bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Men’s Experiences of Living With Osteoporosis: Focus Group Interviews
Authors: Nielsen Dorthe S. , Brixen Kim , Huniche Lotte
Published: August 2010

Osteoporotic fractures in men are an increasing public health problem. Male osteoporosis is often a low-prioritized issue, however. To examine men’s experiences with osteoporosis and how they handle osteoporosis in their everyday lives, the authors collected data from four focus groups with a total of 16 men aged 51 to 82 years diagnosed with osteoporosis. Critical psychology was used as a theoretical framework for the data analysis, which aimed to elicit information about the men’s daily lives. The men handled osteoporosis in different ways using different strategies. The authors found patterns that resonated with the social construction of hegemonic masculinity as displayed through the men’s fear of weakness and endurance through physical activity, as well as identity construction through active decision making in relation to health. Understanding and implementation of these issues is necessary in the development of preventive, screening, and monitoring strategies, as well as in the clinical care of men with osteoporosis.
Having a Primary Care Provider and Receipt of Recommended Preventive Care Among Men in New York City
Authors: Jasek John P.
Published: August 2010

To assess the role of having a primary care provider (PCP) in men’s up-to-date receipt of recommended preventive services (colonoscopy, pneumococcal and seasonal influenza vaccination, cholesterol and blood pressure screenings), data from the 2005 and 2006 New York City Community Health Surveys ( N = 3,728 [2006], 2,810 [2005]) were analyzed. PCP prevalence and men’s uptake of each service, overall and by age, race/ethnicity, education, income, insurance status, marital status, and nativity, were evaluated. After controlling for insurance status and other factors, having a PCP significantly predicted receipt of each service (adjusted prevalence ratio from 1.12 [1.08, 1.16] to 1.72 [1.35, 2.22]) and total services. Colonoscopy and seasonal influenza and pneumococcal vaccination receipt were below 70% with or without a PCP. Efforts to increase the proportion of men having a PCP are needed to improve receipt of recommended services. Maximizing awareness and provision of low-use preventive services may be useful.
Exploring Body Image and Self-Concept of Men With Acquired Spinal Cord Injuries
Authors: Popowich Sheldon Ann , Renwick Rebecca , Yoshida Karen K.
Published: August 2010

Qualitative research has rarely explored gender-based concerns of men with disabilities. Accordingly, this research investigates body image and self-concept for men with an acquired spinal cord injury (SCI). Modified grounded theory analysis was conducted for secondary, qualitative interview data of 64 male participants from a study of community dwellers living with SCI. Three major themes related to body image and self-concept emerged: consequences for self due to bodily changes, interactions with the public, and decisions and actions people take. Findings indicate that rehabilitation services should include ongoing research to explore the unique needs of male clients. Findings also have implications for rehabilitation therapists and their roles in addressing gender-based concerns of the male client.
When serial killers go unseen: The case of Trevor Joseph Hardy
Authors: Wilson David , Tolputt Harriet , Howe Nick , Kemp Diane
Published: August 2010

This article presents a case study of the serial killer Trevor Joseph Hardy — who murdered three young women in Manchester, England between 1974 and 1976, and who is now one of Britain’s longest serving prisoners. Even so, Hardy and his crimes are almost unknown. As such, the article uses the Hardy case to consider academic definitions of ‘newsworthiness’ and the assertion that the rise of the mass media has made serial killing a ‘media event’. Through a series of interviews with journalists who covered the case, the article suggests possible reasons as to why Hardy has disappeared from popular and academic consciousness.
‘Creative crime’ and the phytological analogy
Authors: Brisman Avi
Published: August 2010

If criminologists intend to expand the conception of crime to include ‘socially injurious acts’ that are not proscribed by civil or criminal statutes, then we must also contemplate the responses to those ‘socially injurious acts.’ One such response is ‘creative crime.’ This paper outlines some of the characteristics and defining features of three categories of ‘creative crime’ — culture jamming, interventionism, and sabotage. In so doing, it identifies a phytological analogy for understanding and articulating the role of creative crime in society and its system of governance. Through a discussion of the possibilities and problems of placing ‘creative crime’ within the rubric of the various ‘branches’ of government, or as a rhizome of the same theoretical plant, kudzu is presented as the most appropriate analogy. But whether ‘creative crime’ serves as an end in itself or as part of a broader movement for change, its contributions to the ‘marketplace of ideas’ cannot be discounted.
Running free: Embracing a healthy lifestyle through distance running
Authors: Shipway Richard , Holloway Immy
Published: August 2010

