bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Propranolol modulates the collateral vascular responsiveness to vasopressin via a Gα-mediated pathway in portal hypertensive rats
Authors: Lee Jing-Yi , Huo Teh-Ia , Huang Hui-Chun , Lee Fa-Yauh , Lin Han-Chieh , Chuang Chiao-Lin , Chang Ching-Chih , Wang Sun-Sang , Lee Shou-Dong 
Published: July 2011

Gastro-oesophageal variceal haemorrhage is one of the most dreadful complications of portal hypertension and can be controlled with vasoconstrictors. Nevertheless, sympathetic tone abnormality and vascular hyporesponsiveness in portal hypertension may impede the haemostatic effects of vasoconstrictors. Propranolol, a β-blocker binding the G-protein-coupled adrenoceptor, is a portal hypotensive agent. However, whether propranolol influences the collateral vasoresponse is unknown. Portal hypertension was induced by PVL (portal vein ligation) in Sprague–Dawley rats. In an acute study with an in situ perfusion model, the collateral responsiveness to AVP (arginine vasopressin) was evaluated with vehicle, propranolol (10 μmol/l), propranolol plus suramin (100 μmol/l, a Gα inhibitor) or suramin pre-incubation. Gα mRNA expression in the splenorenal shunt, the most prominent intra-abdominal collateral vessel, was measured. In the chronic study, rats received DW (distilled water) or propranolol (10 mg·kg−1 of body weight·day−1) for 9 days. Then the concentration–response relationship of AVP and Gα mRNA expression were assessed. Propranolol pre-incubation elevated the perfusion pressure changes of collaterals in response to AVP, which was inhibited by suramin. The splenorenal shunt Gαq and Gα11 mRNA expression were enhanced by propranolol. The group treated with propranolol plus suramin had a down-regulation of Gα11 as compared with the propranolol group. Chronic propranolol treatment reduced mean arterial pressure, PP (portal pressure) and the perfusion pressure changes of collaterals to AVP. Gαs expression was up-regulated. In conclusion, propranolol pre-incubation enhanced the portal-systemic collateral AVP responsiveness in portal hypertensive rats, which was related to Gαq and Gα11 up-regulation. In contrast, the attenuated AVP responsiveness by chronic propranolol treatment was related to Gαs up-regulation. The Gα signalling pathway may be a therapeutic target to control variceal bleeding and PP in portal hypertension.
Toll-like receptors in health and disease in the brain: mechanisms and therapeutic potential
Authors: Hanke Mark L. , Kielian Tammy 
Published: July 2011

The discovery of mammalian TLRs (Toll-like receptors), first identified in 1997 based on their homology with Drosophila Toll, greatly altered our understanding of how the innate immune system recognizes and responds to diverse microbial pathogens. TLRs are evolutionarily conserved type I transmembrane proteins expressed in both immune and non-immune cells, and are typified by N-terminal leucine-rich repeats and a highly conserved C-terminal domain termed the TIR [Toll/interleukin (IL)-1 receptor] domain. Upon stimulation with their cognate ligands, TLR signalling elicits the production of cytokines, enzymes and other inflammatory mediators that can have an impact on several aspects of CNS (central nervous system) homoeostasis and pathology. For example, TLR signalling plays a crucial role in initiating host defence responses during CNS microbial infection. Furthermore, TLRs are targets for many adjuvants which help shape pathogen-specific adaptive immune responses in addition to triggering innate immunity. Our knowledge of TLR expression and function in the CNS has greatly expanded over the last decade, with new data revealing that TLRs also have an impact on non-infectious CNS diseases/injury. In particular, TLRs recognize a number of endogenous molecules liberated from damaged tissues and, as such, influence inflammatory responses during tissue injury and autoimmunity. In addition, recent studies have implicated TLR involvement during neurogenesis, and learning and memory in the absence of any underlying infectious aetiology. Owing to their presence and immune-regulatory role within the brain, TLRs represent an attractive therapeutic target for numerous CNS disorders and infectious diseases. However, it is clear that TLRs can exert either beneficial or detrimental effects in the CNS, which probably depend on the context of tissue homoeostasis or pathology. Therefore any potential therapeutic manipulation of TLRs will require an understanding of the signals governing specific CNS disorders to achieve tailored therapy.
What Speech-Language Pathologists Need to Know About Auditory Processing Disorder
Authors: Kamhi Alan G. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeTo consider whether auditory processing disorder (APD) is truly a distinct clinical entity or whether auditory problems are more appropriately viewed as a processing deficit that may occur with various developmental disorders.MethodTheoretical and clinical factors associated with APD are critically evaluated.ResultsThere are compelling theoretical and clinical reasons to question whether APD is in fact a distinct clinical entity. Not only is there little evidence that auditory perceptual impairments are a significant risk factor for language and academic performance (e.g., Hazan, Messaoud-Galusi, Rosan, Nouwens, & Shakespeare, 2009; Watson & Kidd, 2009), there is also no evidence that auditory interventions provide any unique benefit to auditory, language, or academic outcomes (Fey et al., 2011).ConclusionBecause there is no evidence that auditory interventions provide any unique therapeutic benefit (Fey et al., 2011), clinicians should treat children who have been diagnosed with APD the same way they treat children who have been diagnosed with language and learning disabilities. The theoretical and clinical problems associated with APD should encourage clinicians to consider viewing auditory deficits as a processing deficit that may occur with common developmental language and reading disabilities rather than as a distinct clinical entity.
Unprecedented anisotropic metallic state in undoped iron arsenide BaFe
2
As
2
revealed by optical spectroscopy
Authors: Nakajima M. , Liang T. , Ishida S. , Tomioka Y. , Kihou K. , Lee C. H. , Iyo A. , Eisaki H. , Kakeshita T. , Ito T. , Uchida S. 
Published: July 2011

