bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of phosphodiesterases in the shaping of sub-plasma membrane cAMP oscillations and pulsatile insulin secretion
Authors: Tian Geng , Sågetorp Jenny , Xu Yunjian , Shuai Hongyan , Degerman Eva , Tengholm Anders
Published: September 2012

Specificity and versatility in cAMP signalling are governed by the spatial localization and temporal dynamics of the signal. Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are important for shaping cAMP signals by hydrolyzing the nucleotide. In pancreatic β-cells, glucose triggers sub-plasma membrane cAMP oscillations important for insulin secretion, but the mechanisms underlying the oscillations are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of different PDEs for generating cAMP oscillations by monitoring the sub-membrane cAMP concentration ([cAMP]pm) with ratiometric evanescent wave microscopy in MIN6-cells or mouse pancreatic β-cells expressing a fluorescent translocation biosensor. The general PDE inhibitor IBMX increased [cAMP]pm, and while oscillations were frequently observed at 50 µM IBMX, 300 µM–1 mM of the inhibitor caused stable [cAMP]pm elevation. [cAMP]pm was nevertheless markedly suppressed by the adenylyl cyclase inhibitor 2′,5′-dideoxyadenosine, indicating also IBMX-insensitive cAMP degradation. Among IBMX-sensitive PDEs, PDE3 was most important for maintaining a low basal [cAMP]pm in unstimulated cells. After glucose induction of [cAMP]pm oscillations, PDE1, -3 and -4 inhibitors increased the average cAMP level, often without disturbing the [cAMP]pm rhythmicity. Knockdown of the IBMX-insensitive PDE8B by shRNA in MIN6-cells increased basal [cAMP]pm and prevented the [cAMP]pm-lowering effect of 2′,5′-dideoxyadenosine after IBMX exposure. Moreover, PDE8B knockdown cells showed reduced glucose-induced [cAMP]pm oscillations and loss of the normal pulsatile pattern of insulin secretion. It is concluded that [cAMP]pm oscillations in β-cells are caused by periodic variations in cAMP generation and that several PDEs, including PDE1, PDE3 and the IBMX-insensitive PDE8B, are required for shaping the sub-membrane cAMP signals and pulsatile insulin release.
Mutations inCog7affect Golgi structure, meiotic cytokinesis and sperm development duringDrosophilaspermatogenesis
Authors: Belloni Giorgio , Sechi Stefano , Riparbelli Maria Giovanna , Fuller Margaret T. , Callaini Giuliano , Giansanti Maria Grazia
Published: September 2012

The conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) Complex plays essential roles for Golgi function, vesicle trafficking and glycosylation. Deletions of human COG7 are associated with a rare multisystemic congenital disorder of glycosylation causing mortality within the first year of life. Here we characterize the Drosophila ortholog of COG7 (Cog7). Loss-of-function Cog7 mutants are viable but male sterile. Cog7 is enriched in both the Golgi stacks and the Golgi derived structures throughout spermatogenesis. Mutations in Cog7 disrupt Golgi architecture and reduce the number of Golgi stacks in primary spermatocytes. During spermiogenesis, loss of Cog7 impairs the assembly of the Golgi-derived acroblast in spermatids and affects axoneme architecture. Similarly to the Cog5 homologue Four way stop (Fws), Cog7 enables furrow ingression during cytokinesis. We show that the recruitment of both the small GTPase Rab11 and the phosphatidylinositol transfer protein Giotto (Gio) to the cleavage site requires the wild type function of Cog7. In addition Gio coimmunoprecipitates with both Cog7 and Rab11 in testes. Together our results implicate Cog7 as an upstream component in a gio-Rab11 pathway controlling membrane addition during cytokinesis.
Oxygen sensing by Prolyl-4-Hydroxylase PHD2 within the nuclear compartment and the influence of compartimentalisation on HIF-1 signalling
Authors: Pientka Friederike Katharina , Hu Jun , Schindler Susann Gaby , Brix Britta , Thiel Anika , Joehren Olaf , Fandrey Joachim , Berchner-Pfannschmidt Utta , Depping Reinhard
Published: September 2012

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) regulate more than 200 genes involved in cellular adaptation to reduced oxygen availability. HIFs are heterodimeric transcription factors that consist of one of three HIF-α subunits and a HIF-β subunit. Under normoxic conditions the HIF-α subunit is hydroxylated by members of a family of prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain (PHD) proteins, PHD1, PHD2 and PHD3, resulting in recognition by von Hippel-Lindau protein, ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. It has been suggested that PHD2 is the key regulator of HIF-1α stability in vivo. Previous studies on intracellular distribution of PHD2 provided evidence for a predominant cytoplasmic localisation but also nuclear activity of PHD2. Here, we investigated functional nuclear transport signals in PHD2 and identified amino acids 196–205 to play a crucial role in nuclear import, while amino acids 6–20 are important for nuclear export. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) located interaction of PHD2 and HIF-1α to both compartments. However, the PHD2 mutant restricted to the cytoplasm does not interact with HIF-1α and shows less prolyl hydroxylase activity for its target HIF-1α than PHD2 wild-type located in the nucleus. For the first time, we present a model by which PHD2-mediated hydroxylation of HIF-1α predominantly occurs in the cell nucleus dependent on very dynamic subcellular trafficking of PHD2.
Anoctamins are a family of Ca2+ activated Cl− channels
Authors: Tian Yuemin , Schreiber Rainer , Kunzelmann Karl
Published: September 2012

