bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The anti‐EGFR monoclonal antibody blocks cisplatin‐induced activation of EGFR signaling mediated by HB‐EGF
Authors: Yoshida Takeshi , Okamoto Isamu , Iwasa Tsutomu , Fukuoka Masahiro , Nakagawa Kazuhiko
Published: November 2008

Cisplatin is a key agent in combination chemotherapy for various types of solid tumor. We now show that cisplatin activates signaling by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by inducing cleavage of heparin‐binding epidermal growth factor‐like growth factor (HB‐EGF). Matuzumab, a monoclonal antibody to EGFR, inhibited cisplatin‐induced EGFR signaling, likely through competition with the soluble form of HB‐EGF for binding to EGFR. Matuzumab enhanced the antitumor effect of cisplatin in nude mice harboring human non‐small cell lung cancer xenografts. Our findings shed light on the mechanism by which monoclonal antibodies to EGFR might augment the efficacy of cisplatin.
Long-chain inulin increases dendritic cells in the Peyer's patches and increasesex vivocytokine secretion in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes of growing female rats, independent of zinc status
Authors: Ryz Natasha R. , Meddings Jon B. , Taylor Carla G.
Published: November 2008

Prebiotics may increase Zn absorption, a mineral known to play a central role in the immune system. Zn-deficient states are characterised by suppressed immune function, while prebiotics may improve both gut and cell-mediated immunity. Our objective was to determine if inulin alters the number and proportion of immune cells in the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and Peyer's patches (PP),ex vivocytokine secretion, intestinal permeability and Zn status in healthy as well as Zn-deficient rats. Weanling female rats were fed diets supplemented with 5 % cellulose (CEL) or 5 % inulin (PRE) for 4 weeks. The rats received the CEL or PRE dietad libitum(ZN) or in restricted amounts (DR), or deficient in Zn (ZD) for another 4 weeks. The PRE-fed rats had a higher number and proportion of dendritic cells in PP, and greaterex vivosecretion of IL-2, IL-10 and interferon-γ from spleen and MLN cells compared with CEL-fed rats. PRE reduced the number and proportion of T cell receptor (TCR)-αβ+CD8+cells in spleen and CD45RA+cells in MLN compared with CEL. ZD rats had lower serum IgG2a and T cell numbers in MLN compared with ZN and DR rats. TCRγδ+cell numbers in PP were higher in ZD-PRE rats compared with ZD-CEL rats. Femur Zn concentrations of DR-PRE rats were higher than those of DR-CEL rats. Intestinal permeability was unchanged. The higher proportion and number of dendritic cells in the PP of inulin-fed rats indicates a need for further research on how prebiotics and their metabolites affect immune function possibly through intestinal dendritic cells.
Age- and sex-standardised lean and fat indices derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis for ages 7–11 years: functional associations with cardio-respiratory fitness and grip strength
Authors: Sherriff Andrea , Wright Charlotte M. , Reilly John J. , McColl John , Ness Andy , Emmett Pauline
Published: November 2008

Indices for lean and fat mass adjusted for height derived from bioelectrical impedance for children aged 7 years have been published previously and their usefulness in the clinical assessment of undernutrition has been demonstrated. However, there is a need for norms that cover a wider age range and to explore their functional significance. The aim of the present study is to derive lean and fat indices for children aged 7–11 years and investigate associations with objective measures of cardio-respiratory fitness and grip strength. Subjects were 9574 children participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) data collected longitudinally between ages 7 and 11 were used to derive lean and fat indices using the method of standardised residuals. Cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) (9 years) and grip strength (11 years) were also measured. Correlation coefficients and 95 % CI were calculated to assess the strength of association between lean index, fat index and CRF and grip strength. Equations for calculating lean and fat indices in children aged 7–11 years relative to the ALSPAC population are presented. Lean index was linearly associated with CRF (rboys 0·20 (95 % CI 0·15, 0·25), rgirls 0·26 (95 % CI 0·22, 0·30)) and grip strength (rboys 0·29 (95 % CI 0·26, 0·32), rgirls 0·26 (95 % CI 0·23, 0·29)). BMI showed slightly weaker associations, while fat index was unrelated to either CRF or grip strength. Lean indices relate to muscle function and fitness while fat index does not.
Diet scores and cardio-metabolic risk factors among Guatemalan young adults
Authors: Gregory Cria O. , McCullough Marjorie L. , Ramirez-Zea Manuel , Stein Aryeh D.
Published: November 2008