An ordered phase showing remarkable electronic anisotropy in proximity to the superconducting phase is now a hot issue in the field of high-transition-temperature superconductivity. As in the case of copper oxides, superconductivity in iron arsenides competes or coexists with such an ordered phase. Undoped and underdoped iron arsenides have a magnetostructural ordered phase exhibiting stripe-like antiferromagnetic spin order accompanied by an orthorhombic lattice distortion; both the spin order and lattice distortion break the tetragonal symmetry of crystals of these compounds. In this ordered state, anisotropy of in-plane electrical resistivity is anomalous and difficult to attribute simply to the spin order and/or the lattice distortion. Here, we present the anisotropic optical spectra measured on detwinned BaFe
2
As
2
crystals with light polarization parallel to the Fe planes. Pronounced anisotropy is observed in the spectra, persisting up to an unexpectedly high photon energy of about 2 eV. Such anisotropy arises from an anisotropic energy gap opening below and slightly above the onset of the order. Detailed analysis of the optical spectra reveals an unprecedented electronic state in the ordered phase.
Observations of nucleation of new particles in a volcanic plume
Authors: Boulon Julien , Sellegri Karine , Hervo Maxime , Laj Paolo 
Published: July 2011

Volcanic eruptions caused major weather and climatic changes on timescales ranging from hours to centuries in the past. Volcanic particles are injected in the atmosphere both as primary particles rapidly deposited due to their large sizes on time scales of minutes to a few weeks in the troposphere, and secondary particles mainly derived from the oxidation of sulfur dioxide. These particles are responsible for the atmospheric cooling observed at both regional and global scales following large volcanic eruptions. However, large condensational sinks due to preexisting particles within the plume, and unknown nucleation mechanisms under these circumstances make the assumption of new secondary particle formation still uncertain because the phenomenon has never been observed in a volcanic plume. In this work, we report the first observation of nucleation and new secondary particle formation events in a volcanic plume. These measurements were performed at the puy de Dôme atmospheric research station in central France during the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in Spring 2010. We show that the nucleation is indeed linked to exceptionally high concentrations of sulfuric acid and present an unusual high particle formation rate. In addition we demonstrate that the binary H2SO4 - H2O nucleation scheme, as it is usually considered in modeling studies, underestimates by 7 to 8 orders of magnitude the observed particle formation rate and, therefore, should not be applied in tropospheric conditions. These results may help to revisit all past simulations of the impact of volcanic eruptions on climate.
Nonresonant femtosecond laser vaporization of aqueous protein preserves folded structure
Authors: Brady John J. , Judge Elizabeth J. , Levis Robert J. 
Published: July 2011