Anoctamin 1 (Ano1; TMEM16A) and anoctamin 2 (Ano2; TMEM16B) are novel Cl− channels transiently activated by increase in intracellular Ca2+. These channels are essential for epithelial Cl− secretion, smooth muscle peristalsis and olfactory signal transduction. They are central to inherited diseases and cancer and can act as heat sensors. Surprisingly, another member of this protein-family, Ano6, operates as a Ca2+ activated phospholipid scramblase, while others were reported as intracellular proteins. It is therefore unclear whether anoctamins constitute a family of Ca2+ activated Cl− channels, or reflect proteins with heterogeneous functions. Using whole cell patch clamping we demonstrate that Ano 4–10 are all able to produce transient Ca2+ activated Cl− currents, when expressed in HEK293 cells. While some anoctamins (Ano1,2,4,6,7) were found to be well expressed in the plasma membrane, others (Ano8,9,10) show rather poor membrane expression and were mostly retained in the cytosol. The transient nature of the Cl− currents was demonstrated to be independent of intracellular Ca2+ levels. We show that inactivation of Ano1 currents occurs in the continuous presence of elevated Ca2+ concentrations, possibly by calmodulin-dependent kinase. The present results demonstrate that anoctamins are a family of Ca2+ activated Cl− channels, which also induce permeability for cations. They may operate as Cl− channels located in the plasma membrane or in intracellular compartments. These results will support our understanding of the physiological significance of anoctamins and their role in disease.
SNF2 family ATPase LSH promotes phosphorylation of H2AX and efficient repair of DNA double-strand breaks in mammalian cells
Authors: Burrage Joe , Termanis Ausma , Geissner Andreas , Myant Kevin , Gordon Katrina , Stancheva Irina
Published: September 2012

LSH, a protein related to SNF2 family of chromatin remodelling ATPases, is essential for correct establishment of DNA methylation levels and patterns in plants and mammalian cells. However, some of the phenotypes resulting from LSH deficiency cannot be easily explained by defects in DNA methylation. Here we show that LSH-deficient mouse and human fibroblasts show reduced viability after exposure to ionizing radiation and repair DNA double-strand breaks less efficiently than the wild-type cells. A more detailed characterization of this phenotype revealed that in the absence of LSH the histone variant H2AX is not efficiently phosphorylated in response to DNA damage. This results in impaired recruitment of MDC1 and 53BP1 proteins to DNA double-strand breaks and compromised phosphorylation of checkpoint kinase CHK2. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the ability of LSH to hydrolyze ATP is necessary for efficient phosphorylation of H2AX at DNA double-strand breaks and successful repair of DNA damage. Taken together, our data reveal a previously unsuspected role of LSH ATPase in maintenance of genome stability in mammalian somatic cells, which is independent of its function in de novo DNA methylation during development.
A Facile Chromatographic Method for Purification of Pinacol Boronic Esters
Authors: Hitosugi Shunpei , Tanimoto Daiki , Nakanishi Waka , Isobe Hiroyuki
Published: September 2012

A facile chromatographic method for purification of pinacol boronic esters has been developed. Impregnation of silica gel with boric acid was effective both for thin layer chromatography (TLC) and for flash column chromatography. Purification of a series of pinacol boronic esters was successful by suppressing loss of the compounds due to over-adsorption.
Vinorelbine inhibits angiogenesis and 95D migration via reducing hypoxic fibroblast stromal cell-derived factor 1 secretion
Authors: Fang Dongdong , Sun Li , Lin Sensen , Zhou Liqiang , Su Nan , Yuan Shengtao , Yu Boyang
Published: September 2012

Tumor stroma plays a prominent role in cancer progression. Fibroblasts constitute a majority of the stromal cells in tumor, and yet the functional contributions of these cells to tumor angiogenesis and invasion are poorly understood, especially the anticancer drug interference to these processes. To estimate the effects of vinorelbine (VNR) on fibroblast-associated tumor invasion and angiogenesis, we evaluated the response of 95D and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration, tube formation in vitro, as well as capillary formation of rat thoracic aorta rings to hypoxic MRC-5 conditioned medium (CM) by VNR pretreatment. Our results demonstrated that VNR significantly inhibited 95D and HUVEC migration and angiogenesis induced by hypoxic MRC-5 cells. We also showed that hypoxic MRC-5 CM (Hypo-CM) had a higher level of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) secretion, while Hypo-CM up-regulated the CXCR4 expression in HUVECs and 95Ds. This increased activity of SDF-1/CXCR4 paracrine was clearly attenuated by VNR pretreatment. It was further found that pretreating HUVECs and 95Ds with AMD3100, a CXCR4 antagonist, markedly reversed the Hypo-CM promoting cell migration and angiogenesis, while adding exogenous SDF-1 attenuated the inhibition effects of CM collected from VNR-pretreated hypoxic MRC-5 (Hypo-CMV). These data indicate that VNR indirectly decreased 95D migration and angiogenesis through its effect on hypoxic MRC-5, via impacting SDF-1/CXCR4 paracrine, suggesting that VNR could interrupt the influence of fibroblasts on HUVECs and 95Ds to exert an anticancer role. Therefore, fibroblasts should be taken into consideration when evaluating and developing anticancer drugs.
Sociologies of voice and language – radio broadcasting and the ethnic imperative
Authors: Mhlanga Brilliant
Published: September 2012