Sport and leisure activity contribute to both health and quality of life. There is a dearth of qualitative studies on the lived experiences of active people, so the aim of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the experiences of one particular group of active leisure participants, distance runners, and to highlight the associated health and well-being benefits that result from participating in this increasingly popular form of active leisure. In doing so, this paper will briefly explore the potential opportunities and implications for sport and leisure policy and provision, and highlight examples of how distance running could positively contribute towards government objectives linked to tackling obesity levels, healthy living and physical well-being. It is suggested that similar benefits also exist across other forms of physical activity, exercise and sport. Qualitative methods of enquiry were adopted to understand the nature of the social world of long distance runners through interviews and observations, which were thematically analyzed. One of the key themes emerging from the data was the desire to embrace a healthy lifestyle, which then led to the emergence of four main sub-themes. The first was linked to the importance of seeking self-esteem and confirmation through running; second, an investigation of a selection of negative aspects associated with exercise addiction; third, the need to exercise among sport and leisure participants; and finally, an understanding of the concept of the ‘running body’. Cautionary notes also identified negative aspects associated with exercise and physical activity. The findings highlight the potential role that distance running can play as an easily accessible and enjoyable leisure activity, one that can help facilitate increased participation in exercise and physical activity as an integral part of an active and healthy lifestyle.
Climate change, health and sustainability: A brief survey of primary care trusts in the south west of England
Authors: Nichols Andrew , Richardson Janet
Published: August 2010

With climate change threatening to present real challenges to public health, the relevant UK organizations, such as the NHS, have produced guidelines and action plans to encourage primary care trusts (PCTs) to reduce their carbon emissions and generally function in a more sustainable way. This paper presents the results of a survey designed to assess how successful this initiative has been in one part of the UK, the south west of England. While the results are promising, the PCTs surveyed are aware that commitment and leadership must come from a higher level.
An Exploratory Look at Teacher Perceptions of School Food Environment and Wellness Policies
Authors: Henry Beverly W. , White Natalie J. , Smith Thomas J. , Ly Thi LeDang
Published: August 2010

Many factors affect wellness efforts in schools, including food services, health policies, and a lack of systematic support. The purpose of this study was to explore teacher perceptions of the school nutrition environment and assess whether teacher characteristics predicted these perceptions. For this cross-sectional, descriptive research, a 24-item Food and Wellness Questionnaire was designed using items adapted from the Minnesota-based TEENS study and newly developed items with expert panel review and pilot testing. Teachers (n = 345) from all grade levels of a large, suburban school district in the Midwest voluntarily participated. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were carried out. Participants were well distributed among grade levels (elementary = 34.5%, middle school = 30%, high school = 35.5%), with a 37% response rate. Teachers largely agreed with the importance of school food and nutrition guidelines (subscale mean rating = 3.82 of 5), although teaching techniques to implement nutrition education appeared lacking (subscale mean rating = 2.50 of 5). Those with a college-level nutrition course felt more prepared than those without. Useful resources included local policies, public materials, and access to nutrition experts (eg, registered dietitians). Optimizing school food services, resources for teaching about nutrition, and consistent health messages, especially related to grade level, appear to be needed.
TIMP-3 recruits quiescent hematopoietic stem cells into active cell cycle and expands multipotent progenitor pool
Authors: Nakajima Hideaki , Ito Miyuki , Smookler David S. , Shibata Fumi , Fukuchi Yumi , Morikawa Yoshihiro , Ikeda Yuichi , Arai Fumio , Suda Toshio , Khokha Rama , Kitamura Toshio
Published: August 2010

Regulating transition of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) between quiescent and cycling states is critical for maintaining homeostasis of blood cell production. The cycling states of HSCs are regulated by the extracellular factors such as cytokines and extracellular matrix; however, the molecular circuitry for such regulation remains elusive. Here we show that tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP-3), an endogenous regulator of metalloproteinases, stimulates HSC proliferation by recruiting quiescent HSCs into the cell cycle. Myelosuppression induced TIMP-3 in the bone marrow before hematopoietic recovery. Interestingly, TIMP-3 enhanced proliferation of HSCs and promoted expansion of multipotent progenitors, which was achieved by stimulating cell-cycle entry of quiescent HSCs without compensating their long-term repopulating activity. Surprisingly, this effect did not require metalloproteinase inhibitory activity of TIMP-3 and was possibly mediated through a direct inhibition of angiopoietin-1 signaling, a critical mediator for HSC quiescence. Furthermore, bone marrow recovery from myelosuppression was accelerated by over-expression of TIMP-3, and in turn, impaired in TIMP-3–deficient animals. These results suggest that TIMP-3 may act as a molecular cue in response to myelosuppression for recruiting dormant HSCs into active cell cycle and may be clinically useful for facilitating hematopoietic recovery after chemotherapy or ex vivo expansion of HSCs.
Parkinson's disease candidate gene prioritization based on expression profile of midbrain dopaminergic neurons
Authors: Vahedi Shahrooz , Rajabian Mehrnoosh , Misaghian Arman , Grbec Daniel , Simon Horst H , Alavian Kambiz N
Published: August 2010

Background

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. The pathological hallmark of the disease is degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Genetic association studies have linked 13 human chromosomal loci to Parkinson's disease. Identification of gene(s), as part of the etiology of Parkinson's disease, within the large number of genes residing in these loci can be achieved through several approaches, including screening methods, and considering appropriate criteria. Since several of the indentified Parkinson's disease genes are expressed in substantia nigra pars compact of the midbrain, expression within the neurons of this area could be a suitable criterion to limit the number of candidates and identify PD genes.

