bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Monascus purpureus-fermented rice inhibits tumor necrosis factor-α-induced upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9 in human aortic smooth muscle cells
Authors: Lin Chih-Pei , Huang Po-Hsun , Tsai Hui-Szu , Wu Tao-Cheng , Leu Hsin-Bang , Liu Po-Len , Chen Yung-Hsiang 
Published: October 2011

Abstract

Objectives
Inflammation is associated with atherosclerosis. Cholestin (Monascus purpureus-fermented rice) contains a naturally occurring statin, which has lipid-modulating, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Cholestin extract on the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-treated human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs).

Methods
Zymography, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunoblot analyses were used for analysis of MMP expression of TNF-α-stimulated HASMCs. Gel shift assay was used for analysis of transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was also analysed.

Key findings
The supplement of HASMCs with Cholestin extract significantly suppresses enzymatic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in TNF-α-stimulated HASMCs. RT-PCR and immunoblot analyses show that Cholestin extract significantly attenuates TNF-α-induced mRNA and protein expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Gel shift assays show that Cholestin treatment reduces TNF-α-activated NF-κB. Furthermore, Cholestin also attenuates intracellular ROS generation in TNF-α-treated HASMCs. The supplement with an ROS scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine (glutathione precursor) gives similar results to Cholestin.

Conclusions
Cholestin reduces TNF-α-stimulated MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression as well as downregulating NF-κB activation and intracellular ROS formation in HASMCs, supporting the notion that the natural compound Cholestin may have potential application in clinical atherosclerosis disease.
REPRESENTATIONS OF LIE ALGEBRAS BUILT OVER HILBERT SPACE
Authors: JORGENSEN PALLE E. T. 
Published: October 2011

Starting with a complex Hilbert space, using inductive limits, we build Lie algebras, and find families of representations. They include those often studied in mathematical physics in order to model quantum statistical mechanics or quantum fields. We explore natural actions on infinite tensor algebras T(H) built with a functorial construction, starting with a fixed Hilbert space H. While our construction applies also when H is infinite-dimensional, the case with N ≔ dim H finite is of special interest as the symmetry group we consider is then a copy of the non-compact Lie group U(N, 1). We give the tensor algebra T(H) the structure of a Hilbert space, i.e. the unrestricted infinite tensor product Fock space [Formula: see text]. The tensor algebra T(H) is naturally represented as acting by bounded operators on [Formula: see text], and U (N, 1) as acting as a unitary representation. From this we built a covariant system, and we explore how the fermion, the boson, and the q on Hilbert spaces are reduced by the representations. In particular we display the decomposition into irreducible representations of the naturally defined U (N, 1) representation.
Telomere Targeting with a New G4 Ligand Enhances Radiation-Induced Killing of Human Glioblastoma Cells
Authors: Merle Patrick , Evrard Bertrand , Petitjean Anne , Lehn Jean-Marie , Teulade-Fichou Marie-Paule , Chautard Emmanuel , De Cian Anne , Guittat Lionel , Tran Phong Lan Thao , Mergny Jean-Louis , Verrelle Pierre , Tchirkov Andreï 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThe aim of this study was to test in vitro the efficacy of TAC, an original G-quadruplex ligand, as a potential radiosensitizing agent for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Two human radioresistant telomerase-positive GBM cell lines (SF763 and SF767) were analyzed, with and without TAC treatment, for telomere length, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell-cycle distribution, gene expression, cytogenetic aberrations, clonogenic survival assay, 53BP1 immunofluorescence staining, and γH2AX phosphorylation. We found that low concentrations of TAC (0.5 and 1 μmol/L) inhibited the proliferation of GBM cells in a concentration-dependent manner after only 1 week of treatment, with minimal effects on cell cycle and apoptosis. TAC treatment had no visible effect on average telomere length but modified expression levels of telomere-related genes (hTERT, TRF1, and TRF2) and induced concentration-dependent DNA damage response and dicentric chromosomes. Survival curves analysis showed that exposure to nontoxic, subapoptotic concentrations of TAC enhanced radiation-induced killing of GBM cells. Analysis of DNA repair after irradiation revealed delayed repair kinetics in GBM cells treated with TAC. Furthermore, the combined treatment (TAC and radiation) significantly increased the frequency of chromosomal aberrations as compared with radiation alone. These findings provide the first evidence that exposure to a G4 ligand radiosensitizes human glioblastoma cells and suggest the prospect of future therapeutic applications. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(10); 1784–95. ©2011 AACR.
Vigilance behavior of a tropical bird in response to indirect and direct cues of predation risk
Authors: Morrison Emily B. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractAnimals use a variety of cues to evaluate their risk of predation when foraging, including direct cues of predator presence such as vocalizations or scent, and indirect cues, or environmental correlates of predation risk, such as vegetation structure. Research took place in a large-scale forest restoration experiment where habitat patches of different sizes were planted. I examined the effects of predator vocalizations (direct cues) on the vigilance behavior of Cherrie's Tanagers (Ramphocelus costaricensis) foraging in three different locations with varying amounts of vegetation cover (indirect cues): small patches and the centers and edges of large patches. Results show that the indirect cue of predation risk mediated birds' response to the direct cue. The increase in time birds spent alert in response to the predator call was significantly greater in the presumably riskier small patches and large patch edges compared to the relatively safe large patch centers. The increase in frequency of head-turns also was significantly greater in small patches compared to the large patch centers in response to the predator call. Although birds recognized the threat of the predator call and reacted by fleeing more quickly than after the non-predator call, this response did not differ between locations. Birds appeared to integrate information from both types of cues to evaluate their predation risk and determine their vigilance response. Individuals responded more strongly to the direct cue of predation risk when foraging in the presumably riskier smaller patches and large patch edges by increasing vigilance. These results highlight the importance of investigating behavioral responses to the characteristics of forest restoration sites, many of which consist of small patches of habitat.
Proximate mechanisms leading to large male-mating advantage in the Andrew's toad, Bufo andrewsi
Authors: Lu Xin , Liao Wen Bo 
Published: October 2011

