bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Net-Based Ethnography (Netnography) to Understand the Staging and Marketing of “Authentic African” Dining Experiences to Tourists at Victoria Falls
Authors: Mkono Muchazondida
Published: January 2012

Performativity is a phenomenon within authenticity theory in tourism that emphasizes the active participation of tourists in the authentication of tourism experiences. Tourists also seek tangible cultural objects to authenticate their experiences. In response, many restaurateurs selling “Africanness” of cultural products in Victoria Falls use electronic technologies to communicate both the tangibility and active participation attached to their offers. These messages create the expectation of an authentic experience in restaurant “eatertainment.” The article illustrates how two restaurants’ cultural product augmentations are represented online as tangibly and performatively authentic as well as how tourists respond to them as expressed in their online reviews.
Temporal evolution of remission following multiple sclerosis relapse and predictors of outcome
Authors: Hirst Claire L , Ingram Gillian , Pickersgill Trevor P , Robertson Neil P
Published: January 2012

Background:

Relapse is a characteristic clinical feature of multiple sclerosis (MS) and is commonly employed as a measure of efficacy following therapeutic intervention. However, less is known about the temporal evolution of subsequent disability or factors predicting recovery.

Objectives:

The objective of this study was to assess the pattern of recovery following relapse and identify factors which predict recovery and residual disability following relapse.

Methods:

A total of 226 relapses were studied prospectively in a cohort of 144 patients with standardised clinical assessments of physical disability including Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), 10-m timed walk, 9-hole peg test and Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) at 0, 2, 6 and 12 months. A total of 82 patients completed 12 months of follow up without further relapse.

Results:

Thirty per cent of relapses were severe (change in EDSS >2.0) of which 11% failed to recover. All measures showed significant improvement at 2 months but additional improvement was also observed in 9-hole peg test and MSIS-29 up to 12 months following initial assessment. Mean time to second relapse was 382 days. The only predictor of relapse severity in the model tested was younger age; however, increasing age and initial relapse severity were also predictors of poor outcome.

Conclusions:

This study shows that the majority of improvement in physical disability following relapse occurs by 2 months but that more subtle recovery can take place over 12 months in a small sub-group of patients. These data will aid in patient counselling and will also inform the timing of therapeutic intervention and physical support.
Changes at the nodal and perinodal axonal domains: a basis for multiple sclerosis pathology?
Authors: Desmazières Anne , Sol-Foulon Nathalie , Lubetzki Catherine
Published: January 2012

How axonal damage, a major prognostic factor of multiple sclerosis disability progression, is induced, is likely to be multifactorial. Whereas axonal injury has been identified as a consequence of myelin loss, the possibility of an additional direct damage is also suggested. In this context, recent data have highlighted the nodal and perinodal axonal domains of the myelinated neurons as potential targets of the disease process, opening new perspectives in multiple sclerosis pathophysiology.
Assessment of interpersonal skills in obese women with binge eating disorder
Authors: Duchesne Mônica , de Oliveira Falcone Eliane Mary , de Freitas Silvia Regina , D’Augustin Juliana Furtado , Marinho Viviane , Appolinario Jose Carlos
Published: January 2012

Based upon interpersonal theory that suggests an association between binge eating disorder (BED) and interpersonal problems, the present study examined empathy and other social skills of obese women with BED. The findings showed that five social skills were statistically associated with the chance of presenting BED. Obese women with less assertiveness, lower ability to express feelings, lower capacity to deal with strangers, lower ability to understand the perspective of others, and with higher levels of distress in interpersonal situations had a higher probability of presenting the diagnosis of BED. These results highlight an association between social skills deficits and BED.
Hybridity and intersubjectivity in the clinical encounter: Impact on the Cultural Formulation
Authors: Aggarwal Neil Krishan
Published: January 2012

Most case studies of the cultural formulation have focused on encounters with a single clinician. This article examines the assessment of a patient across different settings in which multiple clinicians developed separate understandings of the patient’s identity. The formal cultural formulation prepared by the last clinician to work with the patient revealed a vastly different picture than what was previously recognized, reflecting both the impact of the identity of the clinician and the systematic evaluation process on the nature of the patient’s responses. This suggests that cultural hybridity can stimulate new modes of inquiry as people integrate disparate cultural references to fashion a new identity. Intersubjectivity can also alter information elicited by clinicians. The conclusion highlights the need for practice guidelines for use of the cultural formulation across treatment settings.
Offences to religious feelings in Israel: A theoretical explication of an exceptional legal doctrine
Authors: Pinto Meital
Published: January 2012