We assessed the association of four diet quality scores with multiple cardio-metabolic outcomes among Guatemalan young adults experiencing the nutrition transition. We obtained cross-sectional dietary, demographic, anthropometric and cardio-metabolic risk factor data from 1220 Guatemalan adults (mean age 32·7 (sd 5·8) years) in 2002–4, and computed a Recommended Food Score (RFS), Not Recommended Food Score (NRFS), Food Variety Score (FVS) and the Dietary Quality Index-International (DQI-I). All four scores were correlated with energy intake (r 0·23–0·49; all P < 0·01), but had varying associations with socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and nutrient intakes. None of the scores was inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome or its components; rather some were positively associated with risk factors. Among both men and women the DQI-I was positively associated with BMI (kg/m2; β = 0·10, 95 % CI 0·003, 0·21 (men); β = 0·07, 95 % CI 0·01, 0·14 (women)) and waist circumference (cm; β = 0·02, 95 % CI 0·01, 0·03 (men); β = 0·02, 95 % CI = 0·01, 0·02 (women)). Among men, the RFS was positively associated with TAG (mg/l; β = 0·11, 95 % CI 0·02, 0·21) and glucose (mg/l; β = 0·13: 95 % CI 0·03, 0·22). We conclude that indices of diet quality are not consistently associated with chronic disease risk factor prevalence in this population of Guatemalan young adults.
AGGREGATION WITHIN LIVES
Authors: Temkin Larry S.
Published: November 2008

Many philosophers have discussed problems of additive aggregation across lives. In this article, I suggest that anti-additive aggregationist principles sometimes apply within lives, as well as between lives, and hence that we should reject a widely accepted conception of individual self-interest. The article has eight sections. Section I is introductory. Section II offers a general account of aggregation. Section III presents two examples of problems of additive aggregation across lives: Derek Parfit's Repugnant Conclusion, and my Lollipops for Life CaseSection IV suggests that many may have misdiagnosed the source and scope of anti-additive aggregationist considerations, due to the influence of Rawls's and Nozick's claims about the separateness of individuals. Accordingly, many leave Sidgwick's conception of self-interest—which incorporates an additive aggregationist approach to valuing individual lives—unchallenged. Section V suggests that the separateness of individuals may have led some to conflate the issues of compensation and moral balancing. Section VI argues that an additive aggregationist approach is often deeply implausible for determining the overall value of a life. Section VII discusses a Single Life Repugnant Conclusion, first considered by McTaggart. Section VIII concludes with a summary, and a brief indication of work remaining.
WHEN, IF EVER, DO WE AGGREGATE? AND WHY?
Authors: Narveson Jan
Published: November 2008

Aggregation in moral philosophy calls for the summing or averaging of values or utilities as a guide to individual behavior. But morality, it is argued, needs to be individualistic, in view of the evident separateness of persons, especially given the great disparities among individuals who nevertheless interact with each other in social life. The most plausible general moral program is the classical liberal (or “libertarian”) one calling for mutual noninterference rather than treating others as equal to oneself in point of demands on our action. Why, then, would we ever aggregate? The reason is that we are affected by behavior that has general effects, especially unintended side effects, on all sorts of people among whom we ourselves are often to be found. When we are randomly situated among such groups—as we sometimes are and often are not—minimizing aggregate harm is the plausible strategy, and sometimes promoting aggregate benefit as well.
TWO DOGMAS OF DEONTOLOGY: AGGREGATION, RIGHTS, AND THE SEPARATENESS OF PERSONS
Authors: Norcross Alastair
Published: November 2008

One of the currently popular dogmata of anti-consequentialism is that consequentialism doesn't respect, recognize, or in some important way account for what is referred to as the “separateness of persons.” The charge is often made, but rarely explained in any detail, much less argued for. In this paper I explain what I take to be the most plausible interpretation of the separateness of persons charge. I argue that the charge itself can be deconstructed into at least two further objections to consequentialist theories. These objections amount to (i) the rejection of axiological aggregation, and (ii) the rejection of deontic aggregation. Of these two objections, I argue that the first one, though often made, is untenable. I also argue that the second objection, in its various forms, relies on distinctions whose moral significance is vigorously denied by almost all consequentialist theorists. I thus argue that the separateness of persons objection poses no special threat to consequentialism.
IS WELFARE AN INDEPENDENT GOOD?
Authors: Brewer Talbot
Published: November 2008

In recent years, philosophical inquiry into individual welfare has blossomed into something of a cottage industry, and this literature has provided the conceptual foundations for an equally voluminous literature on aggregate social welfare. In this essay, I argue that substantial portions of both bodies of literature ought to be viewed as philosophical manifestations of a characteristically modern illusion—the illusion, in particular, that there is a special kind of goodness that is irreducibly person-relative. Theories that are built upon this idea suffer from a recurring defect. Such theories relativize welfare to subjective states that are wholly unsuited to settling deliberative questions concerning what it would be good for us to do, because they themselves are subjective outlooks on value and their dependability is itself fair game for deliberative review. They are unstable, then, in the course of first-person deliberation, which is precisely where they are supposed to have their primary application. The idea of an irreducibly person-relative kind of goodness is of modern vintage, and its rise has distorted prevailing interpretations of pre-modern alternatives, including the appealing alternative found in Plato and Aristotle. A further objective of this essay is to recover this alternative, bring out its appeal, and answer some possible objections to it.
MAJORITIES AGAINST UTILITY: IMPLICATIONS OF THE FAILURE OF THE MIRACLE OF AGGREGATION
Authors: Caplan Bryan
Published: November 2008

