bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stereotactic Body radiation therapy for liver tumors with or without rotational intensity modulated radiation therapy
Authors: Nouhaud Elodie , Créhange Gilles , Cueff Adèle , Quivrin Magali , Rouffiac-Thouant Magali , Mineur Laurent , Garcia Robin , Chamois Jérôme , Maingon Philippe
Published: November 2013

Background

To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for primary liver lesions and liver metastases treated with linear accelerators with or without rotational Intensity Modulated RadioTherapy (IMRT).

Methods

Patients with either hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma or metastatic liver lesions who had one to three lesions treated with SBRT in a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. Tumor response was evaluated according to EASL criteria 3 months after SBRT completion using MRI and/or abdominal CT scan. Responses were categorised as: Stable Disease (SD), Partial Response (PR), Complete Response (CR), Local Progression or Distant Progression in cases of new intra-hepatic lesions out-of-field or extra-hepatic metastases. Local Control (LC), Progression Free Survival (PFS), Overall Survival (OS) and treatment-related toxicities are reported.

Results

Between 2007 and 2012, 20 patients with a total of 24 lesions were treated with SBRT. Fourteen patients presented hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the others had either metastatic lesions from colorectal cancer (CRC) or cholangiocarcinoma. The median diameter of the lesions was 23 mm (5–98).

The dose per fraction ranged from 6 to 20 Gy with a median total dose of 60 Gy (range: 36–60 Gy). The dose was prescribed to the 80% isodose line covering the PTV.

The median follow-up was 24 months (15.7-29.7).

The actuarial LC rate was 78% for patients with HCC and 83% for those with adenocarcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Median OS was 37 months and OS rates were 83% at 12 and 24 months for HCC and 100% for adenocarcinoma. PFS was 54% for HCC and 50% for other types of tumors at 24 months.

Acute grade 3–4 toxicities occurred in 2 patients; a small proportion of the other patients experienced grade 1 or 2 toxicities.

Conclusions

SBRT provides excellent local control with minimal side effects in selected patients.
Remarkable prevalence of coeliac disease in patients with irritable bowel syndrome plus fibromyalgia in comparison with those with isolated irritable bowel syndrome: a case-finding study
Authors: Rodrigo Luis , Blanco Ignacio , Bobes Julio , de Serres Frederick J
Published: November 2013

Introduction

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) are two common central sensitization disorders frequently associated in the same patient, and some of these patients with IBS plus FMS (IBS/FMS) could actually be undiagnosed of coeliac disease (CD). The present study was an active case finding for CD in two IBS cohorts, one constituted by IBS/FMS subjects and the other by people with isolated IBS.

Methods

A total of 104 patients (89.4% females) fulfilling the 1990 ACR criteria for FMS and the Rome III criteria for IBS classification and 125 unrelated age- and sex-matched IBS patients without FMS underwent the following studies: haematological, coagulation and biochemistry tests, serological and genetic markers for CD (i.e., tissue transglutaminase 2 (tTG-2) and major histocompatibility complex HLA-DQ2/HLA-DQ8), multiple gastric and duodenal biopsies, FMS tender points (TPs), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Visual Analogue Scales (VASs) for tiredness and gastrointestinal complaints.

Results

As a whole, IBS/FMS patients scored much worse in quality of life and VAS scores than those with isolated IBS (P < 0.001). Seven subjects (6.7%) from the IBS/FMS group displayed HLA-DQ2/HLA-DQ8 positivity, high tTG-2 serum levels and duodenal villous atrophy, concordant with CD. Interestingly enough, these seven patients were started on a gluten-free diet (GFD), showing a remarkable improvement in their digestive and systemic symptoms on follow-up.

Conclusions

The findings of this screening indicate that a non-negligible percentage of IBS/FMS patients are CD patients, whose symptoms can improve and in whom long-term CD-related complications might possibly be prevented with a strict lifelong GFD.
LGR4 and Its Ligands, R-Spondin 1 and R-Spondin 3, Regulate Food Intake in the Hypothalamus of Male Rats
Authors: Li Ji-Yao , Chai Biaoxin , Zhang Weizhen , Fritze Danielle M. , Zhang Chao , Mulholland Michael W.
Published: November 2013

The hypothalamus plays a key role in the regulation of feeding behavior. Several hypothalamic nuclei, including the arcuate nucleus (ARC), paraventricular nucleus, and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH), are involved in energy homeostasis. Analysis of microarray data derived from ARC revealed that leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 4 (LGR4) is highly expressed. LGR4, LGR5, and LGR6 form a subfamily of closely related receptors. Recently, R-spondin (Rspo) family proteins were identified as ligands of the LGR4 subfamily. In the present study, we investigated the distribution and function of LGR4–LGR6 and Rspos (1–4) in the brain of male rat. In situ hybridization showed that LGR4 is expressed in the ARC, VMH, and median eminence of the hypothalamus. LGR4 colocalizes with neuropeptide Y, proopiomelanocortin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor neurons. LGR5 is not detectable with in situ hybridization; LGR6 is only expressed in the epithelial lining of the lower portion of the third ventricle and median eminence. Rspo1 is expressed in the VMH and down-regulated with fasting. Rspo3 is expressed in the paraventricular nucleus and also down-regulated with fasting. Rspos 1 and 3 colocalize with the neuronal marker HuD, indicating that they are expressed by neurons. Injection of Rspo1 or Rspo3 into the third brain ventricle inhibited food intake. Rspo1 decreased neuropeptide Y and increased proopiomelanocortin expression in the ARC. Rspo1 and Rspo3 mRNA is up-regulated by insulin. These data indicate that Rspo1 and Rspo3 and their receptor LGR4 form novel circuits in the brain to regulate energy homeostasis.
A Novel Hormone Is Required for the Development of Reproductive Phenotypes in Adult Female Crabs
Authors: Zmora Nilli , Chung J. Sook
Published: November 2013