Methods

In this work we have used the combination of findings from six rodent transcriptome analysis studies on the gene expression profile of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and the PARK loci in OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man) database, to identify new candidate genes for Parkinson's disease.

Results

Merging the two datasets, we identified 20 genes within PARK loci, 7 of which are located in an orphan Parkinson's disease locus and one, which had been identified as a disease gene. In addition to identifying a set of candidates for further genetic association studies, these results show that the criteria of expression in midbrain dopaminergic neurons may be used to narrow down the number of genes in PARK loci for such studies.
Proteomic identification of secreted proteins of Propionibacterium acnes
Authors: Holland Carsten , Mak Tim N , Zimny-Arndt Ursula , Schmid Monika , Meyer Thomas F , Jungblut Peter R , Brüggemann Holger
Published: August 2010

Background

The anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium Propionibacterium acnes is a human skin commensal that resides preferentially within sebaceous follicles; however, it also exhibits many traits of an opportunistic pathogen, playing roles in a variety of inflammatory diseases such as acne vulgaris. To date, the underlying disease-causing mechanisms remain ill-defined and knowledge of P. acnes virulence factors remains scarce. Here, we identified proteins secreted during anaerobic cultivation of a range of skin and clinical P. acnes isolates, spanning the four known phylogenetic groups.

Results

Culture supernatant proteins of P. acnes were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and all Coomassie-stained spots were subsequently identified by MALDI mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). A set of 20 proteins was secreted in the mid-exponential growth phase by the majority of strains tested. Functional annotation revealed that many of these common proteins possess degrading activities, including glycoside hydrolases with similarities to endoglycoceramidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase and muramidase; esterases such as lysophospholipase and triacylglycerol lipase; and several proteases. Other secreted factors included Christie-Atkins-Munch-Petersen (CAMP) factors, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and several hypothetical proteins, a few of which are unique to P. acnes. Strain-specific differences were apparent, mostly in the secretion of putative adhesins, whose genes exhibit variable phase variation-like sequence signatures.

Conclusions

Our proteomic investigations have revealed that the P. acnes secretome harbors several proteins likely to play a role in host-tissue degradation and inflammation. Despite a large overlap between the secretomes of all four P. acnes phylotypes, distinct differences between predicted host-tissue interacting proteins were identified, providing potential insight into the differential virulence properties of P. acnes isolates. Thus, our data presents a rich resource for guiding much-needed investigations on P. acnes virulence factors and host interacting properties.
Intrinsic volumes of inscribed random polytopes in smooth convex bodies
Authors: Bárány I. , Fodor F. , Vígh V.
Published: August 2010

Let K be a d-dimensional convex body with a twice continuously differentiable boundary and everywhere positive Gauss-Kronecker curvature. Denote by Kn the convex hull of n points chosen randomly and independently from K according to the uniform distribution. Matching lower and upper bounds are obtained for the orders of magnitude of the variances of the sth intrinsic volumes Vs(Kn) of Kn for s ∈ {1,…,d}. Furthermore, strong laws of large numbers are proved for the intrinsic volumes of Kn. The essential tools are the economic cap covering theorem of Bárány and Larman, and the Efron-Stein jackknife inequality.
On the peeling procedure applied to a Poisson point process
Authors: Davydov Y. , Nagaev A. , Philippe A.
Published: August 2010

In this paper we focus on the asymptotic properties of the sequence of convex hulls which arise as a result of a peeling procedure applied to the convex hull generated by a Poisson point process. Processes of the considered type are tightly connected with empirical point processes and stable random vectors. Results are given about the limit shape of the convex hulls in the case of a discrete spectral measure. We give some numerical experiments to illustrate the peeling procedure for a larger class of Poisson point processes.
Limit theorems for random spatial drainage networks
Authors: Penrose Mathew D. , Wade Andrew R.
Published: August 2010

Suppose that, under the action of gravity, liquid drains through the unit d-cube via a minimal-length network of channels constrained to pass through random sites and to flow with nonnegative component in one of the canonical orthogonal basis directions of Rd, d ≥ 2. The resulting network is a version of the so-called minimal directed spanning tree. We give laws of large numbers and convergence in distribution results on the large-sample asymptotic behaviour of the total power-weighted edge length of the network on uniform random points in (0, 1)d. The distributional results exhibit a weight-dependent phase transition between Gaussian and boundary-effect-derived distributions. These boundary contributions are characterized in terms of limits of the so-called on-line nearest-neighbour graph, a natural model of spatial network evolution, for which we also present some new results. Also, we give a convergence in distribution result for the length of the longest edge in the drainage network; when d = 2, the limit is expressed in terms of Dickman-type variables.
Extreme value theory, Poisson-Dirichlet distributions, and first passage percolation on random networks
Authors: Bhamidi Shankar , van der Hofstad Remco , Hooghiemstra Gerard
Published: August 2010

