bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Extract of Rhodobacter sphaeroides Inhibits Melanogenesis through the MEK/ERK Signaling Pathway
Authors: Liu Wen-Sheng , Kuan Yu-Diao , Chiu Kuo-Hsun , Wang Wei-Kuang , Chang Fu-Hsin , Liu Chen-Hsun , Lee Che-Hsin
Published: June 2013

Reducing hyperpigmentation has been a big issue for years. Even though pigmentation is a normal mechanism protecting skin from UV-causing DNA damage and oxidative stress, it is still an aesthetic problem for many people. Bacteria can produce some compounds in response to their environment. These compounds are widely used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. Some probiotics have immunomodulatory activities and modulate the symptoms of several diseases. Previously, we found that the extracts of Rhodobacter sphaeroides (Lycogen™) inhibited nitric oxide production and inducible nitric-oxide synthase expression in activated macrophages. In this study, we sought to investigate an anti-melanogenic signaling pathway in α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-treated B16F10 melanoma cells and zebrafish. Treatment with Lycogen™ inhibited the cellular melanin contents and expression of melanogenesis-related protein, including microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and tyrosinase in B16F10 cells. Moreover, Lycogen™ reduced phosphorylation of MEK/ERK without affecting phosphorylation of p38. Meanwhile, Lycogen™ decreased zebrafish melanin expression in a dose-dependent manner. These findings establish Lycogen™ as a new target in melanogenesis and suggest a mechanism of action through the ERK signaling pathway. Our results suggested that Lycogen™ may have potential cosmetic usage in the future.
Effect of Astaxanthin on Human Sperm Capacitation
Authors: Donà Gabriella , Kožuh Ivana , Brunati Anna , Andrisani Alessandra , Ambrosini Guido , Bonanni Guglielmo , Ragazzi Eugenio , Armanini Decio , Clari Giulio , Bordin Luciana
Published: June 2013

In order to be able to fertilize oocytes, human sperm must undergo a series of morphological and structural alterations, known as capacitation. It has been shown that the production of endogenous sperm reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a key role in causing cells to undergo a massive acrosome reaction (AR). Astaxanthin (Asta), a photo-protective red pigment belonging to the carotenoid family, is recognized as having anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties and is present in many dietary supplements. This study evaluates the effect of Asta in a capacitating buffer which induces low ROS production and low percentages of acrosome-reacted cells (ARC). Sperm cells were incubated in the presence or absence of increasing concentrations of Asta or diamide (Diam) and analyzed for their ROS production, Tyr-phosphorylation (Tyr-P) pattern and percentages of ARC and non-viable cells (NVC). Results show that Asta ameliorated both sperm head Tyr-P and ARC values without affecting the ROS generation curve, whereas Diam succeeded in enhancing the Tyr-P level but only of the flagellum without increasing ARC values. It is suggested that Asta can be inserted in the membrane and therefore create capacitation-like membrane alteration which allow Tyr-P of the head. Once this has occurred, AR can take place and involves a higher numbers of cells.
New Lignans from the Leaves and Stems of Kadsura philippinensis
Authors: Lin Yu-Chi , Cheng Yuan-Bin , Liaw Chia-Ching , Lo I-Wen , Kuo Yao-Haur , Chiang Michael , Chou Chang-Hung , Shen Ya-Ching
Published: June 2013

Three novel C19 homolignans, taiwankadsurins D (1), E (2) and F (4), and two new C18 lignans kadsuphilins N (3) and O (5) were isolated from the aerial parts of Taiwanese medicinal plant Kadsura philippinensis. The structures of compounds 1–5 were determined by spectroscopic analyses, especially 2D NMR techniques. The structure of compound 5 was further confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 have a 3,4-{1'-[(Z)-2''-methoxy-2''-oxoethylidene]}-pentano(2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]furano)-3-(2'''-methoxycarbonyl-2'''-hydroxy-2''',3'-epoxide) skeleton.
An Integral Model for Target Tracking Based on the Use of a WSN
Authors: Calafate Carlos , Lino Carlos , Diaz-Ramirez Arnoldo , Cano Juan-Carlos , Manzoni Pietro
Published: June 2013

The use of wireless sensor networks (WSN) in tracking applications is growing at a fast pace. In these applications, the sensor nodes discover, monitor and track an event or target object. A significant number of proposals relating the use of WSNs for target tracking have been published to date. However, they either focus on the tracking algorithm or on the communication protocol, and none of them address the problem integrally. In this paper, a comprehensive proposal for target detection and tracking is discussed. We introduce a tracking algorithm to detect and estimate a target location. Moreover, we introduce a low-overhead routing protocol to be used along with our tracking algorithm. The proposed algorithm has low computational complexity and has been designed considering the use of a mobile sink while generating minimal delay and packet loss. We also discuss the results of the evaluation of the proposed algorithms.
TREFEX: Trend Estimation and Change Detection in the Response of MOX Gas Sensors
Authors: Pashami Sepideh , Lilienthal Achim , Schaffernicht Erik , Trincavelli Marco
Published: June 2013