In the Israeli public sphere we often hear claims about offences to religious feelings. For example, representatives of the three major religions have argued that having a gay pride parade in the holy city of Jerusalem offends their religious feelings. The debate about allowing motor traffic during the Sabbath on Bar-Ilan road, which is located in a Jewish ultra orthodox neighbourhood in Jerusalem, is another example in which claims about offences to religious feelings were raised. According to the orthodox view in current liberal thought, there should be no legal protection from mere insult to feelings and sensibilities, as related to sacred religious and cultural values as they may be. The Israeli legal doctrine is a unique exception. It acknowledges claims about offences to religious feelings. It is not based, however, on a comprehensive theoretical framework in political and moral philosophy. In this article, I draw on the Israeli example and argue – against the prevailing liberal orthodoxy – that some claims of offence to feelings deserve legal protection. I argue that such claims boil down to a struggle for equality in the public sphere between competing cultural identities. I conceptualize such claims from offences to feelings as claims that purport to protect one’s right in the integrity of one’s cultural identity. I argue that from this conceptualization a principle for justly regulating claims from cultural identity emerges. This is the vulnerable cultural identity principle, according to which the more vulnerable the social and civic status of one’s cultural identity is, the stronger one’s claim is to integrity of cultural identity. The vulnerable identity principle recognizes the asymmetrical social power relations between minority and majority members. It is entailed by the notion of toleration, which requires the state, according to certain conceptions of toleration, to take active steps to ensure equal recognition of different cultural identities.
Freedom of expression and hatred of religion
Authors: Thompson Simon
Published: January 2012

The UK’s Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 makes it an offence to deliberately stir up hatred against people on religious grounds. For its supporters, the Act offers necessary protection to a range of groups that are vulnerable to the harmful effects of incitement of hatred against them. For its critics, by contrast, the offence it creates is an illegitimate restriction on freedom of expression. In the first half of this article, I shall examine four particular aspects of the offence of incitement to hatred, namely the role of religious beliefs, the notion of threatening words or behaviour, the need to prove intention, and the protection of freedom of expression. Here it will be shown that the Act was undermined by the legislators’ desire to appease the critics who were concerned about its effects on freedom of expression. In the second half of this article, I shall argue that it is possible to strengthen the offence of incitement to religious hatred without threatening legitimate freedom of expression. In order to make this argument, I shall utilize Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition. Put in his terms, my thesis is that, since incitement to religious hatred may cause one or more harms of misrecognition, it may in some instances be legitimately restricted. My conclusion will be that placing this constraint on freedom of expression is one way, amongst numerous others, in which ethno-religious diversity may be appropriately accommodated.
Why group membership matters: A critical typology
Authors: Killmister Suzy
Published: January 2012

The question of why group-differentiated rights might be a requirement of justice has been a central focus of identity politics in recent decades. I attempt to bring some clarity to this discussion by proposing a typology to track the various ways in which individuals can be harmed or benefited as a consequence of their membership in social groups. It is the well-being of individuals that group-differentiated rights should be understood as protecting, and so clarity on the relationship between group membership and well-being is vital. One of the problems with the way in which such justifications have often been formulated in the past has been that they inadvertently position the group as a handicap to be overcome, rather than a value to be protected. I seek to overcome this limitation by clearly specifying the circumstances under which group membership is a liability, and the circumstances under which it has value. While this distinction is important, in both cases there is a relevant interest at stake, and thus the groundwork can be laid for a defence of group-differentiated rights.
Beyond multination federalism: Reflections on nations and nationalism in Canada
Authors: Woods Eric Taylor
Published: January 2012

This article addresses the problem of managing nationalism in multination states by evaluating the influential multination federal model, as put forward by a group of Canadian scholars. Finding that it employs an overly primordial view of nations, the article argues that John Hutchinson’s approach, which foregrounds the conflict of nationalisms that occurs within nations, offers a better lens from which to bring to light the sources of unity and disunity in multination states. To illustrate this, the article discusses the conflict of nationalisms in Canada, suggesting that a debate over the merits of pan-Canadian nationalism within English Canada and French Québec can be identified. In failing to account for this, the article argues that the multination federal model risks (1) marginalizing French-speaking Quebecers who support pan-Canadian nationalism and (2) encouraging English Canadian nationalism. To conclude, the article suggests that models seeking to mitigate the potential centrifugal effects of nationalism should avoid privileging one type of nationalism over another.
Just war, democracy, democratic peace
Authors: Evans Mark
Published: January 2012

In recent times, ‘just war’ discourse has become unfortunately associated, in the minds of some, with the idea of the forcible promotion or imposition of democracy as a legitimate just cause. It would thus be understandable if supporters of just war theory were to disavow any particular linkage of its tenets with the democratic ideal. However, while certainly not endorsing the stated cause, this article contends that the theory in its most plausible and attractive form does exhibit certain biases towards the ideal, in both jus ad bellum and jus post bellum. If these biases fall short of shackling the theory to claims such as ‘only democracies can fight just wars’, they may nevertheless place taxing justificatory burdens on a non-democracy's claim to have a war-waging right and on non-democratic conceptions of the just peace that should ideally follow a just war.
Atrial Fibrillation Predicts Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Mizrahi Eliyahu Hayim , Waitzman Anna , Arad Marina , Adunsky Abraham
Published: January 2012