We study first passage percolation (FPP) on the configuration model (CM) having power-law degrees with exponent τ ∈ [1, 2) and exponential edge weights. We derive the distributional limit of the minimal weight of a path between typical vertices in the network and the number of edges on the minimal-weight path, both of which can be computed in terms of the Poisson-Dirichlet distribution. We explicitly describe these limits via construction of infinite limiting objects describing the FPP problem in the densely connected core of the network. We consider two separate cases, the original CM, in which each edge, regardless of its multiplicity, receives an independent exponential weight, and the erased CM, for which there is an independent exponential weight between any pair of direct neighbors. While the results are qualitatively similar, surprisingly, the limiting random variables are quite different. Our results imply that the flow carrying properties of the network are markedly different from either the mean-field setting or the locally tree-like setting, which occurs as τ > 2, and for which the hopcount between typical vertices scales as log n. In our setting the hopcount is tight and has an explicit limiting distribution, showing that information can be transferred remarkably quickly between different vertices in the network. This efficiency has a down side in that such networks are remarkably fragile to directed attacks. These results continue a general program by the authors to obtain a complete picture of how random disorder changes the inherent geometry of various random network models; see Aldous and Bhamidi (2010), Bhamidi (2008), and Bhamidi, van der Hofstad and Hooghiemstra (2009).
A fluid limit for a cache algorithm with general request processes
Authors: Osogami Takayuki
Published: August 2010

We introduce a formal limit, which we refer to as a fluid limit, of scaled stochastic models for a cache managed with the least-recently-used algorithm when requests are issued according to general stochastic point processes. We define our fluid limit as a superposition of dependent replications of the original system with smaller item sizes when the number of replications approaches ∞. We derive the average probability that a requested item is not in a cache (average miss probability) in the fluid limit. We show that, when requests follow inhomogeneous Poisson processes, the average miss probability in the fluid limit closely approximates that in the original system. Also, we compare the asymptotic characteristics, as the cache size approaches ∞, of the average miss probability in the fluid limit to those in the original system.
Interacting branching processes and linear file-sharing networks
Authors: Leskelä Lasse , Robert Philippe , Simatos Florian
Published: August 2010

File-sharing networks are distributed systems used to disseminate files among nodes of a communication network. The general simple principle of these systems is that once a node has retrieved a file, it may become a server for this file. In this paper, the capacity of these networks is analyzed with a stochastic model when there is a constant flow of incoming requests for a given file. It is shown that the problem can be solved by analyzing the asymptotic behavior of a class of interacting branching processes. Several results of independent interest concerning these branching processes are derived and then used to study the file-sharing systems.
A general comparison theorem for backward stochastic differential equations
Authors: Cohen Samuel N. , Elliott Robert J. , Pearce Charles E. M.
Published: August 2010

A useful result when dealing with backward stochastic differential equations is the comparison theorem of Peng (1992). When the equations are not based on Brownian motion, the comparison theorem no longer holds in general. In this paper we present a condition for a comparison theorem to hold for backward stochastic differential equations based on arbitrary martingales. This theorem applies to both vector and scalar situations. Applications to the theory of nonlinear expectations are also explored.
Catecholamines, cardiac natriuretic peptides and chromogranin A: evolution and physiopathology of a ‘whip-brake’ system of the endocrine heart
Authors: Tota Bruno , Cerra Maria Carmela , Gattuso Alfonsina
Published: August 2010

In the past 50 years, extensive evidence has shown the ability of vertebrate cardiac non-neuronal cells to synthesize and release catecholamines (CA). This formed the mindset behind the search for the intrinsic endocrine heart properties, culminating in 1981 with the discovery of the natriuretic peptides (NP). CA and NP, co-existing in the endocrine secretion granules and acting as major cardiovascular regulators in health and disease, have become of great biomedical relevance for their potent diagnostic and therapeutic use. The concept of the endocrine heart was later enriched by the identification of a growing number of cardiac hormonal substances involved in organ modulation under normal and stress-induced conditions. Recently, chromogranin A (CgA), a major constituent of the secretory granules, and its derived cardio-suppressive and antiadrenergic peptides, vasostatin-1 and catestatin, were shown as new players in this framework, functioning as cardiac counter-regulators in ‘zero steady-state error’ homeostasis, particularly under intense excitatory stimuli, e.g. CA-induced myocardial stress. Here, we present evidence for the hypothesis that is gaining support, particularly among human cardiologists. The actions of CA, NP and CgA, we argue, may be viewed as a hallmark of the cardiac capacity to organize ‘whip-brake’ connection-integration processes in spatio-temporal networks. The involvement of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS)/nitric oxide (NO) system in this configuration is discussed. The use of fish and amphibian paradigms will illustrate the ways that incipient endocrine-humoral agents have evolved as components of cardiac molecular loops and important intermediates during evolutionary transitions, or in a distinct phylogenetic lineage, or under stress challenges. This may help to grasp the old evolutionary roots of these intracardiac endocrine/paracrine networks and how they have evolved from relatively less complicated designs. The latter can also be used as an intellectual tool to disentangle the experimental complexity of the mammalian and human endocrine hearts, suggesting future investigational avenues.
Effects of feeding on thermoregulatory behaviours and gut blood flow in white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) using biotelemetry in combination with standard techniques
Authors: Gräns A. , Olsson C. , Pitsillides K. , Nelson H. E. , Cech J. J. , Axelsson M.
Published: August 2010