Many applications of metal oxide gas sensors can benefit from reliable algorithms to detect significant changes in the sensor response. Significant changes indicate a change in the emission modality of a distant gas source and occur due to a sudden change of concentration or exposure to a different compound. As a consequence of turbulent gas transport and the relatively slow response and recovery times of metal oxide sensors, their response in open sampling configuration exhibits strong fluctuations that interfere with the changes of interest. In this paper we introduce TREFEX, a novel change point detection algorithm, especially designed for metal oxide gas sensors in an open sampling system. TREFEX models the response of MOX sensors as a piecewise exponential signal and considers the junctions between consecutive exponentials as change points. We formulate non-linear trend filtering and change point detection as a parameter-free convex optimization problem for single sensors and sensor arrays. We evaluate the performance of the TREFEX algorithm experimentally for different metal oxide sensors and several gas emission profiles. A comparison with the previously proposed GLR method shows a clearly superior performance of the TREFEX algorithm both in detection performance and in estimating the change time.
Invasive congeners are unlikely to hybridize with native Hawaiian Bidens (Asteraceae)
Authors: Knope Matthew L. , Pender Richard J. , Crawford Daniel J. , Wieczorek Ania M.
Published: June 2013

• Premise of the study: Invasive plant species threaten native plants in multiple ways, one of which is genetic assimilation through hybridization. However, information regarding hybridization between related alien and native plant species is generally lacking. In Hawaii, the invasive Central American species Bidens pilosa and Bidens alba have colonized natural areas and often grow alongside the native Hawaiian Bidens species, a clade representing an adaptive radiation of 27 endemic taxa, many of which are threatened or endangered.

• Methods: To assess the risk of hybridization between introduced and native Hawaiian Bidens (which will readily hybridize with one another), we undertook crosses in cultivation between the invasive species and nine native Bidens taxa.

• Key results: The majority of the crosses formed no viable seed. Although seed did mature in several of the crosses, morphological screening of the resulting seedlings indicated that they were the result of self‐pollination.

• Conclusions: This result suggests that B. alba and B. pilosa are incapable of hybridizing with these Hawaiian Bidens taxa. Further, we found that B. alba in Hawaii was self‐compatible, despite self‐incompatibility throughout its native range, and that the tetraploid species B. alba and the hexaploid species B. pilosa were cross‐compatible, although pollen fertility was low.
Don d'organes et réciprocité non marchande
Authors: Anspach Mark R.
Published: June 2013

Une incompatibilité biologique peut empêcher la transplantation d’un rein offert par un donateur vivant à un être cher. Pour surmonter cet obstacle, les médecins américains relient entre eux des paires de donateurs et de patients dans des chaînes de réciprocité ouvertes qui font appel à l’esprit du don.
Jouer/Donner
Authors: Caillé Alain
Published: June 2013

Le célèbre Homo ludens de Johan Huizinga s’inscrivait explicitement dans le sillage de l’ Essai sur le don de Marcel Mauss. Le présent article profite de la publication récente du livre de l’ethnologue Roberte Hamayon, Jouer. Une étude anthropologique à partir d’exemple sibériens, pour interroger cette filiation et tenter d’éclairer le jeu à partir du don, et réciproquement. En posant, en arrière plan, la question de leur rapport commun au rite et à l’échange.
Les conditions d'une totalisation éthique de l'autre. Entre humanisation, catégorisation et personnalisation
Authors: Marchal Hervé
Published: June 2013

L’article met en évidence trois logiques d’appréhension de l’autre considérées comme des qualités anthropologiques ou universelles : l’humanisation, la catégorisation et la personnalisation. Dès lors, il est question d’analyser plus finement les contours de ces trois facultés relationnelles à travers des épreuves qu’elles induisent directement dans le quotidien de chacun : l’humanité, l’inhumanité et la singularité. La conjugaison de ces trois registres d’identification d’autrui apparaît comme une condition nécessaire à l’instauration d’une véritable éthique relationnelle à même de considérer l’autre dans toute son épaisseur, à la fois comme un être humain, une catégorie spécifique et une personne singulière. Autrement dit, il s’agit de comprendre, dans une veine maussienne, comment l’autre peut être totalisé afin d’être saisi dans toute sa matière existentielle.
Une égale reconnaissance ?
Authors: De Briey Laurent
Published: June 2013

De nombreux théoriciens de la reconnaissance estiment légitime d’opérer un glissement de l’identification d’une attente de reconnaissance vers un idéal d’égale reconnaissance. L’objet de cet article est de mettre en doute qu’une égale reconnaissance puisse être un idéal normatif pertinent pour toutes les formes de reconnaissance. Certaines demandes de reconnaissance, celles relatives à l’estime, expriment en effet un souhait d’être reconnu positivement pour la valeur singulière de ses actes et de son identité, et non seulement que soit mis fin à un dénigrement de son identité en lui reconnaissant une égale valeur aux autres identités.
L'expérience d'un thérapeute en Afrique noire
Authors: Lehmann Jean-Pierre
Published: June 2013