A surprising conclusion of modern political economy is that democracies with highly ignorant voters can still deliver very good results as long as voters' errors balance each other out. This result is known as the Miracle of Aggregation. This paper begins by reviewing a large body of evidence against this Miracle. Empirically, voters' errors tend to be systematic; they compound rather than cancel. Furthermore, since most citizens vote for the policies theybelieveare best for society, systematic errors lead voters to support socially suboptimal policies. The paper then considers the case for “paternalistically” vetoing popular but misguided democratic decisions, presenting several arguments that overruling democratic decisions is much less objectionable than overruling individual decisions. In fact, since democracies routinely adopt paternalistic policies, the opponent of paternalism for individual decisions should embrace paternalism for democratic decisions. The paper concludes by considering several different mechanisms for improving upon majority rule.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A GROUP?
Authors: Sosa David
Published: November 2008

Consequentialist and Kantian theories differ over the ethical relevance of consequences of actions. I investigate how they might differ too over the relevance of what actions are consequence of. Focusing on the case of group action and collective responsibility, I argue that there's a kind of analog to the problem of aggregating the value of consequences—about aggregating responsibility with respect to the roles of cooperating agents—that Kantian theories will not confront and consequentialist theories will. The issue provides a useful way to characterize a deep difference between Kantian and consequentialist theories and points, ironically, toward a way of making those views compatible.
CONTRACTARIANISM AND INTERSPECIES WELFARE CONFLICTS
Authors: Cohen Andrew I.
Published: November 2008

In this essay I describe how contractarianism might approach interspecies welfare conflicts. I start by discussing a contractarian account of the moral status of nonhuman animals. I argue that contractors can agree to norms that would acknowledge the “moral standing” of some animals. I then discuss how the norms emerging from contractarian agreement might constrain any comparison of welfare between humans and animals. Contractarian agreement is likely to express some partiality to humans in a way that discounts the welfare of some or all animals. While the norms emerging from the contract might be silent or inconsistent in some tragic or catastrophic cases, in most ordinary conflicts of welfare, contractors will agree to norms that produce some determinate resolution. What the agreement says can evolve depending upon how the contractors or the circumstances change. I close with some remarks on contractarian indeterminacy.
ON THE POSSIBILITY OF NONAGGREGATIVE PRIORITY FOR THE WORST OFF
Authors: Fleurbaey Marc , Tungodden Bertil , Vallentyne Peter
Published: November 2008

We address the question of whether there is a prioritarian moral theory that both (1) avoids giving absolute priority to the worst off (as leximin does) but (2) does not allow arbitrarily small benefits to enough extremely affluent people to take priority over a significant benefit to a worst off person in abject poverty. We argue that this is possible only if one rejects some seemingly plausible conditions.
THE INTERPRETATION OF MAXIMIZING UTILITARIANISM
Authors: Riley Jonathan
Published: November 2008

Utilitarians and their critics commonly assume that maximizing utilitarianism necessarily aggregates over cardinal comparable personal utility rankings that are homogeneous in quality independently of their sources or objects, whether utility is conceived in terms of pleasure or preference satisfaction. Although familiar versions of utilitarianism, crude or sophisticated, do make such rich homogeneous utility information part of the very meaning of the doctrine, utilitarian philosophy loses credibility as a result. A more credible version of maximizing utilitarianism along John Stuart Mill's lines relies instead on plural kinds of ordinal non-comparable personal utilities that are heterogeneous in quality. One kind of utility is qualitatively superior to another if and only if the higher kind is more valuable than the lower kind irrespective of quantity. Given that the kind of utility associated with the moral sentiment of justice is qualitatively superior to any competing kinds, Mill's pluralistic ordinal utilitarianism gives absolute priority to a social code of equal rights and duties over competing considerations. Some key practical implications of this extraordinary utilitarianism are discussed with reference to various examples of the sort discussed in the literature.
LIBERTY, THE HIGHER PLEASURES, AND MILL'S MISSING SCIENCE OF ETHNIC JOKES
Authors: Millgram Elijah
Published: November 2008

Aggregation-friendly moral theories such as classical utilitarianism are forced to invest a great deal of ingenuity in damping out and modulating the effects of welfare aggregation. In Mill's treatment, the problem famously appears as the puzzle of how the Principle of Liberty is meant to be compatible with the Principle of Utility, and there have been a great many attempted interpretations of his solution, all, in my view, unsatisfactory. I will first reconstruct Mill's generally unnoticed account of the psychological implementation of higher pleasures; this will allow me to explain what the distinction between higher and lower pleasures was, and how Mill was introduced lexical preference orderings into his theory. Then I will show how the underlying psychological theory permits Mill to argue for the lexical priority of liberty over the goods which liberty allows us to obtain. Finally, I will turn to the Millian considerations omitted from the argument I will have reconstructed. By way of explaining why they are so difficult to accommodate, I will consider why Mill might have abandoned his projected sciences of character. I will take my leave by asking what Mill's failure to turn his implementation analysis of the higher pleasures into an argument expressing the importance of individuality and originality means for us.
The use of R-roscovitine to fit the ‘time frame’ on in vitro porcine embryo production by intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Authors: Alfonso J. , García-Rosello E. , García-Mengual E. , Salvador I. , Silvestre M. A.
Published: November 2008