The crustacean male-specific androgenic hormone is widely accepted as a key factor in sexual differentiation and in the development of secondary sex characteristics. However, the mechanism by which the plethora of different reproductive strategies are controlled and executed in crustaceans is not known. We discovered in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, a hitherto unknown neurohormone, named crustacean female sex hormone (CFSH), in distinct neurosecretory cells in the eyestalk ganglia. CFSH is highly expressed in females but weakly in males, and its crucial role in developing adult female phenotypes has now been established. CFSH cDNA encodes a 225-amino acid (aa) novel protein composed of a 23-aa predicted signal peptide, 33-aa precursor-related peptide and 167-aa mature protein that did not match any other sequence in GenBank. CFSH RNA interference knockdown by multiple administrations of double-stranded RNA at the prepubertal stage causes abnormal development of brooding and mating systems upon puberty. These systems include a pair of gonopores and an egg attachment system for brooding, comprised of an enlarged semicircular abdomen and ovigerous setae. The ovigerous setae in CFSH knocked-down females were fewer and 50% shorter and the gonopores were either significantly smaller than those of controls, misplaced, or absent. We also identified CFSH in the green crab, Carcinus maenas, a species that shares a similar reproductive strategy with C. sapidus. Together, our data provide the first evidence for the presence of a female hormone in crustaceans and its importance in positively controlling anatomic features associated with brooding and mating systems. From an evolutionary standpoint, the endocrine control supporting a female-specific reproductive strategy, as previously described for many vertebrate species, has now been demonstrated for the first time in crustaceans.
Perpetrators and Victims: Third-Generation Perspectives on the Second World War in Marcel Beyer'sFlughundeand Erwin Mortier'sMarcel
Authors: Lensen Jan
Published: November 2013

This essay examines contemporary rewritings of World War II memory narratives. Drawing on the examples of Flughunde (1995) by German author Marcel Beyer and Marcel (1999) by Flemish author Erwin Mortier, I analyze the ways in which both authors address the complex processes of the transfer of guilt and perpetratorship from one generation to the next, processes that have marked public discourses in both national collectives in the aftermath of the war. I show how both authors challenge such habitual transfer, instead insisting on critical distance, empathic witnessing, and narrative integration. In this manner, they enable a fresh and productive approach to the past that moves beyond guilty silence, assignation of blame, or even calls for amnesty — a stance that notably sets them apart from previous writings on the war. Both Beyer and Mortier participate in what has come to be known as “third generation” literature, which, as I argue, opens up remarkable transnational perspectives for the discussion of Europe's war past.
Personification and a Trope of Writing: Nakano Shigeharu's “Language of Slaves”
Authors: Abel Jonathan E.
Published: November 2013

Tropes that connect human corpses and literary corpora are as old, perhaps, as writing itself, yet in recent years the personification of texts has come under scrutiny. Despite such critical tendencies either to disregard connections between people and texts as manifestations of pathetic fallacies or to overvalue the biological and historical identity of writers over the linguistic content of their texts, written arguments against real oppression and suppression remain powerful precisely when writers use tropes to bestow language, writing, or texts with basic characteristics of living organisms. Drawing on Nakano Shigeharu's passing use of the trope “the language of slaves” to describe the practice of using blank type and deletion marks under imperial Japanese censorship, this article argues that recent assessments of the ethics of personifying texts and language are far from universal.
The Closet in the Party: The Young Socialist Alliance, the Socialist Workers Party, and Homosexuality, 1962 – 1970
Authors: Phelps Christopher
Published: November 2013

During the 1960s, the Young Socialist Alliance (YSA) and Socialist Workers Party (SWP) were highly active in the movement against the Vietnam War and other social movements in the United States. Between 1962 and 1970, their leaderships sought to exclude homosexuality from their ranks. Using all available documentation, oral history, and correspondence, this article reconstructs for the first time how SWP and YSA members attracted to others of the same sex were either pushed out of the movement or compelled to circumvent the policy by building closets. By drawing on recent scholarship on the “straight state” in the United States, it explains that these socialist groups moved to bar same-sex sexuality because the state had incited both security concerns (fears that the government would pressure arrested homosexuals to become federal informants) and cultural anxiety (fears that “bohemian” styles would alienate American working-class recruits from socialism). It compares YSA and SWP policy to those of other leftist and working-class parties and organizations, including the Communist Party and Maoist and New Left organizations. After coming under strong external criticism by the gay and women's liberation movements, the YSA and SWP abandoned their antigay membership restriction in 1970. They therefore exemplify both the institutional suppression of homosexuality at midcentury and the transformations in civic and political culture generated by the gay liberation movement.
Mass Loss and Nose Shape Change on Ogive-nose Steel Projectiles During Concrete Penetration
Authors: Wu Hai-Jun , Huang Feng-Lei , Wang Yi-Nan , Duan Zhou-Ping , Shan Yu
Published: November 2013