The effects of thermoregulatory behaviours on gut blood flow in white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus before and after feeding was studied using a blood flow biotelemetry system in combination with a temperature preference chamber. This is the first study to look at cardiovascular responses to feeding in white sturgeon, and also the first time behavioural tests in fish have been combined with recordings of cardiac output, heart rate, cardiac stroke volume and gut blood flow. The results showed strong correlations between gut blood flow and temperature choice after feeding (R2=0.88±0.03, 6–8 h postprandially and R2=0.89±0.04, 8–10 h postprandially) but not prior to feeding (R2=0.11±0.05). Feeding did not affect the actual temperature preference (18.4±0.7°C before feeding, 18.1±0.7°C, 6–8 h postprandially and 17.5±0.5°C, 8–10 h postprandially). Fish instrumented with a blood flow biotelemetry device, and allowed to move freely in the water, had a significantly lower resting heart rate (37.3±0.26 beats min–1) compared with the control group that was traditionally instrumented with transit-time blood flow probes and kept in a confined area in accordance with the standard procedure (43.2±2.1 beats min–1). This study shows, for the first time in fish, the correlation between body temperature and gut blood flow during behavioural thermoregulation.
Effects of heterospecific and conspecific vibrational signal overlap and signal-to-noise ratio on male responsiveness inNezara viridula(L.)
Authors: de Groot Maarten , Čokl Andrej , Virant-Doberlet Meta
Published: August 2010

Animals often communicate in environments with high levels of biotic noise that arises from the signals of other individuals. Although effects of background biotic noise on mate recognition and discrimination have been widely studied in air-born sound communication, little is known about incidental interference between signallers that use substrate-borne vibrational signals. In this study we investigated the ability of males of the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula (L.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) to recognize conspecific female song in the presence of biotic noise originating from conspecific and heterospecific vibrational signals. We tested male responsiveness on a bean plant in playback experiments. One leaf was vibrated with conspecific female song, while to the other one we simultaneously applied either heterospecific female signal or various altered conspecific signals with different temporal parameters. We tested males in three levels of biotic noise, ranging from +6 dB to –6 dB and we compared male responsiveness in each treatment with response obtained in unilateral treatment with unaltered conspecific female calling song. Male responsiveness was reduced in the presence of heterospecific signals or when background noise from conspecific signals obscured the species-specific temporal pattern of conspecific female song. By contrast, the presence of two sources of conspecific female songs had a positive effect on male responsiveness, for as long as the signal repetition rate of perceived song did not differ from the species-specific value. In the presence of interfering background signals, searching activity was less affected than male signalling. Increased signal-to-noise ratio restored male responsiveness to the level expressed in unilateral stimulation with conspecific female song. The results are discussed with regard to male behavioural strategies for vibrational communication in a noisy environment.
Are fish less responsive to a flow stimulus when swimming?
Authors: Feitl Karla E. , Ngo Victoria , McHenry Matthew J.
Published: August 2010

Fish use the lateral line system to sense the water flow created by a predator's strike. Despite its potential importance to the survival of a diversity of species, it is unclear whether this ability becomes compromised when a fish swims. Therefore, the present study compared the behavioral responsiveness of swimming and motionless zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae when exposed to the flow of a suction-feeding predator. This flow was generated with an impulse chamber, which is a device that we developed to generate a repeatable stimulus with a computer-controlled servo motor. Using high-speed video recordings, we found that about three-quarters (0.76, N=121) of motionless larvae responded to the stimulus with an escape response. These larvae were 66% more likely to respond to flow directed perpendicular than flow running parallel to the body. Swimming larvae exhibited a 0.40 response probability and were therefore nearly half as likely to respond to flow as motionless larvae. However, the latency between stimulus and response was unaffected by swimming or the direction of flow. Therefore, swimming creates changes in the hydrodynamics or neurophysiology of a larval fish that diminish the probability, but not the speed, of their response to a flow stimulus. These findings demonstrate a sensory benefit to the intermittent swimming behavior observed among a broad diversity of fishes.
Effects of tentacle amputation and regeneration on the morphology and activity of the olfactory center of the terrestrial slug Limax valentianus
Authors: Matsuo Ryota , Kobayashi Suguru , Tanaka Yoko , Ito Etsuro
Published: August 2010

