on the destruction or displacement of ‘natural’, biological fatherhood. In turning to Hamlet, a play that German culture has in many ways appropriated as peculiarly its own, Reitz finds a text and a template associated not only with a country that had fought against Nazi  Germany but, more fundamentally and more therapeutically, one deeply rooted in an older and far less troubled sense of the German national psyche than any the twentieth century had been able to offer.
Fabricated evidence: Exploring authenticity in a murder mystery’s appropriation of Early Modern drama
Authors: Olive Sarah
Published: March 2014

This article considers instances of scriptwriters (and the protagonist they create) playing with notions of authenticity and revenge tragedy through an episode of the popular murder mystery series Lewis (ITV1, 2011). Parallels between, diversions from and references to the characters, plot structure and setting of Early Modern drama are carefully traced through ‘Wild Justice’. The article argues that authenticity is both established and, to some extent, betrayed by the episode. Its scriptwriter, Stephen Churchett, uses and reinforces Early Modern drama’s cultural and literary value, without being constrained by it. Additionally, by exploring the way in which the programme incorporates the literary into the non-literary, the article extends existing arguments for a positive reconsideration of the sometime-maligned detective genre. Specifically, it adds to previous research arguing that the genre can be regarded as a key source, particularly among television broadcasts and popular fiction, evidencing the continuing cultural value of Early Modern drama.
A tribute to Shakespearean drama in nineteenth-century Spain: The case of Manuel Tamayo y Baus’s Un Drama Nuevo
Authors: Sumillera Rocío G.
Published: March 2014

This article analyses how Shakespearean drama provides the backbone of Un drama nuevo (1867), by the Spanish playwright and academic Manuel Tamayo y Baus (1829-1898). In particular, it considers how characters, themes and dramatic strategies from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Othello are incorporated into Un drama nuevo, set in 1605 England and led by the characters of Yorick and Shakespeare. Special focus is given to the play-within-a-play device, the themes of convoluted love intrigues and jealousies, and the confusing interrelation of play (i.e., fiction) and reality, against the background of a discussion of nineteenth-century Spanish drama and the history of the translation and performance of the aforementioned plays by Shakespeare in nineteenth-century Spain.
Multiple makers: The Best Years of Our Lives
Authors: Hoagwood Terence
Published: March 2014

The Best Years of Our Lives (Wyler, 1946), which was the highest-grossing film in the United States after Gone with the Wind (Fleming, 1939), was instantly praised for its realism by Gen. Omar Bradley and by numerous film reviewers. Justly influential scholars and theorists continue to single out this film as an example of realism, the style for which Andre Bazin commended William Wyler (What Is Cinema, 1967). The present article draws upon evidence of three kinds: the film’s production files, including the film-makers’ correspondence about the script; a specific comparison of the film’s narrative content with that of the novel on which the screenplay is based (Glory for Me (1945) by MacKinlay Kantor); and analysis of the cinematography and artistic composition of the film. The present article suggests that the film reverses some of the polemical novel’s central and recurrent meanings. In the interest of stylistic realism, The Best Years of Our Lives includes critique of the artifices of illusion in the consumerist American culture of the post-war years, even while it exploits that artifice and becomes an outstanding example of it. Like the later postmodern parodies that Linda Hutcheon characterizes as ‘complicitous critique’ (The Politics of Postmodernism (1989) by Hutcheon), The Best Years of Our Lives exemplifies the corporate culture that it criticizes. The film’s extreme artificiality achieves the illusion of realism.
Placenta percreta after transcervical myomectomy
Authors: Bøggild Amalie , Langhoff-Roos Jens , Sundberg Karin , Istre Olav
Published: March 2014

Background: Large uterine fibroids and placenta percreta are often associated with a hysterectomy.

The case: A 31-year-old nulligravida had a transcervical resection of a large fibroid (158 g) in the anterior wall of the uterus. A subsequent spontaneous pregnancy was complicated by placenta percreta. In late pregnancy, she had an elective cesarean section, the percrete area was resected, and she had an abdominal cerclage for hemostasis and support. Subsequently, she had two term pregnancies with normal placentation.

