bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neue Konzepte im Leichtbau – Innovativer Teleskopausleger eines Mobilkrans
Authors: Hamme Ulrich , Henkel Joachim
Published: April 2013

Mobilkrane sind unersetzliche Helfer für die Bauwirtschaft und Industrie. Sie haben gegenüber anderen Krangruppen den Vorteil mobil zu sein und können somit sehr flexibel für unterschiedlichste Hubarbeiten eingesetzt werden. In der Regel beschränkt der Gesetzgeber die maximal zulässigen Achslasten eines Mobilkrans auf 12 t. Die Entwicklungsabteilung eines Mobilkranherstellers muss sich der Herausforderung stellen.

Ein Mobilkran soll bei geringstem Eigengewicht möglichst schnell eine große Last in eine große Höhe heben. Um diesem Anspruch gerecht zu werden, finden insbesondere im Teleskopausleger Feinkornbaustähle bis zu einer Streckgrenze von 1100 MPa Verwendung. Die hohe Festigkeit dieser schweißbaren Feinkornbaustähle ermöglicht es dem Kranbauer, sehr dünnwandige und leichte Auslegerstrukturen zu entwickeln. Die magische Grenze von 100 m Gesamtlänge bei einem komplett ausgefahrenen Teleskopausleger wurde durch den Einsatz dieser Stähle erreicht. Die dünnwandige Stahlstruktur eines Teleskopauslegers stellt wegen der Stabilitätsgefahr jedoch besondere Anforderungen an die Berechnung und Fertigung.

New concepts in lightweigth structures – Innovative telescopic boom of a mobile crane. Mobile cranes are irreplaceable instruments for the building sector and industry. Compared to other crane groups, they have the advantage to be mobile and therefore to be used very flexibly for various lifting works. Normally, legislation limits allowable axle loads of a mobile crane to a maximum of 12 tons. Each development department of a mobile crane manufacturer has to meet the following challenge.

A mobile crane with minimum dead load must be able to lift heavy loads to considerable heights as quickly and safely as possible. In order to meet this demand, fine grained steels up to a yield point of 1100 Mpa are used in particular for telescopic booms.

The high structural strength of these weldable fine grained steels allows the crane manufacturer to develop very thin and lightweight boom structures. The use of these steels enables a magic limit of 100m in total length for a fully extended telescopic boom. Due to structural stability risk, however, a thin‐walled steel structure of a telescopic boom sets particular demands on calculation and production.
Modeling the specificity of protein‐DNA interactions
Authors: Stormo Gary D.
Published: April 2013

The specificity of protein‐DNA interactions is most commonly modeled using position weight matrices (PWMs). First introduced in 1982, they have been adapted to many new types of data and many different approaches have been developed to determine the parameters of the PWM. New high‐throughput technologies provide a large amount of data rapidly and offer an unprecedented opportunity to determine accurately the specificities of many transcription factors (TFs). But taking full advantage of the new data requires advanced algorithms that take into account the biophysical processes involved in generating the data. The new large datasets can also aid in determining when the PWM model is inadequate and must be extended to provide accurate predictions of binding sites. This article provides a general mathematical description of a PWM and how it is used to score potential binding sites, a brief history of the approaches that have been developed and the types of data that are used with an emphasis on algorithms that we have developed for analyzing high‐throughput datasets from several new technologies. It also describes extensions that can be added when the simple PWM model is inadequate and further enhancements that may be necessary. It briefly describes some applications of PWMs in the discovery and modeling of in vivo regulatory networks.
n-3 andn-6 Fatty acids are independently associated with lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Steffen Brian T. , Steffen Lyn M. , Liang Shuang , Tracy Russell , Jenny Nancy Swords , Tsai Michael Y.
Published: April 2013

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2) is an independent risk factor for CVD and has been proposed as a marker of vascular inflammation. Polyunsaturatedn-3 fatty acids (FA) and severaln-6 FA are known to suppress inflammation and may influence Lp-PLA2mass and activity. The associations ofn-3 andn-6 plasma FA with Lp-PLA2mass and activity were analysed using linear regression analysis in 2246 participants of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis; statistical adjustments were made to control for body mass, inflammation, lipids, diabetes, and additional clinical and demographic factors. Lp-PLA2mass and activity were significantly lower in participants with the highern-3 FA EPA (β = − 4·72,P< 0·001; β = − 1·53;P= 0·023) and DHA levels (β = − 4·47, β = − 1·87; bothP< 0·001). Those in the highest quintiles of plasma EPA and DHA showed 12·71 and 19·15 ng/ml lower Lp-PLA2mass and 5·7 and 8·90 nmol/min per ml lower Lp-PLA2activity than those in the first quintiles, respectively. In addition, lower Lp-PLA2mass and activity were associated with higher levels ofn-6 arachidonic acid (β = − 1·63, β = − 1·30; bothP< 0·001), while γ-linolenic acid was negatively associated with activity (β = − 27·7,P= 0·027). Lp-PLA2mass was significantly higher in participants with greater plasma levels ofn-6 linoleic (β = 0·828,P= 0·011) and dihomo-γ-linolenic acids (β = 4·17,P= 0·002). Based on their independent associations with Lp-PLA2mass and activity, certainn-3 andn-6 FA may have additional influences on CVD risk. Intervention studies are warranted to assess whether these macronutrients may directly influence Lp-PLA2expression or activity.
Improvement of the metabolic syndrome profile by soluble fibre – guar gum – in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomised clinical trial
Authors: Dall'Alba Valesca , Silva Flávia Moraes , Antonio Juliana Peçanha , Steemburgo Thais , Royer Caroline Persh , Almeida Jussara Carnevale , Gross Jorge Luiz , Azevedo Mirela Jobim
Published: April 2013