This article places ethnic radio stations in South Africa within the discourse of sociologies of voice and language using Munghana Lonene FM (ML FM) as a case study. Unlike most traditional researches that usually focus on audience studies, this research was informed by a situated qualitative
trajectory in which radio presenters and the radio station staff were interviewed. These respondents were chosen due to their dual roles, first as members of the Tsonga community and thus seen by the community as their voice and representatives; and second, as professional policy implementers
who have a public duty to serve a public broadcaster. Radio broadcasting as a mass medium possesses the advantage of exploiting the sound, which uses voice and language to construct cultural symbols and phanerons that create meanings. As the technology of mass communication radio continues
to create a form of social intrigue in most rural communities. This article will argue that the conversational approach used by ML FM of mxing music and talk in Tsonga encourages the creation of a sociological natal affiliation; a form of ‘we’ feeling that translates into notions
of ownership and belonging and empowerment. By re-establishing ML FM the post-apartheid leadership created a case for residual and incremental policy models. As a residual policy model, ML FM stands as the inherited radio broadcasting structure of the apartheid system, whereas social transformation
processes and human agency including the formulation and implementation of new policies marks a point of departure as an incremental policy model. Local content usage in programming and music for the Tsonga as an ethnic group projects ML FM as the voice of the Tsonga people. Through different
programmes, social meanings, symbols, world-views and life-worlds are created. As part of the radical transforma¬tion of SABC and as a decentralised public broadcaster ML FM can be seen as the conduit for the eschatologies of liberation and social transformation.
The use of jokes and mobile telephony to create counter-publics in Zimbabwe
Authors: Manganga Kudakwashe
Published: September 2012

This article discusses how ordinary Zimbabweans use jokes and mobile phones to construct their counter-publics. Jokes are an important part of the oral public sphere and have been used as outlets for political expectoration, to navigate and subvert state power and media censorship.
Most of the jokes are often transmitted through mobile phones, which have become part of African social and cultural life. In view of restrictive media laws and an exclusive and dominant public sphere since the year 2000, jokes and mobile telephony have been used by some Zimbabweans to articulate
their political views and to express dissatisfaction with the deteriorating economic and political situation in the country. In addition, the income status barrier to mobile phone ownership has been reduced tremendously, giving the mobile phone the potential to bridge the digital divide between
rich and poor, urban and rural.
Book Reviews
Authors: Somerville Keith , Mudiwa Rudo
Published: September 2012

SAND STORM: LIBYA IN THE TIME OF REVO LUTION, LINDSEY HILSUM (2012) London: Faber and Faber, 304 pp., ISBN 978571288038, h/bk, £17

STARRING MANDELA AND COSBY: MEDIA AND THE END(S) OF APARTHEID, RON KRABILL (2010) Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 200 pp., ISBN: 9780226451886,
h/bk, $60.00, ISBN: 9780226451893, p/bk, $21.00
Reviews
Authors: McMillan Eddie , Kharsa Kasem , Price Steven
Published: September 2012

The Storyboard Artist: A Guide to Freelancing in Film, TV and Advertising, Giuseppe Cristiano (2012) Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 210pp.,ISBN: 978-1615930838, p/bk, £16.99

Screenwriting Updated: New (and Conventional) Ways of Writing for the Screen, Linda Aronson
(2001) Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, 300 pp., ISBN 978-1879505599, p/bk, £16.99.

The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture, David Mamet (2011) New York: Sentinel, xiv + 241 pp., ISBN 978-1-59523-076-8, p/bk, £17.85
The strange case of Ronald Tavel: Andy Warhol’s only screenwriter
Authors: Murphy J. J.
Published: September 2012

During the period 1963–1968, the Pop artist Andy Warhol turned his attention from painting and sculpture to film-making. Warhol gained attention for a series of notorious silent films – Sleep (1963), Empire, Blow Job and Eat (all 1964) – which early critics connected
to minimalism and viewed as precursors to structural film. Warhol, however, confounded early admirers by collaborating with the writer Ronald Tavel on a number of sync-sound, more narrative films, beginning with Harlot (1964). The collaboration proved unlike any other between a director and
screenwriter with Warhol incorporating the frustrations and tensions that often exist between screenwriters and directors as an essential part of the work.
Communication and the various voices of the screenplay text
Authors: Igelström Ann
Published: September 2012

The aim of this article is to examine how the writer, through the means of the screenplay text, communicates the potential film to the reader. The article argues that the screenplay text’s reason for existing is to communicate the potential film, and that analysing a screenplay
text through a communicational approach therefore is suitable. The author will ask what type of information is communicated, who it is that communicates and how the communication appears in the text. The article will propose a model that displays the different narrating voices that can be
found in screenplay texts, and a set terminology for the narrating voices that clearly position them in relation to the text and the information they provide will be proposed. The examination of extracts from published screenplays further enables the author to identify how the use of the different
narrating voices situates the reader at a certain distance from the story.
expensive words, cheap images: ‘Scripting’ the adapted screenplay
Authors: Munt Alex
Published: September 2012

