bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
PEGS, BOARDS, AND RELATIVISTIC PERDURANCE
Authors: BALASHOV YURI 
Published: July 2009

AbstractIn an earlier work I developed an argument favoring one view of persistence (viz., perdurance) over its rivals, based on considerations of the relativity of three‐dimensional spatial shapes of physical objects in Minkowski spacetime. The argument has since come under criticism (in the works of Theodore Sider, Kristie Miller, Ian Gibson, Oliver Pooley, and Thomas Sattig). Two related topics, explanatory virtues and explanatory relevance, are central to these critical discussions. In this paper I deal with these topics directly and respond to my critics by offering a new perspective on the issue.
DAVIDSON AND FIRST‐PERSON AUTHORITY: PARATAXIS AND SELF‐EXPRESSION
Authors: JACOBSEN ROCKNEY 
Published: July 2009

AbstractDonald Davidson's explanation of first‐person authority turns on an ingenious account of speakers' knowledge of meaning. It nonetheless suffers from a structural defect and yields, at best, expressive know‐how for speakers. I argue that an expressivist strand already latent in Davidson's paratactic treatment of the semantics of belief attribution can be exploited to repair the defect, and so to yield a plausible account of first‐person authority.
ON THE RATIONALIST SOLUTION TO GREGORY KAVKA'S TOXIN PUZZLE
Authors: LEVY KEN 
Published: July 2009

AbstractGregory Kavka's ‘Toxin Puzzle’ suggests that I cannot intend to perform a counter‐preferential action A even if I have a strong self‐interested reason to form this intention. The ‘Rationalist Solution,’ however, suggests that Icanform this intention. For even though it is counter‐preferential, A‐ing is actually rational given that the intention behind it is rational. Two arguments are offered for this proposition that the rationality of the intention to A transfers to A‐ing itself: the ‘Self‐Promise Argument’ and David Gauthier's ‘Rational Self‐Interest Argument.’ But both arguments – and therefore the Rationalist Solution – fail. The Self‐Promise Argument fails because my intention to A does not constitute a promise to myself that I am obligated to honor. And Gauthier's Rational Self‐Interest Argument fails to rule out the possibility of rational irrationality.
Toward a Typology of European Labor Migration*
Authors: Mcdonald James R. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTLabor migration from the Mediterranean region to industrial areas of the Northwest has been significant in rearranging the population of Europe over the past twenty years. Although movement between various combinations of emigrant and immigrant countries has differed widely in time and circumstances, an overall consistency of influences and patterns becomes evident upon analysis of the migratory flows.In the country of immigration, the interplay of employment possibilities and available workers produces a labor requirement which the government evaluates in light of its long‐range objectives, its alternative courses of policy, and the pressures to which it is subjected. In the country of emigration, economic and perceptive factors play a major role in creating a group of potential migrants, which the government considers in terms of resource evaluation and the demands of internal development.The net labor demand and net emigrant supply filtered through by the respective governments are co‐ordinated through an organizational framework, although clandestine migration is increasingly circumventing established procedures. Demographic consequences of the resultant net labor migration are subsequently influenced by the addition of family members or the return of workers to their country of origin.
Glutamate receptor properties of human mesencephalic neural progenitor cells: NMDA enhances dopaminergic neurogenesisin vitro
Authors: Wegner Florian , Kraft Robert , Busse Kathy , Schaarschmidt Grit , Härtig Wolfgang , Schwarz Sigrid C. , Schwarz Johannes 
Published: July 2009