The tentacles of pulmonates regenerate spontaneously following amputation. The regenerated tentacle is equipped with all the elements necessary for normal olfactory functioning, and the slugs can behave as well as they did before the tentacle amputation. However, it is not known what changes occur to the olfactory center procerebrum in the brain at the morphological and physiological levels. Here, we investigated the innervation of tentacular nerves into the procerebrum by examining the size of the terminal mass (input layer from tentacular nerves) of the procerebrum and also by staining afferent nerves immunohistochemically at 15, 58 and 75 days following unilateral amputation of the superior and inferior tentacles. The size of the terminal mass was significantly decreased, and the Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2ergic (FMRFamidergic) afferent nerves disappeared by 15 days following the tentacle amputation. However, the size of the terminal mass had recovered substantially by 58 days, as the tentacle regenerated. The FMRFamidergic innervation into the cerebral ganglion was also restored by this time. An extended recovery (75 days), however, did not result in any further increase in the size of the terminal mass. We also recorded the local field potential (LFP) oscillation in the procerebrum. We found that the oscillatory frequency of the LFP had decreased at 15 days following the tentacle amputation but had recovered at 58 and 75 days. These results suggest that the amputation and regrowth of the tentacle are accompanied by the respective degeneration and re-innervation of olfactory nerves, and these changes in the innervation status affect the basal state of LFP oscillation.
Plasma YKL-40 and Total and Disease-Specific Mortality in the General Population
Authors: Johansen Julia S , Bojesen Stig E , Tybjærg-Hansen Anne , Mylin Anne K , Price Paul A , Nordestgaard Børge G
Published: August 2010

BACKGROUND

Increased plasma YKL-40 is associated with short-term survival in patients with cardiovascular disease and cancer. We tested the hypothesis that increased plasma YKL-40 is associated with total and disease-specific mortality in the general population.

METHODS

We measured plasma YKL-40 in 8899 study participants, aged 20–95 years, in the Copenhagen City Heart Study from the Danish general population who were followed for 16 years: 3059 died, 2158 had ischemic cardiovascular disease, 2271 had cancer, and 2820 had other diseases associated with increased YKL-40. Hazard ratios for early death and absolute 10-year mortality rates were calculated according to plasma YKL-40 percentile groupings computed within sex and age decade: 0%–33%, 34%–66%, 67%–90%, 91%–95%, and 96%–100%.

RESULTS

Median survival age decreased from 83 years for participants with plasma YKL-40 in category 0%–33% to 69 years in category 96%–100% (trend, P < 0.0001). Risk of early death was increased (multifactorially adjusted hazard ratios) by 10% for YKL-40 category 34%–66%, by 30% for 67%–90%, by 70% for 91%–95%, and by 90% for 96%–100% vs YKL-40 category 0%–33% (trend, P < 0.0001). Corresponding increases in participants with ischemic cardiovascular disease were 10%, 20%, 80%, and 60% (P < 0.0001); in those with cancer were 10%, 20%, 50%, and 70% (P < 0.0001); and in those with other diseases were 10%, 20%, 40%, and 60% (P < 0.0001). Highest absolute 10-year mortality rates were 78% and 90% in women and men, respectively, who were >70 years old, smoked, and were in YKL-40 category 96%–100%.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased plasma YKL-40 is associated with risk of early death from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other diseases in the general population.
The Masque of Actaeon and the Antimasque of Mercury: Dance, Dramatic Structure, and Tragic Exposition in Dido and Aeneas
Authors: Walkling Andrew R.
Published: August 2010

Problems associated with the main surviving sources of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas (the 1688 “Priest” libretto and GB-Ob MS Tenbury 1266) have resulted in the persistence of fundamental misconceptions regarding the scope and nature of the work. Through a detailed examination of the “deleted dances” and their relationship to other components, such as choruses, it is possible to reconstruct what the original piece may have looked like. This process prompts a reconsideration of the “Grove Scene” in act 2, which is shown to contain a masque–antimasque pair featuring Aeneas in the role of Actaeon and the Sorceress's Spirit playing the part of Mercury. In contrast to the conventional structure in which the masque triumphs over the antimasque, in Dido the opposite is true, a circumstance that underscores and effectuates the tragic nature of the work.
Playford, Purcell, and the Functions of Music Publishing in Restoration England
Authors: Herissone Rebecca
Published: August 2010