Femtosecond laser vaporization-based mass spectrometry can be used to measure protein conformation in vitro at atmospheric pressure. Cytochrome c and lysozyme are vaporized from the condensed phase into the gas phase intact when exposed to an intense (10
13
W/cm
2
), nonresonant (800 nm), ultrafast (75 fs) laser pulse. Electrospray postionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry reveals that the vaporized protein maintains the solution-phase conformation through measurement of the charge-state distribution and the collision-induced dissociation channels.
Exoplasmic cysteine Cys384 of the HDL receptor SR-BI is critical for its sensitivity to a small-molecule inhibitor and normal lipid transport activity
Authors: Yu Miao , Romer Katherine A. , Nieland Thomas J. F. , Xu Shangzhe , Saenz-Vash Veronica , Penman Marsha , Yesilaltay Ayce , Carr Steven A. , Krieger Monty 
Published: July 2011

The HDL receptor, scavenger receptor, class B, type I (SR-BI), is a homooligomeric cell surface glycoprotein that controls HDL structure and metabolism by mediating the cellular selective uptake of lipids, mainly cholesteryl esters, from HDL. The mechanism underlying SR-BI-mediated lipid transfer, which differs from classic receptor-mediated endocytosis, involves a two-step process (binding followed by lipid transport) that is poorly understood. Our previous structure/activity analysis of the small-molecule inhibitor blocker of lipid transport 1 (BLT-1), which potently (IC
50
∼ 50 nM) blocks SR-BI-mediated lipid transport, established that the sulfur in BLT-1’s thiosemicarbazone moiety was essential for activity. Here we show that BLT-1 is an irreversible inhibitor of SR-BI, raising the possibility that cysteine(s) in SR-BI interact with BLT-1. Mass spectrometric analysis of purified SR-BI showed two of its six exoplasmic cysteines have free thiol groups (Cys251 and Cys384). Converting Cys384 (but not Cys251) to serine resulted in complete BLT-1 insensitivity, establishing that the unique molecular target of BLT-1 inhibition of cellular SR-BI dependent lipid transport is SR-BI itself. The C384S substitution reduced the receptor’s intrinsic lipid uptake activity by approximately 60% without dramatically altering its surface expression, homooligomerization, or HDL binding. Thus, a small-molecule screening approach identified a key residue in SR-BI involved in lipid transport, providing a powerful springboard into the analyses of the structure and mechanism of SR-BI, and highlighting the power of this approach for such analyses.
Government-NGO Networks & Nature Conservation in Belize: Examining the Theory of the Hollow State in a Developing Country Context
Authors: Brechin Steven R. , Salas Osmany 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
We use the Theory of the Hollow State to explore public-private-partnerships in Belize, Central America. Networks of contracted relationships between Belizean governments and domestic non-government organizations (NGOs) were created to manage a significant portion of Belize's extensive system of protected areas. Because of limited resources, the Belizean state, however, has been a weak network hub, leading to the rise of a separate network among the NGOs themselves. Instead of hollowing out the state, we argued that the NGO network has helped to fill one in by providing a state-like presence that otherwise would be absent. This article adds to our understanding of nature conservation in weak states while attempting to internationalize public administration theory.
Implementation and Resistance: Networking to Create and Renegotiate Natura 2000
Authors: Welch-Devine Meredith 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
The implementation of the European Union's flagship conservation initiative— Natura 2000—has been particularly drawn out and difficult in the French Basque province of Soule. Local actors have vigorously resisted the creation of Natura 2000 sites and the design of management plans for these sites. This article examines the network of actors and organizations that sprung up to resist Natura 2000 alongside the network designed for its implementation. It explores the role of ethnography in network analysis and discusses the implications of this analysis for conservation policy.
From the Myth to the Margins: The Patriarch’s Piazza at San Pietro di Castello in Venice*
Authors: Marina Areli 
Published: July 2011