A diet rich in fibre seems to protect against the metabolic syndrome (MetS), but there is scarce information about the role of fibre intake in patients with the MetS and diabetes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of soluble fibre from partially hydrolysed guar gum (PHGG) on the MetS and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes. In the present randomised controlled clinical trial, forty-four patients with type 2 diabetes (males 38·6 %, age 62 (sd9) years, diabetes duration 14·2 (sd9·6) years) and the MetS underwent clinical, laboratory and dietary evaluations at baseline, 4 and 6 weeks. All patients followed their usual diet and the intervention group (n23) received an additional 10 g/d of PHGG. In the intervention group, waist circumference (WC), glycated Hb (HbA1c), 24 h urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and serumtrans-fatty acids (FA) were reduced in comparison with baseline after 4 and 6 weeks: WC 103·5 (sd9·5) to 102·1 (sd10) to 102·3 (sd9·7) cm; HbA1c 6·88 (sd0·99) to 6·64 (sd0·94) to 6·57 (sd0·84) %; 24 h UAE 6·8 (interquartile range 3·0–17·5) to 4·5 (interquartile range 3·0–10·5) to 6·2 (interquartile range 3·0–9·5) mg;trans-FA 71 (interquartile range 46–137) to 67 (interquartile range 48–98) to 57 (interquartile range 30–110) mg/l (P< 0·05 for all). The only change in the control group was weight reduction: 77·0 (sd13·5) to 76·2 (sd13·3) to 76·1 (sd13·4) kg (P= 0·005). Other MetS components (blood pressure, TAG, HDL-cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose), total and LDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein and endothelin-1 did not change in either group. In patients with type 2 diabetes and the MetS, the addition of PHGG to the usual diet improved cardiovascular and metabolic profiles by reducing WC, HbA1c, UAE andtrans-FA.
Yoruba Ethnogenesis from Within
Authors: Apter Andrew
Published: April 2013

It is an anthropological truism that ethnic identity is “other”-oriented, such that who wearerests on who we arenot. Within this vein, the development of Yoruba identity in the late nineteenth century is attributed to Fulani perspectives on their Oyo neighbors, Christian missionaries and the politics of conversion, as well as Yoruba descendants in diaspora reconnecting with their West African homeland. In this essay, my aim is to both complement and destabilize these externalist perspectives by focusing on Yoruba concepts of “home” and “house” (ilé), relating residence, genealogy and regional identities to their reconstituted ritual frameworks in Cuba and Brazil. Following Barber's analysis of Yoruba praise-poetry (oríkì) and Verran's work on Yoruba quantification, I reexamine the semantics of the categoryiléin the emergence of Lucumí and Nagô houses in order to explain their sociopolitical impact and illuminate transpositions of racial “cleansing” and ritual purity in Candomblé and Santería. More broadly, the essay shows how culturally specific or “internal” epistemological orientations play an important if neglected role in shaping Atlantic ethnicities and their historical trajectories.
Tradition, Tribe, and State in Kenya: The Mijikenda Union, 1945–1980
Authors: Willis Justin , Gona George
Published: April 2013

The apparent mobilizing power of ethnic sentiment in recent African history has been the subject of vigorous debate. Studies that emphasize the centrality of colonialism and the instrumental use of ethnicity have been criticized by a scholarship arguing that the affective power of ethnicity is culturally rooted through longstanding experience and practice, and that both manipulation and invention are constrained by this. This paper contributes to that debate through a discussion of the history of the Mijikenda, one of the “super-tribes” of modern Kenyan politics. It suggests that there were indeed “limits to invention,” but that there was nonetheless substantial entrepreneurship and creativity in the politics of Mijikenda identity. This drew heavily on the productive, discursive tension between tradition and modernity that lay at the heart of colonialism and was drawn into vigorous debates over legitimacy and representation in the “critical juncture” of the final years of colonial rule.
Heartbreak at Hilbert's Hotel
Authors: HEDRICK LANDON
Published: April 2013

William Lane Craig's defence of the kalam cosmological argument rests heavily on two philosophical arguments against a past-eternal universe. In this article I take issue with one of these arguments, what I call the ‘Hilbert's Hotel Argument’ – namely, that the metaphysical absurdity of an actually infinite number of things existing precludes the possibility of a beginningless past. After explaining this argument, I proceed to raise some initial doubts. After setting those aside, I show that the argument is ineffective against proponents of presentism. The remainder of the article considers and rejects possible replies on Craig's behalf.
Age norms for older adults among Koreans: perceptions and influencing factors
Authors: CHUNG SOONDOOL , JUNG YUNKYUNG
Published: April 2013