AbstractIn animals, body size is a prominent trait that generally positively affects ecological and reproductive success. Through field observations and experiments, we investigated the effects of two mechanisms of sexual selection on large male mating advantage in the Andrew's toad, Bufo andrewsi, a species widely distributed in western China. We observed a large male mating advantage in the field. Field data were corroborated by experiments in which large males mated more frequently than smaller males. However, in female preference tests, in which females could choose freely between two males differing in body size, choosing females showed no size preference while many females did not exert mate choice at all. We suggest that the large male mating advantage observed in the field and laboratory is caused by competition among males rather than by female choice.
Effects of stage in incubation, time in season, and proportion of original clutch remaining on nest desertion by house sparrows, Passer domesticus
Authors: Johnston Jason C. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractLife history theory predicts that individuals should maximize their fitness by balancing current investment in offspring versus future prospects for reproduction. Faced with reduction of their current clutch, birds should desert if the prospective opportunity would increase inclusive fitness more than continued investment in the reduced clutch. I studied nest desertion in response to clutch reduction by house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to determine if continuing investment in a reduced clutch differs based on proportion of original clutch remaining, stage in incubation, and ordinal date. Nests were reduced to two eggs early or late in incubation over two complete breeding seasons. Of 150 nests manipulated, 36 were deserted. Nests were more likely to be deserted when reduction occurred earlier in incubation, earlier in the season, and with a smaller proportion of original clutch remaining. This suggests that both time and brood size are used to assess the tradeoffs between current and future investment. However, near the end of the breeding season, the proportion of original clutch remaining and stage in incubation were less important, and low desertion was likely associated with a lack of re-nesting opportunities in the current season. Therefore, whether to desert or continue investing in a reduced clutch is a function of offspring reproductive value (RV) when there is opportunity for re-nesting in the same season. However, near the end of the season the decision is based on the residual reproductive value (RRV) of parents.
The brain opioid theory of social attachment: a review of the evidence
Authors: Machin A.J. , Dunbar R.I.M 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThe psychology of close human relationships is increasingly well understood and our understanding of the neurobiology of the onset of pairbonding behaviour in a range of species has benefited from the use of rodent-based models. However, the human literature has suffered from a lack of focus upon the unique nature of primate social bonds and has so far failed to adequately identify the neurobiological and behavioural mechanisms which maintain these complex, diverse and enduring social networks. One neurobiological mechanism that has been overlooked is the endogenous opioid system. Though less explicitly researched than the more familiar oxytocin/vasopressin system, there is considerable evidence that the opioids play a fundamental role in sociality, especially in the primates. This review summarises our current understanding of the evidence for the role of this system in prosocial behaviour in non-primate mammals, nonhuman primates and humans. An important conclusion is that the opioid system may play a more central role in sociality in primates (including humans) than in other mammalian taxa.
Marxism and the ‘Dutch Miracle’: The Dutch Republic and the Transition-Debate
Authors: Brandon Pepijn 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThe Dutch Republic holds a marginal position in the debate on the transition from feudalism to capitalism, despite its significance in the early stage of the development of global capitalism. While the positions of those Marxists who did consider the Dutch case range from seeing it as the first capitalist country to rejecting it as an essentially non-capitalist commercial society, all involved basically accept an image of Dutch development as being driven by commerce rather than real advances in the sphere of production. Their shared interpretation of the Dutch ‘Golden Age’, however, rests on an interpretation of Dutch economic history that does not match the current state of historical knowledge. Rereading the debate on the Dutch trajectory towards capitalism in the light of recent economic historiography seriously challenges established views, and questions both major strands in the transition-debate.
Antonio Gramsci’s Contribution to a Critical Economics
Authors: Thomas Peter , Krätke Michael R. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractAccording to conventional wisdom, Antonio Gramsci is a political philosopher lacking in, and who avoids, a serious interest in political economy. That is a serious misrepresentation of Gramsci’s works and thought. Equally wrong is the widespread view that anything Gramsci had to say about political economy is to be found in his scattered notes on ‘Americanism and Fordism’. On the contrary, a careful rereading of Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks shows that Marx’s great and unfinished project of the critique of political economy plays a crucial rôle for Gramsci’s efforts to come to grips with the basics of a critical social science that could live up to the aspirations of a ‘scientific socialism’. As Gramsci was fully aware of the everyday battles of ideas in capitalist societies to be fought about the notions and tenets of popular or vulgar political economy, he did the best he could in order to understand and clarify the bases of a ‘critical’ and ‘scientific’ political economy. A political economy that was and still is urgently needed in order to fight the strongest of the strongholds of bourgeois hegemony - the ideas of vulgar economics in everybody’s heads.
Alienation After Derrida
Authors: Eyers Tom 
Published: October 2011