Conclusion: The woman avoided hysterectomy twice, first for gynecological and second for obstetrical reasons – and had three healthy infants. We conclude that the uterus should be preserved whenever possible in young fertile women.
Sintering Temperature-Dependent Chemical Defects and the Effect on the Electrical Resistivity of Thermoelectric ZnO
Authors: Zhao Yu , Kumar Ashok , Khodaparast Giti A. , Eltahir Amnah , Wang Hsin , Priya Shashank
Published: March 2014

Thermoelectric properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) are largely influenced by its electrical property. In this paper, we investigated the correlation between the electrical resistivity and synthesis temperature for aluminum (Al)-modified ZnO. At constant Al doping, the electrical resistivity of ZnO exhibited sharp decrease with increase in sintering temperature due to the increased carrier density resulting from Al3+ substitution on Zn2+ sites. Photoluminescence analysis showed that segregation of Al in secondary phase, ZnAl2O4, promotes Zn2+ vacancy formation and consequently compensates the free electrons that dominate the electrical behavior at relatively low sintering temperature. The mechanism controlling the large change in electrical resistivity of dense ZnO, ranging from insulator (~107 Ω cm) to semiconducting regime (~ 0.1 Ω cm) has been discussed.
Finite groups with subnormal non-cyclic subgroups
Authors: Monakhov Victor , Trofimuk Alexander
Published: March 2014

In this paper we consider finite groups G such that every non-cyclic maximal subgroup
in its Sylow subgroups is subnormal in G. In particular, we prove that such solvable groups have an ordered Sylow tower.
On the Fitting height of factorised soluble groups
Authors: Casolo Carlo , Jabara Enrico , Spiga Pablo
Published: March 2014

In this paper we are concerned with finite soluble groups G admitting a factorisation

G
=
A
B

${G=AB}$

, with A and B proper subgroups having coprime order. We are interested in bounding the Fitting height of G in terms of some group-invariants of A and B, including the Fitting heights and the derived lengths.
On Brauer indecomposability of Scott modules of Park-type groups
Authors: Tuvay İpek
Published: March 2014

Let p be a prime number, G be a
finite group, P be a p-subgroup of G, and k be an
algebraically closed field of characteristic p.
We prove that the k
G-Scott module with vertex
P is Brauer indecomposable for some families of
groups closely related to groups constructed by
Park in the context of fusion systems.
Crystal structure of 2,3-bis(3'-methylthiophene-5'-carbaldehyde-2-yl) thiophene, C16H12O2S3
Authors: Li Xiaochuan , Jiang Wenjuan , Son Young-A
Published: March 2014

C16H12O2S3, orthorhombic, Pbcn (no. 60), a = 10.8457(4) Å, b = 8.1000(3) Å, c = 17.6048(6) Å, V = 1546.6 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0401, wRref(F2) = 0.0953, T = 296 K.
Crystal structure of trans-dichloridotetrakis(thiourea-κS)manganese(II), C4H16Cl2MnN8S4
Authors: Chen Lijuan , Xu Xiaohui
Published: March 2014

C4H16Cl2MnN8S4, tetragonal, P42/n (no. 86), a = 13.7526(9) Å, c = 9.0785(9) Å, V = 1717.1 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0294, wRref(F2) = 0.0877, T = 290 K.
Monitoring Setting of Geopolymers
Authors: Suraneni Prannoy , Puligilla Sravanthi , Kim Eric H. , Chen Xu , Struble Leslie J. , Mondal Paramita
Published: March 2014

The setting behavior of geopolymer pastes as a function of time was studied using two methods: penetration resistance and ultrasonic shear wave reflection. Several starting materials were included—metakaolin, Class C and Class F fly ashes, and slag—and chemical parameters known to affect set were varied. The geopolymers showed a wide range of set times compared to a reference Portland cement paste: some were much more rapid, some were similar, and some were much slower. Although most geopolymers formed gels that were both solid and had measurable strength, some, initially, formed a soft gel that had no measurable strength. Therefore, to fully characterize setting behavior, it is necessary to use both types of tests. It was seen that setting behavior was sensitive to chemical parameters, with setting delayed somewhat with increasing silica/alumina and increasing water/alkali, and accelerated substantially with calcium hydroxide substitution.
Determining Coefficients of Thermal Contraction and Expansion of Asphalt Concrete Using Horizontal Asphalt Strain Gage
Authors: Islam Md Rashadul , Tarefder Rafiqul A.
Published: March 2014