This article explores ‘scripting’ the adapted screenplay for budget film models, including microbudget features, DIY film-making and creative practice-led research. It highlights the lack of attention given to the adapted screenplay in the field of adaptation studies, and
works with notions of intermediality, and transmediality, to privilege the screenplay as the primary site for creative interaction in the adaptation process. In the context of small-scale, budget film-making practices the focus is towards modes of scripting that rely on working with images,
both as part of the screenplay form/format and more directly, in ‘writing’ with moving images, with the screenplay situated within production. This article argues that in consideration of the adapted screenplay, for budget film-making, the relationship between words and images
is realigned. The impact of digital media culture together with the advance of digital film-making will accelerate this. Two case studies are presented. The first is Mala No he (1985), the debut feature film of Gus Van Sant, based on the novella by Walt Curtis. The second is LBF (2011), the
author’s own debut feature film, based on the novel Living Between Fucks (2006) by Cry Bloxsome. This article aims to engage screenwriting researchers, independent/budget film-makers and creative arts practitioners.
The unseen collaborator: Breaking down art to create modern narratives
Authors: Regan Marie
Published: September 2012

This article proposes a new way of looking at the screenwriting process and at the pedagogical instruction of screenwriting. It proposes an alternative to the industrial model of screenwriting – one that allows for the possibility of creating film scripts that might lie on the
borders of narrative. Starting with a research process, this method uses the deconstruction of an art source to develop the writer’s point of view in hopes of creating modern works of unusual complexity and resonance. Citing examples from Bach, Munch and Melville, and films by Francois
Girard, Peter Watkins and Claire Denis, the article suggests a method for screenwriters using the limit of an original artwork’s form to generate a unique narrative structure, and building on that structure by bringing the writer’s own contemporary perspective to the content concerns.
It contends that this process works to renew the writer’s connection to form and, by working with an artwork the writer admires, pushes the writer into deeper engagement with her own point of view.
‘To make you see’: Screenwriting, description and the ‘lens-based’tradition
Authors: Ganz Adam
Published: September 2012

In this article I look at the descriptive writing in the screenplay, and link this to a tradition of ‘lens-based writing’, the precise visual description of phenomena observed through a lens for an audience unable to see what was described, which can be traced from the writing
of Galileo and van Leeuwenhoek, through scientific and travel writing, to early fiction (with particular emphasis on Robinson Crusoe). I identify the most significant features of lens-based writing – the use of simple language and the separation of observation and deduction to communicate
what has been seen through a simultaneous act of looking and framing, and show the similarities between this and screenwriting practice. I also make some observations about what this model can offer screenwriting research.
In the light of the province: Carl Slättne and his films
Authors: Andersson Lars Gustaf
Published: September 2012

This article presents the work of Swedish film-maker and independent producer Carl Slättne (b. 1937) and analyses his film Urskogen eller kulturen!/‘Wilderness or Civilization!’ (1985). The film is discussed in relation to the concept of the essay film as it has been
developed in recent writings by Laura Rascaroli and Timothy Corrigan. The formal devices of Slättne’s film are analysed and put into a cultural context, where the œuvre of the film-maker is discussed as well as the Swedish political documentary since the 1970s. In focus for
the formal analysis is the use of contrastive editing. The voice-over – an important device for Slättne – is further discussed in order to put the authorial voice of the film in context. Slättne is compared to contemporaries like Eric M. Nilsson.
Preserving, restoring and accessing silent and early sound films from existing elements in the Archival Film Collections of the Swedish Film Institute
Authors: Wengström Jon
Published: September 2012

The vast majority of original negatives of Swedish silent and early sound films are lost, meaning that what remains of the early Swedish fiction film heritage has survived primarily in the form of relatively worn nitrate prints. The article discusses differences in past and present
duplication policies in terms of aspect ratio alterations and the preservation of from 1929. The industry shift towards digital capture and digital projection will affect not only the possibility of preserving and restoring films in original formats, but also how the film heritage will be
accessed in the future.
Manchester, 1976: Documenting the urban nature of Joy Division’s musical production
Authors: Fraser Benjamin , Fuoto Abby
Published: September 2012

Whereas the band Joy Division (Unknown Pleasures, 1979; Closer, 1980) is widely recognized as one of the foundations of the style of music known as post-punk, their music speaks also to the nature of contemporary urban life. Melding both cultural analysis and urban theory, this article
first unpacks the urban readingof the band presented in the recent underappreciated documentary Joy Division by director Grant Gee (2007) – whose emphasis on the band’s connection to and representation of Manchester has gone relatively unnoticed by critics. Subsequently, following
Gee’s urban contextualization of the band (evident in both the documentary’sform and content), the article then approaches Joy Division’s musical productionitself through a range of urban theories (Georg Simmel, Henri Lefebvre, Walter Benjamin, Michel de Certeau, Friedrich
Engels, Andy Merrifield, Marc Augé, Jane Jacobs, David Harvey, Guy Debord/the Situationists, Jacob Riis). In the end, while undoubtedly of interest also for frontman Ian Curtis’s epilepsy and tragic suicide, Joy Division’s music speaks more broadly to the influence the modern
city has exercised over contemporary life and cultural production and to future reconciliations of music sociology and urban studies.
Bad Girls, dancing like a blaze of consciousness
Authors: Bannon Fiona
Published: September 2012