AbstractSimon Skempton’s book re-reads Marx’s concept of alienation, and its roots in Hegel, through Derrida’s critique of the metaphysics of presence. In a wide-ranging study that engages with Heidegger, Kant and Lukács, as well as with a large proportion of Derrida’s work, both early and late, Skempton argues that, contrary to the prevailing orthodoxy in critical theory, it is possible to account for a kind of political ‘disalienation’, provided that one first accepts that the metaphysical account of the self-present subject is itself a product of alienation. ‘Disalienation’, on this model, would be a recognition of the inherently differential condition of humankind, with both Marxian and post-Kantian theories of the subject enlisted to support the Derridean thesis of an originary différance. Skempton’s thesis is attractively original, but it risks artificially reducing Kant, Hegel and Marx to mere avatars of Derrideanism avant la lettre, while simultaneously denying the force of Derrida’s critique of post-Kantian philosophy.
Political Writings, 1953-1993
Authors: Noys Benjamin 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThis review considers the collection Political Writings, 1953-1993 by Maurice Blanchot as a means to assess the relatively little-known political odyssey of this writer and theorist. Noting the absence of his earlier right-wing political texts from the 1930s in this collection, it attempts to probe Blanchot’s idiosyncratic ‘ultra-left’ turn represented in his texts of the 1950s and 1960s. In particular, I analyse how Blanchot develops a communism that focuses on the problem of abstraction: both the abstraction intrinsic to social reality, and the necessity to negate and contest that abstraction through a ‘communist writing’. The review reconstitutes this unusual form of Marxism, and analyses the possible resources it offers and its limits.
From the History of Soviet Philosophy: Lukács - Vygotsky - Ilyenkov
Authors: Levant Alex 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThis review-essay explores the subterranean tradition of ‘creative Soviet Marxism’1 through a recent book by the Russian philosopher Sergey Mareev, From the History of Soviet Philosophy: Lukács - Vygotsky - Ilyenkov (2008). It provides a brief overview of the history of Soviet philosophy so as to orient the reader to a set of debates that continue to be largely unexplored in the Western-Marxist tradition. Mareev offers a new account of the development of Soviet philosophy that not only explodes the myth that Soviet philosophy was simply state-sanctioned dogma, but also reinterprets the relationship between the key creative theorists so as to offer a new way of understanding its development that challenges several key-aspects of the dominant Western scholarship on this subject. He argues that alongside official Marxist philosophy in the Soviet Union - the crude materialism of Diamat and Istmat - there existed another line, which counterposed the central rôle of social activity in the development of human consciousness. He traces this line of anti-positivist theory from V.I. Lenin through Georg Lukács and Lev Vygotsky to Evald Ilyenkov - a pivotal figure in the ‘Marxian renaissance’2 of the 1960s, but who ‘has to this day remained a Soviet phenomenon without much international influence’.3 Specifically, Mareev disputes the rôle of A.M. Deborin as a precursor of the Ilyenkov school, and instead introduces Georg Lukács - a figure primarily recognised in the West as one of the founders of Western Marxism - into the line of development of creative Soviet Marxism. Furthermore, he reconsiders the rôle of V.I. Lenin and G.V. Plekhanov - the so-called father of Russian social democracy - in the development of Soviet philosophy. In the process, the author provides a detailed history of the emergence of Diamat and Istmat, and shines a spotlight on a figure widely recognised as the most important Soviet philosopher in the post-Stalin period - E.V. Ilyenkov.
Workerism’s Inimical Incursions: On Mario Tronti’s Weberianism
Authors: Farris Sara R. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThis article considers the engagement of Mario Tronti - one of the leading figures of classical Italian workerism [operaismo] - with the thought of Max Weber. Weber constituted one of Tronti’s most important cattivi maestri. By analysing Weber’s influence upon Tronti’s development, this article aims to show the ways in which this encounter affected his Marxism and political theory in general. In particular, during the period of the debate in Italian Marxism about the thesis of the autonomy of the political, Tronti increasingly adopted Weberian terminology and theoretical points of reference. Ultimately, the article argues that Tronti’s heretical method led him to incorporate and to re-propose theoretical and political problematics that are characteristic of bourgeois political theory: namely, the dyad administration/charisma, and a teleological and anthropological approach to history. Focusing upon this heterodox encounter therefore enables us to understand one of the trajectories of the transformation of Marxism that occurred during its recurrent rendezvous with the ‘Marx of the bourgeoisie’.
Libertarian Communism: Marx, Engels and the Political Economy of Freedom
Authors: Bunyard Tom 
Published: October 2011