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is considered as a risk factor for cognitive impairment. Methods: This retrospective chart review study was conducted in a patient stroke rehabilitation ward of a university-affiliated referral hospital. The participants were 707 patients admitted for a standard rehabilitation course after an ischemic stroke. Cognitive status was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and scores lower than 24 points were considered as suggestive of cognitive impairment. Results: Atrial fibrillation, age, gender, diabetes, and dementia emerged as the only statistically significant parameters differing between those with MMSE score lower than 24 or higher. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, AF (odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.03-2.47, P = .03) was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. Conclusions:Our findings suggest that atrial fibrillation upon admission is independently associated with lower MMSE scores in patients with ischemic stroke.
Marginal memberships
Authors: Clair Judith A. , Humberd Beth K. , Caruso Heather M. , Roberts Laura Morgan
Published: January 2012

In workplace interactions, professionals who are demographically different from the majority of others in their profession (e.g., one of a few African Americans in a predominately White group of doctors) often experience “identity ambiguity”—the sense and feeling that one’s claims to a professional identity are questioned or not fully accepted in an interaction because of one’s atypical demographic background. We assert here that identity ambiguity can have meaningful psychological and behavioral effects on the demographically atypical professional. We offer a model which explores how such experiences of identity ambiguity evoke identity threats and negative emotions. In turn, we describe how these reactions can impact work role engagement and in-role and extra-role performance for demographically atypical professionals. We discuss the implications for organizations and for individuals who have trouble claiming and/or being granted an identity in work interactions.
Case Discussion
Authors: Christmas Colleen , Mears Simon C. , Sieber Frederick E. , Votsis Julie , Wood Ronald C. , Friedman Susan M.
Published: January 2012

This case presents a discussion of a 92-year-old man with multiple comorbidities, who presents with a subtrochanteric fracture. His course is complicated by large volume blood loss intraoperatively, requiring intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring postoperatively. His course is also complicated by delirium.
The correlation between the lower temperature melting plateau endotherm and the stretching-induced pore formation in annealed polypropylene films
Authors: Caihong Lei , Weiliang Huang , Ruijie Xu , Yunqi Xu
Published: January 2012

The room temperature stretching process of annealed polypropylene hard elastomer films was analyzed and the relationship between the low-temperature endotherm plateau in the differential scanning calorimetry curves generated during annealing and the stretching-induced pore formation was studied. It was found that compared with that of precursor film, an endotherm plateau and some diffraction phenomena around 2θ angles of 13.0 degrees and 18.4 degrees were observed after annealing. During stretching, the plateau disappeared progressively and these diffraction phenomena also vanished. At the same time, the pores and bridges connecting lamellae were formed. The endotherm plateau came from the crystallization of tie chains around initial row-nucleated lamellar structures. During pore creation stage, the grown crystals were first drawn and converted to bridges connecting lamellae. Further stretching into the strain-hardening stage led to the deformation of the row-nucleated lamellar structures. The experimental results indicated that there was a direct relationship between the endotherm plateau and pore formation during the fabrication of microporous membrane based on melt stretching mechanism.
Systematic review: conservative treatments for secondary lymphedema
Authors: Oremus Mark , Dayes Ian , Walker Kathryn , Raina Parminder
Published: January 2012

Background

Several conservative (i.e., nonpharmacologic, nonsurgical) treatments exist for secondary lymphedema. The optimal treatment is unknown. We examined the effectiveness of conservative treatments for secondary lymphedema, as well as harms related to these treatments.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE®, EMBASE®, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials®, AMED, and CINAHL from 1990 to January 19, 2010. We obtained English- and non-English-language randomized controlled trials or observational studies (with comparison groups) that reported primary effectiveness data on conservative treatments for secondary lymphedema. For English-language studies, we extracted data in tabular form and summarized the tables descriptively. For non-English-language studies, we summarized the results descriptively and discussed similarities with the English-language studies.

Results

Thirty-six English-language and eight non-English-language studies were included in the review. Most of these studies involved upper-limb lymphedema secondary to breast cancer. Despite lymphedema's chronicity, lengths of follow-up in most studies were under 6 months. Many trial reports contained inadequate descriptions of randomization, blinding, and methods to assess harms. Most observational studies did not control for confounding. Many studies showed that active treatments reduced the size of lymphatic limbs, although extensive between-study heterogeneity in areas such as treatment comparisons and protocols, and outcome measures, prevented us from assessing whether any one treatment was superior. This heterogeneity also precluded us from statistically pooling results. Harms were rare (< 1% incidence) and mostly minor (e.g., headache, arm pain).

Conclusions

The literature contains no evidence to suggest the most effective treatment for secondary lymphedema. Harms are few and unlikely to cause major clinical problems.
Expression of apoptosis-regulating genes in the rat prostate following botulinum toxin type a injection
Authors: Gorgal Tiago , Charrua Ana , Silva João F , Avelino António , Dinis Paulo , Cruz Francisco
Published: January 2012

Background

Onabotulinumtoxin A (OnabotA) injection has been investigated as a novel treatment for benign prostatic enlargement caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia. An OnabotA - induced volume reduction caused by sympathetic fibers impairment has been proposed as a potential mechanism of action. Our aim was to investigate the expression of apoptosis-regulating proteins in the rat prostate following OnabotA intraprostatic injection.