The call to arms that was Punk privileged a sense of friction, across cultural and economic activities including publishing, fashion, art, music, theatre, performance and dance. Together a range of artists and activists shared an audacity to search for different ways to explore social
and cultural experience, standing against a tide of compliance. In the subsequent creation of the histories of this state of mind, contributions from the realm of dance remain largely under represented. This article contributes a dance-oriented perspective to the discourse, evaluating the
early artistic practice of two female dancer choreographers; New York-based Karole Armitage, and Louise Lacavalier of Montreal-based La La La Human Steps. The collective achievement of their early and ongoing work was the impact of their physical athleticism as an integral part of their idiosyncratic
practice. For them dancing was about honing the visceral power and skills of communication, jolting free of the constraints of tradition in their own blaze of consciousness. It was about creating dance ready to speak of the world and times in which they lived.
BOOK REVIEW
Authors: Ogg Alex , Loderer Josef
Published: September 2012

White Riot: Punk Rock and the Politics of Race,Stephen Duncombe and Maxwell Tremblay (eds) (2011) Foreword by James Spooner, New York: Verso, 336pp.,ISBN: 978-1844676880, p/bk, £14.99
Multivariate log-concave distributions as a nearly parametric model
Authors: Schuhmacher Dominic , Hüsler André , Dümbgen Lutz
Published: September 2012

In this paper we show that the family P

d

(lc) of probability distributions on ℝ
d
with log-concave densities satisfies a strong continuity condition. In particular, it turns out that weak convergence within this family entails (i) convergence in total variation distance, (ii) convergence of arbitrary moments, and (iii) pointwise convergence of Laplace transforms. In this and several other respects the nonparametric model P

d

(lc) behaves like a parametric model such as, for instance, the family of all d-variate Gaussian distributions. As a consequence of the continuity result, we prove the existence of nontrivial confidence sets for the moments of an unknown distribution in P

d

(lc). Our results are based on various new inequalities for log-concave distributions which are of independent interest.
Law invariant risk measures on L
∞ (ℝ
d
)
Authors: Ekeland Ivar , Schachermayer Walter
Published: September 2012

Kusuoka (2001) has obtained explicit representation theorems for comonotone risk measures and, more generally, for law invariant risk measures. These theorems pertain, like most of the previous literature, to the case of scalar-valued risks.

Jouini, Meddeb, and Touzi (2004) and Burgert and Rüschendorf (2006) extended the notion of risk measures to the vector-valued case. Recently Ekeland, Galichon, and Henry (2009) and Rüschendorf (2006, 2010) obtained extensions of the above theorems of Kusuoka to this setting. Their results were confined to the regular case.

In general, Kusuoka´s representation theorem for comonotone risk measures also involves a singular part. In the present work we give a full generalization of Kusuoka´s theorems to the vector-valued case. The singular component turns out to have a richer structure than in the scalar case.
Test on components of mixture densities
Authors: Autin Florent , Pouet Christophe
Published: September 2012

This paper deals with statistical tests on the components of mixture densities. We propose to test whether the densities of two independent samples of independent random variablesY1,...,YnandZ1,...,Znresult from the same mixture ofMcomponents or not. We provide a test procedure which is proved to be asymptotically optimal according to the minimax setting. We extensively discuss the connection between the mixing weights and the performance of the testing procedure; this link had never been clearly established up to now.
Well-balanced Lévy driven Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes
Authors: Schnurr Alexander , Woerner Jeannette H. C.
Published: September 2012

In this paper we introduce the well-balanced Lévy driven Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process as a moving average process of the form X

t
 = ∫ exp(-λ|t-u|)dL

u

. In contrast to Lévy driven Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes the well-balanced form possesses continuous sample paths and an autocorrelation function which is decreasing not purely exponential but of the order λ|u|exp(-λ|u|). Furthermore, depending on the size of λ it allows both for positive and negative correlation of increments. We indicate how the well-balanced Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process might be used as mean or volatility process in semimartingale models.
Conditional risk and acceptability mappings as Banach-lattice valued mappings
Authors: Kovacevic Raimund M.
Published: September 2012

Conditional risk and acceptability mappings quantify the desirability of random variables (e.g. financial returns) by accounting for available information. In this paper the focus lies on acceptability mappings, concave translation-equivariant monotone mappings
L

p
(Ω,F,ℙ) → 
L

p´(Ω,F´,ℙ) with 1 ≤ p´ ≤ p ≤ ∞, where the σ-algebras F´ ⊂ F describe the available information. Based on the order completeness of
L

p
(Ω,F,ℙ)-spaces, we analyze superdifferentials and concave conjugates of conditional acceptability mappings. The related results are used to show properties of two important classes of multi-period valuation functionals: SEC-functionals and additive acceptability compositions. In particular, we derive a chain rule for superdifferentials and use it for characterizing the conjugates of additive acceptability compositions and SEC-functionals.
PCA-kernel estimation
Authors: Biau Gérard , Mas André
Published: September 2012