During Purcell's lifetime the music-publishing business in England flourished, thanks mainly to John Playford. Since intellectual property rights did not yet exist, Playford and his successors were able to select music they were confident of selling, predominantly producing multicomposer anthologies of popular tunes. Composers may have benefited little from these publications so it is significant that some took the financial risk of printing their music without an established publisher's support. Analysis suggests that musical self-publication was undertaken for several quite specific purposes. Three self-published books stand out as the only operatic scores published in seventeenth-century England: Locke's The English Opera (1675), Grabu's Albion and Albanius (1687), and Purcell's The Vocal and Instrumental Musick of the Prophetess (1691). These substantial volumes had no obvious practical use and all sold poorly; put into political context, however, they reveal how printed music in England was developing from a purely practical performance tool into a medium through which statements could be made and musical works given monumental status. Yet Purcell's own management of the printing of The Vocal and Instrumental Musick of the Prophetess suggests that he was confused about the distinct and mutually exclusive functions of music printing in the period, which led him to misunderstand the nature of the market and how he might appropriate the medium for his own benefit.
Obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors after weight loss: a clinical trial comparing gastric bypass surgery and intensive lifestyle intervention
Authors: Hofsø D , Nordstrand N , Johnson L K , Karlsen T I , Hager H , Jenssen T , Bollerslev J , Godang K , Sandbu R , Røislien J , Hjelmesæth J
Published: August 2010

Objective

Weight reduction improves several obesity-related health conditions. We aimed to compare the effect of bariatric surgery and comprehensive lifestyle intervention on type 2 diabetes and obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors.

Design

One-year controlled clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00273104).

Methods

Morbidly obese subjects (19–66 years, mean (s.d.) body mass index 45.1 kg/m2(5.6), 103 women) were treated with either Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (n=80) or intensive lifestyle intervention at a rehabilitation centre (n=66). The dropout rate within both groups was 5%.

Results

Among the 76 completers in the surgery group and the 63 completers in the lifestyle group, mean (s.d.) 1-year weight loss was 30% (8) and 8% (9) respectively. Beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, blood pressure, lipids and low-grade inflammation were observed in both groups. Remission rates of type 2 diabetes and hypertension were significantly higher in the surgery group than the lifestyle intervention group; 70 vs 33%,P=0.027, and 49 vs 23%,P=0.016. The improvements in glycaemic control and blood pressure were mediated by weight reduction. The surgery group experienced a significantly greater reduction in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, albuminuria and electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy than the lifestyle group. Gastrointestinal symptoms and symptomatic postprandial hypoglycaemia developed more frequently after gastric bypass surgery than after lifestyle intervention. There were no deaths.

Conclusions

Type 2 diabetes and obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors were improved after both treatment strategies. However, the improvements were greatest in those patients treated with gastric bypass surgery.
Luteogenesis during the estrous cycle in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
Authors: Lueders Imke , Niemuller Cheryl , Gray Charlie , Rich Peter , Hildebrandt Thomas B
Published: August 2010

The occurrence of multiple corpora lutea (CLs) in the ovaries of the cycling and pregnant elephant, a monovulatory mammal, has driven scientific discussions during the past five decades. However, fundamental knowledge on luteogenesis is lacking. In this long-term study, CL formation and regression throughout the estrous cycle were monitored using transrectal 2D- and 3D ultrasonography in 33 captive Asian elephants. Serum or urinary progestagens (Pm) were measured to determine the reproductive cycle stage. In seven females, serumPmand LH concentrations were directly related to ovarian events. We have found two different modalities of luteal development: one for the accessory CL (acCL) and one for the ovulatory CL (ovCL). acCLs were derived from luteinization of larger, subordinate follicles after the first anovulatory LH peak. The dominant follicle produced the largest CL after the second (ovulatory) LH peak. The first luteal tissue formation became visible ∼10 days after the respective LH peak. After ovulation, it took 29.8±5.0 days for the acCLs to reach their maximum diameter, whereas the ovCL reached a significantly larger size (33.2±2.3 mm,P<0.0001) about 10–15 days later. All CLs were visible throughout the new follicular phase, with some of the larger ones still present in the subsequent luteal period. In this study, we have demonstrated that Asian elephants have evolved a novel method for luteal development and function, and by repeatedly forming two types of distinctly different CLs for every reproductive cycle, they have ensured that there will be sufficient luteal capacity for maintaining a 22-month pregnancy should conception occur.
A Genetic Survey of Fluoxetine Action on Synaptic Transmission in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Kullyev Andrey , Dempsey Catherine M , Miller Sarah , Kuan Chih-Jen , Hapiak Vera M , Komuniecki Richard W , Griffin Christine T , Sze Ji Ying
Published: August 2010

Fluoxetine is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for many behavioral and neurological disorders. Fluoxetine acts primarily as an inhibitor of the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT) to block the removal of serotonin from the synaptic cleft, thereby enhancing serotonin signals. While the effects of fluoxetine on behavior are firmly established, debate is ongoing whether inhibition of serotonin reuptake is a sufficient explanation for its therapeutic action. Here, we provide evidence of two additional aspects of fluoxetine action through genetic analyses in Caenorhabditis elegans. We show that fluoxetine treatment and null mutation in the sole SERT gene mod-5 eliminate serotonin in specific neurons. These neurons do not synthesize serotonin but import extracellular serotonin via MOD-5/SERT. Furthermore, we show that fluoxetine acts independently of MOD-5/SERT to regulate discrete properties of acetylcholine (Ach), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamate neurotransmission in the locomotory circuit. We identified that two G-protein–coupled 5-HT receptors, SER-7 and SER-5, antagonistically regulate the effects of fluoxetine and that fluoxetine binds to SER-7. Epistatic analyses suggest that SER-7 and SER-5 act upstream of AMPA receptor GLR-1 signaling. Our work provides genetic evidence that fluoxetine may influence neuronal functions and behavior by directly targeting serotonin receptors.
Cooperation Between the Septins and the Actomyosin Ring and Role of a Cell-Integrity Pathway During Cell Division in Fission Yeast
Authors: Wu Jian-Qiu , Ye Yanfang , Wang Ning , Pollard Thomas D , Pringle John R
Published: August 2010