Est rapportée une expérience de thérapeute en Côte d’Ivoire remontant à plus d’une quarantaine d’années. Dans un dispensaire faisant partie du Service de santé scolaire et universitaire d’Abidjan, l’auteur a reçu quelque 2 000 élèves et étudiants Parallèlement, il effectuait des recherches ethnopsychiatriques auprès des guérisseurs traditionnels et des prophètes-guérisseurs. Les consultants reçus au dispensaire provenaient de trente-quatre ethnies différentes de Côte d’Ivoire et d’ethnies diverses d’une dizaine de pays d’Afrique de l’ouest. Plus de 70 % d’entre eux étaient issus de familles polygames dont les comportements étaient différents si les familles étaient patrilinéaires ou matrilinéaires, patrilocales ou matrilocales. Il fallait également prendre en compte le rôle de l’oncle maternel, donc de l’interférence pour l’enfant de deux filiations, sans compter que l’autorité paternelle pouvait être également exercée par un tuteur. En grande majorité, les élèves se plaignaient de «  Brain fag syndrome », trouble psychosomatique lié à la situation d’acculturation, pris qu’ils étaient entre des désirs contradictoires et des intelligibilités non cohérentes entre elles. Pour tenter d’y remédier, le thérapeute a eu recours aux psychothérapies verbales mais plus encore à la relaxation individuelle et surtout en groupe où pouvaient jouer des mécanismes semblables à ceux qui régissent, dans leurs sociétés, les classes d’âge.
Rencontre et soins psychiques des nourrisson en souffrance et de leur famille dans des situations à haut risque psychosocial
Authors: Lamour Martine , Barraco de Pinto Marthe
Published: June 2013

Les auteures témoignent de leur expérience clinique d’une trentaine d’années après de nourrissons dans des situations à haut risque psychosocial. Pour donner accès à des soins spécialisés à ces bébés et à leurs parents aux prises avec des troubles graves de la parentalité, deux modes d’abord se sont révélés particulièrement adaptés : les visites à domicile et le travail en réseau avec les différents professionnels impliqués.Elles développent les particularités de ces soins. Elles mettent en évidence les conditions nécessaires à la mise en place d’un cadre thérapeutique et les difficultés qui se rencontrent dans les VAD (visites à domicile). Elles analysent la dynamique des mouvements contre-transférentiels des soignants vis-à-vis des parents et des enfants, ainsi que ce qui se rejoue des problématiques familiales entre les différentes équipes du réseau, car exprimer leurs ressentis, pour les professionnels, leur donner sens à la lumière des dysfonctionnements familiaux, faire une évaluation en intégrant l’apport de chacun et garder le développement de l’enfant au centre des préoccupations permet, véritablement, de coconstruire un projet thérapeutique pour ces familles.
El viñedo y el vino de Ribadavia: consideraciones jurídicas bajomedievales y de los primeros tiempos modernos
Authors: Rivera Medina Ana María
Published: June 2013

La Denominación de Origen Ribeiro, con una extensión actual de tres mil hectáreas, arraiga su tradición en la Edad Media. El cultivo del viñedo, apoyado por la presencia de las órdenes religiosas, alcanza gran dimensión en las cuencas de los ríos Miño y Avia, en la actual provincia de Orense. En este enclave, la pequeña y concentrada villa gallega de Ribadavia, asentada en las proximidades de la confluencia del río Miño con el último tramo del río Avia, será conocida en la Baja Edad Media como la productora del vino de ribeiro, también denominado «ribadavia». Este caldo dinamizará la economía villazga, lo que se plasma en un conjunto de ordenamientos reales y municipales que imponen regulaciones proteccionistas al viñedo, a la elaboración del vino y a su comercio. La legislación refleja cómo con el desarrollo de los mecanismos legales la autoridad concejil organiza las prácticas del cultivo de la vid, la elaboración del vino y el comercio de éste; todo ello en defensa de los intereses locales. El análisis de estas regulaciones, ejes de este estudio, muestra un paisaje que da identidad a la villa y que, sin perder su carácter distintivo, se identifica con las características de la vitivinicultura europea.
L’immigration en Italie
Authors: Pesenti-Rossi Erik
Published: June 2013

Erik Pesenti-Rossi évoque les différentes modalités des bouleversements qu’a connu la société italienne avec l’arrivée des flux migratoires, à travers l’analyse de quelques films italiens traitant de l’immigration en Italie et de deux œuvres d’écrivains immigrés écrivant en italien : Geneviève Makaping, d’origine camerounaise et Parviz R. Parvizyan, d’origine iranienne.
Le charme slave
Authors: Mauri Antonella
Published: June 2013

Antonella Mauri analyse l’image des femmes slaves immigrées en Italie telle qu’elle apparaît à travers la publicité, la littérature romanesque (La ballata dei lavavetri de Peter Del monte, Luce Profuga de Valerio Aiolli, Pornokiller de Bruno Ventavoli), le cinéma, la bande dessinée (Danilo Maramotti), image qu’elle oppose aux résultats d’une enquête qu’elle a menée sur le terrain. Elle s’interroge en particulier sur la permanence des stéréotypes liés à la femme slave.
Regards croisés sur l’immigration marocaine en Italie
Authors: Felici Isabelle
Published: June 2013

Cet article est une étude du premier roman de Younis Tawfik, poète et écrivain d’origine iraquienne, installé depuis plusieurs décennies à Turin, où il a vu arriver et s’installer différents flux de population étrangère, notamment marocaine. La straniera (1999) met en scène la lutte pour la vie et la dignité d’une jeune femme marocaine fraîchement arrivée en Italie, et les interrogations du protagoniste masculin, immigré de longue date et parfaitement intégré, que la rencontre avec la jeune femme renvoie à son passé et à son statut d’étranger. L’article met en lumière la dimension didactique du roman, qui, à sa façon, explique l’« Orient » aux Italiens, analyse les croisements qui s’opèrent entre deux parcours immigrés et examine les modalités qui, selon l’auteur, viennent définir le dialogue interculturel.
Un nouveau Risorgimento du cinéma : Rossellini lecteur de Stendhal (cent) cinquante ans après
Authors: Testa Carlo
Published: June 2013