The mass loss of the nose of projectile is an obvious phenomenon in high-speed penetration into concrete target. The mass loss percentage depends linearly on the impact velocities of projectile according to experimental data fitting results. A semi-empirical model, which can calculate the ogive-nose shape change due to mass loss, is developed in this paper. The modified penetration model shows that the penetration depth is influenced by nose erosion.
Energy Absorption Characteristics of Closed-cell AZ91 Magnesium Alloy Foam
Authors: Chen Li , Zhang Qing-Ming , Liu Chun-Lei , Zhang Xiao-Wei , Long Ren-Rong
Published: November 2013

The energy absorption characteristics of foam materials can be represented by specific energy absorption W, energy absorption efficiency E and ideal energy absorption efficiency I. The influences of strain rate, cell size, relative density and the content of SiC on energy absorption characteristics of magnesium alloy foam were investigated by dynamic compression experiments. The experimental results showed that the cell size of magnesium alloy foam had significant effect on energy absorption characteristics and the strain rate effect of closed-cell AZ91 magnesium with larger cell size was more sensitive, and the strain rate effect was more sensitive to the closed-cell AZ91 magnesium with larger cell size. The energy absorption characteristics could be optimized by adjusting the cell size. Moreover, the influence of relative density on energy absorption characteristics was not significant and high content of SiC particle had unfavorable effect on energy absorption properties of magnesium foam.
Error Estimates of Homogenization Theory
Authors: Song Wei-Dong , Ning Jian-Guo , Wang Jing , Li Jian-Qiao
Published: November 2013

Basic assumptions are introduced into a homogenization theory which is described in the form of elliptic differential equations with a small parameter. Homogenization operators are used to solve the equations by asymptotic expansion methods, and error estimates of homogenization solutions are given.
Phraseologie: übersetzerische Entscheidungen zwischen Text und Wörterbuch. Analytische Beobachtungen anhand der deutsch-slowenischen literarischen Übersetzung
Authors: Jesenšek Vida
Published: November 2013

Most phrasemes contain varied semantic, stylistic, functionally pragmatic, and text-forming properties. Furthermore, phrasemes also contain additional semantic and pragmatic properties. Hence, they are regarded as complex for the translation process. Their complexity becomes even more evident during literary translation. The relationship between dictionary equivalence and text equivalence within interlingual connections is considered as particularly important. Consequently, it is observed in the present paper. The research is based on recorded instances of translated phrasemes between German as the source language and Slovene as the target language. The paper outlines how original German phrasemes were translated into Slovene, which translation procedures and strategies were applied, and to what extent dictionaries were used during the translation process. It has become evident that contrastive-linguistically defined and lexicographically documented phraseological system equivalence does not sufficiently cater for the active translator. The active translator namely principally seeks functionally pragmatic interlingual equivalence, which has to be determined in compliance with a given context. The analysis has shown many phrasemes to feature specific semantic characteristics. Consequently, the meaning of each phraseme is essentially dependent on context. Meanings of phrasemes vary significantly and can lexicographically be accurately deduced only by taking different contexts into consideration. Requirements for highlighting phraseology in dictionaries appropriately - in order for dictionaries to be applicable as viable translation aids - should therefore be based on the essential semantic characteristics of phrasemes in order to enable the user (translator) to access a vast repository of tentative translation equivalents.
An Alternative Approach to Enlightenment Age Lexicography: The Universal Dictionary of Trade and Commerce
Authors: Tarp Sven , Bothma Theo J.D.
Published: November 2013

This article deals with lexicography from the Age of Enlightenment. The idea is not only to understand what was done but also to see if anything relevant to modern lexicography could be retrieved from this historical experience. With this objective, it will have a closer look at a specific eighteenth-century dictionary, viz. Malachy Postlethwayt’s Universal Dictionary of Trade and Commerce, published in four editions between 1751 and 1774. This work is selected because it is one of the most comprehensive and complex specialised dictionaries produced in that era. The article will first place the dictionary in its historical environment. It will then make a detailed study of its very rich content with a view to systematising the various types of lexicographical data included as well as the structures applied to assist the users when navigating through its highly complex pages. The analysis will show the great variety of items which Postlethwayt put into his dictionary in order to meet the multi-facetted needs of a broad group of users. In some aspects, the dictionary displays very advanced features which may even inspire modern lexicography, especially online lexicography. It seems that relevant lexicographical knowledge from the Age of Enlightenment was more or less forgotten due to the predominance of the erroneous idea that dictionaries are books of words and not of “things” as many eighteenth- century lexicographers described their products. The article therefore makes a call to recover the holistic Enlightenment Age vision of lexicography and re-integrate “dictionaries of things” into modern lexicographical theory and practice.
Toward a Psycho-Analytics of Power: Nietzsche’s Ascetic Priest in Foucault’s Genealogy of Sexuality
Authors: Konoval Brandon
Published: November 2013

To what extent is Michel Foucault’s history of sexuality a genealogy that observes the model of Nietzsche, and furthermore employs Nietzsche’s account or portrayal of power relations? This study assesses the relationship between Foucault’s
Morgenröte der unreinen Vernunft. Nietzsche bei Ortega y Gasset
Authors: Conill-Sancho Jesús
Published: November 2013