Many statistical estimation techniques for high-dimensional or functional data are based on a preliminary dimension reduction step, which consists in projecting the sample X
1,...,X

n
onto the first D eigenvectors of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) associated with the empirical projector ^ Π
D
. Classical nonparametric inference methods such as kernel density estimation or kernel regression analysis are then performed in the (usually small) D-dimensional space. However, the mathematical analysis of this data-driven dimension reduction scheme raises technical problems, due to the fact that the random variables of the projected sample (^Π
D

X
1,...,^Π
D

X

n
) are no more independent. As a reference for further studies, we offer in this paper several results showing the asymptotic equivalencies between important kernel-related quantities based on the empirical projector and its theoretical counterpart. As an illustration, we provide an in-depth analysis of the nonparametric kernel regression case.
Stable stopping
Authors: Treviño Aguilar Erick
Published: September 2012

We discuss a general framework of optimal stopping under constraints. We extend the Snell envelope and the characterization of optimal stopping times to our framework with constraints and give a condition which ensures the existence of a right-continuous version. We then study non-constrained stopping problems which are penalized with Lagrange multipliers. We are going to see that this family of problems approximate the expected reward of the constrained problem and allow us to construct optimal stopping times.
Ordering of multivariate risk models with respect to extreme portfolio losses
Authors: Mainik Georg , Rüschendorf Ludger
Published: September 2012

The notion of asymptotic portfolio loss order is introduced to compare multivariate stochastic risk models with respect to extreme portfolio losses. In the framework of multivariate regular variation comparison criteria are derived in terms of spectral measures. This allows for analytical and numerical verification in applications. Worst and best case dependence structures with respect to the asymptotic portfolio loss order are determined. Comparison criteria in terms of further stochastic ordering notions are derived. The examples include elliptical distributions and multivariate regularly varying models with Gumbel, Archimedean, and Galambos copulas. Particular interest is paid to the inverse influence of dependence on the diversification of risks with infinite expectations.
Time consistency of multi-period distortion measures
Authors: Fasen Vicky , Svejda Adela
Published: September 2012

Dynamic risk measures play an important role for the acceptance or non-acceptance of risks in a bank portfolio. Dynamic consistency and weaker versions like conditional and sequential consistency guarantee that acceptability decisions remain consistent in time. An important set of static risk measures are so-called distortion measures. We extend these risk measures to a dynamic setting within the framework of the notions of consistency as above. As a prominent example, we present the Tail-Value-at-Risk (TVaR).
From a "Dead Albatross" to Lincoln Labs: Applied Research and the Making of a Normal Cold War University
Authors: Slayton Rebecca
Published: September 2012

Large, military-funded, applied research laboratories became a common and controversial feature of Cold War academe. This paper examines the origins and first twelve years of Lincoln Labs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with two primary purposes. First, it extends our understanding of who encouraged the rise of large laboratories in the Cold War academy, when controversy over these changes arose, and why. Second, it ties academic efforts to privilege theoretical over applied forms of education and research, to academic concerns about competing with industry for military funding. By defining a "normal" MIT in terms of fundamental research and education, administrators sought to negotiate the rapidly changing institutional environments for Cold War science and engineering.
Cell Therapy: A Novel Treatment Approach for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Authors: Vosdoganes Patricia , Lim Rebecca , Moss Timothy J.M. , Wallace Euan M.
Published: September 2012

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a major cause of substantial lifelong morbidity in preterm infants. Despite a better understanding of the pathophysiology of BPD and significant research effort into its management, there remains today no effective treatment. Cell-based therapy is a novel approach that offers much promise in the prevention and treatment of BPD. Recent research supports a therapeutic role for cell transplantation in the management of a variety of acute and chronic adult and childhood lung diseases, with potential of such therapy to reduce inflammation and prevent acute lung injury. However, considerable uncertainties remain regarding cell therapies before they can be established as safe and effective clinical treatments for BPD. This review summarizes the current literature investigating cell therapies in lung disease, with particular focus on the various types of cells available and their specific properties in the context of a future therapy for BPD.
Bottle-feeding and the Risk of Pyloric Stenosis
Authors: Krogh Camilla , Biggar Robert J. , Fischer Thea K. , Lindholm Morten , Wohlfahrt Jan , Melbye Mads
Published: September 2012

OBJECTIVES:

Bottle-feeding has been suggested to increase the risk of pyloric stenosis (PS). However, large population-based studies are needed. We examined the effect of bottle-feeding during the first 4 months after birth, by using detailed data about the timing of first exposure to bottle-feeding and extensive confounder information.

METHODS:

We performed a large population-based cohort study based on the Danish National Birth Cohort, which provided information on infants and feeding practice. Information about surgery for PS was obtained from the Danish National Patient Register. The association between bottle-feeding and the risk of PS was evaluated by hazard ratios (HRs) estimated in a Cox regression model, adjusting for possible confounders.