Cet article fait d'abord le tour des raisons qui rendaient le Risorgimento (parachevé par l'unification de 1861) un thème actuel pour le public italien de 1961, au moment du dit « miracolo economico ». C'est en profitant de cette actualité, au moment du premier centenaire de la nation italienne, que sortit le film Vanina Vanini, re-créé par Roberto Rossellini sur la base de la nouvelle homonyme de Stendhal. Pourtant, malgré le moment favorable, la re-création littérature-cinéma opérée par Rossellini ne s'avéra pas fructueuse, à cause de certains obstacles matériels et commerciaux qui firent entrave aux intentions artistiques du metteur en scène. L'article examine ces contraintes -- qui hantaient et hantent toujours l'industrie cinématographique de par sa structure même -- et souligne que Rossellini sut lui-même tirer des conclusions courageusement radicales à partir de l'échec artistique essuyé dans son entreprise stendhalienne. Le film Vanina Vanini constitua le tournant décisif dans l'évolution du film de fiction de Rossellini vers les films didactiques et pédagogiques qu'il tourna en Italie et en France pendant les 15 dernières années de sa carrière.
A Beloved Performance: Reading between the Lines
Authors: Christie Angela
Published: June 2013

American author Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction (1988) and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1993) following the publication of Beloved in 1987. Based on a true story, the novel is laced with magical realism that brings shocking aspects of American slave history to light. Morrison’s unforgettable character “Beloved” was later explored through British actress Thandie Newton’s haunting interpretation in a controversial cinematic version directed by Jonathan Demme in 1998. This article suggests that in spite of criticism leveled at the film for exceeding the boundaries of Morrison’s text, Demme’s adaptation remains justified and hints that echoes of the deeply-entrenched attitudes that fostered the institution of slavery in the United States still linger nearly a century-and-a-half after abolition.
Becoming-Ariel: Viewing Julie Taymor’s The Tempest through an Ecocritical Lens
Authors: Sibley-Esposito Clare
Published: June 2013

The burgeoning field of ecocriticism takes what Cheryll Glotfelty has referred to as an “earth-centered approach” to cultural productions, with ecocritics sharing a concern with the interconnectedness of human and non-human spheres. This article presents a brief overview of some ecocritical readings of The Tempest, before interpreting Julie Taymor’s cinematographic adaptation in the light of such considerations. Taymor attributes a rather unproblematic power of manipulation of the natural world to her Prospera, yet some of her directorial choices, operating within the specificity of the film medium, tend nonetheless to highlight certain ecocritically-relevant dimensions of Shakespeare’s text. By viewing the film through an ecocritical lens, whilst borrowing terminology from Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, the figure of Ariel can be seen as operating on a “molecular plane” of ontological interconnectivity, in contrast to the “molar mode” of binary oppositions inherent in Prospera’s desire to dominate natural forces.
L’empreinte de la littérature dans le cinéma de l’École de Barcelone
Authors: Aubert Jean-Paul
Published: June 2013

Cette contribution s’intéresse à la place qu’occupe la littérature au sein de l’École de Barcelone, un courant cinématographique d’avant-garde à l’origine d’une vingtaine de films réalisés entre 1965 et 1971. L’hypothèse qui la sous-tend est que l’examen des rapports qu’entretient ce courant avec la littérature est susceptible de la distinguer au sein de la production espagnole de l’époque et permet, par ailleurs, d’envisager une histoire des relations entre cinéma et littérature qui ne serait pas assujettie aux seules questions de l’adaptation. Il apparaît, en effet, que le refus délibéré de ces cinéastes de recourir à l’adaptation constitue une rupture par rapport à un cinéma espagnol dominant qui avait fait de l’adaptation d’œuvres littéraires une véritable stratégie industrielle. Pour autant, ces cinéastes ne renoncent pas au dialogue avec la littérature. Au terme d’une étude des diverses modalités d’insert du texte littéraire dans le corps du film, il résulte que l’École de Barcelone propose un nouvel usage du texte littéraire où celui-ci se fait matériau malléable et transformable, susceptible de coexister et de dialoguer avec des matériaux concurrents au sein même de l’œuvre cinématographique.
Ecos de la Junta democrática y de la oposición en el diario ABC (1974-75): la ruptura como pesadilla
Authors: Sintado Antonio
Published: June 2013

La creación de la Junta democrática como plataforma antifranquista se proponía romper con las instituciones del Régimen iniciando una lucha pacífica que debía permitir una democratización radical del estado. La ruptura con las instituciones del franquismo debía ser llevada a cabo gracias a un gobierno provisional representativo de todas las fuerzas de oposición. Las numerosas acciones y comunicaciones a los órganos de prensa internacionales de la Comisión Exterior de la Junta democrática de España, dirigida por José Vidal Beneyto, permitieron a la JDE darse a conocer a los países europeos siendo aún ilegal dentro del país. Los artículos del diario ABC de 1974-75 se hacen eco de aquellos acontecimientos y permiten analizar las posiciones del diario conservador, inspiradas por el miedo a la ruptura.
Écrire le personnage, dire l’humain : La Celestina (1499-1502) de rupture en rupture jusqu’aux confins de la modernité
Authors: Lasserre Dempure Odile
Published: June 2013