Das Hauptziel der vorliegenden Studie besteht darin, die konstante Präsenz Nietzsches bei Ortega y Gasset und ihre Bedeutung für verschiedene entschei- dende Aspekte von dessen Denken auszuweisen. Das gilt insbesondere für die Entstehung der vitalen Vernunft als Ausdruck der Morgenröte der unreinen Vernunft. Damit wird ein neuer philosophischer Horizont eröffnet, der in der Lage ist, Idealismus und Positivismus zugleich zu überwinden. Nachdem der nietzschesche Hintergrund von Ortegas Denkweg von der reinen Vernunft zur unreinen Vernunft in Form der vitalen Vernunft geklärt worden ist, werden die folgenden nietzscheschen Elemente in Ortegas Philosophie der vitalen Vernunft behandelt: Phantasie und Vernunft, phantastisches Tier, perspektivistische Poetisierung und Metaphorisierung, Lebensbewertungen und Übermensch.
Oh Mensch! Gieb Acht! Kontextuelle Interpretation des Mitternachts-Lieds aus Also sprach Zarathustra
Authors: Stegmaier Werner
Published: November 2013

Das Gedicht „Oh Mensch! Gieb Acht!“ aus
Tensile properties of polycaprolactone/nano-CaCO3 composites
Authors: Liang Ji-Zhao , Duan De-Rong , Tang Chak-Yin , Tsui Chi-Pong , Chen Da-Zhu , Zhang Shui-Dong
Published: November 2013

The effects of nanometer calcium carbonate content and tensile rate on the tensile properties of the filled polycaprolactone (PCL) composites were investigated. There was a certain reinforcing effect of the filler on the PCL resin. The tensile modulus increased nonlinearly, and the tensile strength also increased with increase of the filler weight fraction. When the filler weight fraction was kept constant, the tensile modulus and tensile strength increased slightly with increasing tensile rates. By comparing the experimental results with those determined from the tensile yield strength theory, the interfacial adhesion between the filler and matrix was found to be relatively strong; it should be one of the reasons for the good reinforcing effect.
A Sociolinguistic Account of WikiPiedmontese and WikiLombard / Eine soziolinguistische Auswertung von Wiki-Piedmontesisch und Wiki-Lombardisch / Etude sociolinguistique des Wikipédias en piémontais et en lombard
Authors: Miola Emanuele
Published: November 2013

Obwohl nach populärer und teilweise auch wissenschaftlicher Auffassung die Italo- Romanischen Dialekte, vor allem das norditalienische Piemontesische und Lombardische, seit den 1960er Jahren dem Untergang geweiht schienen, sind sie heute nicht nur noch lebendig, sondern offenbar weiter verbreitet als je zuvor.

Dieser Artikel untersucht die piemontesischen und lombardischen Dialekt-Wikipedias aus soziolinguistischer Sicht. Er zeigt, wie viele Mitarbeiter sie haben; welchen Alters, Geschlechts und sozialen Status sie sind; welche Art von Dialekt sie verwenden und welche soziolinguistischen Werte in ihnen zum Ausdruck kommen.

Zuletzt werden auf Grundlage dieser Daten die unterschiedlichen Einstellungen der piemontesischen und lombardischen Protagonisten eines Online-Sprachausbaus diskutiert, wobei unterschiedliche Haltungen zu Fragen der Standardisierung zutage treten.
The use and the discursive functions of English in native-language online conversations among Dutch and German youth / Gebrauch und diskursive Funktionen des Englischen in muttersprachlichen Online-Gesprächen bei niederländischen und deutschen Jugendlichen / Utilisation et fonctions discursives de l'anglais dans les conversations en ligne et en langue maternelle chez les jeunes néerlandais et allemands
Authors: Dailey-O’Cain Jennifer
Published: November 2013

Wenn auch die meisten jungen Menschen in Europa Englisch in der Schule lernen, so bieten sich damit doch in den europäischen Ländern unterschiedliche Kontaktmög- lichkeiten. Meinungs- und Nutzungsbefragungen deuten darauf hin, dass Jugendliche in verschiedenen Teilen Europas die englische Sprache unterschiedlich verwenden können. In Anbetracht dessen untersucht dieser Beitrag, wie niederländische und deutsche Jugendliche Englisch in ansonsten einsprachiger Kommunikation im Internet gebrauchen.

Die Daten für diese Untersuchung stammen aus Gesprächen zweier Internet- gemeinschaften überwiegend von Jugendlichen: einer niederländischen und einer deutschen. Die Analyse bedient sich eines gemischten Modells quantitativer und qualitativer Methoden und konzentriert sich auf zwei Fragen: Wie viel Englisch verwendet die jeweilige Gemeindschaft, und welche Funktionen hat Englisch in der Interaktion? Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass unterschiedliche Sprachideologien die Art und Weise beeinflussen, wie Jugendliche der beiden Länder die englische Sprache sehen und verwenden.
Small stories research and social media practices: Narrative stancetaking and circulation in a Greek news story / Kleine Geschichtenforschung und Soziale Medien: Erzählhaltung und Verbreitung in einer griechischen News Story / Recherche de petites histoires et pratiques des média sociaux : Prise de position narrative et diffusion d’un reportage grec
Authors: Georgakopoulou Alexandra
Published: November 2013