Despite rapid social change that has influenced the social status of older adults, expectations about their behaviour and whether such expectations differ across generations remain unexplored in Korea. Based on ageing theories of activity, disengagement and modernisation, this study investigated age norms among Koreans conceptualised as shared expectations of appropriate behaviours of older adults. Competing perspectives in intergenerational relations and prejudice toward older adults were examined to test if they influenced age norms and if such associations varied across different age groups. Data were analysed from a survey of 1,445 individuals aged 20 and above who resided in 16 administrative districts of Korea. Comparisons of age norms across age groups indicated that the older adult group (age 65+) held more restrictive attitudes about social participation and engagement in various behaviours in old age than the middle-aged adults (ages 45–64) and younger adults (ages 20–44). Respondents with more prejudice towards older adults tended to place more restrictions on the behaviour of older adults. A significant interaction indicated that respondents whose views were in line with a generational conflictive perspective, assessed as reporting more competitive perspectives between young and old people and being less supportive of intergenerational programmes, had a more restrictive view about older adults' behaviours among the middle-aged group but less restrictive attitudes in determining acceptable behaviour in later life among the older adult group.
The intermediate piano stage: exploring teacher perspectives and insights
Authors: Daniel Ryan , Bowden Julia
Published: April 2013

While many piano students successfully progress beyond beginner status to reach what is commonly referred to as the intermediate stage, there is minimal research specific to this area of practice. This is despite the fact that there is a high drop-out rate at this stage. This research study therefore set out to develop an in-depth understanding of the key issues of relevance from the perspective of the teachers who work with intermediate piano students. In order to develop a substantial body of data and therefore increase the validity of the findings, a comprehensive e-survey was developed and distributed to practitioners in the UK, USA and Australia, with 583 practitioners participating in the research. The findings highlight some of the key challenges teachers face when working with intermediate students, one of which is the priority students place on their piano studies, with teachers arguing that external commitments have a negative impact on commitment and progression in piano lessons. The data also reveal that repertoire is a major factor of relevance, with teachers citing popular music styles as of more interest to most students than traditional Western art repertoire, yet it is the least studied area in lessons. Given the impact that these two issues have on teachers' experiences of working with piano students and relevant drop-out rates at this stage, it is clear that there is a significant need for further research by engaging other key stakeholders, in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in this area of music education.
COMPETITION AS AN AMBIGUOUS DISCOVERY PROCEDURE: A REAPPRAISAL OF F. A. HAYEK'S EPISTEMIC MARKET LIBERALISM
Authors: Witt Ulrich
Published: April 2013

Epistemic arguments play a significant role in the foundations of market liberalism as exemplified, in particular, by the work of F. A. Hayek. Competition in free markets is claimed to be the most effective device both to utilize the knowledge dispersed throughout society as well as create new knowledge through innovation competition. The fast pace with which new economic opportunities are discovered and costs are reduced is considered proof of the benefits of free markets to the common good. However, with its inherently unpredictable consequences, innovation competition is actually ambiguous in this respect. This feature raises questions over the stringency of market liberal pleas that oppose quests for redistribution and environmental concerns in an absolute fashion.
Prepulse Inhibition in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders
Authors: Minassian Arpi , Henry Brook L. , Woods Steven Paul , Vaida Florin , Grant Igor , Geyer Mark A. , Perry William ,   The Translational Methamphetamine AIDS Research Center (TMARC) Group
Published: April 2013

Sensorimotor inhibition, or the ability to filter out excessive or irrelevant information, theoretically supports a variety of higher-level cognitive functions. Impaired inhibition may be associated with increased impulsive and risky behavior in everyday life. Individuals infected with HIV frequently show impairment on tests of neurocognitive function, but sensorimotor inhibition in this population has not been studied and may be a contributor to the profile of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Thirty-seven HIV-infected individuals (15 with HAND) and 48 non-infected comparison subjects were assessed for prepulse inhibition (PPI), an eyeblink startle paradigm measuring sensorimotor gating. Although HIV status alone was not associated with PPI deficits, HIV-positive participants meeting criteria for HAND showed impaired PPI compared to cognitively intact HIV-positive subjects. In HIV-positive subjects, PPI was correlated with working memory but was not associated with antiretroviral therapy or illness factors. In conclusion, sensorimotor disinhibition in HIV accompanies deficits in higher-order cognitive functions, although the causal direction of this relationship requires investigation. Subsequent research on the role of sensorimotor gating on decision-making and risk behaviors in HIV may be indicated. (JINS, 2013,19, 1–9)
The Body as a ‘Legitimate Naturalization of Consciousness’
Authors: Bernet Rudolf
Published: April 2013

Husserl's phenomenology of the body constantly faces issues of demarcation: between phenomenology and ontology, soul and spirit, consciousness and brain, conditionality and causality. It also shows that Husserl was eager to cross the borders of transcendental phenomenology when the phenomena under investigation made it necessary. Considering the details of his description of bodily sensations and bodily behaviour from a Merleau-Pontian perspective allows one also to realise how Husserl (unlike Heidegger) fruitfully explores a phenomenological field located between a science of pure consciousness and the natural sciences. A phenomenological discussion of naturalism thus cannot limit itself to the task of discrimination, it must attempt to integrate what an eidetic analysis has separated: inside and outside, here and there, first-person and third-person perspective, motivation and causality. Husserl's phenomenology of the body thus shows that dualism is at best a methodological but never an ontological option for the mind-body problem.
Nature's Dark Domain: an Argument for a Naturalised Phenomenology
Authors: Roden David
Published: April 2013