Thermal strain occurs in asphalt pavement from thermal contraction and expansion due to temperature decrease and increase, respectively. No standard procedure to measure thermal strain is available. This study determines thermal strain per unit increase or decrease in temperature (also referred to as coefficient of thermal contraction or thermal expansion (CTC or CTE)) in an instrumented pavement section on Interstate 40 (I-40) in New Mexico. Firstly, the Horizontal Asphalt Strain Gages (HASGs) are calibrated for temperature to measure thermal strain. In the second step, the thermal strain variations in fall, winter, and summer are determined. For validation, the CTC and the CTE values are measured in the laboratory on three field collected cylindrical cored samples using Linear Variable Displacement Transducers (LVDTs) and temperature sensors. The LVDTs are also calibrated using a cylindrical zerodur block to account the temperature effect on it. Results show that field CTC and CTE values are close to the laboratory findings.
Amphetamine Potentiates the Effects of β-Phenylethylamine through Activation of an Amine-Gated Chloride Channel
Authors: Safratowich Bryan D. , Hossain Murad , Bianchi Laura , Carvelli Lucia
Published: March 2014

β-Phenylethylamine (βPEA) is a trace amine present in the CNS of all animals tested to date. However, its function is still not fully understood. βPEA has been suggested to function as a neurotransmitter and/or to mimic the effect of amphetamine (Amph). In support of the latter is the observation that βPEA and Amph produce similar but not identical behaviors. Here, we show that βPEA, like Amph, activates the dopamine transporter and the amine-gated chloride channel LGC-55 to generate behaviors inCaenorhabditis elegans. However, although Amph-induced behaviors occurred gradually during 10 min of treatment, βPEA induced maximal effects within 1 min.In vitrodata demonstrate that βPEA activates the LGC-55 more efficiently than Amph (Km= 9 and 152 μm, respectively) and generates saturating currents that are 10 times larger than those produced by Amph. These results suggest that activation of LGC-55 mostly accounts for the behavioral effects reached after 1 min of treatment with βPEA. Importantly, ourin vitroandin vivodata show that Amph increases the effects induced by βPEA on the LGC-55, indicating that Amph potentiates the effects generated by the biogenic amine βPEA. Together, our data not only identify a new target for βPEA, but also offer a novel mechanism of action of Amph. In addition, our results highlightC. elegansas a powerful genetic model for studying the effects of biogenic and synthetic amines both at the molecular and behavioral levels.
Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Promotes Oligodendrocyte Differentiation, Initiation and Extent of CNS Myelination
Authors: Wahl Stacey E. , McLane Lauren E. , Bercury Kathryn K. , Macklin Wendy B. , Wood Teresa L.
Published: March 2014

Prior studies support a role for mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination. Here we use Cre-recombinase driven by the CNP promoter to generate a mouse line with oligodendrocyte-specific knockdown of mTOR (mTOR cKO) in the CNS. We provide evidence that mTOR is necessary for proper oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in the spinal cord. Specifically, the number of mature oligodendrocytes was reduced, and the initiation and extent of myelination were impaired during spinal cord development. Consistent with these data, myelin protein expression, including myelin basic protein, proteolipid protein, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, and myelin-associated glycoprotein, was delayed in the spinal cord. Hypomyelination of the spinal cord persisted into adulthood, as did the reduction in numbers of mature oligodendrocytes. In the cortex, the structure of myelin appeared normal during development and in the adult; however, myelin protein expression was delayed during development and was abnormal in the adult. Myelin basic protein was significantly reduced in all regions at postnatal day 25. These data demonstrate that mTOR promotes oligodendrocyte differentiation and CNS myelinationin vivoand show that the requirement for mTOR varies by region with the spinal cord most dependent on mTOR.
Representation of Spatial Information in Key Areas of the Descending Pain Modulatory System
Authors: Ritter Christoph , Hebart Martin N. , Wolbers Thomas , Bingel Ulrike
Published: March 2014