Methods

Adult Wistar rats were injected in the ventral lobes of the prostate with 10 U of OnabotA or saline. A set of OnabotA-injected animals was further treated with 0.5 mg/kg of phenylephrine (PHE) subcutaneously daily. All animals were sacrificed after 1 week and had their prostates harvested. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for Bax, Bcl-xL and caspase-3 proteins and visualized by the avidin-biotin method. The optical density of the glandular cells was also determined, with measurement of differences between average optical densities for each group.

Results

Saline-treated animals showed intense epithelial staining for Bcl-xL and a faint labelling for both Bax and Caspase-3. OnabotA-treated rats showed a reduced epithelial staining of Bcl-xL and a consistently increased Bax and Caspase-3 staining when compared with saline-treated animals. PHE-treated animals showed a stronger Bcl-xL staining and reduced staining of both Bax and Caspase-3 when compared to the OnabotA group. Mean signal intensity measurements for each immunoreaction confirmed a significant decrease of the signal intensity for Bcl-xL and a significant increase of the signal intensity for Bax and Caspase 3 in OnabotA-injected animals when compared with the control group. In OnabotA+PHE treated animals mean signal intensity for Bcl-xL, Bax and Caspase 3 immunoreactions was identical to that of the control animals.

Conclusions

These results support the hypothesis that OnabotA activates apoptotic pathways in the rat prostate through a mechanism that involves sympathetic outflow impairment.
Fixed point theorems for multivalued maps in cone metric spaces
Authors: Cho Seong-Hoon , Bae Jong-Sook
Published: January 2012

The aim of this article is to generalize a result which is obtained by Mizoguchi and Takahashi [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 141, 177-188 (1989)] to the case of cone metric spaces.

MSC: 47H10; 54H25.
Tumor necrosis factor α release in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of cutaneous lupus and dermatomyositis patients
Authors: Nabatian Adam S , Bashir Muhammad M , Wysocka Maria , Sharma Meena , Werth Victoria P
Published: January 2012

Introduction

Several studies have reported that TNFα is substantially increased within skin lesions of patients with discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) and dermatomyositis (DM) compared to controls. Elevated TNFα has been reported in the sera of some patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, DLE and SCLE, but not in the sera of patients with DM. Because of the key pathogenic role of autoimmunity in these diseases, in this study we sought to evaluate TNFα production by a readily available source of immune cells (namely, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)) taken from controls and from patients with cutaneous lupus or DM.

Methods

Freshly isolated PBMCs were cultured overnight, and TNFα protein accumulation in conditioned medium was determined. In addition, flow cytometry using cell-type-specific markers was performed to determine the sources of TNFα. One-way analysis of variance and Dunnett's multiple comparisons test were performed for statistical comparisons.

Results

Accumulation of TNFα protein in conditioned medium containing PBMCs from DLE patients, but not from SCLE, TLE or DM patients, was significantly greater (19-fold) than that from controls (P < 0.001). In DLE PBMCs, increased TNFα was produced by circulating monocytes and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs). The mean TNFα fluorescence intensity, but not the total number, of both monocytes and mDCs (P < 0.01) from DLE patients was significantly greater (2.3-fold) than that of controls. There were significantly more (13.3-fold) mDCs with intracellular TNFα in blood from DLE patients (P < 0.001) and DM patients (P < 0.001) compared to controls. Most importantly, a positive correlation was seen in DLE patients between their disease activity measured using the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index and TNFα protein secretion (r = 0.61, P < 0.08).

Conclusions

TNFα protein production by PBMCs is greater in DLE patients than in patients with other cutaneous forms of lupus and DM or in controls. Flow cytometric studies demonstrated that circulating monocytes and mDCs contributed to this increased TNFα production. Monocytes and mDCs are present in lesional skin, and the increased TNFα production by these cells and other PBMCs likely increase the number of inflammatory cells seen in DLE skin relative to other subsets of cutaneous lupus erythematosus and DM. These results provide a possible biological explanation for the denser infiltrate seen in DLE relative to DM.
Differentiation and Functional Incorporation of Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived GABAergic Interneurons in the Dentate Gyrus of Mice with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Maisano Xu , Litvina Elizabeth , Tagliatela Stephanie , Aaron Gloster B. , Grabel Laura B. , Naegele Janice R.
Published: January 2012