Phenomenology is based on a doctrine of evidence that accords a crucial role to the human capacity to conceptualise or ‘intuit’ features of their experience. However, there are grounds for holding that some experiential entities to which phenomenologists are committed must be intuition-transcendent or ‘dark’. Examples of dark phenomenology include the very fine-grained perceptual discriminations which Thomas Metzinger calls ‘Raffman Qualia’ and, crucially, the structure of temporal awareness. It can be argued, on this basis, that phenomenology is in much the same epistemological relationship to its own subject matter as descriptive (i.e. ‘phenomenological’) physics or biology are to physical and biological reality:phenomenology cannot tell us what phenomenology is really ‘about’. This does not mean we should abjure phenomenology. It implies, rather, that the domain of phenomenology is not the province of a self-standing, autonomous discipline but must be investigated with any empirically fruitful techniques that are open to us (e.g. computational neuroscience, artificial intelligence, etc.). Finally, it entails that while a naturalized phenomenology should be retained as a descriptive, empirical method, it should not be accorded transcendental authority.
Science, Ethics and Observation
Authors: Lenman James
Published: April 2013

This paper examines the idea that ethics might be understood as a domain of straightforwardly empirical inquiry with reference to two of its defenders. Sam Harris has recently urged that ethics is simply the scientific study of welfare and how best to maximize it. That is of course to presuppose the truth of utilitarianism, something Harris considers too obvious to be sensibly contested. Richard Boyd's more nuanced and thoughtful position takes the truth of the ethical theory – homeostatic consequentialism – he favours to be determined by what best explains the success of moral practice over its history. But what is to count here as success is too theory dependent for this to be helpful. From consideration of both Harris and Boyd, the conclusion emerges that once we have satisfied ourselves by ethical reflection about what we ought to do, it may then be a straightforwardly empirical question how to do it, but that arriving at that point, the core concern of the moral philosopher, is far less clearly a straightforwardly empirical affair.
The Universe in the Universe: German Idealism and the Natural History of Mind
Authors: Grant Iain Hamilton
Published: April 2013

Recent considerations of mind and world react against philosophical naturalisation strategies by maintaining that the thought of the world is normatively driven to reject reductive or bald naturalism. This paper argues that we may reject bald or ‘thoughtless’ naturalism without sacrificing nature to normativity and so retreating from metaphysics to transcendental idealism. The resources for this move can be found in theNaturphilosophieoutlined by the German Idealist philosopher F.W.J. Schelling. He argues that because thought occurs in the same universe as thought thinks, it remains part of that universe whose elements in consequence now additionally include that thought. A philosophy of nature beginning from such a position neither shaves thought from a thoughtless nature nor transcendentally reduces nature to the content of thought, since a thought occurring in nature only has ‘all nature’ as its content when that thought is additive rather than summative. A natural history of mind drawn from Schellingian premises therefore entails that, while a thought may have ‘all nature’ as its content, this thought is itself the partial content of the nature augmented by it.
From the Nature of Meaning to a Phenomenological Refiguring of Nature
Authors: Morris David
Published: April 2013

I argue that reconciling nature with human experience requires a new ontology in which nature is refigured as being in and of itself meaningful, thus reconfiguring traditional dualisms and the ‘hard problem of consciousness’. But this refiguring of nature entails a method in which nature itself can exhibit its conceptual reconfiguration—otherwise we get caught in various conceptual and methodological problems that surreptitiously reduplicate the problem we are seeking to resolve. I first introduce phenomenology as a methodology fit to this task, then show how life manifests a field in which nature in and of itself exhibits meaningfulness, such that this field can serve as a starting point for this phenomenological project. Finally, I take immunogenesis as an example in which living phenomena can guide insights into the ontology in virtue of which meaning arises in nature.
LEARNABILITY OF E–STABLE EQUILIBRIA
Authors: Christev Atanas , Slobodyan Sergey
Published: April 2013

If private sector agents update their beliefs with a learning algorithm other than recursive least squares, expectational stability or learnability of rational expectations equilibria (REE) is not guaranteed. Monetary policy under commitment, with a determinate and E-stable REE, may not imply robust learning stability of such equilibria if the RLS speed of convergence is slow. In this paper, we propose a refinement of E-stability conditions that allows us to select equilibria more robust to specification of the learning algorithm within the RLS/SG/GSG class. E-stable equilibria characterized by faster speed of convergence under RLS learning are learnable with SG or generalized SG algorithms as well.
The Effects of Lead and Copper on the Cellular Architecture and Metabolism of the Red AlgaGracilaria domingensis
Authors: Gouveia Claudiane , Kreusch Marianne , Schmidt Éder C. , Felix Marthiellen R. de L. , Osorio Luz K.P. , Pereira Debora T. , dos Santos Rodrigo , Ouriques Luciane C. , Martins Roberta de Paula , Latini Alexandra , Ramlov Fernanda , Carvalho Tiago José G. , Chow Fungyi , Maraschin Marcelo , Bouzon Zenilda L.
Published: April 2013