Diese Untersuchung analysiert eine heftige Konfrontation im griechischen Fernsehen wahrend der Wahlen von 2012 und wie sie sich rasend schnell im Internet verbreitete. Obwohl der erbitterte und skandalose Vorfall Youtube weltweit Zuschauer einbrachte, ging die Beurteilung des Geschehens seitens der Rezipienten weit auseinander. Die eigene griechische Nation urteilte ganz anders als die globalen Zuschauer. Sowohl die sprachliche als auch die fachliche lokale griechische Darstellung bewirkte, dass die Kommentatoren die Geschichte ganz unterschiedlich wiedergaben, kategorisierten und bewerteten. Die Geschichte wurde bei ihrer globalen Verbreitung von den Rezipienten ganz unterschiedlich relokalisiert, indem sie das Geschehen kulturspezifisch und kontextbezogen in jeweils spezifische lokale griechische Realitaten einbanden.
Cutting across media spaces and boundaries: The case of a hybrid, indigenous Sámi TV comedy / Quer durch alle Medienräume und -grenzen: Der Fall einer hybriden, indigenen Sami-Fernseh-Komödie / Au-delà des frontières et des espaces médiatiques : Hybridité, humour et indigénéité sâme à la télévision finlandaise
Authors: Pietikäinen Sari , Dlaske Kati
Published: November 2013

Die Dynamik vieler zeitgenössischer Medien schafft neue, potenziell aber auch strittige Möglichkeiten der Sprach Verwendung und -mischung. In diesem Artikel konzentrieren wir uns auf eines der neuesten samischen Fernsehprogramme, eine mehrsprachige Sami- Fernseh-Komödie, und untersuchen, wie dieses neuartige Medienumfeld für indigene Sami-Sprachen die zwei wohl bekannten Genres der Musik-Video Parodie und des anthropologischen Dokumentarfilms aufnimmt, und sich zu eigen macht. Mit einem diskurs-analytischen Ansatz zeigen wir ferner, wie die Art und Weise, in der die Show produziert und verbreitet wird, ein mediales Netzwerk nutzt, das außer Funk- und Druckmedien auch soziale Medien umfasst. In diesem Netzwerk bricht die traditionelle Trennung von „alten“ und „neuen“ Medien zusammen. Stattdessen entsteht ein hybrider Medienraum, der neue Arten von Grenzüberschreitungen und neue Ausdrucksformen der samischen Identität, der Zentrums- und Peripherie-Beziehungen sowie Minderheits- und Mehrheits-Positionen, eröffnet.
Effect of Coir Waste on the Geotechnical Characteristics of Soil
Authors: Jayasree P. K. , Balan K. , Nisha K. K. , Thushara T. S.
Published: November 2013

Kerala (the southernmost state in India), which is named after a coconut tree, is the first place that produced coir. The process of coir extraction produces coir waste, the disposal of which is becoming a major problem recently. Coir waste includes dusty matter called coir pith, along with some baby fibers. Studies have not yet been conducted on the influence of these coir wastes regarding the engineering behavior of soil. Two types of soils viz. lateritic soil and soft clay have been considered using different percentage of coir waste ranging from 0.5 % to 3 % by weight of soil. The main objective of the present investigation is to assess the usefulness of coir waste as a soil admixture and is focused on its influence on the engineering properties of soil. The present study covers the characterization of soils and coir pith, compaction behavior, CA bearing ratio, swelling and compressibility behavior. The results show that addition of coir waste modifies the geotechnical characteristics of both types of soils.
The Cingulo-Opercular Network Provides Word-Recognition Benefit
Authors: Vaden Kenneth I. , Kuchinsky Stefanie E. , Cute Stephanie L. , Ahlstrom Jayne B. , Dubno Judy R. , Eckert Mark A.
Published: November 2013

Recognizing speech in difficult listening conditions requires considerable focus of attention that is often demonstrated by elevated activity in putative attention systems, including the cingulo-opercular network. We tested the prediction that elevated cingulo-opercular activity provides word-recognition benefit on a subsequent trial. Eighteen healthy, normal-hearing adults (10 females; aged 20–38 years) performed word recognition (120 trials) in multi-talker babble at +3 and +10 dB signal-to-noise ratios during a sparse sampling functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment. Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast was elevated in the anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula, and frontal operculum in response to poorer speech intelligibility and response errors. These brain regions exhibited significantly greater correlated activity during word recognition compared with rest, supporting the premise that word-recognition demands increased the coherence of cingulo-opercular network activity. Consistent with an adaptive control network explanation, general linear mixed model analyses demonstrated that increased magnitude and extent of cingulo-opercular network activity was significantly associated with correct word recognition on subsequent trials. These results indicate that elevated cingulo-opercular network activity is not simply a reflection of poor performance or error but also supports word recognition in difficult listening conditions.
Effects of Reversible Spinalization on Individual Spinal Neurons
Authors: Zelenin Pavel V. , Lyalka Vladimir F. , Hsu Li-Ju , Orlovsky Grigori N. , Deliagina Tatiana G.
Published: November 2013