AbstractThis study analyzes thecampoof San Pietro di Castello from its mythologized origins to the Renaissance, paying particular attention to the architectural and political forces that shaped it. Although San Pietro was Venice’s cathedral from the ninth to the nineteenth centuries, civic leaders marginalized the site, which incarnated the contentious relationship between the Roman Church and the Venetian republic. The essay places thecampoat the center of inquiry because the episcopal complex’s significance is best discerned through diachronic analysis of the urban landscape. The building activities of its medieval and Quattrocento patrons generated a heterogeneouscampothat incorporated morphological elements from two Venetian urbanistic types: the parishcampoand the monastic island. Its sixteenth-century patriarchs created a new architectural vision of thecampo, contesting its slippage from the center of Venetian life and forging a distinctive ensemble that differs markedly from the better-known piazzas at San Marco and Rialto.
Remembering the Death of Turnus: Spenser'sFaerie Queeneand the Ending of theAeneid*
Authors: Svensson Lars-Håkan 
Published: July 2011

AbstractMost of the key episodes in book 1 of Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene (1590) replay famous passages in Virgil's Aeneid. However, the concluding canto, describing the Redcrosse knight's betrothal to Una, is based on Maffeo Vegio's fifteenth-century Supplementum to the Aeneid, while, surprisingly, the Aeneid's much-disputed ending appears in triplicate in early sections of book 1. This article examines the place and function of book 1’s three imitations of the Aeneid's ending, while also relating them to Spenser's appropriations of the ending in later books of The Faerie Queene. It argues that, in making Redcrosse assume the position of Aeneas in largely negative contexts, book 1 opposes standard sixteenth-century interpretations of Aeneas's pietas, whereas later books of The Faerie Queene usually conform to prevalent early modern interpretations of the moral import of this powerful cultural memory.
Birds flee en mass from New Year’s Eve fireworks
Authors: Shamoun-Baranes Judy , Dokter Adriaan M. , van Gasteren Hans , van Loon E. Emiel , Leijnse Hidde , Bouten Willem 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbances of wildlife, such as noise, human presence, hunting activity, and motor vehicles, are becoming an increasing concern in conservation biology. Fireworks are an important part of celebrations worldwide, and although humans often find fireworks spectacular, fireworks are probably perceived quite differently by wild animals. Behavioral responses to fireworks are difficult to study at night, and little is known about the negative effects fireworks may have on wildlife. Every year, thousands of tons of fireworks are lit by civilians on New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands. Using an operational weather radar, we quantified the reaction of birds to fireworks in 3 consecutive years. Thousands of birds took flight shortly after midnight, with high aerial movements lasting at least 45 min and peak densities measured at 500 m altitude. The highest densities were observed over grasslands and wetlands, including nature conservation sites, where thousands of waterfowl rest and feed. The Netherlands is the most important winter staging area for several species of waterfowl in Europe. We estimate that hundreds of thousands of birds in the Netherlands take flight due to fireworks. The spatial and temporal extent of disturbance is substantial, and potential consequences are discussed. Weather radar provides a unique opportunity to study the reaction of birds to fireworks, which has otherwise remained elusive.
Synthesis of Hydroxylated Sterols in Transgenic Arabidopsis Plants Alters Growth and Steroid Metabolism
Authors: Beste Lisa , Nahar Nurun , Dalman Kerstin , Fujioka Shozo , Jonsson Lisbeth , Dutta Paresh C. , Sitbon Folke 
Published: July 2011