The effect of lead and copper on apical segments ofGracilaria domingensiswas examined. Over a period of 7 days, the segments were cultivated with concentrations of 5 and 10 ppm under laboratory conditions. The samples were processed for light, confocal, and electron microscopy, as well as histochemistry, to evaluate growth rates, mitochondrial activity, protein levels, chlorophylla, phycobiliproteins, and carotenoids. After 7 days of exposure to lead and copper, growth rates were slower than control, and biomass loss was observed on copper-treated plants. Ultrastructural damage was primarily observed in the internal organization of chloroplasts and cell wall thickness. X-ray microanalysis detected lead in the cell wall, while copper was detected in both the cytoplasm and cell wall. Moreover, lead and copper exposure led to photodamage of photosynthetic pigments and, consequently, changes in photosynthesis. However, protein content and glutathione reductase activity decreased only in the copper treatments. In both treatments, decreased mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase activity was observed. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that (1) heavy metals such as lead and copper negatively affect various morphological, physiological, and biochemical processes inG. domingensisand (2) copper is more toxic than lead inG. domingensis.
Modular Ka-band switch matrices using two RF MEMS technologies
Authors: Figur Sascha A. , Meniconi Erika , Prechtel Ulrich , Ziegler Volker , Sorrentino Roberto , Vietzorreck Larissa , Schoenlinner Bernhard
Published: April 2013

This paper presents the design and measurement of two different switch matrix modules based on Radio Frequency Microelectromechanical System (RF MEMS) switches. The operational frequency range is between 25.5 GHz and 26.5 GHz for data links between a Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) relay satellite and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. The switch matrix implements a key functionality for tracking the incident signals of the LEO satellites on the receive feed antenna array of the GEO satellite's reflector antenna. Two different technologies are used to build simplified switch matrix modules suitable for realizing the full functionality switching matrix. Rogers RT/Duroid 5880 with commercially available RF MEMS is used to build the first module, while EADS in house RF MEMS are integrated in Rogers Ultralam 3850 Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) for the second module. Maximum insertion losses of 8.5 dB and 10.2 dB have been measured for the Rogers RT/Duroid 5880 and the LCP module, respectively. Isolation is higher than 45 dB and a minimum return loss of 15 dB is shown. Finally, the measured losses in the LCP module are analyzed and suitable improvements are discussed.
Role of the unstructured N-terminal domain of the hAPE1 (human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1) in the modulation of its interaction with nucleic acids and NPM1 (nucleophosmin)
Authors: Poletto Mattia , Vascotto Carlo , Scognamiglio Pasqualina L. , Lirussi Lisa , Marasco Daniela , Tell Gianluca
Published: April 2013

The hAPE1 (human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1) is an essential enzyme, being the main abasic endonuclease in higher eukaryotes. However, there is strong evidence to show that hAPE1 can directly bind specific gene promoters, thus modulating their transcriptional activity, even in the absence of specific DNA damage. Recent findings, moreover, suggest a role for hAPE1 in RNA processing, which is modulated by the interaction with NPM1 (nucleophosmin). Independent domains account for many activities of hAPE1; however, whereas the endonuclease and the redox-active portions of the protein are well characterized, a better understanding of the role of the unstructured N-terminal region is needed. In the present study, we characterized the requirements for the interaction of hAPE1 with NPM1 and undamaged nucleic acids. We show that DNA/RNA secondary structure has an impact on hAPE1 binding in the absence of damage. Biochemical studies, using the isolated N-terminal region of the protein, reveal that the hAPE1 N-terminal domain represents an evolutionary gain of function, since its composition affects the protein's stability and ability to interact with both nucleic acids and NPM1. Although required, however, this region is not sufficient itself to stably interact with DNA or NPM1.
A PPARγ ligand present in Actinidia fruit (Actinidia chrysantha) is identified as dilinolenoyl galactosyl glycerol
Authors: Martin Harry , McGhie Tony K. , Lunken Rona C. M.
Published: April 2013

Activity-guided fractionation of Actinidia fruit species, including Kiwifruit, has identified DLGG (dilinolenoyl galactosyl glycerol) as a potent PPARγ (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor γ) ligand. DLGG is a type of MGDG (monogalactosyl diacylglycerol) and is present in all chloroplasts, and therefore all green fruits and vegetables. PPARγ is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates glucose metabolism and inflammation. An ethyl acetate extract of Actinidia chrysantha was fractionated by HPLC and the PPARγ-binding activity was detected by FP (fluorescence polarization). Linoleic and α-linolenic acids in A. chrysantha were readily detected as PPARγ ligands. Slow-binding PPARγ ligands were detected in several hydrophobic fractions. High-resolution MS identified DLGG as one of these ligands and confirmed that its binding is non-covalent. DLGG is a slow-binding PPARγ ligand with an IC50 of 1.64 μM, ±0.093 achieved after 45 min equilibration. DLGG is the first example of a form of DAG (diacylglycerol) that is a PPARγ ligand. In addition, DLGG is the first reported glycolipid ligand for PPARγ and also the first non-covalent, slow-binding PPARγ ligand.
The prediction of ham composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis
Authors: Mateos A. , López-Bote C. J. , Ovejero I. , Latorre M. A. , Daza A.
Published: April 2013