RESULTS:

Among 70 148 singleton infants, 65 infants had surgery for PS, of which 29 were bottle-fed before PS diagnosis. The overall HR of PS for bottle-fed infants compared with not bottle-fed infants was 4.62 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.78–7.65). Among bottle-fed infants, risk increases were similar for infants both breast and bottle-fed (HR: 3.36 [95% CI: 1.60–7.03]), formerly breastfed (HR: 5.38 [95% CI: 2.88–10.06]), and never breastfed (HR: 6.32 [95% CI: 2.45–16.26]) (P = .76). The increased risk of PS among bottle-fed infants was observed even after 30 days since first exposure to bottle-feeding and did not vary with age at first exposure to bottle-feeding.

CONCLUSIONS:

Bottle-fed infants experienced a 4.6-fold higher risk of PS compared with infants who were not bottle-fed. The result adds to the evidence supporting the advantage of exclusive breastfeeding in the first months after birth.
Tanner Stage 4 Breast Development in Adults: Forensic Implications
Authors: Rosenbloom Arlan L. , Rohrs Henry J. , Haller Michael J. , Malasanos Toree H.
Published: September 2012

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

Forensic testimony in alleged child pornography cases commonly asserts that Tanner stage (TS) 4 breast development, characterized by secondary mounding of the areola that is obliterated in TS 5, is evidence of age <18 years. Clinical experience does not support this notion, but there are no relevant studies. We sought to estimate how frequently TS 4 might be interpreted from nonclinical images by individual forensic experts.

METHOD:

Published images of 547 adult women were independently examined by the authors and classified as having TS 4 or TS 5 breast development.

RESULTS:

There was concordance among all 4 of the examiners for 17 of the images, agreement of 3 of the examiners on another 36 images, of 2 examiners on 39 images, and 53 images were designated TS 4 by only 1 examiner, for a total of 153 (26.5%) images that could have been considered by a single forensic expert to represent TS 4.

CONCLUSIONS:

A substantial number of adults have persistent TS 4 breast development. This observation, and the frequent difficulty distinguishing TS 4 from TS 5, even by adolescent development specialists, especially in nonclinical images, renders testimony based on this distinction invalid. Without clinical relevance for distinguishing these advanced stages of breast development, they should both be considered indicative of full maturation. Testimony based on this inappropriate test of maturity should no longer be allowed.
Preterm Birth and Congenital Heart Defects: A Population-based Study
Authors: Laas Enora , Lelong Nathalie , Thieulin Anne-Claire , Houyel Lucile , Bonnet Damien , Ancel Pierre-Yves , Kayem Gilles , Goffinet François , Khoshnood Babak
Published: September 2012

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Preterm birth (PTB) and congenital heart defect (CHD) are 2 major causes of mortality and disability of perinatal origin. There are limited data on the relation between CHD and PTB. Our objective was to use population-based data to estimate the risk of PTB in newborns with CHD and to study specific associations between categories of CHD and PTB.

METHODS:

We used data from a population-based cohort study of CHD (EPIdémiologique sur le devenir des enfants porteurs de CARDiopathies congénitales study), including 2189 live births with CHD (excluding isolated atrial septal defects) born between 2005 and 2008. We categorized CHD by using an anatomic and clinical classification. Data from the French National Perinatal Survey of 2003 were used to compare PTB in the EPIdémiologique sur le devenir des enfants porteurs de CARDiopathies congénitales study to that of the general population.

RESULTS:

Of the newborns with CHD, 13.5% were preterm. The odds of PTB were twofold higher than for the general population (odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.6–2.5), essentially due to an increase in spontaneous PTB for newborns with CHD. The risk of PTB associated with CHD persisted after exclusion of chromosomal or other anomalies. There were significant variations in risk of PTB across the categories of CHD after adjustment for known risk factors of PTB and factors related to medical management of pregnancy and delivery.

CONCLUSIONS:

We found a higher risk of PTB in newborns with CHD, which was essentially due to spontaneous PTB. Risk of PTB varied for categories of CHD. Our finding may be helpful for generating hypotheses about the developmental links between CHD and PTB.
Pediatric Sleep Disorders and Special Educational Need at 8 Years: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Bonuck Karen , Rao Trupti , Xu Linzhi
Published: September 2012

OBJECTIVES:

To examine associations between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and behavioral sleep problems (BSPs) through 5 years of age and special educational need (SEN) at 8 years.

METHODS:

Parents in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children reported on children’s snoring, witnessed apnea, and mouth-breathing at 6, 18, 30, 42, and 57 months, from which SDB symptom trajectories, or clusters, were derived. BSPs were based on report of ≥5 of 7 sleep behaviors at each of the 18-, 30-, 42-, and 57-month questionnaires. Parent report of SEN (yes/no) at 8 years was available for 11 049 children with SDB data and 11 467 children with BSP data. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to predict SEN outcome by SDB cluster and by cumulative report of SEN.

RESULTS:

Controlling for 16 putative confounders, previous history of SDB and BSPs was significantly associated with an SEN. BSPs were associated with a 7% increased odds of SEN (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.15), for each ∼1-year interval at which a BSP was reported. SDB, overall, was associated with a near 40% increased odds of SEN (95% CI 1.18–1.62). Children in the worst symptom cluster were 60% more likely to have an SEN (95% CI 1.23–2.08).