Micromanipulation of oocytes is time consuming during ICSI experiments; however the ‘time frame’ to manipulate oocytes without a drop in efficiency is not very wide due to the use of not completely matured and/or aged MII oocytes. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the effect of a short roscovitine pretreatment for 5 h and two different IVM periods (5R + 40IVM or 5R + 45IVM) and a prolonged IVM time from 45 h (45IVM) to 50 h (50IVM) on parthenogenetic and ICSI embryo development, in order to fit the time frame to manipulate pig oocytes to the whole labour day session. In the first experiment, oocytes, pretreated with roscovitine and IVM cultured for 5 h, showed a similar nuclear stage as non-cultured oocytes and a significantly higher percentage of GVI-GVII oocytes compared with non-roscovitine treated oocytes cultured for 5 h in IVM conditions. When COC were cultured under the 5R + 40IVM system, nuclear maturation and cleavage rates after electrical activation were significantly lower than when COC were cultured under the 45IVM, 50IVM and 5R + 45IVM culture systems (54.2% vs. 72.6–76.8% and 58.8% vs. 81.4–88.3%, respectively). However, this difference was not statistically significant for parthenogenote blastocyst rate. No differences were observed in MII and in parthenogenote and ICSI embryo development among 45IVM, 50IVM and 5R + 45IVM experimental groups. In conclusion, under our conditions and using parthenogenetic and ICSI embryos, we observed that it is feasible to prolong the pig oocyte manipulation ‘time frame’ by at least 5 h with no significant drop in blastocyst rate.
PARABOLIC AND HYPERBOLIC SCREW MOTION SURFACES IN ℍ2×ℝ
Authors: SA EARP RICARDO
Published: November 2008

In this paper we find many families in the product space ℍ2×ℝ of complete embedded, simply connected, minimal and surfaces with constant mean curvature H such that |H|≤1/2. We study complete surfaces invariant either by parabolic or by hyperbolic screw motions. We study the notion of isometric associate immersions. We exhibit an explicit formula for a Scherk-type minimal surface. We give a one-parameter family of entire vertical graphs of mean curvature 1/2. We prove a generalized Bour lemma that can be applied to ℍ2×ℝ,𝕊2×ℝ and to Heisenberg’s space to produce a family of screw motion surfaces isometric to a given one.
ON THE BITS COUNTING FUNCTION OF REAL NUMBERS
Authors: RIVOAL TANGUY
Published: November 2008

LetBn(x) denote the number of 1’s occurring in the binary expansion of an irrational numberx>0. A difficult problem is to provide nontrivial lower bounds forBn(x) for interesting numbers such as$\sqrt {2}$,eorπ: their conjectural simple normality in base 2 is equivalent toBn(x)∼n/2. In this article, amongst other things, we prove inequalities relatingBn(x+y),Bn(xy) andBn(1/x) toBn(x) andBn(y) for any irrational numbersx,y>0, which we prove to be sharp up to a multiplicative constant. As a by-product, we provide an answer to a question raised by Baileyet al. (D. H. Bailey, J. M. Borwein, R. E. Crandall and C. Pomerance, ‘On the binary expansions of algebraic numbers’,J. Théor. Nombres Bordeaux16(3) (2004), 487–518) concerning the binary digits of the square of a series related to the Fibonacci sequence. We also obtain a slight refinement of the main theorem of the same article, which provides a nontrivial lower bound forBn(α) for any real irrational algebraic number. We conclude the article with effective or conjectural lower bounds forBn(x) whenxis a transcendental number.
PRINCIPAL AND SYNTACTIC CONGRUENCES IN CONGRUENCE-DISTRIBUTIVE AND CONGRUENCE-PERMUTABLE VARIETIES
Authors: DAVEY BRIAN A. , JACKSON MARCEL , MARÓTI MIKLÓS , MCKENZIE RALPH N.
Published: November 2008

We give a new proof that a finitely generated congruence-distributive variety has finitely determined syntactic congruences (or, equivalently, term finite principal congruences), and show that the same does not hold for finitely generated congruence-permutable varieties, even under the additional assumption that the variety is residually very finite.
AN Lp ‘COUSIN OF COBOUNDARY’ THEOREM FOR RANDOM FIELDS
Authors: BRADLEY RICHARD C.
Published: November 2008

It is known that for a given $p\in [1,\infty )$ and a given strictly stationary sequence of random variables, the p-norms of the partial sums are bounded if and only if the sequence consists of successive differences from another strictly stationary sequence with finite p-norm. Here this is generalized to random fields, and the assumption of stationarity is relaxed. The index $p= \infty $ is included.
Evaluating the stochastic approach to shortwave radiative transfer in the tropical western Pacific
Authors: Foster Michael J. , Veron Dana E.
Published: November 2008