The objective of this preliminary experiment was to study whether bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) can accurately predict the components of fresh pig hams. The trimmed right hams from 20 Iberian barrows were used. Six measures of resistance and reactance were taken by a bioelectrical impedance analyser. Simple and multiple regression equations were calculated for estimating bone, lean, intermuscular fat (IF), subcutaneous fat (SF), total fat (TF) and skin weights and percentages with respect to ham weight (HW). The HW accounted for 22% (P < 0.05) and 35% (P < 0.01) in the variations in lean and skin percentages, respectively. The ham compactness index (HCI), calculated as HW (in g)/(ham length, in cm)2, accounted for 20% (P < 0.05) and 38% (P < 0.01) in the variations in SF and TF percentages, respectively. The HW and BIA variables accounted for 60% (P < 0.001) of the variation in skin percentage; the HCI and BIA measures accounted for 79% (P < 0.0001), 66% (P < 0.001) and 78% (P < 0.0001) of the variation in lean, IF and SF percentages; and BIA variables accounted for 72% (P < 0.0001) of the variation in bone percentage. To determine the accuracy of the calculated regression equations, five additional trimmed fresh hams from Iberian barrows were used. Actual and predicted values were compared. The HW accurately predicted lean weight and skin percentage in linear regression equations, and HCI adequately predicted SF and TF weights in simple linear regression equations, and also SF percentage in inverse function. The additional inclusion of HW, HCI or BIA variables in the regression models did not improve the accuracy of the equations. It is concluded that BIA might be applied to predict the components of fresh hams but more studies are needed to determine whether levels of accuracy and precision are sufficient for this method to be used in practice.
Partial crossed product description of the 𝐶*-algebras associated with integral domains
Authors: Boava Giuliano , Exel Ruy
Published: April 2013

Recently, Cuntz and Li introduced theC∗C^*-algebraA[R]\mathfrak {A}[R]associated to an integral domainRRwith finite quotients. In this paper, we show thatA[R]\mathfrak {A}[R]is a partial group algebra of the groupK⋊K×K\rtimes K^\timeswith suitable relations, whereKKis the field of fractions ofRR. We identify the spectrum of these relations and we show that it is homeomorphic to the profinite completion ofRR. By using partial crossed product theory, we reconstruct some results proved by Cuntz and Li. Among them, we prove thatA[R]\mathfrak {A}[R]is simple by showing that the action is topologically free and minimal.
Driven to Exclude: How Core Social Motives Explain Social Exclusion
Authors: North Michael S. , Fiske Susan T.
Published: April 2013

This chapter explores how social exclusion operates via core social motives: Belonging, Understanding, Controlling, Enhancing Self, and Trusting Others (BUC[K]ET; Fiske, 2010a ). Within this framework, we explore how people’s desire to fulfill each motive with the in-group fosters exclusion of people outside the group. Moreover, we delineate the consequences for people who face social exclusion: Because exclusion severely hinders their ability to achieve the core social motives, excluded people may develop shattered assumptions (Janoff-Bulman, 1992 ) about their social world. This not only undermines excluded people’s physical and mental well-being, but also their ability to survive and thrive in the social world.
Why Rejection Hurts: The Neuroscience of Social Pain
Authors: Eisenberger Naomi I.
Published: April 2013

Although people often describe experiences of social rejection as being “painful,” one is left to wonder whether these descriptions are primarily metaphorical or whether there is something truly painful about rejection experiences. This chapter reviews accumulating evidence showing that social pain—the painful feelings following social rejection, exclusion, or loss—relies on some of the same neural circuitry that is involved in processing physical pain. Moreover, building on this overlap in the neural circuitry underlying physical and social pain, this chapter reviews several consequences of this shared circuitry. Specifically, evidence is reviewed to show: (1) that individuals who are more sensitive to one kind of pain are also more sensitive to the other and (2) that factors that typically alter one type of pain (e.g., Tylenol reduces physical pain) can alter the other as well (e.g., Tylenol reduces social pain). Other possible consequences of this shared neural circuitry are discussed.
Belonging Regulation through the Use of (Para)social Surrogates
Authors: Knowles Megan L.
Published: April 2013

If belonging is a fundamental human need, then social exclusion should motivate reconnection or another means of fulfilling one’s belonging needs. Consistent with this premise, research reveals that individuals utilize myriad means of regaining a sense of belonging after social threat (Belonging Regulation Model; Gardner, Pickett, & Knowles, 2005 ). This chapter briefly surveys the nature of and evidence for these belonging maintenance strategies and details one of the strategies most far removed from the real world—the use of parasocial attachment figures as social surrogates. Research within and beyond psychology reveals that many individuals form parasocial, or one-sided, attachments to media figures such as television characters. Much like real relationships, these parasocial attachments can be drawn upon in order to maintain a subjective sense of connection. Indeed, exposure to parasocial attachment figures mitigates the negative consequences of exclusion. Last, this chapter raises questions about the boundary conditions of these phenomena.
Microbe-Independent Entry of Oomycete RxLR Effectors and Fungal RxLR-Like Effectors Into Plant and Animal Cells Is Specific and Reproducible
Authors: Tyler Brett M. , Kale Shiv D. , Wang Qunqing , Tao Kai , Clark Helen R. , Drews Kelly , Antignani Vincenzo , Rumore Amanda , Hayes Tristan , Plett Jonathan M. , Fudal Isabelle , Gu Biao , Chen Qinghe , Affeldt Katharyn J. , Berthier Erwin , Fischer Gregory J. , Dou Daolong , Shan Weixing , Keller Nancy P. , Martin Francis , Rouxel Thierry , Lawrence Christopher B.
Published: April 2013