Née à l’instant du passage entre Moyen Âge et Modernité, La Celestina (1499-1502) de Fernando de Rojas épouse la dynamique de rupture au sein de laquelle elle voit le jour. Un examen des divers modes d’écriture du personnage, mais aussi des visages de l’humain qu’ils façonnent, permettra de saisir ce mouvement fait de ruptures et dissidences qui emporte La Celestina de la fin du Moyen Âge jusqu’à la dernière modernité.
Electric Ladyland: And the Gods Made Love
Authors: Whiteley Sheila
Published: June 2013

My discussion of Electric Ladyland relates to narratives of gender and sexuality – sometimes misplaced, sometimes elusive – an exploration that relates to the liminal quality of Hendrix's musical language. More specifically I discuss how he communicates the erotic, the supernatural and the extraordinariness of experience through his relationship to his guitar, his Electric Lady. As bluesman, Tom Attah, observed, ‘with Hendrix the physical becomes a frame of reference for the quality of the extra-ordinary experience. Time and again this is not only represented but actually given to us in his music; instrumental music becomes voices, voices become percussion, percussion becomes time; time becomes stretched and condensed and the whole becomes a Proustian rush that is a remembrance of the future’, ‘a spiral in which every curve inspires and propels the next arc of itself forward, downward and/or outward’. (Foucault, 1988: 35) What follows is my interpretation of the spiral, prefaced by earlier excursions into the Hendrix ‘experience’. It is hoped that this will lead to a broader debate on the ways in which the historical, demographic, sociological context itself determines other perceptions, representations and appropriations.
Apocalyptic Music: Reflections on Countercultural Christian Influence
Authors: Young Shawn David
Published: June 2013

During the late 1960s, thousands of young people in Southern California were swept up in a revival of conservative Christianity. Disenchanted with the existentialism found among various so-called “countercultural” groups, the “Jesus freaks” emerged. Though they proclaimed an ideology commonly associated with fundamentalist Christianity, hippie converts retained aesthetic practices emblematic of the hippie culture, in hopes of spreading the gospel using the cultural vernacular. The result was the birth of “Jesus music,” a folk rock style that would become contemporary Christian music (CCM), a genre that developed into a medium for articulating a particular interpretation of the End of Days.
The Grateful Dead and Friedrich Nietzsche: Transformation in Music and Consciousness
Authors: Spector Stanley J.
Published: June 2013

More than any other of the San Francisco bands from the mid 1960’s, the Grateful Dead have been identified as the quintessential psychedelic rock band. In this paper, I discuss how their mode of improvising, what has been called jamming, while incorporating the traditional jazz modes of improvisation is actually a transformation in a style of playing music. Playing in this new style eventually led the band to compose a new kind of music—psychedelic rock. Underlying the transformation in the way they played and in the songs they composed is a shift in consciousness with a corresponding shift in ontology that is one of the markers of the 1960’s counterculture.
Regulatory CD8+ T Cells Associated with Erosion of Immune Surveillance in Persistent Virus Infection Suppress In Vitro and Have a Reversible Proliferative Defect
Authors: Hu Zhuting , Zhang Weijun , Usherwood Edward J.
Published: June 2013

CD4+ T cell help is critical for CD8+ T cell memory and immune surveillance against persistent virus infections. Our recent data have showed the lack of CD4+ T cells leads to the generation of an IL-10–producing CD8+ T cell population during persistent murine γ-herpesvirus-68 (MHV-68) infection. IL-10 from these cells is partly responsible for erosion in immune surveillance, leading to spontaneous virus reactivation in lungs. In this study, we further characterized the generation, phenotype, and function of these IL-10–producing CD8+ T cells by comparing with a newly identified IL-10–producing CD8+ T cell population present during the acute stage of the infection. The IL-10–producing CD8+ populations in acute and chronic stages differed in their requirement for CD4+ T cell help, the dependence on IL-2/CD25 and CD40–CD40L pathways, and the ability to proliferate in vitro in response to anti-CD3 stimulation. IL-10–producing CD8+ T cells in the chronic stage showed a distinct immunophenotypic profile, sharing partial overlap with the markers of previously reported regulatory CD8+ T cells, and suppressed the proliferation of naive CD8+ T cells. Notably, they retained the ability to produce effector cytokines and cytotoxic activity. In addition, the proliferative defect of the cells could be restored by addition of exogenous IL-2 or blockade of IL-10. These data suggest that the IL-10–producing CD8+ T cells arising in chronic MHV-68 infection in the absence of CD4+ T cell help belong to a subset of CD8+ regulatory T cells.
Role of High Endothelial Venule–Expressed Heparan Sulfate in Chemokine Presentation and Lymphocyte Homing
Authors: Tsuboi Koichiro , Hirakawa Jotaro , Seki Emiko , Imai Yasuyuki , Yamaguchi Yu , Fukuda Minoru , Kawashima Hiroto
Published: June 2013