CONCLUSIONS:

In this population-based longitudinal study, history of either SDB or BSPs in the first 5 years of life was associated with increased likelihood of SEN at 8 years of age. Findings highlight the need for pediatric sleep disorder screening by early interventionists, early childhood educators, and health professionals.
Optical Fibers in Integrated Molecular Sensor Systems – More Than Interconnects
Authors: Yang Xuan , Gu Claire
Published: September 2012

Optical fibers have been successfully used in long-haul communication, endoscopy, and other optical systems to transmit optical power as well as information from one point to another, serving as interconnects at various scales. In integrated sensor systems, optical fibers have been frequently employed to connect the source and the detector, due to their flexibility, compactness, and low loss. However, optical fibers can provide more functions than a simple transmission channel. In this paper, we review our work on optical fibers as a platform for molecular sensors based on Raman spectroscopy (RS) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The fibers serve to significantly increase the sensitivity of RS/SERS and to facilitate the integration of a compact sensor system. We will discuss the principles of operation of various building blocks, demonstrate our recent results, and highlight some potential applications.
Novel device for implementation of WDM in the visible spectrum
Authors: Louro P. , Vieira M. , Vieira M. A. , Silva V. , Fantoni A.
Published: September 2012

In this paper we report the use of a device based on two multilayered a-SiC:H/a-Si:H stacked heterostructures to photodetect and demultiplex optical signals of the visible spectrum. Both heterostructures were optimized for the detection of short and long wavelengths within the visible range. The optoelectronic characterization of the device includes spectral response measurements under reverse bias and using different optical steady state light conditions to soak the device. Results show that the device photocurrent signal measured using appropriate steady state optical bias, allows the separate detection of the input transmitted signals which enables the demultiplexing task. A numerical simulation, gives insight into the transduction mechanism to explain the device wavelength selective behavior.
Soapberry Bug (Hemiptera: Rhopalidae: Serinethinae) Native and Introduced Host Plants: Biogeographic Background of Anthropogenic Evolution
Authors: Carroll Scott P , Loye Jenella E
Published: September 2012

Soapberry bugs (Hemiptera: Rhopalidae: Serinethinae) have recently colonized introduced and invasive plants in the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), and they have rapidly differentiated as a result. These plants have been carried among continents at many places and times, and they may possess alien coevolutionary histories with other soapberry bug genera and species, exposing native bugs worldwide to both new challenges and new opportunities in host exploitation. To provide geographic and phylogenetic contexts for this human-catalyzed evolution, we analyzed the worldwide host relations of the three soapberry bug genera on native versus non-native sapinds. We found that the adopted introduced hosts are taxonomically distant from native hosts in six of seven global biogeographic regions. Only a few genera account for most of the introductions, and natives and non-natives are now reciprocally distributed across several pairs of continents. The evolutionary result may be local diversification, but also global convergence on currently rare bug phenotypes when plants with small endemic ranges are widely exported.
Two New Species of Verrucoentomon (Protura: Acerentomidae, Nipponentominae) and a Key to Species
Authors: Shrubovych Julia , Bernard Ernest C
Published: September 2012

Two new species of Verrucoentomon Rusek are described: V. anatoli n. sp. from Siberia and V. louisanne n. sp. from the Russian Far East. V. anatoli n. sp. is characterized by short, broad foretarsal sensilla c and e, presence of additional setae on head, presence of seta P1a on tergites I–VI and sensilliform abdominal accessory setae. V. louisanne n. sp. is characterized by broadened foretarsal sensilla b, g, and a', absence of seta P1a on tergites I–VI, sensilliform abdominal accessory setae and concave hind margin of comb VIII. Collection of V. shirampa from the Russian Far East also is reported. A key to Verrucoentomon spp. is provided.
Characterization of a Gene Encoding KK-42-Binding Protein in Antheraea pernyi (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)
Authors: Liu Yan-Qun , Chen Miao-Miao , Li Qun , Li Yu-Ping , Xu Liang , Wang Hua , Zhou Qian-Kai , Sima Yang-Hu , Wei Zhao-Jun , Jiang De-Fu
Published: September 2012

KK-42 is an imidazole insect growth regulator. A (KK-42)-binding protein (KK-42BP) has been shown to be associated with diapause termination in pharate first instars of Antheraea yamamai (Guérin-Méneville) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). In this study, the (KK-42)-binding protein gene (ApKK-42BP) was characterized from Antheraea pernyi (Guérin-Méneville) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) undergoing a winter diapause as a pupa. Homologous comparison revealed that KK-42BPs from A.pernyi and A.yamamai were closely related to the known minor yolk proteins from the lepidopterans Bombyx mori L., Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), and Galleria mellonella L. The two KK-42BPs also contained a lipase-like region, as observed in the known lepidopteran yolk proteins. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that KK-42BP is a new member of the minor yolk proteins. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that ApKK-42BP mRNA was expressed in all of the tissues tested, throughout four developmental stages, and in both female and male. Both in the brain and hemolymph, expression of ApKK-42BP mRNA level was similar between nondiapause-destined and diapause-destined larval individuals. ApKK-42BP mRNA was expressed in the predia-pause period of diapause-destined pupae, disappeared in early diapause and diapause stage, and reappeared in the postdiapause stage. These expression patterns stated that a lack of KK-42BP is associated with pupal diapause and its expression may be critical to nondiapausing individuals. Our results suggested that the KK-42BP gene is likely involved in a function other than as a yolk protein.