AbstractHuman midbrain‐derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) may serve as a continuous source of dopaminergic neurons for the development of novel regenerative therapies in Parkinson’s disease. However, the molecular and functional characteristics of glutamate receptors in human NPCs are largely unknown. Here, we show that differentiated human mesencepahlic NPCs display a distinct pattern of glutamate receptors. In whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings,l‐glutamate and NMDA elicited currents in 93% of NPCs after 3 weeks of differentiationin vitro. The concentration‐response plots of differentiated NPCs yielded an EC50of 2.2 μM for glutamate and an EC50of 36 μM for NMDA. Glutamate‐induced currents were markedly inhibited by memantine in contrast to 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione (CNQX) suggesting a higher density of functional NMDA than alpha‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole‐4‐propionate (AMPA)/kainate receptors. NMDA‐evoked currents and calcium signals were blocked by the NR2B‐subunit specific antagonist ifenprodil indicating functional expression of NMDA receptors containing subunits NR1 and NR2B. In calcium imaging experiments, the blockade of voltage‐gated calcium channels by verapamil abolished AMPA‐induced calcium responses but only partially reduced NMDA‐evoked transients suggesting the expression of calcium‐impermeable, GluR2‐containing AMPA receptors. Quantitative real‐time PCR showed a predominant expression of subunits NR2A and NR2B (NMDA), GluR2 (AMPA), GluR7 (kainate), and mGluR3 (metabotropic glutamate receptor). Treatment of NPCs with 100 μM NMDAin vitroduring proliferation (2 weeks) and differentiation (1 week) increased the amount of tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunopositive cells significantly, which was reversed by addition of memantine. These data suggest that NMDA receptors in differentiating human mesencephalic NPCs are important regulators of dopaminergic neurogenesisin vitro.
Therapeutic opportunities of small interfering RNA
Authors: Goyal Bhoomika R. , Patel Mayur M. , Soni Mithil K. , Bhadada Shraddha V. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractFormation of small interfering RNA (siRNA) occurs in two steps involving binding of the RNA nucleases to a large double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) and its cleavage into fragments called siRNA. In the second step, these siRNAs join a multinuclease complex, which degrades the homologous single‐stranded mRNAs. The delivery of siRNA involves viral‐ and non‐viral‐mediated delivery systems; the approaches for chemical modifications have also been developed. It has various therapeutic applications for disorders like cardiovascular diseases, central nervous system (CNS) disorders, cancer, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatic disorders, etc. The present review gives an overview of the applications of siRNA and their potential for treating many hitherto untreatable diseases.
The effects of telocinobufagin isolated from Chan Su on the activation and cytokine secretion of immunocytes in vitro
Authors: Cao Yongguo , Song Yu , An Na , Zeng Sheng , Wang Dacheng , Yu Lu , Zhu Tongfei , Zhang Tingdi , Cui Jian , Zhou Changfang , Deng Xuming 
Published: July 2009

AbstractMany traditional Chinese medicines have been used as immunomodulators that act as either immunosuppressants or immunostimulators. Recently, our lab successfully isolated a monomer telocinobufagin (TCB) from the chloroform extract of Chan Su (Venenum Bufonis). In the present paper, we evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of this compound in vitro. We found that TCB significantly stimulates splenocyte proliferation when administered alone or in combination with polyclonal T‐cell mitogens concanavalin A (Con A) and lipopolysaccharide. Telocinobufagin markedly enhances natural killer cell and peritoneal macrophage activation. Telocinobufagin increases the percentage of CD4, CD8 positive cells within a population of splenocytes. Moreover, we found that the level of several Th1 cytokines, including interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), interleukin‐12 (IL‐12), interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) and tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), are significantly increased after TCB treatment, while the level of the Th2 cytokine interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) is significantly decreased. As a result, the ratio of Th1/Th2 is significantly increased. Taken together, these results indicate that TCB has potential immune system regulatory effects and suggest that this compound could be developed as a novel immunotherapeutic agent to treat cancer and other immune‐mediated diseases, and it may become a new immunomodulatory agent in many regions.
Syzygium cumini inhibits adenosine deaminase activity and reduces glucose levels in hyperglycemic patients
Authors: Bopp A. , De Bona K.S. , Bellé L.P. , Moresco R.N. , Moretto M.B. 
Published: July 2009