Postural limb reflexes (PLRs) represent a substantial component of the postural system responsible for stabilization of dorsal-side-up trunk orientation in quadrupeds. Spinalization causes spinal shock, that is a dramatic reduction of extensor tone and spinal reflexes, including PLRs. The goal of our study was to determine changes in activity of spinal interneurons, in particular those mediating PLRs, that is caused by spinalization. For this purpose, in decerebrate rabbits, activity of individual interneurons from L5 was recorded during stimulation causing PLRs under two conditions: (1) when neurons received supraspinal influences and (2) when these influences were temporarily abolished by a cold block of spike propagation in spinal pathways at T12 (“reversible spinalization”; RS). The effect of RS, that is a dramatic reduction of PLRs, was similar to the effect of surgical spinalization. In the examined population of interneurons (n= 199), activity of 84% of them correlated with PLRs, suggesting that they contribute to PLR generation. RS affected differently individual neurons: the mean frequency decreased in 67% of neurons, increased in 15%, and did not change in 18%. Neurons with different RS effects were differently distributed across the spinal cord: 80% of inactivated neurons were located in the intermediate area and ventral horn, whereas 50% of nonaffected neurons were located in the dorsal horn. We found a group of neurons that were coactivated with extensors during PLRs before RS and exhibited a dramatic (>80%) decrease in their activity during RS. We suggest that these neurons are responsible for reduction of extensor tone and postural reflexes during spinal shock.
Auditory Artificial Grammar Learning in Macaque and Marmoset Monkeys
Authors: Wilson Benjamin , Slater Heather , Kikuchi Yukiko , Milne Alice E. , Marslen-Wilson William D. , Smith Kenny , Petkov Christopher I.
Published: November 2013

Artificial grammars (AG) are designed to emulate aspects of the structure of language, and AG learning (AGL) paradigms can be used to study the extent of nonhuman animals' structure-learning capabilities. However, different AG structures have been used with nonhuman animals and are difficult to compare across studies and species. We developed a simple quantitative parameter space, which we used to summarize previous nonhuman animal AGL results. This was used to highlight an under-studied AG with a forward-branching structure, designed to model certain aspects of the nondeterministic nature of word transitions in natural language and animal song. We tested whether two monkey species could learn aspects of this auditory AG. After habituating the monkeys to the AG, analysis of video recordings showed that common marmosets (New World monkeys) differentiated between well formed, correct testing sequences and those violating the AG structure based primarily on simple learning strategies. By comparison, Rhesus macaques (Old World monkeys) showed evidence for deeper levels of AGL. A novel eye-tracking approach confirmed this result in the macaques and demonstrated evidence for more complex AGL. This study provides evidence for a previously unknown level of AGL complexity in Old World monkeys that seems less evident in New World monkeys, which are more distant evolutionary relatives to humans. The findings allow for the development of both marmosets and macaques as neurobiological model systems to study different aspects of AGL at the neuronal level.
From Image Statistics to Scene Gist: Evoked Neural Activity Reveals Transition from Low-Level Natural Image Structure to Scene Category
Authors: Groen Iris I.A. , Ghebreab Sennay , Prins Hielke , Lamme Victor A.F. , Scholte H. Steven
Published: November 2013

The visual system processes natural scenes in a split second. Part of this process is the extraction of “gist,” a global first impression. It is unclear, however, how the human visual system computes this information. Here, we show that, when human observers categorize global information in real-world scenes, the brain exhibits strong sensitivity to low-level summary statistics. Subjects rated a specific instance of a global scene property, naturalness, for a large set of natural scenes while EEG was recorded. For each individual scene, we derived two physiologically plausible summary statistics by spatially pooling local contrast filter outputs: contrast energy (CE), indexing contrast strength, and spatial coherence (SC), indexing scene fragmentation. We show that behavioral performance is directly related to these statistics, with naturalness rating being influenced in particular by SC. At the neural level, both statistics parametrically modulated single-trial event-related potential amplitudes during an early, transient window (100–150 ms), but SC continued to influence activity levels later in time (up to 250 ms). In addition, the magnitude of neural activity that discriminated between man-made versus natural ratings of individual trials was related to SC, but not CE. These results suggest that global scene information may be computed by spatial pooling of responses from early visual areas (e.g., LGN or V1). The increased sensitivity over time to SC in particular, which reflects scene fragmentation, suggests that this statistic is actively exploited to estimate scene naturalness.
Activity-Dependent Neurotrophin Signaling Underlies Developmental Switch of Ca2+Channel Subtypes Mediating Neurotransmitter Release
Authors: Miki Takafumi , Hirai Hirokazu , Takahashi Tomoyuki
Published: November 2013

At the nerve terminal, neurotransmitter release is triggered by Ca2+influx through voltage-gated Ca2+channels (VGCCs). During postnatal development, VGCC subtypes in the nerve terminal switch at many synapses. In immature rodent cerebella, N-type and P/Q-type VGCCs mediate GABAergic neurotransmission from Purkinje cells (PCs) to deep nuclear cells, but as animals mature, neurotransmission becomes entirely P/Q-type dependent. We reproduced this developmental switch in rat cerebellar slice culture to address the underlying mechanism. Chronic block of cerebellar neuronal activity with tetrodotoxin (TTX) in slice culture, orin vivo, reversed the switch, leaving neurotransmission predominantly N-type channel-dependent. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor or neurotrophin-4 rescued this TTX effect, whereas pharmacological blockade of neurotrophin receptors mimicked the TTX effect. In PC somata, unlike in presynaptic terminals, TTX had no effect on the proportion of Ca2+channel subtype currents. We conclude that neuronal activity activates the neurotrophin–TrkB signaling pathway, thereby causing the N-to-P/Q channel switch in presynaptic terminals.
Distinct Roles for μ-Calpain and m-Calpain in Synaptic NMDAR-Mediated Neuroprotection and Extrasynaptic NMDAR-Mediated Neurodegeneration
Authors: Wang Yubin , Briz Victor , Chishti Athar , Bi Xiaoning , Baudry Michel
Published: November 2013