Cell therapies for neurological disorders require an extensive knowledge of disease-associated neuropathology and procedures for generating neurons for transplantation. In many patients with severe acquired temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the dentate gyrus exhibits sclerosis and GABAergic interneuron degeneration. Mounting evidence suggests that therapeutic benefits can be obtained by transplanting fetal GABAergic progenitors into the dentate gyrus in rodents with TLE, but the scarcity of human fetal cells limits applicability in patient populations. In contrast, virtually limitless quantities of neural progenitors can be obtained from embryonic stem (ES) cells. ES cell-based therapies for neurological repair in TLE require evidence that the transplanted neurons integrate functionally and replace cell types that degenerate. To address these issues, we transplanted mouse ES cell-derived neural progenitors (ESNPs) with ventral forebrain identities into the hilus of the dentate gyrus of mice with TLE and evaluated graft differentiation, mossy fiber sprouting, cellular morphology, and electrophysiological properties of the transplanted neurons. In addition, we compared electrophysiological properties of the transplanted neurons with endogenous hilar interneurons in mice without TLE. The majority of transplanted ESNPs differentiated into GABAergic interneuron subtypes expressing calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin, calbindin, or calretinin. Global suppression of mossy fiber sprouting was not observed; however, ESNP-derived neurons formed dense axonal arborizations in the inner molecular layer and throughout the hilus. Whole-cell hippocampal slice electrophysiological recordings and morphological analyses of the transplanted neurons identified five basic types; most with strong after-hyperpolarizations and smooth or sparsely spiny dendritic morphologies resembling endogenous hippocampal interneurons. Moreover, intracellular recordings of spontaneous EPSCs indicated that the new cells functionally integrate into epileptic hippocampal circuitry.
A Mammalian Retinal Bipolar Cell Uses Both Graded Changes in Membrane Voltage and All-or-Nothing Na+Spikes to Encode Light
Authors: Saszik Shannon , DeVries Steven H.
Published: January 2012

Barlow (1953) studied summation in ganglion cell receptive fields and observed a fine discrimination of spatial information from which he inferred that retinal interneurons use analog signals to process images. Subsequent intracellular recordings confirmed that the interneurons of the outer retina, including photoreceptors, horizontal cells, and bipolar cells, respond to light with slow, graded changes in membrane potential. Analog processing may enable interneurons to discriminate fine gradations in light intensity and spatiotemporal pattern, but at the expense of the speed, temporal precision, and threshold discrimination that are characteristic of all-or-nothing Na+spikes. We show that one type of mammalian On bipolar cell, the ground squirrel cb5b, has a large tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive Na+current. When recorded from in the perforated patch configuration, cb5b cells can signal the onset of a light step with 1–3 all-or-nothing action potentials that attain a peak amplitude of −10 to −20 mV (peak width at half-height equals 2–3 ms). When exposed to a continuous, temporally fluctuating stimulus, cb5b cells generate both graded and spiking responses. Cb5b cells spike with millisecond precision, selecting for stimulus sequences in which transitions to light are preceded by a period of darkness. The axon terminals of cb5b bipolar cells costratify with the dendrites of amacrine and ganglion cells that encode light onset with a short latency burst of spikes. The results support the idea that a spiking On bipolar cell is part of a dedicated retinal pathway for rapidly and reliably signaling dark to light transitions.
SIRT1 Protects against α-Synuclein Aggregation by Activating Molecular Chaperones
Authors: Donmez Gizem , Arun Anirudh , Chung Chee-Yeun , McLean Pamela J. , Lindquist Susan , Guarente Leonard
Published: January 2012

α-Synuclein is a key molecule in the pathogenesis of synucleinopathy including dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease, and multiple system atrophy. Sirtuins are NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases that are highly conserved and counter aging in lower organisms. We show that the life span of a mouse model with A53T α-synuclein mutation is increased by overexpressing SIRT1 and decreased by knocking out SIRT1 in brain. Furthermore, α-synuclein aggregates are reduced in the brains of mice with SIRT1 overexpression and increased by SIRT1 deletion. We show that SIRT1 deacetylates HSF1 (heat shock factor 1) and increases HSP70 RNA and protein levels, but only in the brains of mice with A53T and SIRT1 expression. Thus, SIRT1 responds to α-synuclein aggregation-induced stress by activating molecular chaperones to protect against disease.
Eye Position Encoding in Three-Dimensional Space: Integration of Version and Vergence Signals in the Medial Posterior Parietal Cortex
Authors: Breveglieri Rossella , Hadjidimitrakis Kostas , Bosco Annalisa , Sabatini Silvio P. , Galletti Claudio , Fattori Patrizia
Published: January 2012

Eye position signals are pivotal in the visuomotor transformations performed by the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), but to date there are few studies addressing the influence of vergence angle upon single PPC neurons. In the present study, we investigated the influence on single neurons of the medial PPC area V6A of vergence and version signals. Single-unit activity was recorded from V6A in twoMacaca fascicularisfixating real targets in darkness. The fixation targets were placed at eye level and at different vergence and version angles within the peripersonal space. Few neurons were modulated by version or vergence only, while the majority of cells were affected by both signals. We advance here the hypothesis that gaze-modulated V6A cells are able to encode gazed positions in the three-dimensional space. In single cells, version and vergence influenced the discharge with variable time course. In several cases, the two gaze variables influence neural discharges during only a part of the fixation time, but, more often, their influence persisted through large parts of it. Cells discharging for the first 400–500 ms of fixation could signal the arrival of gaze (and/or of spotlight of attention) in a new position in the peripersonal space. Cells showing a more sustained activity during the fixation period could better signal the location in space of the gazed objects. Both signals are critical for the control of upcoming or ongoing arm movements, such as those needed to reach and grasp objects located in the peripersonal space.
Adenosine Enhances Sweet Taste through A2B Receptors in the Taste Bud
Authors: Dando Robin , Dvoryanchikov Gennady , Pereira Elizabeth , Chaudhari Nirupa , Roper Stephen D.
Published: January 2012