Abstract Syzigium cumini (L.) Skeels from the Myrtaceae family is among the most common medicinal plants used to treat diabetes in Brazil. Leaves, fruits, and barks of S. cumini have been used for their hypoglycemic activity. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an important enzyme that plays a relevant role in purine and DNA metabolism, immune responses, and peptidase activity. ADA is suggested to be an important enzyme for modulating the bioactivity of insulin, but its clinical significance in diabetes mellitus (DM) has not yet been proven. In this study, we examined the effect of aqueous leaf extracts of S. cumini (L.) (ASC) on ADA activity of hyperglycemic subjects and the activity of total ADA, and its isoenzymes in serum and erythrocytes. The present study indicates that: (i) the ADA activity in hyperglycemic serum was higher than normoglycemic serum and ADA activity was higher when the blood glucose level was more elevated; (ii) ASC (60–1000 μg/mL) in vitro caused a concentration‐dependent inhibition of total ADA activity and a decrease in the blood glucose level in serum; (iii) ADA1 and 2 were reduced both in erythrocytes and in hyperglycemic serum. These results suggest that the decrease of ADA activity provoked by ASC may contribute to control adenosine levels and the antioxidant defense system of red cells and could be related to the complex ADA/DPP‐IV‐CD26 and the properties of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP‐IV) inhibitors which serve as important regulators of blood glucose.
Thinking locally, acting supranationally: Niche party behaviour in the European Parliament
Authors: JENSEN CHRISTIAN B. , SPOON JAE‐JAE 
Published: July 2009

AbstractRecent research on the European Parliament (EP) has neglected the idiosyncrasies of niche parties. Similarly, analyses of niche parties have not fully engaged the literature on the EP. This article builds on both literatures by analysing niche party behaviour in the EP as a distinct phenomenon. It is argued that niche parties will respond differently to institutional stimuli than parties more generally. To test this argument, Hix, Noury and Roland's work on EP party voting behaviour is replicated concentrating on niche parties only. It is found that participation in national government and institutional changes affect niche party legislators' voting behaviour, whereas they do not for legislators in the EP overall. These results have important implications for understanding both party behaviour in the EP and niche party behaviour more generally.
Retrospective analysis of outcome of pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease: Single‐centre experience from North India
Authors: AGGARWAL Neelam , SURI Vanita , KAUR Harpreet , CHOPRA Seema , ROHILA Meenakshi , VIJAYVERGIYA Rajesh 
Published: July 2009

Objective: To study maternal and perinatal outcome in congenital heart disease (CHD) and to compare outcome between cyanotic and acyanotic CHD.Method: A retrospective analysis of 196 cases of CHD was undertaken, and maternal and perinatal outcome of pregnancy was compared in cyanotic and acyanotic cases and between surgically corrected and uncorrected cases.Results: Maternal and perinatal outcome was better in the acyanotic group. Maternal complications included higher incidence of cardiac complications in cyanotic group, (33.3% vs 3.4% in acyanotic group, P = 0.001), abruption (12.5% vs nil) and pregnancy‐induced hypertension (16.6% vs 5.2%). Rate of prematurity (25% vs 11.6%), intrauterine growth retardation (50% vs 15.1%, P = 0.003) and abortion (4.1% vs 2.1%) was higher in cyanotic group. Mean gestational age at delivery was better in corrected group, 37.13 vs 34.93 weeks in uncorrected group. There was no case of infective endocarditis. There were four cases of maternal mortality in cyanotic group, two of which were in women with Eisenmenger syndrome. In acyanotic heart disease one case died undelivered and one died on first postoperative day.Conclusion: Maternal and perinatal outcome is better in acyanotic CHD compared to cyanotic CHD. Surgical correction of cardiac lesions prior to conception improves outcome.
Contraception and pregnancy then and now: Examining the experiences of a cohort of mid‐age Australian women
Authors: READ Christine , BATESON Deborah , WEISBERG Edith , ESTOESTA Jane 
Published: July 2009

Background: More than 50% of women who have an unplanned pregnancy report using a contraceptive method. Since the launch of the pill 50 years ago, a number of cross‐sectional surveys have examined contraceptive use in the Australian context. There is, however, little data on contraceptive use and efficacy over a woman's reproductive years.Aim: To determine the pattern of contraceptive use of Australian women over their reproductive lifespan, with particular emphasis on the relationship between contraceptive use and pregnancy.Method: One thousand women from the mid‐age cohort of the Australian Women's Longitudinal Study were invited to participate in the Family Planning survey by completing a questionnaire about their reproductive histories.Results: Completed questionnaires were received for 812 women. The contraceptive pill was the most commonly ever used contraceptive method at 94% and also the most commonly used method prior to all pregnancies. Contraceptive failure increased with increasing gravidity; 11.4% with the first pregnancy to 23.0% with the fourth pregnancy, while 28.8% of the respondents reported an ‘accidental’ pregnancy due to stopping contraception for reasons such as concern about long‐term effects and media stories.Conclusions: While surveys indicate that 66–70% of Australian women use a contraceptive method, more than half of unplanned pregnancies apparently occur in women using contraception. The modern Australian woman, in common with her predecessors, still faces significant challenges in her fertility management. This survey provides a longitudinal perspective on contraceptive use in relation to pregnancy and highlights the issue of efficacy of contraceptives in real‐life situations.
Ectopic pregnancy: Challenging accepted management strategies
Authors: CONDOUS George 
Published: July 2009