Prolonged calpain activation is widely recognized as a key component of neurodegeneration in a variety of pathological conditions. Numerous reports have also indicated that synaptic activation of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) provides neuroprotection against a variety of insults. Here, we report the paradoxical finding that such neuroprotection involves calpain activation. NMDAR activation in cultured rat cortical neurons was neuroprotective against starvation and oxidative stress-induced damage. It also resulted in the degradation of two splice variants of PH domain and Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1), PHLPP1α and PHLPP1β, which inhibit the Akt and ERK1/2 pathways. Synaptic NMDAR-induced neuroprotection and PHLPP1 degradation were blocked by calpain inhibition. Lentiviral knockdown of PHLPP1 mimicked the neuroprotective effects of synaptic NMDAR activation and occluded the effects of calpain inhibition on neuroprotection. In contrast to synaptic NMDAR activation, extrasynaptic NMDAR activation had no effect on PHLPP1 and the Akt and ERK1/2 pathways, but resulted in calpain-mediated degradation of striatal-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) and neuronal death. Using μ-calpain- and m-calpain-selective inhibitors and μ-calpain and m-calpain siRNAs, we found that μ-calpain-dependent PHLPP1 cleavage was involved in synaptic NMDAR-mediated neuroprotection, while m-calpain-mediated STEP degradation was associated with extrasynaptic NMDAR-induced neurotoxicity. Furthermore, m-calpain inhibition reduced while μ-calpain knockout exacerbated NMDA-induced neurotoxicity in acute mouse hippocampal slices. Thus, synaptic NMDAR-coupled μ-calpain activation is neuroprotective, while extrasynaptic NMDAR-coupled m-calpain activation is neurodegenerative. These results help to reconcile a number of contradictory results in the literature and have critical implications for the understanding and potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Terminator Disparity Contributes to Stereo Matching for Eye Movements and Perception
Authors: Quaia Christian , Optican Lance M. , Cumming Bruce G.
Published: November 2013

In the context of motion detection, the endings (or terminators) of 1-D features can be detected as 2-D features, affecting the perceived direction of motion of the 1-D features (the barber-pole illusion) and the direction of tracking eye movements. In the realm of binocular disparity processing, an equivalent role for the disparity of terminators has not been established. Here we explore the stereo analogy of the barber-pole stimulus, applying disparity to a 1-D noise stimulus seen through an elongated, zero-disparity, aperture. We found that, in human subjects, these stimuli induce robust short-latency reflexive vergence eye movements, initially in the direction orthogonal to the 1-D features, but shortly thereafter in the direction predicted by the disparity of the terminators. In addition, these same stimuli induce vivid depth percepts, which can only be attributed to the disparity of line terminators. When the 1-D noise patterns are given opposite contrast in the two eyes (anticorrelation), both components of the vergence response reverse sign. Finally, terminators drive vergence even when the aperture is defined by a texture (as opposed to a contrast) boundary. These findings prove that terminators contribute to stereo matching, and constrain the type of neuronal mechanisms that might be responsible for the detection of terminator disparity.
Forward Suppression in the Auditory Cortex Is Caused by the Cav3.1 Calcium Channel-Mediated Switch from Bursting to Tonic Firing at Thalamocortical Projections
Authors: Bayazitov Ildar T. , Westmoreland Joby J. , Zakharenko Stanislav S.
Published: November 2013

Brief sounds produce a period of suppressed responsiveness in the auditory cortex (ACx). This forward suppression can last for hundreds of milliseconds and might contribute to mechanisms of temporal separation of sounds and stimulus-specific adaptation. However, the mechanisms of forward suppression remain unknown. We usedin vivorecordings of sound-evoked responses in the mouse ACx and whole-cell recordings, two-photon calcium imaging in presynaptic terminals, and two-photon glutamate uncaging in dendritic spines performed in brain slices to show that synaptic depression at thalamocortical (TC) projections contributes to forward suppression in the ACx. Paired-pulse synaptic depression at TC projections lasts for hundreds of milliseconds and is attributable to a switch between firing modes in thalamic neurons. Thalamic neurons respond to a brief depolarizing pulse with a burst of action potentials; however, within hundreds of milliseconds, the same pulse repeated again produces only a single action potential. This switch between firing modes depends on Cav3.1 T-type calcium channels enriched in thalamic relay neurons. Pharmacologic inhibition or knockdown of Cav3.1 T-type calcium channels in the auditory thalamus substantially reduces synaptic depression at TC projections and forward suppression in the ACx. These data suggest that Cav3.1-dependent synaptic depression at TC projections contributes to mechanisms of forward suppression in the ACx.
SOCS2 correlates with malignancy and exerts growth-promoting effects in prostate cancer
Authors: Hoefer Julia , Kern Johann , Ofer Philipp , Eder Iris E , Schäfer Georg , Dietrich Dimo , Kristiansen Glen , Geley Stephan , Rainer Johannes , Gunsilius Eberhard , Klocker Helmut , Culig Zoran , Puhr Martin
Published: November 2013