AbstractTo explore mechanisms in plant sterol homeostasis, we have here increased the turnover of sterols in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants by overexpressing four mouse cDNA encoding cholesterol hydroxylases (CHs), hydroxylating cholesterol at the C-7, C-24, C-25, or C-27 positions. Compared to the wild type, the four types of Arabidopsis transformant showed varying degrees of phenotypic alteration, the strongest one being in CH25 lines, which were dark-green dwarfs resembling brassinosteroid-related mutants. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of extracts from wild-type Arabidopsis plants revealed trace levels of α and β forms of 7-hydroxycholesterol, 7-hydroxycampesterol, and 7-hydroxysitosterol. The expected hydroxycholesterol metabolites in CH7-, CH24-, and CH25 transformants were identified and quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Additional hydroxysterol forms were also observed, particularly in CH25 plants. In CH24 and CH25 lines, but not in CH7 ones, the presence of hydroxysterols was correlated with a considerable alteration of the sterol profile and an increased sterol methyltransferase activity in microsomes. Moreover, CH25 lines contained clearly reduced levels of brassinosteroids, and displayed an enhanced drought tolerance. Equivalent transformations of potato plants with the CH25 construct increased hydroxysterol levels, but without the concomitant alteration of growth and sterol profiles observed in Arabidopsis. The results suggest that an increased hydroxylation of cholesterol and/or other sterols in Arabidopsis triggers compensatory processes, acting to maintain sterols at adequate levels.
Perturbation of Polyamine Catabolism Can Strongly Affect Root Development and Xylem Differentiation
Authors: Tisi Alessandra , Federico Rodolfo , Moreno Sandra , Lucretti Sergio , Moschou Panagiotis N. , Roubelakis-Angelakis Kalliopi A. , Angelini Riccardo , Cona Alessandra 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Spermidine (Spd) treatment inhibited root cell elongation, promoted deposition of phenolics in cell walls of rhizodermis, xylem elements, and vascular parenchyma, and resulted in a higher number of cells resting in G1 and G2 phases in the maize (Zea mays) primary root apex. Furthermore, Spd treatment induced nuclear condensation and DNA fragmentation as well as precocious differentiation and cell death in both early metaxylem and late metaxylem precursors. Treatment with either N-prenylagmatine, a selective inhibitor of polyamine oxidase (PAO) enzyme activity, or N,N 1-dimethylthiourea, a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenger, reverted Spd-induced autofluorescence intensification, DNA fragmentation, inhibition of root cell elongation, as well as reduction of percentage of nuclei in S phase. Transmission electron microscopy showed that N-prenylagmatine inhibited the differentiation of the secondary wall of early and late metaxylem elements, and xylem parenchymal cells. Moreover, although root growth and xylem differentiation in antisense PAO tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants were unaltered, overexpression of maize PAO (S-ZmPAO) as well as down-regulation of the gene encoding S-adenosyl-l-methionine decarboxylase via RNAi in tobacco plants promoted vascular cell differentiation and induced programmed cell death in root cap cells. Furthermore, following Spd treatment in maize and ZmPAO overexpression in tobacco, the in vivo H2O2 production was enhanced in xylem tissues. Overall, our results suggest that, after Spd supply or PAO overexpression, H2O2 derived from polyamine catabolism behaves as a signal for secondary wall deposition and for induction of developmental programmed cell death.
The increasing mortality burden of liver disease among opioid‐dependent people: cohort study
Authors: Gibson Amy , Randall Deborah , Degenhardt Louisa 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTAims  Hepatitis C (HCV) infection is highly prevalent among injection drug users (IDUs) and likely to cause significant mortality over time, but little research attention has focused upon the magnitude of this risk, particularly among ageing users. This study examined trends over time in mortality attributed to liver disease, and in particular contrasting this with other more commonly studied causes of death [acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), suicide and overdose] among an ageing cohort of heroin‐dependent people in Australia.Design  Data linkage study of methadone treatment entrants with the National Deaths Index.Setting  A cohort entering methadone treatment for heroin dependence in New South Wales, Australia, 1980–85.Participants  A total of 2489 people entering methadone treatment for heroin dependence and 54 847 person‐years (PY) of follow‐up.Measurements  Linkage of data on all methadone entrants between 1980 and 1985 with data from the Australian National Deaths Index, linked using probabilistic record linkage software.Findings  There were 8.2 deaths per 1000 PY [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.5–9.0], with standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) of 4.6 (95% CI 4.2–5.0). Almost one in five (17%) of deaths were from underlying liver‐related causes, most commonly viral hepatitis. The overall mortality rate for any liver cause was 1.4 deaths per 1000 PY (95% CI 1.1–1.7), 17 times higher than to the general population (95% CI 13.4–21.3), with relative elevations more marked for females (SMR 27.9; 95% CI 17.7–41.9) than males (SMR 14.5; 95% CI 10.8–19.0). Liver mortality increased over time, becoming the most common cause of death by the end of follow‐up.Conclusions  Liver disease has become the most common cause of mortality among ageing opioid‐dependent people in an ageing Australian cohort. There is an imperative to reduce the long‐term risks of HCV and other risks to the liver, including alcohol consumption, which are typically not the major clinical focus for this group.