Mammalian taste buds use ATP as a neurotransmitter. Taste Receptor (type II) cells secrete ATP via gap junction hemichannels into the narrow extracellular spaces within a taste bud. This ATP excites primary sensory afferent fibers and also stimulates neighboring taste bud cells. Here we show that extracellular ATP is enzymatically degraded to adenosine within mouse vallate taste buds and that this nucleoside acts as an autocrine neuromodulator to selectively enhance sweet taste. In Receptor cells in a lingual slice preparation, Ca2+mobilization evoked by focally applied artificial sweeteners was significantly enhanced by adenosine (50 μm). Adenosine had no effect on bitter or umami taste responses, and the nucleoside did not affect Presynaptic (type III) taste cells. We also used biosensor cells to measure transmitter release from isolated taste buds. Adenosine (5 μm) enhanced ATP release evoked by sweet but not bitter taste stimuli. Using single-cell reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR on isolated vallate taste cells, we show that many Receptor cells express the adenosine receptor, Adora2b, while Presynaptic (type III) and Glial-like (type I) cells seldom do. Furthermore, Adora2b receptors are significantly associated with expression of the sweet taste receptor subunit, Tas1r2. Adenosine is generated during taste stimulation mainly by the action of the ecto-5′-nucleotidase, NT5E, and to a lesser extent, prostatic acid phosphatase. Both these ecto-nucleotidases are expressed by Presynaptic cells, as shown by single-cell RT-PCR, enzyme histochemistry, and immunofluorescence. Our findings suggest that ATP released during taste reception is degraded to adenosine to exert positive modulation particularly on sweet taste.
Respiration Drives Network Activity and Modulates Synaptic and Circuit Processing of Lateral Inhibition in the Olfactory Bulb
Authors: Phillips Matthew E. , Sachdev Robert N. S. , Willhite David C. , Shepherd Gordon M.
Published: January 2012

Respiration produces rhythmic activity in the entire olfactory system, driving neurons in the olfactory epithelium, olfactory bulb (OB), and cortex. The rhythmic nature of this activity is believed to be a critical component of sensory processing. OB projection neurons, mitral and tufted cells exhibit both spiking and subthreshold membrane potential oscillations rhythmically coupled to respiration. However, the network and synaptic mechanisms that produce respiration-coupled activity, and the effects of respiration on lateral inhibition, a major component of sensory processing in OB circuits, are not known. Is respiration-coupled activity in mitral and tufted cells produced by sensory synaptic inputs from nasal airflow alone, cortico-bulbar feedback, or intrinsic membrane properties of the projection neurons? Does respiration facilitate or modulate the activity of inhibitory lateral circuits in the OB? Here,in vivointracellular recordings from identified mitral and tufted cells in anesthetized rats demonstrate that nasal airflow provides excitatory synaptic inputs to both cell types and drives respiration-coupled spiking. Lateral inhibition, inhibitory postsynaptic potentials evoked by intrabulbar microstimulation, was modulated by respiration. In individual mitral and tufted cells, inhibition was larger at specific respiratory phases. However, lateral inhibition was not uniformly larger during a particular respiratory phase in either cell type. Removing nasal airflow abolished respiration-coupled spiking in both cell types and nearly eliminated spiking in mitral, but not tufted, cells. In the absence of nasal airflow, lateral inhibition was weaker in mitral cells and less modulated in tufted cells. Thus, respiration drives distinct network activities that functionally modulate sensory processing in the OB.
Dopaminergic Signaling in the Cochlea: Receptor Expression Patterns and Deletion Phenotypes
Authors: Maison Stéphane F. , Liu Xiao-Ping , Eatock Ruth Anne , Sibley David R. , Grandy David K. , Liberman M. Charles
Published: January 2012