In the last decade numerous advances have been made in parameterizing cloud‐radiation interactions. One recent area of improvement involves statistical representations of the influence of three‐dimensional cloud fields on the domain averaged radiation. An off‐line comparison of a traditional plane‐parallel shortwave model against a stochastic model and observations is performed using four years of data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's Tropical Western Pacific Clouds and Radiation Testbed site at Nauru Island. Cloud properties are derived from observed cloud chord lengths and input into the stochastic model, removing the necessity of explicitly simulating individual cloud fields and allowing for extended model runs. It is found that for certain cloud field geometries, as observed from the Nauru surface station, the stochastic radiative transfer model simulates more accurate surface fluxes than the traditional plane‐parallel model. Results suggest that the relationship between vertical extent of liquid cloud and liquid water path is one indicator of radiatively significant cloud field configurations as is the relationship between solar zenith angle and cloud fraction. The stochastic model performs best when the ratio between diffuse and total shortwave surface irradiance falls between 0.4 and 0.5. A simple parameterization based on criteria developed from these results is applied to the plane‐parallel modeled downwelling flux to represent the impact of complex cloud field geometry on the domain‐averaged radiation. The plane‐parallel simulations with the parameterization applied produce a mean downwelling flux that is 16 Wm−2 closer to observations than the plane‐parallel model results and 5 Wm−2 closer than the stochastic model results.
Numerical modeling on the relationship between thermal uplift and subsequent rapid subsidence: Discussions on the evolution of the Tainan Basin
Authors: Shi Xiaobin , Xu Hehua , Qiu Xuelin , Xia Kanyuan , Yang Xiaoqiu , Li Yamin
Published: November 2008

Existing evidence shows that an Oligocene erosion event occurred on the northern continental margin of the South China Sea, and the Tainan Basin area might be at the center of this event, followed by a rapid tectonic subsidence in the late Oligocene and early Miocene period. The rapid tectonic subsidence is mainly thermal‐controlled, and the effect of the Yichu Fault on the Tainan Basin is limited to the basin's eastern part. We develop a 2‐D thermal‐mechanical kinematic numerical model to explore the relationship between thermal uplift and subsequent rapid subsidence in the Tainan Basin. Our modeling indicates that the Oligocene uplift, erosion, and subsequent rapid subsidence could be caused by a thermal event, and the differential subsidence of the basement caused by thermal contraction can initiate the development of small faults. However, it also suggests that other mechanisms might be needed to jointly account for the observed erosions.
Phanerozoic tectonics of south China block: New insights from the polyphase deformation in the Yunkai massif
Authors: Lin Wei , Wang Qingchen , Chen Ke
Published: November 2008

The Yunkai massif is a key region to decipher the tectonic evolution of the south China block since the contained high‐grade metamorphic rocks experienced a polyphase deformation. The earliest event (D1) corresponds to a top‐to‐the‐northwest ductile shearing, coeval with amphibolite facies metamorphism, probably developed during a postorogenic synmigmatization extensional event occurred in early Paleozoic time. The main ductile deformation (D2) is top‐to‐the‐northeast shearing, occurred in early Mesozoic time, coeval with amphibolite to greenschist facies metamorphism and associated with the development of northeast verging recumbent folds within the Neoproterozoic‐Paleozoic sedimentary cover of the south China block. The tectonic significance of D2 is possibly linked with the subduction of Indochina beneath south China along the Song Ma belt of North Vietnam. Another compressional event (D3) of Late Jurassic to Cretaceous age is indicated by SE verging recumbent folds with NE–SW trending axes developed both in the sedimentary cover and gneissic basement. The northwestward subduction of the Pacific plate or the SE thrusting of the Songpan‐Ganzi fold belt upon the Yangtze craton can be considered as the geodynamic causes of this late Mesozoic event. Last, NE–SW trending brittle sinistral strike‐slip and normal faulting (D4) control the massif uplifting and the subsiding of continental half grabens. This structure, which is widespread in the eastern margin of the Eurasia continent, can be related either to the westward subduction of the Paleo‐Pacific plate or to lithosphere removal during the late Mesozoic.
Evidence of the cloud lifetime effect from wildfire‐induced thunderstorms
Authors: Lindsey Daniel T. , Fromm Michael
Published: November 2008

A case study is presented of pyro‐cumulonimbi (pyroCbs) forming over Canadian forest fires. Cloud‐top ice effective radius values of these pyroCbs are significantly smaller than are those within surrounding convection. The smoke provides a massive source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), resulting in smaller cloud droplets which freeze homogeneously at temperatures around −40°C and produce very small ice crystals. It is also shown that the pyroCb anvils persist 6–12 hours longer than convectively‐generated cirrus anvils from nearby convection. This provides evidence for the so‐called cloud lifetime effect, an aerosol indirect effect identified by the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
Fire‐related carbon emissions from land use transitions in southern Amazonia
Authors: DeFries R. S. , Morton D. C. , van der Werf G. R. , Giglio L. , Collatz G. J. , Randerson J. T. , Houghton R. A. , Kasibhatla P. K. , Shimabukuro Y.
Published: November 2008