Deregulation of cytokine and growth factor signaling due to an altered expression of endogenous regulators is well recognized in prostate cancer (PCa) and other cancers. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) is a key regulator of the GH, IGF, and prolactin signaling pathways that have been implicated in carcinogenesis. In this study, we evaluated the expression patterns and functional significance of SOCS2 in PCa. Protein expression analysis employing tissue microarrays from two independent patient cohorts revealed a significantly enhanced expression in tumor tissue compared with benign tissue as well as association with Gleason score and disease progression. In vitro and in vivo assays uncovered the involvement of SOCS2 in the regulation of cell growth and apoptosis. Functionally, SOCS2 knockdown inhibited PCa cell proliferation and xenograft growth in a CAM assay. Decreased cell growth after SOCS2 downregulation was associated with cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. In addition, we proved that SOCS2 expression is significantly elevated upon androgenic stimulation in androgen receptor (AR)-positive cell lines, providing a possible mechanistic explanation for high SOCS2 levels in PCa tissue. Consequently, SOCS2 expression correlated with AR expression in the malignant tissue of patients. On the whole, our study linked increased SOCS2 expression in PCa with a pro-proliferative role in vitro and in vivo.
Estradiol enhances CIP2A expression by the activation of p70 S6 kinase
Authors: Choi Yeon A , Koo Ja Seung , Park Jeong Su , Park Mi Young , Jeong Ae Lee , Oh Ki-Sook , Yang Young
Published: November 2013

Cancerous inhibitor of PP2A (CIP2A) stimulates the proliferation of various cancer cells, and 17β-estradiol (E2) enhances the proliferation of breast cancer cells. E2activates epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), stimulating the MEK1/2 and PI3K pathways, and CIP2A expression is increased by the MEK1/2-induced transcription factor ETS1. It is possible for E2to increase CIP2A expression. This study examined whether E2could increase CIP2A expression and whether CIP2A is highly expressed in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer tissues. E2increased CIP2A expression at the translational level in a c-MYC-independent manner in MCF-7 cells. E2-enhanced proliferation was impaired without CIP2A expression. E2-stimulated EGFR activated the MAPK and PI3K pathways, which converged to activate p70 S6 kinase (S6K). Phosphorylation at all the three phosphorylation sites (S424/T421, T229, and T389) on S6K was required for the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4B (eIF4B), which was responsible for the increase in CIP2A translation. Furthermore, CIP2A expression was higher in ER-positive tissues than in ER-negative tissues. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to demonstrate that CIP2A is a key factor in E2-enhanced proliferation and that estrogen regulates CIP2A expression by non-genomic action through EGFR.
Genetic Variation for Life History Sensitivity to Seasonal Warming inArabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Li Yan , Cheng Riyan , Spokas Kurt A , Palmer Abraham A , Borevitz Justin O
Published: November 2013

Climate change has altered life history events in many plant species; however, little is known about genetic variation underlying seasonal thermal response. In this study, we simulated current and three future warming climates and measured flowering time across a globally diverse set of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. We found that increased diurnal and seasonal temperature (1°–3°) decreased flowering time in two fall cohorts. The early fall cohort was unique in that both rapid cycling and overwintering life history strategies were revealed; the proportion of rapid cycling plants increased by 3–7% for each 1° temperature increase. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify the underlying genetic basis of thermal sensitivity. GWAS identified five main-effect quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling flowering time and another five QTL with thermal sensitivity. Candidate genes include known flowering loci; a cochaperone that interacts with heat-shock protein 90; and a flowering hormone, gibberellic acid, a biosynthetic enzyme. The identified genetic architecture allowed accurate prediction of flowering phenotypes (R2 > 0.95) that has application for genomic selection of adaptive genotypes for future environments. This work may serve as a reference for breeding and conservation genetic studies under changing environments.
Earnings inequality and tax progressivity in Slovenia, 1991–2009
Authors: Stanovnik Tine , Verbič Miroslav
Published: November 2013

This paper analyses the distribution of employee earnings in Slovenia in the period 1991–2009. The analysis is based on large samples from the personal income tax (PIT) files. According to the Gini coefficient, increases in earnings inequality were moderate; however, relatively large increases in the shares accruing to the top 5% and top 1% of employees did occur. Inequality of employees’ after-tax earnings (i.e. net of employee social contributions and PIT) remained fairly stable in this time period, due to the increasing progressivity of PIT, as shown by the Kakwani index of progressivity. Increases in progressivity of the personal income tax came in leaps, following the introduction of new income tax legislation. Institutional settings and the introduction of minimum wage legislation in 1995 also appear to havemoderated inequality increases, which were quite large in the early years of the transition.
Population and economic development in Indonesia: A revisit with new data and methods
Authors: Furuoka Fumitaka
Published: November 2013

The long-term relationship between population and economic development is an important research topic in development economics. However, after several decades of research, no consensus has been reached as to whether the relationship is positive or negative. This paper chose Indonesia as a case study and employed both a linear cointegration test and a nonlinear cointegration test to examine the relationship between population and income. The tests detected a long-run equilibrium relationship between population and real per capita income in Indonesia. Also, the causality test indicated that there existed a unidirectional causality from Indonesia’s population expansion to the country’s economic growth, but not vice versa. These results indicate a population-driven economic development in Indonesia. In other words, Indonesia could represent a textbook case of population-induced development where a rapid population growth stimulates economic development.
Miopatia vacuolar do lupus eritematoso
Authors: Levy José Antonio
Published: November 2013

Após considerações rápidas sôbre as miosites, particularmente sôbre a miopatia vacuolar do lúpus eritematoso, é relatado o caso de uma paciente no qual êsse diagnóstico pôde ser confirmado pelo exame histopatológico.