Pharmacological studies suggest that dopamine release from lateral olivocochlear efferent neurons suppresses spontaneous and sound-evoked activity in cochlear nerve fibers and helps control noise-induced excitotoxicity; however, the literature on cochlear expression and localization of dopamine receptors is contradictory. To better characterize cochlear dopaminergic signaling, we studied receptor localization using immunohistochemistry or reverse transcriptase PCR and assessed histopathology, cochlear responses and olivocochlear function in mice with targeted deletion of each of the five receptor subtypes. In normal ears, D1, D2, and D5 receptors were detected in microdissected immature (postnatal days 10–13) spiral ganglion cells and outer hair cells but not inner hair cells. D4 was detected in spiral ganglion cells only. In whole cochlea samples from adults, transcripts for D1, D2, D4, and D5 were present, whereas D3 mRNA was never detected. D1 and D2 immunolabeling was localized to cochlear nerve fibers, near the first nodes of Ranvier (D2) and in the inner spiral bundle region (D1 and D2) where presynaptic olivocochlear terminals are found. No other receptor labeling was consistent. Cochlear function was normal in D3, D4, and D5 knock-outs. D1 and D2 knock-outs showed slight, but significant enhancement and suppression, respectively, of cochlear responses, both in the neural output [auditory brainstem response (ABR) wave 1] and in outer hair cell function [distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs)]. Vulnerability to acoustic injury was significantly increased in D2, D4 and D5 lines: D1 could not be tested, and no differences were seen in D3 mutants, consistent with a lack of receptor expression. The increased vulnerability in D2 knock-outs was seen in DPOAEs, suggesting a role for dopamine in the outer hair cell area. In D4 and D5 knock-outs, the increased noise vulnerability was seen only in ABRs, consistent with a role for dopaminergic signaling in minimizing neural damage.
Phase–Amplitude Coupling in Human Electrocorticography Is Spatially Distributed and Phase Diverse
Authors: van der Meij Roemer , Kahana Michael , Maris Eric
Published: January 2012

Spatially distributed phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) is a possible mechanism for selectively routing information through neuronal networks. If so, two key properties determine its selectivity and flexibility, phase diversity over space, and frequency diversity. To investigate these issues, we analyzed 42 human electrocorticographic recordings from 27 patients performing a working memory task. We demonstrate that (1) spatially distributed PAC occurred at distances >10 cm, (2) involved diverse preferred coupling phases, and (3) involved diverse frequencies. Using a novel technique [N-way decomposition based on the PARAFAC (for Parallel Factor analysis) model], we demonstrate that (4) these diverse phases originated mainly from the phase-providing oscillations. With these properties, PAC can be the backbone of a mechanism that is able to separate spatially distributed networks operating in parallel.
Dock3 Stimulates Axonal Outgrowth via GSK-3β-Mediated Microtubule Assembly
Authors: Namekata Kazuhiko , Harada Chikako , Guo Xiaoli , Kimura Atsuko , Kittaka Daiji , Watanabe Hayaki , Harada Takayuki
Published: January 2012

Dock3, a new member of the guanine nucleotide exchange factors, causes cellular morphological changes by activating the small GTPase Rac1. Overexpression of Dock3 in neural cells promotes axonal outgrowth downstream of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling. We previously showed that Dock3 forms a complex with Fyn and WASP (Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein) family verprolin-homologous (WAVE) proteins at the plasma membrane, and subsequent Rac1 activation promotes actin polymerization. Here we show that Dock3 binds to and inactivates glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) at the plasma membrane, thereby increasing the nonphosphorylated active form of collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP-2), which promotes axon branching and microtubule assembly. Exogenously applied BDNF induced the phosphorylation of GSK-3β and dephosphorylation of CRMP-2 in hippocampal neurons. Moreover, increased phosphorylation of GSK-3β was detected in the regenerating axons of transgenic mice overexpressing Dock3 after optic nerve injury. These results suggest that Dock3 plays important roles downstream of BDNF signaling in the CNS, where it regulates cell polarity and promotes axonal outgrowth by stimulating dual pathways: actin polymerization and microtubule assembly.
First sedimentary record of the pre-obduction convergence in New Caledonia: formation of an Early Eocene accretionary complex in the north of Grande Terre and emplacement of the ‘Montagnes Blanches’ nappe
Authors: Maurizot Pierre
Published: January 2012

New Caledonia lies at the northern tip of the Norfolk ridge, a continental fragment separated from the east Gondwana margin during the Late Cretaceous. Stratigraphic data for constraining the convergence that led to ophiolitic nappes being obducted over Grande Terre during the Eocene are both few and inaccurate. To try and fill this gap and determine the onset of the convergence, we investigated the lithology, sedimentology, biostratigraphy and geodynamic context of the Late Cretaceous – Palaeogene sedimentary cover-rock succession of northern New Caledonia. We were able to establish new stratigraphic correlations between the sedimentary units, which display large southwest-verging overfolds detached along a basal argillite series, and reinterpret their interrelationships. The sediments from the Cretaceous-Paleocene interval were deposited in a post-rift pelagic environment and are mainly biogenic with minimal terrigenous input. From the base up, they comprise black organic-rich sulphide-bearing argillite, black chert (silicified equivalent of the argillite), micritic with chert, and micrite rich in planktonic foraminifera. These passive-margin deposits are found regionally on the Norfolk Ridge down to New Zealand, and on the Lord Howe Rise, and were controlled primarily by regional or global environmental factors. The overlying Eocene deposits mark a change to an active-margin regime with distal calciturbidite and proximal breccia representing the earliest Paleogene flysch-type deposits in New Caledonia. The change from an extensional to a compressive regime marks the beginning of the pre-obduction convergence and can be assigned fairly accurately in the Koumac–Gomen area to the end of the Early Eocene (Late Ypresian, Biozone E7) at c 50 Ma. From this period on, the post-Late Cretaceous cover in northern New Caledonia was caught up and recycled in a southwest-verging accretionary complex ahead of which flysch was deposited in a flexural foreland basin. The system prograded southwards until the Late Eocene collisional stage, when the continental Norfolk ridge entered the convergence zone and blocked it. At this point the autochthonous and parautochthonous sedimentary cover and overlying flysch of northern New Caledonia was thrust over the younger flysch to the south to form a newly defined allochthonous unit, the ‘Montagnes Blanches’ nappe, that is systematically intercalated between the flysch and the obducted ophiolite units throughout Grande Terre.
Topologies on central extensions of von Neumann algebras
Authors: Ayupov Shavkat , Kudaybergenov Karimbergen , Djumamuratov Rauaj
Published: January 2012