Lymphocyte homing to peripheral lymph nodes (PLNs) is mediated by multistep interactions between lymphocytes and high endothelial venules (HEVs). Heparan sulfate (HS) has been implicated in the presentation of chemokines on the surface of HEVs during this process. However, it remains unclear whether this cell surface presentation is a prerequisite for lymphocyte homing. In this study, we generated conditional knockout (cKO) mice lacking Ext1, which encodes a glycosyltransferase essential for HS synthesis, by crossing Ext1flox/flox mice with GlcNAc6ST-2-Cre transgenic mice expressing Cre recombinase in HEVs. Immunohistochemical studies indicated that HS expression was specifically eliminated in PLN HEVs but retained in other blood vessels in the cKO mice. The accumulation of a major secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine, CCL21, on HEVs was also abrogated without affecting CCL21 mRNA levels, indicating that HS presents CCL21 on HEVs in vivo. Notably, a short-term lymphocyte homing assay indicated that lymphocyte homing to PLNs was diminished in the cKO mice by 30–40%. Consistent with this result, contact hypersensitivity responses were also diminished in the cKO mice. The residual lymphocyte homing to PLNs in the cKO mice was dependent on pertussis toxin–sensitive Gi protein signaling, in which lysophosphatidic acid–mediated signaling was partly involved. These results suggest that chemokine presentation by HS on the surface of HEVs facilitates but is not absolutely required for lymphocyte homing.
Fetal–Maternal Alignment of Regulatory T Cells Correlates with IL-10 and Bcl-2 Upregulation in Pregnancy
Authors: Santner-Nanan Brigitte , Straubinger Kathrin , Hsu Peter , Parnell Grant , Tang Ben , Xu Bei , Makris Angela , Hennessy Annemarie , Peek Michael J. , Busch Dirk H. , Prazeres da Costa Clarissa , Nanan Ralph
Published: June 2013

Transplacental immune regulation refers to the concept that during pregnancy, significant cross-talk occurs between the maternal and fetal immune system with potential long-term effects for both the mother and child. In this study, we made the surprising observation that there is a strong correlation of peripheral blood regulatory T (Treg) cells between the mother and the fetus. In contrast, there is no significant Treg cell correlation between paternal fetal dyads (pairs), suggesting that the specific context of pregnancy, rather than the genetic parental similarity to the fetus, is responsible for this correlation. Gene microarray analysis of Treg cells identified a typical IL-10–dependent signature in maternal and fetal Treg cells. In addition, a direct correlation of serum IL-10 protein levels between maternal fetal dyads was observed. Furthermore, we show that maternal serum IL-10 levels correlate with serum estradiol and estriol, implicating hormonal involvement in this alignment. Interestingly, we show that Treg cells possess higher expression of IL-10 receptor α and that Treg cell IL-10 receptor α expression directly correlates with their Bcl-2 expression. Indeed, in vitro data in both humans and mice demonstrate that IL-10 upregulates Bcl-2 specifically in Treg cells but not non-Treg cells. Our results provide evidence for transplacental regulation of cellular immunity and suggest that IL-10 may influence Treg cell homeostasis through its effect on Treg cell Bcl-2 expression. These novel findings have important implications on immune tolerance in pregnancy and beyond in areas of autoimmunity, allergy, and transplantation.
Critical Role of Dendritic Cell–Derived IL-27 in Antitumor Immunity through Regulating the Recruitment and Activation of NK and NKT Cells
Authors: Wei Jun , Xia Siyuan , Sun Huayan , Zhang Song , Wang Jingya , Zhao Huiyuan , Wu Xiaoli , Chen Xi , Hao Jianlei , Zhou Xinglong , Zhu Zhengmao , Gao Xiang , Gao Jian-xin , Wang Puyue , Wu Zhenzhou , Zhao Liqing , Yin Zhinan
Published: June 2013

Critical roles of IL-27 in autoimmune diseases and infections have been reported; however, the contribution of endogenous IL-27 to tumor progression remains elusive. In this study, by using IL-27p28 conditional knockout mice, we demonstrate that IL-27 is critical in protective immune response against methyl-cholanthrene–induced fibrosarcoma and transplanted B16 melanoma, and dendritic cells (DCs) are the primary source. DC-derived IL-27 is required for shaping tumor microenvironment by inducing CXCL-10 expression in myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulating IL-12 production from DCs, which lead to the recruitment and activation of NK and NKT cells resulting in immunological control of tumors. Indeed, reconstitution of IL-27 or CXCL-10 in tumor site significantly inhibits tumor growth and restores the number and activation of NK and NKT cells. In summary, our study identifies a previous unknown critical role of DC-derived IL-27 in NK and NKT cell–dependent antitumor immunity through shaping tumor microenvironment, and sheds light on developing novel therapeutic approaches based on IL-27.
A pediatric case of Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis
Authors: Suresh Priyanka , Blackwood R. Alexander
Published: June 2013

Gram negative endocarditis is relatively rare in pediatrics but when they occur they are most frequently caused by one of the HACEK (Haemophilus species, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, C. hominis, Eikenella corrodens and Kingella kingae) group of microorganisms. Within the HACEK group of microorganisms there have been approximately 100 cases of Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis reported in the literature, but only 2 previous cases of endocarditis and one case of pericarditis have been reported in children. In this report, we present a case of a 12-year-old boy with a right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit for Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia who presented at an annual cardiology examination with a 3 week history of fatigue and was found to have a vegetation on routine echocardiogram. Subsequent blood cultures grew Cardiobacterium hominis and the patient was treated successfully with 6 weeks of appropriate antibiotic therapy. We present this case and a review of the literature of the HACEK group of microorganisms in pediatrics.
Policy gaps and technological deficiencies in social networking environments: Implications for information sharing
Authors: Mutula Stephen M.
Published: June 2013