A major question about cytokinesis concerns the role of the septin proteins, which localize to the division site in all animal and fungal cells but are essential for cytokinesis only in some cell types. For example, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, four septins localize to the division site, but deletion of the four genes produces only a modest delay in cell separation. To ask if the S. pombe septins function redundantly in cytokinesis, we conducted a synthetic-lethal screen in a septin-deficient strain and identified seven mutations. One mutation affects Cdc4, a myosin light chain that is an essential component of the cytokinetic actomyosin ring. Five others cause frequent cell lysis during cell separation and map to two loci. These mutations and their dosage suppressors define a signaling pathway (including Rho1 and a novel arrestin) for repairing cell-wall damage. The seventh mutation affects the poorly understood RNA-binding protein Scw1 and severely delays cell separation when combined either with a septin mutation or with a mutation affecting the septin-interacting, anillin-like protein Mid2, suggesting that Scw1 functions in a pathway parallel to that of the septins. Taken together, our results suggest that the S. pombe septins participate redundantly in one or more pathways that cooperate with the actomyosin ring during cytokinesis and that a septin defect causes septum defects that can be repaired effectively only when the cell-integrity pathway is intact.
Novel Acid Phosphatase in Candida glabrata Suggests Selective Pressure and Niche Specialization in the Phosphate Signal Transduction Pathway
Authors: Orkwis Brianne R , Davies Danielle L , Kerwin Christine L , Sanglard Dominique , Wykoff Dennis D
Published: August 2010

Evolution through natural selection suggests unnecessary genes are lost. We observed that the yeast Candida glabrata lost the gene encoding a phosphate-repressible acid phosphatase (PHO5) present in many yeasts including Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, C. glabrata still had phosphate starvation-inducible phosphatase activity. Screening a C. glabrata genomic library, we identified CgPMU2, a member of a three-gene family that contains a phosphomutase-like domain. This small-scale gene duplication event could allow for sub- or neofunctionalization. On the basis of phylogenetic and biochemical characterizations, CgPMU2 has neofunctionalized to become a broad range, phosphate starvation-regulated acid phosphatase, which functionally replaces PHO5 in this pathogenic yeast. We determined that CgPmu2, unlike ScPho5, is not able to hydrolyze phytic acid (inositol hexakisphosphate). Phytic acid is present in fruits and seeds where S. cerevisiae grows, but is not abundant in mammalian tissues where C. glabrata grows. We demonstrated that C. glabrata is limited from an environment where phytic acid is the only source of phosphate. Our work suggests that during evolutionary time, the selection for the ancestral PHO5 was lost and that C. glabrata neofunctionalized a weak phosphatase to replace PHO5. Convergent evolution of a phosphate starvation-inducible acid phosphatase in C. glabrata relative to most yeast species provides an example of how small changes in signal transduction pathways can mediate genetic isolation and uncovers a potential speciation gene.
Functional Dissection of IME1 Transcription Using Quantitative Promoter–Reporter Screening
Authors: Kahana Smadar , Pnueli Lilach , Kainth Pinay , Sassi Holly E , Andrews Brenda , Kassir Yona
Published: August 2010

Transcriptional regulation is a key mechanism that controls the fate and response of cells to diverse signals. Therefore, the identification of the DNA-binding proteins, which mediate these signals, is a crucial step in elucidating how cell fate is regulated. In this report, we applied both bioinformatics and functional genomic approaches to scrutinize the unusually large promoter of the IME1 gene in budding yeast. Using a recently described fluorescent protein-based reporter screen, reporter-synthetic genetic array (R-SGA), we assessed the effect of viable deletion mutants on transcription of various IME1 promoter–reporter genes. We discovered potential transcription factors, many of which have no perfect consensus site within the IME1 promoter. Moreover, most of the cis-regulatory sequences with perfect homology to known transcription factor (TF) consensus were found to be nonfunctional in the R-SGA analysis. In addition, our results suggest that lack of conservation may not discriminate against a TF regulatory role at a specific promoter. We demonstrate that Sum1 and Sok2, which regulate IME1, bind to nonperfect consensuses within nonconserved regions in the sensu stricto Saccharomyces strains. Our analysis supports the view that although comparative analysis can provide a useful guide, functional assays are required for accurate identification of TF-binding site interactions in complex promoters.