Given a von Neumann algebra M, we consider the central extension E(M) of M. We introduce the topology t
c(M) on E(M) generated by a center-valued norm and prove that it coincides with the topology of local convergence in measure on E(M) if and only if M does not have direct summands of type II. We also show that t
c(M) restricted to the set E(M)h of self-adjoint elements of E(M) coincides with the order topology on E(M)h if and only if M is a σ-finite type Ifin von Neumann algebra.
On a space of smooth functions on a convex unbounded set in ℝn admitting holomorphic extension in ℂn
Authors: Musin Il’dar , Yakovleva Polina
Published: January 2012

For some given logarithmically convex sequence M of positive numbers we construct a subspace of the space of rapidly decreasing infinitely differentiable functions on an unbounded closed convex set in ℝn. Due to the conditions on M each function of this space admits a holomorphic extension in ℂn. In the current article, the space of holomorphic extensions is considered and Paley-Wiener type theorems are established. To prove these theorems, some auxiliary results on extensions of holomorphic functions satisfying some weighted L
2-bounds in a domain of holomorphy in ℂn are obtained with the aid of L. Hörmander’s method of L
2-bounds for the
$$\bar \partial$$
operator. Also, some new facts on the Fourier-Laplace transform of tempered distributions complementing some well-known results of V.S. Vladimirov are employed.
A Mixed Neoplasm of Intraosseous Hemangioma with an Ameloblastoma: A Case of Collision Tumor or a Rare Variant?
Authors: Jois Harshvardhan S. , Kumar K.P Mohan , Kumar Mandali Satish , Waghrey Shefali
Published: January 2012

Hemangiomas of the head and neck are considered to be benign tumors of infancy that are characterized by a rapid growth phase with endothelial cell proliferation, followed by gradual involution. Central hemangiomas are a rare occurrence and even rarer are the hybrid tumors of central hemangiomas with odontogenic tumors such as ameloblastomas. This paper reports a case of one such hybrid tumor in a middle aged adult clinical presenting as a mandibular swelling with indistinct mixed radiographic presentation and histopathologically comprising of intimately associated hemangiomatous vascular channels and typical ameloblastic areas. To the authors’ knowledge this is the sixth case of such a hemangiomatous ameloblastoma which has been reported till date.
Emerging Pharmacotherapy for Relapsed or Refractory Hodgkins Lymphoma: Focus on Brentuximab Vedotin
Authors: Furtado Michelle , Rule Simon
Published: January 2012

Hodgkins lymphoma (HL) which has relapsed post or is refractory to autologous bone marrow transplant presents an ongoing treatment challenge. Development of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) for the treatment of HL has aimed to replicate the success of mAb therapy in the treatment on Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. The identification of CD30 as a potential target for treatment has led to the development of a new antibody-drug conjugate, brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35), which conjugates monomethyl auristatin E to an anti-CD30 antibody to deliver targeted toxicity to the malignant Reed Sternberg cells of HL. This review describes CD30 as an antibody target, and focuses on the antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin, including current knowledge of the mechanism of action, preclinical, clinical and pharmacokinetic data available for Brentuximab Vedotin.
Aflibercept in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Wang Tzu-Fei , Lockhart Albert Craig
Published: January 2012

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the US. In recent decades, an improved understanding of the role of the angiogenesis pathway in colorectal cancer has led to advancements in treatment. Bevacizumab has been shown to improve the progression-free survival and overall survival when combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and at present is the only antiangiogenesis agent approved for the treatment of this cancer. Aflibercept is a novel angiogenesis-targeting agent, and has demonstrated efficacy in treating metastatic colorectal cancer in a recent randomized Phase III trial. Here we review the role of angiogenesis in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer, strategies for targeting angiogenesis, and the clinical development of aflibercept.
The Concentration-Compactness Principle in the Calculus of Variations. The Limit Case, Part 2
Authors: Lions Pierre-Louis
Published: January 2012

This paper is the second part of a work devoted to the study of variational problems (with constraints) in functional spaces defined on domains presenting some (local) form of invariance by a non-compact group of transformations like the dilations in

\mathbb R^N

. This contains for example the class of problems associated with the determination of extremal functions in inequalities like Sovolev inequalities, convolution or trace inequalities... We show how the concentration-compactness principle and method introduced in the so-called locally compact case are to be modified in order to solve these problems and we present applications to Functional Analysis, Mathematical Physics, Differential Geometry and Harmonic Analysis.