Background: With the growing adoption and acceptance of social networking, there are increased concerns about the violation of the users’ legitimate rights such as privacy, confidentiality, trust, security, safety, content ownership, content accuracy, integrity, access and accessibility to computer and digital networks amongst others.Objectives: The study sought to investigate the following research objectives to: (1) describe the types of social networks, (2) examine global penetration of the social networks, (3) outline the users’ legitimate rights that must be protected in the social networking sites (SNS), (4) determine the methods employed by SNS to protect the users’ legitimate rights and (5) identify the policy gaps and technological deficiencies in the protection of the users’ legitimate rights in the SNS.Method: A literature survey and content analysis of the SNS user policies were used to address objective four and objective five respectively.Results: The most actively used sites were Facebook and Twitter. Asian markets were leading in participation and in creating content than any other region. Business, education, politics and governance sectors were actively using social networking sites. Social networking sites relied upon user trust and internet security features which however, were inefficient and inadequate.Conclusion: Whilst SNS were impacting people of varying ages and of various professional persuasions, there were increased concerns about the violation and infringement of the users’ legitimate rights. Reliance on user trust and technological security features SNS to protect the users’ legitimate rights seemed ineffectual and inadequate.
Widening Participation through Alternative Public Schools: A Canadian Example
Authors: Etherington Cole
Published: June 2013

In recent years, the development of the global knowledge economy has rendered post-secondary education necessary for employment and earning potential, with manual labour no longer as prevalent or secure as it once was. Yet, access to post-secondary institutions continues to be stratified based on social class. To support working-class students in obtaining a post-secondary education, some countries have opened alternative public schools geared toward this purpose. This article draws on a Canadian case study of a school for working-class students whose parents do not have any post-secondary education to investigate the discourse surrounding these institutions and their goals. Using a content analysis of newspaper articles and policy documents, I find that while alternative schools certainly have the potential to increase educational attainment amongst working-class students, they may pose significant challenges to working-class identities.
Girls as the ‘New’ Agents of Social Change? Exploring the ‘Girl Effect’ through Sport, Gender and Development Programs in Uganda
Authors: Hayhurst Lyndsay M.C.
Published: June 2013

The purpose of this study was to explore how girls in Eastern Uganda experienced a corporate-funded sport, gender and development (SGD) martial arts program. This study used 19 semi-structured in-depth interviews, participant observation and document analysis. Results revealed that while the martial arts program increased the young women's confidence, challenged gender norms, augmented their social networks, improved their physical fitness and was useful for providing them with employment opportunities, the program also attempted to ‘govern’ their sexuality and sexual relations with boys and men by promoting individual avoidance and encouraging the use of self-defense strategies against potential abusers. To conclude, I argue that girl-focused SGD programs such as the one studied here impel young women to be the agents of social change and to cope with the potential resistance (e.g., from some of their family and community members) to their participation in SGD programs by building their self-esteem, confidence and self-responsibility. Despite this – and as the ‘new agents of social change’ – these young women still must navigate the structural inequalities that tend to marginalize their lives in the first place.
‘Yobs’ and ‘Snobs’: Embodying Drink and the Problematic Male Drinking Body
Authors: Thurnell-Read Thomas
Published: June 2013

The cultural linkages between the drinking of alcohol and the assertion of masculinity have been well explored. In particular, drinking alcohol is still assumed to be a site where masculinity can be tested and proved. However, equally, drinking can be seen to undermine and discredit the male body. Further, older men's drinking practices are commonly overlooked. Through exploring two examples of cultural stereotypes relating to male drinking bodies, the lager lout and the real ale enthusiast, the article argues that persistent cultural assumptions about the appropriate way to embody masculinity. Both the lager lout and the bearded ale snob represent two alternative discourses of how alcohol undermines the bounded male body. Both cases exhibit a lack of control and restraint which is assumed to be desired of masculine bodies and, therefore, both become problematic and subject to social sanctions and cultural policing in the form of negative caricatured depictions. Finally, it is suggested that such stereotypes offer vivid examples of problematic male drinking bodies from which other embodiments can be normalised.
Olympic Dreams and Social Realities: A Foucauldian Analysis of Legacy and Mass Participation
Authors: Piper Heather , Garratt Dean
Published: June 2013

Focussing on the London 2012 legacy claim relating to increased activity levels and sports participation, the paper discusses a range of factors which appear to militate against its achievement. Utilising a Foucauldian theoretical framework, we discuss how some of these operate at the conceptual and linguistic level, while others relate to governmental processes, and still another to the distinction between active engagement with the Games as carnival/festival and passive consumption as spectacle. Closest attention is paid to the negative effects on mass participation of a mind-set and collateral social practices, amplified in sport, which prioritise the avoidance of all risk, and particularly the risk of abuse. Drawing on data from a recent ESRC-funded research project, we demonstrate how this has resulted in a culture of fear and corrosive mistrust, which can only reduce grassroots willingness to take up sports, and the effectiveness and commitment of the coaches required to support it. The social context of discourse is considered, and Foucault's conceptual ‘toolbox’ is deployed, to encapsulate the interrelationship of risk society, moral panic, and governmentality.
Limitations to adopting regulated deficit irrigation in stone fruit orchards: a case study
Authors: Zapata N. , Nerilli E. , Martinez-Cob A. , Chalghaf I. , Chalghaf B. , Fliman D. , Playan E.
Published: June 2013