A wide diversity of pathogens and mutualists of plant and animal hosts, including oomycetes and fungi, produce effector proteins that enter the cytoplasm of host cells. A major question has been whether or not entry by these effectors can occur independently of the microbe or requires machinery provided by the microbe. Numerous publications have documented that oomycete RxLR effectors and fungal RxLR-like effectors can enter plant and animal cells independent of the microbe. A recent reexamination of whether the RxLR domain of oomycete RxLR effectors is sufficient for microbe-independent entry into host cells concluded that the RxLR domains of Phytophthora infestans Avr3a and of P. sojae Avr1b alone are NOT sufficient to enable microbe-independent entry of proteins into host and nonhost plant and animal cells. Here, we present new, more detailed data that unambiguously demonstrate that the RxLR domain of Avr1b does show efficient and specific entry into soybean root cells and also into wheat leaf cells, at levels well above background nonspecific entry. We also summarize host cell entry experiments with a wide diversity of oomycete and fungal effectors with RxLR or RxLR-like motifs that have been independently carried out by the seven different labs that coauthored this letter. Finally we discuss possible technical reasons why specific cell entry may have been not detected by Wawra et al. (2013).
Functional Analysis of the Promoter of a Glycosyl Hydrolase Gene Induced in Resistant Sinapis alba by Alternaria brassicicola
Authors: Chatterjee Madhuvanti , Mazumder Mrinmoy , Basu Debabrata
Published: April 2013

A putative family 3 glycosyl hydrolase (GH) gene showed significant differential expression in resistant Sinapis alba, compared with the susceptible Brassica juncea, as part of the initial responses during interaction with the necrotroph Alternaria brassicicola. To understand the mechanism of induction, the promoter was isolated and deletion analysis carried out. All the promoter fragments were fused with the β-glucuronidase gene and the expressions were studied in stable B. juncea transgenics and transiently transformed Nicotiana tabacum. Analysis of the expression of the promoter showed the presence of functional abscisic acid (ABA)-, jasmonic acid (JA)-, and salicylic acid (SA)-responsive cis elements. Interestingly, the promoter was found to be induced in both S. alba and B. juncea upon challenge with A. brassicicola but, in S. alba, SA had an inhibitory effect on the pathogen-induced expression of the gene whereas, in B. juncea, SA did not have any negative effect. Therefore, the SA-mediated inhibition in S. alba indicates that the induction is probably through JA or ABA signaling. The difference in the mechanism of induction of the same promoter in the resistant and susceptible plants is probably due to the differential hormonal responses initiated upon challenge with A. brassicicola.
OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY CONFIRMED RESOLUTION OF MACULAR EDEMA IN A DIABETIC PATIENT AFTER HEMODIALYSIS
Authors: Mirza Zahir B. , Sreekanth Sreekantam , Gibson Jonathan M. , Dasgupta Indranil
Published: April 2013

Purpose:

The authors report the first case, to their knowledge, of resolution of diffuse macular edema after hemodialysis, which has been confirmed by optical coherence tomography.

Methods:

A 53-year-old white woman with type 2 diabetes developed worsening macular edema and was examined in the ophthalmology clinic and scheduled for macular grid laser photocoagulation. The laser, however, was deferred for 4 weeks because she had also developed end-stage renal failure and required hemodialysis.

Results:

When she was reviewed in the ophthalmology clinic 4 weeks later for laser therapy, it was found that her macular edema had resolved, vision had improved, and laser was unnecessary. Review at 6 months showed that the macular edema remains resolved.

Conclusion:

Ophthalmologists should be aware that hemodialysis may reduce macular edema in such patients.
COMPLETE VISUAL RECOVERY AFTER INCIPIENT CRAO DUE TO OCULAR HYPOPERFUSION IN A PATIENT WITH MOYAMOYA DISEASE
Authors: Lad Eleonora M. , Lad Shivanand P. , Ung Cindy , Jain ATul , Steinberg Gary K. , Gaynon Michael W.
Published: April 2013

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to report a case of an impending central retinal artery occlusion with hypoperfusion in a moyamoya patient.

Methods:

A young, surgically revascularized moyamoya patient experienced severe unilateral vision loss from 20/25 to hand motions because of impending central retinal artery occlusion. The patient was treated with a combination of intermittent ocular massage, intraocular pressure–lowering medications, and aspirin.

Patients:

A case of a moyamoya patient at Stanford University Medical Center.

Results:

Visual acuity was restored to baseline by improving the ocular arterial–venous gradient after prompt administration of ocular massage, intraocular pressure–lowering drops, and aspirin.