Various land‐use transitions in the tropics contribute to atmospheric carbon emissions, including forest conversion for small‐scale farming, cattle ranching, and production of commodities such as soya and palm oil. These transitions involve fire as an effective and inexpensive means for clearing. We applied the DECAF (DEforestation CArbon Fluxes) model to Mato Grosso, Brazil to estimate fire emissions from various land‐use transitions during 2001–2005. Fires associated with deforestation contributed 67 Tg C/yr (17 and 50 Tg C/yr from conversion to cropland and pasture, respectively), while conversion of savannas and existing cattle pasture to cropland contributed 17 Tg C/yr and pasture maintenance fires 6 Tg C/yr. Large clearings (>100 ha/yr) contributed 67% of emissions but comprised only 10% of deforestation events. From a policy perspective, results imply that intensification of agricultural production on already‐cleared land and policies to discourage large clearings would reduce the major sources of emissions from fires in this region.
Global cloud‐system‐resolving model NICAM successfully simulated the lifecycles of two real tropical cyclones
Authors: Fudeyasu Hironori , Wang Yuqing , Satoh Masaki , Nasuno Tomoe , Miura Hiroaki , Yanase Wataru
Published: November 2008

The increasing capability of high‐end computers allows numerical simulations with horizontal resolutions high enough to resolve cloud systems in a global model. In this paper, initial results from the global Nonhydrostatic ICosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) are highlighted to demonstrate the beginning of a potentially new era for weather and climate predictions with global cloud‐system‐resolving models. The NICAM simulation with a horizontal resolution of about 7 km successfully reproduced the lifecycles of two real tropical cyclones that formed in Indian Ocean in the austral summer 2006. Initialized with the atmospheric conditions 1‐2 weeks before the cyclones genesis, the model captured reasonably not only the timing of the observed cyclone geneses but also their motions and mesoscale structures. The model provides a high temporal/spatial resolution dataset for detailed studies of mesoscale aspects of tropical cyclone genesis. These promising results suggest the predictability of tropical cyclones by high‐resolution global cloud‐system‐resolving models.
Decay of 3‐m‐scale ionospheric irregularities associated with a plasma bubble observed with the Equatorial Atmosphere Radar
Authors: Saito Susumu , Fukao Shoichiro , Yamamoto Mamoru , Otsuka Yuichi , Maruyama Takashi
Published: November 2008

We investigated the decay processes of 3‐m‐scale ionospheric irregularities associated with plasma bubbles by multi‐instrument observations. The observations were made using the Equatorial Atmosphere Radar (EAR), a 630‐nm airglow imager, and ionosondes. The EAR's electronic beam steering capability allowed us to see the temporal evolution of 3‐m‐scale irregularities associated with plasma bubbles in two‐dimensional views. Around midnight on 28 and 31 March 2006, the EAR detected plasma bubbles that drifted into its field of view. When their eastward drift motion slowed and they finally stopped moving eastward, the 3‐m‐scale irregularities decayed. These results suggest that instability driven by the eastward neutral wind kept the 3‐m‐scale irregularities in matured plasma bubbles, which are in the well‐developed stage, active for several hours after sunset. The stagnated plasma bubbles drifted downward with the ambient westward electric field. This drift resulted in the backscatter echo patterns seen in the range‐time‐intensity (RTI) plots which look like those associated with mid‐latitude plumes.
Deformation, seismicity, and fluids: Results of the 2004/2005 water injection experiment at the KTB/Germany
Authors: Jahr T. , Jentzsch G. , Gebauer A. , Lau T.
Published: November 2008

During the past decades, the research into fluid‐controlled geodynamic processes in the upper crust of the Earth is put foreward regarding the stress accumulation, deformation, and seismicity. In a large‐scale injection experiment at the deep borehole site KTB (Kontinentale Tiefbohrung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) in Germany, more than 84.000 m3 fresh water was injected in 4000 m depth over 10 months, and a lot of geoscientific investigations were connected to this injection test. The pore‐pressure change of more than 10 MPa yielded an induced deformation, which was detected by a tiltmeter array. The used five borehole tiltmeters of the ASKANIA type with a resolution of better than 1 nrad belong to the most sensitive tiltmeters worldwide. The poro‐elastic finite‐element modeling used for the interpretation of the observed tilts revealed an uplift of 3.1 mm above the injection point. Furthermore, it was shown that the induced stress and deformation fields depend mainly on the fluids inside the fault zones, particularly the SE2‐reflector which is the Franconian fault zone, and the local Nottersdorf fault: While the maximum pore pressure is concentrated close to the injection point at the SE2 zone, the maximum deformation of about 3 cm is located at the intersection line of both faults in 4 km depth. The area of the modeled maximum deformation is highly correlated with the region of the observed induced seismicity, thus linking seismicity and deformation. The connection of tilt observation and modeling provides a useful tool for the investigation of fluid coupled geoprocesses.
SHARP1/DEC2 inhibits adipogenic differentiation by regulating the activity of C/EBP
Authors: Gulbagci Neriman Tuba , Li Li , Ling Belinda , Gopinadhan Suma , Walsh Martin , Rossner Moritz , Nave Klaus‐Armin , Taneja Reshma
Published: November 2008