Fruit production development is resulting in large commercial orchards with improved water management standards. While the agronomic and economic benefits of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) have long been established, the local variability in soils and climate and the irrigation system design limits its practical applications. This paper uses a case study approach (a 225 ha stone fruit orchard) to unveil limitations derived from environmental spatial variability and irrigation performance. The spatial variability of soil physical parameters and meteorology in the orchard was characterized, and its implication on crop water requirements was established. Irrigation depths applied during 2004-2009 were analysed and compared with crop water requirements under standard and RDI strategies. Plant water status was also measured during two irrigation seasons using stem water potential measurements. On-farm wind speed variability amounted to 55%, representing differences of 17% in reference evapotranspiration. During the study seasons, irrigation scheduling evolved towards deficit irrigation; however, the specific traits of RDI in stone fruits were not implemented. RDI implementation was limited by: 1) poor correspondence between environmental variability and irrigation system design; 2) insufficient information on RDI crop water requirements and its on-farm spatial variability within the farm; and 3) low control of the water distribution network.
Compost versus vermicompost as substrate constituents for rooting shrub cuttings
Authors: Fornes F. , Mendoza-Hernandez D. , Belda R. M.
Published: June 2013

The feasibility of composted (C), composted plus vermicomposted (V1) and straight vermicomposted (V2) tomato crop waste as component of rooting media for Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphylla’ and Lavandula angustifolia vegetative propagation was studied. Mixes of C, V1 and V2 with coir fibre (CF) at the proportions 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100 (v:v) were assayed. Physical, physico chemical and nutritional characteristics of all materials and mixes were determined and correlated with cutting rooting and growth performances. The compost and the two vermicomposts were markedly different from CF. They had higher bulk density and lower total porosity than CF. Compost had lower water holding capacity and shrinkage in response to drying than vermicomposts and CF. Compost and vermicomposts were alkaline materials whilst CF was almost neutral. Electrical conductivity (EC) was low in CF and vermicomposts, and high in compost due to the high mineral contents, mainly of K+, SO42– and Na+ in this material. EC and the ions contributing to it (K+, SO42–, Na+) showed highly significative inverse correlations with rooting percentage for the two species and with root and shoot growth but only for E. japonicus. Due to its high EC, compost C (average rooting = 22.5%) performed worse than vermicomposts V1 (av. rooting = 97%) and V2 (av. rooting = 98%) whilst the latter performed similarly to CF control (av. rooting = 100%). Thus vermicomposts appeared to be more appropriate than compost as rooting media constituent.
Effect of energy concentration on growth performance and carcass quality of Iberian pigs reared under intensive conditions
Authors: Serrano M. P. , Camara L. , Valencia D. G. , Lazaro R. , Latorre M. A. , Mateos G. G.
Published: June 2013

In total, 192 Iberian pigs were used to investigate the effects of net energy (NE) concentration of the diet on growth performance and carcass quality of castrated females (CF) and castrated males (CM). From 30 to 112 kg body weight (BW), three diets were formulated with similar digestible amino acid content per kcal of NE but differing in energy concentration (2,045, 2,175 and 2,305 kcal NE kg-1 from 30 to 81 kg BW and 2,175, 2,305 and 2,445 kcal NE kg-1 from 81 to 112 kg BW). From 112 kg to slaughter (148 kg BW), all pigs received a common finisher diet. Each treatment was replicated eight times and the experimental unit was a pen with four pigs. A decrease in NE concentration of the diet increased feed intake (p<0.05) and tended to impaired feed conversion ratio (p<0.10), whereas carcass and meat quality traits were not affected. Castrated males ate more feed and grew faster but had less fat thickness at the gluteus medius muscle than CF (p<0.05). However, no differences in carcass and meat quality traits between genders were detected. We conclude that a reduction in NE content of the grower diets did not affect growth rate and therefore, it not a valuable alternative to avoid excess of BW at slaughter in Iberian pigs reared under intensive management conditions. Also, both genders can be used for the production of high quality carcasses destined to the dry-cured industry.
Heterogeneity of farms entering export supply chains: the case of fruit growers from central-south Chile
Authors: Barrena Ruiz J. A. , Nahuelhual Muñoz L. A. , Engler Palma A. , Echeverría Pezoa R. , Cofré Bravo G.
Published: June 2013

The increasing stringency of world food markets requires farmers to adjust farm structure and commercial strategies to remain integrated in export supply chains. The goal of this study was to identify and characterize different types of fresh fruit farms with regard to farm structural and commercial strategies for a representative sample of fresh fruit growers from central-south Chile exporting to world markets. A typology of farms was constructed based on multivariate analysis, according to which five types of farms were differentiated from five distinct factors. Cluster I comprised the smallest and uncertified farms (14.3% of the sample). The remaining four clusters comprised certified farms, but with different farm structural and commercial characteristics. Cluster II (15.1%) was composed of farms located further from market connections. Cluster III (23.9%) comprised farms with the highest number of fruit species, and consequently, more diversified in fruit production. Cluster IV (8.8%) was the smallest group, and comprised the largest firms. Finally, Cluster V (37.8%) was composed of highly specialized fruit farms, with the highest proportion of hectares dedicated to the production of a single fruit species. The results show the heterogeneity among fresh fruit farms and support the need for differentiated incentives and technological transfer schemes from the public sector and fruit companies in order to successfully keep farmers within export supply chains.