Behavioral studies have demonstrated that descending pain modulation can be spatially specific, as is evident in placebo analgesia, which can be limited to the location at which pain relief is expected. This suggests that higher-order cortical structures of the descending pain modulatory system carry spatial information about the site of stimulation. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and multivariate pattern analysis in 15 healthy human volunteers to test whether spatial information of painful stimuli is represented in areas of the descending pain modulatory system. We show that the site of nociceptive stimulation (arm or leg) can be successfully decoded from local patterns of brain activity during the anticipation and receipt of painful stimulation in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, and the contralateral parietal operculum. These results demonstrate that information regarding the site of nociceptive stimulation is represented in these brain regions. Attempts to predict arm and leg stimulation from the periaqueductal gray, control regions (e.g., white matter) or the control time interval in the intertrial phase did not allow for classifications above chance level. This finding represents an important conceptual advance in the understanding of endogenous pain control mechanisms by bridging the gap between previous behavioral and neuroimaging studies, suggesting a spatial specificity of endogenous pain control.
Preferential Involvement by Nucleus Accumbens Shell in Mediating Probabilistic Learning and Reversal Shifts
Authors: Dalton Gemma L. , Phillips Anthony G. , Floresco Stan B.
Published: March 2014

Different subregions of nucleus accumbens (NAc) have been implicated in reward seeking, promoting flexible approach responses, suppressing nonrewarded actions, and facilitating shifts between different discrimination strategies. Interestingly, the NAc does not appear to mediate shifting between stimulus–reward associations (i.e., reversal learning) when reinforcement is predictable. How these nuclei may facilitate flexible response strategies when reward delivery is uncertain remains unclear. We investigated the effects of inactivation of the NAc shell and core on probabilistic reversal learning using an operant task wherein a “correct” response delivered reward on 80% of trials, and an “incorrect” response was reinforced on 20% of trials. Reinforcement contingencies were reversed repeatedly within a session. In well-trained rats, shell inactivation reduced the number of reversals completed and selectively reduced win–stay behavior. This impairment was apparent during the first discrimination, indicating a more general deficit in the use of probabilistic reward feedback to guide action selection. Shell inactivation also impaired reversal performance on a similar task where correct/incorrect choices always/never delivered reward. However, this impairment only emerged after both levers had been associated with reward. Inactivation of NAc core did not impair reversal performance but increased latencies to approach the response levers. These results suggest the NAc shell and core facilitate reward seeking in a distinct yet complementary manner when the relationship between specific actions and reward is uncertain or ambiguous and cognitive flexibility is required. The core promotes approach toward reward-associated stimuli, whereas the shell refines response selection to those specific actions more likely to yield reward.
Encountering the Dilemma of Change in the Architectural and Urban History of Shanghai
Authors: Liu Cary Y.
Published: March 2014

How does one begin to decipher an urban landscape if it is constantly changing? Four thousand years ago the land on which Shanghai is located was submerged beneath the sea. Today it is one of the most rapidly globalizing cities in the world. In looking for ways to approach the architectural and urban history of Shanghai, it may be useful to focus on the moments of change, acculturation, tension, and dilemma. It is such encounters or intersections that redefine and establish anew the very reality and imagination of the city’s timescape. In general, a city can be viewed through its overall layout, planning, policies, changing environmental conditions, and interactions between different social and cultural groups. In Encountering the Dilemma of Change in the Architectural and Urban History of Shanghai, Cary Y. Liu argues that the goal should not be to establish an immutable chronology of facts and events but to better comprehend the complex tensions and issues defining each encounter.
Visualizing Everyday Life in the City
Authors: Kiang Heng Chye
Published: March 2014

Chang’an, the capital of the Tang Empire, was built from scratch in 582 CE. Its layout became the paradigm for many East Asian cities. Its residential wards have not been closely studied. Heng Chye Kiang’sVisualizing Everyday Life in the City: A Categorization System for Residential Wards in Tang Chang’an builds on the author’s research on the structure of a typical ward, its parcellation of residential land, residential density, the layout of houses, and a digital reconstruction of Yongning ward based on the theoretical framework the author established. The current study proposes that Chang’an’s wards be categorized according to their form, size, and content to construct a framework that offers a better understanding of their sociospatial complexity. After establishing a system of categorization, the author chose three representative wards—Taiping, Liquan, and Pingkang—for digital reconstruction, taking into account the road networks, estimated population density, size of residential plots, and type of residential compound, according to their owners’ social status, as found in historical records.