Ectopic pregnancy is still the number one cause of maternal deaths in early pregnancy. The diagnostic capabilities of transvaginal ultrasound to confirm an EP are well founded. In fact, ultrasound technology, particularly the introduction of high‐resolution transvaginal probes, has been the driving force behind the revolutionary change towards conservative management strategies in ectopic pregnancy care. Clinically stable women, however, with a scan diagnosis of a tubal ectopic pregnancy still routinely undergo surgery or are given methotrexate (MTX) at presentation. Conservative management for ectopic pregnancy may be considered in the context of clinical stability. Reassessment at 48 h allows evaluation of the trophoblast activity or ‘trophoblastic load’. Falling serum hCG levels at 48 h suggest that the ectopic trophoblast is resolving spontaneously and it may be possible to avoid methotrexate administration in this sub‐group. Women with increasing serum hCG levels at 48 h, indicating the trophoblast is still active, should be targeted for methotrexate. By calculating the pre‐treatment hCG ratio (hCG 48 h/hCG 0 h), it is possible to triage women with an ectopic pregnancy for conservative management. There are, however, no randomised data to support the use of MTX over expectant management. In this review, some of the current management strategies in ectopic pregnancy management will be challenged.
Risk factors for and timing of death of extremely preterm infants
Authors: ELDER Dawn E. , WONG Annie , ZUCCOLLO Jane M. 
Published: July 2009

This study examined risk factors for timing and cause of death for extremely preterm infants ≥ 23 weeks and < 28 weeks. There were 479 liveborn infants and 98 deaths reviewed over a ten‐year period. Thirty‐two deaths (33%) occurred on the first day of life and 72 (75%) in the first month of life. Lower gestation and intrauterine growth restriction were significant risk factors for death. Most deaths occurred in the first month of life and at the lowest gestation in the first week.
Geophysical evidence for Holocene lake‐level change in southern California (Dry Lake)
Authors: BIRD BROXTON W. , KIRBY MATTHEW E. , HOWAT IAN M. , TULACZYK SLAWEK 
Published: July 2009

Bird, B. W., Kirby, M. E., Howat, I. M. & Tulaczyk, S. 2009: Geophysical evidence for Holocene lake‐level change in southern California (Dry Lake). Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00114.x. ISSN 0300‐9483.Ground penetrating radar (GPR) data are used in combination with previously published sediment cores to develop a Holocene history of basin sedimentation in a small, alpine lake in southern California (Dry Lake). The GPR data identify three depositional sequences spanning the past 9000 calendar years before present (cal. yr BP). Sequence I represents the first phase of an early Holocene highstand. A regression between <8320 and >8120 cal. yr BP separates Sequence I from Sequence II, perhaps associated with the 8200 cal. yr BP cold event. Sequence II represents the second phase of the early‐to‐mid Holocene highstand. Sequence IIIa represents a permanent shift to predominantly low lake stands beginning ∼5550 cal. yr BP. This mid‐Holocene shift was accompanied by a dramatic decrease in sedimentation rate as well as a contraction of the basin's area of sedimentation. By ∼1860 cal. yr BP (Sequence IIIb), the lake was restricted to the modern, central basin. Taken together, the GPR and core data indicate a wet early Holocene followed by a long‐term Holocene drying trend. The similarity in ages of the early Holocene highstand across the greater southern California region suggests a common external forcing – perhaps modulation of early Holocene storm activity by insolation. However, regional lake level records are less congruous following the initial early Holocene highstand, which may indicate a change in the spatial domain of climate forcing(s) throughout the Holocene in western North America.
RB101‐mediated Protection of Endogenous Opioids: Potential Therapeutic Utility?
Authors: Jutkiewicz Emily M. 
Published: July 2009