SHARP1, a basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor, is expressed in many cell types; however, the mechanisms by which it regulates cellular differentiation remain largely unknown. Here, we show that SHARP1 negatively regulates adipogenesis. Although expression of the early marker CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β (C/EBPβ) is not altered, its crucial downstream targets C/EBPα and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ) are downregulated by SHARP1. Protein interaction studies confirm that SHARP1 interacts with and inhibits the transcriptional activity of both C/EBPβ and C/EBPα, and enhances the association of C/EBPβ with histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1). Consistently, in SHARP1‐expressing cells, HDAC1 and the histone methyltransferase G9a are retained at the C/EBP regulatory sites on the C/EBPα and PPARγ2 promoters during differentiation, resulting in inhibition of their expression. Interestingly, treatment with troglitazone results in displacement of HDAC1 and G9a, and rescues the differentiation defect of SHARP1‐overexpressing cells. Our data indicate that SHARP1 inhibits adipogenesis through the regulation of C/EBP activity, which is essential for PPARγ‐ligand‐dependent displacement of co‐repressors from adipogenic promoters.
Quinone reductase acts as a redox switch of the 20S yeast proteasome
Authors: Sollner Sonja , Schober Markus , Wagner Andrea , Prem Anna , Lorkova Lucie , Palfey Bruce A , Groll Michael , Macheroux Peter
Published: November 2008

The proteasome has an essential function in the intracellular degradation of protein in eukaryotic cells. We found that the dimeric quinone reductase Lot6 uses the flavin mononucleotide (FMN)‐binding site to bind to the 20S proteasome with a 1:2 stoichiometry—that is, one 20S proteasome molecule can associate with two quinone reductases. Furthermore, reduction of the FMN cofactor by either NADH or light irradiation results in the binding of the b‐Zip transcription factor Yap4 to the Lot6–proteasome complex, indicating that recruitment of the transcription factor depends on the redox state of the quinone reductase. Here, we show that binding of Yap4 to the complex not only protects it from ubiquitin‐independent proteasomal degradation, but also regulates its cellular localization. In non‐stressed wild‐type cells, we did not detect any Yap4 in the nucleus, whereas Yap4 was present in the nuclei from quinone‐stressed yeast cultures. Thus, the Lot6–proteasome complex can be regarded as a redox switch in which the quinone reductase acts as a sensor for oxidative stress.
Change of Temporal-Order Judgment of Sounds during Long-Lasting Exposure to Large-Field Visual Motion
Authors: Teramoto Wataru , Watanabe Hiroshi , Umemura Hiroyuki , Kita Shinichi
Published: November 2008

The perceived temporal order of external successive events does not always follow their physical temporal order. We examined the contribution of self-motion mechanisms in the perception of temporal order in the auditory modality. We measured perceptual biases in the judgment of the temporal order of two short sounds presented successively, while participants experienced visually induced self-motion (yaw-axis circular vection) elicited by viewing long-lasting large-field visual motion. In experiment 1, a pair of white-noise patterns was presented to participants at various stimulus-onset asynchronies through headphones, while they experienced visually induced self-motion. Perceived temporal order of auditory events was modulated by the direction of the visual motion (or self-motion). Specifically, the sound presented to the ear in the direction opposite to the visual motion (ie heading direction) was perceived prior to the sound presented to the ear in the same direction. Experiments 2A and 2B were designed to reduce the contributions of decisional and/or response processes. In experiment 2A, the directional cueing of the background (left or right) and the response dimension (high pitch or low pitch) were not spatially associated. In experiment 2B, participants were additionally asked to report which of the two sounds was perceived ‘second’. Almost the same results as in experiment 1 were observed, suggesting that the change in temporal order of auditory events during large-field visual motion reflects a change in perceptual processing. Experiment 3 showed that the biases in the temporal-order judgments of auditory events were caused by concurrent actual self-motion with a rotatory chair. In experiment 4, using a small display, we showed that ‘pure’ long exposure to visual motion without the sensation of self-motion was not responsible for this phenomenon. These results are consistent with previous studies reporting a change in the perceived temporal order of visual or tactile events depending on the direction of self-motion. Hence, large-field induced (ie optic flow) self-motion can affect the temporal order of successive external events across various modalities.
Multiplicative and Additive Adelson's Snake Illusions
Authors: Petrini Karin
Published: November 2008

Two different versions of Adelson's snake lightness illusion are quantitatively investigated. In one experiment an additive version of the illusion is investigated by varying the additive component of the atmosphere transfer function (ATF) introduced by Adelson [2000, in The New Cognitive Neuroscience Ed. M Gazzaniga (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press) pp 339–351]. In the other, a multiplicative version of the illusion is examined by varying the multiplicative component of the ATF. In both experiments four observers matched the targets' lightness of the snake patterns with Munsell samples. Increasing the additive or the multiplicative component elicited an approximately equal increase in the magnitude of the lightness illusion. The results show that both components, in the absence of other kinds of information, can be used as heuristics by our visual system to anchor luminance of the object when converting it into lightness.
Mechanisms of Identity and Gender Decisions to Faces: Who Rocked in 1986?
Authors: Richards Rachel M , Ellis Andrew W
Published: November 2008