Conclusion:

This dramatic result suggests that, if performed in a timely manner, augmentation of ocular perfusion can result in complete restoration of vision in some cases of incipient central retinal artery occlusion.
Sir William Ian Axford. 2 January 1933 — 13 March 2010
Authors: Allan William
Published: April 2013

William Ian Axford was born and educated in New Zealand, receiving his ME and MSc degrees from Canterbury College of the University of New Zealand in 1956. He completed his PhD at Manchester University in 1960 and spent the following year at Cambridge University before moving to the Defence Research Board of Canada. From 1963 to 1974 he held professorships at Cornell University and the University of California at San Diego. From 1974 to 2001 he directed the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy in Germany, with two three-year periods of leave in New Zealand in 1982–85 and 1992–95. Ian Axford was one of the greatest plasma physicists of the space age. He made fundamental contributions to a wide range of topics in the fields of space physics and astrophysics, including the dynamics of the Earth’s magnetosphere, the magnetic field reconnection process, the Sun’s atmosphere and the formation and evolution of the solar wind, the interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar medium and with comets, cosmic ray propagation and modulation in the Solar System, the acceleration of cosmic rays in supernova shocks, and the use of robotic spacecraft in the exploration of the Solar System. Ian was also a remarkable science administrator, completely restructuring the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy and transforming it into one of the world’s leading space and atmospheric research institutes. He was a great advocate of international collaboration in science, and reinvigorated several flagging institutions such as the European Geophysical Society and the International Council of Scientific Unions Committee on Space Research.
Bistable regimes in an elastic tensegrity system
Authors: Micheletti Andrea
Published: April 2013

Tensegrity systems are prestressed frameworks composed of bars and cables. A particular elastic tensegrity system is examined. This system can be bistable in two fundamentally different ways, one depending on its geometric dimensions, and the other one depending on the initial deformation, or prestrain, of the elastic elements. A reduced-order semi-analytical model is derived, and its predictions are verified with a full-order numerical model. In particular, the critical geometry and prestrain at which the system switches from one regime to another are determined. This case study provides a benchmark and new insights on this class of structures.
The Rice Resistance Protein Pair RGA4/RGA5 Recognizes the Magnaporthe oryzae Effectors AVR-Pia and AVR1-CO39 by Direct Binding
Authors: Cesari Stella , Thilliez Gaëtan , Ribot Cécile , Chalvon Véronique , Michel Corinne , Jauneau Alain , Rivas Susana , Alaux Ludovic , Kanzaki Hiroyuki , Okuyama Yudai , Morel Jean-Benoit , Fournier Elisabeth , Tharreau Didier , Terauchi Ryohei , Kroj Thomas
Published: April 2013

Resistance (R) proteins recognize pathogen avirulence (Avr) proteins by direct or indirect binding and are multidomain proteins generally carrying a nucleotide binding (NB) and a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain. Two NB-LRR protein-coding genes from rice (Oryza sativa), RGA4 and RGA5, were found to be required for the recognition of the Magnaporthe oryzae effector AVR1-CO39. RGA4 and RGA5 also mediate recognition of the unrelated M. oryzae effector AVR-Pia, indicating that the corresponding R proteins possess dual recognition specificity. For RGA5, two alternative transcripts, RGA5-A and RGA5-B, were identified. Genetic analysis showed that only RGA5-A confers resistance, while RGA5-B is inactive. Yeast two-hybrid, coimmunoprecipitation, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer–fluorescence lifetime imaging experiments revealed direct binding of AVR-Pia and AVR1-CO39 to RGA5-A, providing evidence for the recognition of multiple Avr proteins by direct binding to a single R protein. Direct binding seems to be required for resistance as an inactive AVR-Pia allele did not bind RGA5-A. A small Avr interaction domain with homology to the Avr recognition domain in the rice R protein Pik-1 was identified in the C terminus of RGA5-A. This reveals a mode of Avr protein recognition through direct binding to a novel, non-LRR interaction domain.
Broadband ultraviolet A vs. psoralen ultraviolet A in the treatment of vitiligo: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: El Mofty M. , Bosseila M. , Mashaly H. M. , Gawdat H. , Makaly H.
Published: April 2013

Background

Psoralen ultraviolet A (PUVA) and narrowband (NB)-UVB have been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of vitiligo. With large and repeated doses, UVA may lead to immediate skin darkening and to delayed tanning. Our previous experience with broadband (BB)-UVA in vitiligo showed encouraging results.

Aim

To test the efficacy of BB-UVA in vitiligo and to evaluate if it could provide an alternative treatment for this condition.

Methods

This prospective, randomized, controlled, comparative clinical trial enrolled 45 patients with vitiligo, who were randomly divided into three groups, with group A receiving UVA 15 J/cm2/session, group B receiving UVA 10 J/cm2/session, and group C receiving PUVA. The patients received three sessions/week for 5 months, with 60 sessions in total.

Results

At the mid-point of treatment, clinical response was significantly higher in patients receiving PUVA than in the other two groups At the end of the study, clinical response was comparable for groups A and C (UVA 15 J/cm2 and PUVA, respectively), and both were significantly higher than the group receiving UVA 10 J/cm2. Patients in the PUVA group responded mainly with perifollicular pigmentation, whereas those receiving UVA responded mainly with lesional tanning.

Conclusions

BB-UVA at a dose of 15 J/cm2/session gives results for vitiligo that are comparable to PUVA, suggesting it might be useful when oral psoralens are contraindicated.