ABSTRACTThe endogenous opioids met‐ and leu‐enkephalin are inactivated by peptidases preventing the activation of opioid receptors. Inhibition of enkephalin‐degrading enzymes increases endogenous enkephalin levels and stimulates robust behavioral effects. RB101, an inhibitor of enkephalin‐degrading enzymes, produces antinociceptive, antidepressant, and anxiolytic effects in rodents, without typical opioid‐related negative side effects. Although enkephalins are not selective endogenous ligands, RB101 induces these behaviors through receptor‐selective activity. The antinociceptive effects of RB101 are produced through either the mu‐opioid receptor alone or through activation of both mu‐ and delta‐opioid receptors; the antidepressant‐like and anxiolytic effects of RB101 are mediated only through the delta‐opioid receptor. Although little is known about the effects of RB101 on other physiologically and behaviorally relevant peptides, these findings suggest that RB101 and other inhibitors of enkephalin‐degrading enzymes may have potential as novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of pain, depression, and anxiety.
Soil organic carbon pool changes following land‐use conversions
Authors: DeGryze Steven , Six Johan , Paustian Keith , Morris Sherri J. , Paul Eldor A. , Merckx Roel 
Published: July 2009

AbstractCarbon (C) can be sequestered in the mineral soil after the conversion of intensively cropped agricultural fields to more extensive land uses such as afforested and natural succession ecosystems. Three land‐use treatments from the long‐term ecological research site at Kellogg biological station in Michigan were compared with a nearby deciduous forest. Treatments included a conventionally tilled cropland, a former cropland afforested with poplar for 10 years and an old field (10 years) succession. We used soil aggregate and soil organic matter fractionation techniques to isolate C pools that (1) have a high potential for C storage and (2) accumulate C at a fast rate during afforestation or succession. These fractions could serve as sensitive indicators for the total change in C content due to land‐use changes. At the mineral soil surface (0–7 cm), afforesting significantly increased soil aggregation to levels similar to native forest. However, surface soil (0–7 cm) C did not follow this trend: soil C of the native forest site (22.9 t C ha−1) was still significantly greater than the afforested (12.6 t C ha−1) and succession (15.4 t C ha−1) treatments. However, when the 0–50 cm soil layer was considered, no differences in total soil C were observed between the cropland and the poplar afforested system, while the successional system increased total soil C (0–50 cm) at a rate of 0.786 t C ha−1 yr−1. Afforested soils sequestered C mainly in the fine intra‐aggregate particulate organic matter (POM) (53–250 μm), whereas the successional soils sequestered C preferentially in the mineral‐associated organic matter and fine intra‐aggregate POM C pools.
Neuromuscular coordination of masticatory muscles in subjects with two types of implant‐supported prostheses
Authors: Ferrario Virgilio F. , Tartaglia Gianluca M. , Maglione Michele , Simion Massimo , Sforza Chiarella 
Published: July 2009

AbstractObjectives: To compare the electromyographic (EMG) characteristics of masticatory muscles in patients with fixed implant‐supported prostheses and implant overdentures.Material and methods: Nineteen subjects aged 45–79 years were examined. Fourteen were edentulous and had been successfully rehabilitated with (a) maxillary and mandibular implant‐supported fixed prostheses (seven patients); (b) mandibular implant overdentures and maxillary complete dentures (seven patients). Five control subjects had natural dentition or single/partial (no more than two teeth) tooth or implant fixed dentures. Surface EMG of the masseter and temporal muscles was performed during unilateral gum chewing and during maximum teeth clenching. To reduce biological and instrumental noise, all values were standardized as percentage of a maximum clenching on cotton rolls.Results: During clenching, temporal muscle symmetry was larger in control subjects and fixed implant‐supported prosthesis patients than in overdenture patients (analysis of variance, P=0.005). No differences were found in masseter muscle symmetry or in muscular torque. Muscle activities (integrated areas of the EMG potentials over time) were significantly larger in control subjects than in implant‐supported prosthesis patients (P=0.014). In both patient groups, a poor neuromuscular coordination during chewing, with altered muscular patterns, and a smaller left–right symmetry than in control subjects were found (P=0.05). No differences in masticatory frequency were found.Conclusion: Surface EMG analysis of clenching and chewing showed that fixed implant‐supported prostheses and implant overdentures were functionally equivalent. Neuromuscular coordination during chewing was inferior to that found in subjects with natural dentition.