Two experiments are reported in which participants made familiarity decisions (Is this face familiar or not?) or gender decisions (Is this face male or female?) to the same sets of faces presented as whole faces or as internal features only. The experimental items on which the analysis was performed were famous and unfamiliar male faces that differed on rated masculinity. The famous faces also differed on age of acquisition (AoA). The experimental male faces were combined with an equal number of famous and unfamiliar female faces for presentation to participants. In experiment 1 we found faster and more accurate familiarity decisions to whole male faces than to internal features; also an interaction between AoA and masculinity such that familiarity decisions were both faster and more accurate to high-than to low-masculinity faces when those faces were late-acquired, but not when they were early-acquired. In experiment 2 we found the same benefit for whole faces over internal features and the same interaction between AoA and masculinity in gender decisions. The similarity between the effects of AoA and masculinity in familiarity and gender decisions is more readily accounted for by models of face processing which posit a close relationship between gender and identity processing than by models which maintain that those aspects of face perception are dealt with by quite separate processing streams. We propose that gender decisions, like familiarity decisions, are semantic judgments (rather than judgments based on the analysis of the surface features of faces), and that the shared basis of the two forms of decision explains why they show similar influences of AoA and masculinity.
Perception and the Art of Depiction of Cylindrical Objects
Authors: Deręgowski Jan B , McGeorge Peter
Published: November 2008

Many works of art, notably those in the Byzantine tradition, contain depictions of upright cylindrical objects such that the outline of their top surfaces is incompatible with that of their bottom surfaces. We endeavour to elucidate whether this is a consequence of a painterly usage or a perceptual effect and conclude, on the basis of empirical evidence, that the latter cause is more likely.
Live-cell imaging of dendritic spines by STED microscopy
Authors: Nägerl U. Valentin , Willig Katrin I. , Hein Birka , Hell Stefan W. , Bonhoeffer Tobias
Published: November 2008

Time lapse fluorescence imaging has become one of the most important approaches in neurobiological research. In particular, both confocal and two-photon microscopy have been used to study activity-dependent changes in synaptic morphology. However, the diffraction-limited resolution of light microscopy is often inadequate, forcing researchers to complement the live cell imaging strategy by EM. Here, we report on the first use of a far-field optical technique with subdiffraction resolution to noninvasively image activity-dependent morphological plasticity of dendritic spines. Specifically we show that time lapse stimulated emission depletion imaging of dendritic spines of YFP-positive hippocampal neurons in organotypic slices outperforms confocal microscopy in revealing important structural details. The technique substantially improves the quantification of morphological parameters, such as the neck width and the curvature of the heads of spines, which are thought to play critical roles for the function and plasticity of synaptic connections.
Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of urinary epithelial cancer with upper urinary tract obstruction: preliminary results
Authors: Takeuchi M. , Matsuzaki K. , Kubo H. , Nishitani H.
Published: November 2008

Background: Various malignant tumors of the body show high signal intensity on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI). In the genitourinary region, DWI is expected to have a role in detecting urinary epithelial cancer noninvasively.

Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of DWI for the diagnosis of urinary epithelial cancer with upper urinary tract obstruction.

Material and Methods: Twenty upper urinary tract cancers in 16 patients were evaluated by high- b-value DWI ( b=800s/mm2). The signal intensity was visually evaluated, and the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were measured.

Results: All urinary epithelial cancers showed high signal intensity on DWI. The ADC in cancerous lesions was 1.31±0.27×10−3 mm2/s, which was significantly lower than that of the lumens of the ureter or renal pelvis (3.32±0.44×10−3 mm2/s; P<0.001). Maximum intensity projection images of DWI in combination with static-fluid MR urography provided three-dimensional entire urinary tract imaging with the extension of tumors.

Conclusion: DWI is useful in the tumor detection and in evaluating the tumor extension of urinary epithelial cancer in patients with upper urinary tract obstruction.
Identification of Channel-lining Amino Acid Residues in the Hydrophobic Segment of Colicin Ia
Authors: Kienker Paul K. , Jakes Karen S. , Finkelstein Alan
Published: November 2008

Colicin Ia is a bactericidal protein of 626 amino acid residues that kills its target cell by forming a channel in the inner membrane; it can also form voltage-dependent channels in planar lipid bilayer membranes. The channel-forming activity resides in the carboxy-terminal domain of ∼177 residues. In the crystal structure of the water-soluble conformation, this domain consists of a bundle of 10 α-helices, with eight mostly amphipathic helices surrounding a hydrophobic helical hairpin (helices H8-H9). We wish to know how this structure changes to form a channel in a lipid bilayer. Although there is evidence that the open channel has four transmembrane segments (H8, H9, and parts of H1 and H6-H7), their arrangement relative to the pore is largely unknown. Given the lack of a detailed structural model, it is imperative to better characterize the channel-lining protein segments. Here, we focus on a segment of 44 residues (573–616), which in the crystal structure comprises the H8-H9 hairpin and flanking regions. We mutated each of these residues to a unique cysteine, added the mutant colicins to the cis side of planar bilayers to form channels, and determined whether sulfhydryl-specific methanethiosulfonate reagents could alter the conduction of ions through the open channel. We found a pattern of reactivity consistent with parts of H8 and H9 lining the channel as α-helices, albeit rather short ones for spanning a lipid bilayer (12 residues). The effects of the reactions on channel conductance and selectivity tend to be greater for residues near the amino terminus of H8 and the carboxy terminus of H9, with particularly large effects for G577C, T581C, and G609C, suggesting that these residues may occupy a relatively constricted region near the cis end of the channel.