AbstractBook-review of Ernesto Screpanti’s Libertarian Communism: Marx, Engels and the Political Economy of Freedom. In this book, Ernesto Screpanti questions the nature and status of freedom within both Marx’s thought and possible forms of communist organisation. By way of an argument which contends that communism should be understood as a theory of freedom, he extracts a deliberately individualistic version of communism from Marx’s work, and proceeds to develop this into a series of recommendations for practical-organisational forms. These forms, and the notion of freedom that they arise from, are, however, closely related to Screpanti’s adoption of an economic approach that consists of the quantification of freedom. This prompts a number of political and theoretical problems.
Rewriting Antiquity, Renewing Rome. The Identity of the Eternal City through Visual Art, Monumental Inscriptions and the Mirabilia
Authors: Riccioni Stefano 
Published: October 2011

AbstractDuring the eleventh and twelfth centuries the Church began a process of renovation (renovatio) and the city of Rome was given new meanings. Antiquity is part of the identity of the Eternal City; the reuse or reframing of aspects of antiquity inevitably transformed the image of Rome. Public spaces, architecture and objects were given new Christian readings. Inscriptions, present both in sacred and secular settings, played an important role. A similar rewriting can also be found in travel literature and descriptions of the city, such as in the Mirabilia urbis Rome, where ancient monuments were re-interpreted to demonstrate the superiority of Christianity. Inscriptions were used as symbols of authority, as can be seen in the altar of the church of Santa Maria in Portico, in the papal thrones (San Clemente, Santa Maria in Cosmedin, San Lorenzo fuori le mura) and also in mosaics (San Clemente, Santa Maria in Trastevere). Inscriptions appeared on porticoed atriums built on new churches and added to older foundations, and they were used to renew ancient monuments and places. The Roman Commune used a similar strategy with civil buildings. The image of Rome was transformed through restoration and new construction that used spolia as meaningful objects, and inscriptions for their authoritative value.
Walking in the Shadows of the Past: The Jewish Experience of Rome in the Twelfth Century
Authors: Boustan Ra‘anan S. , Champagne Marie Thérèse 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThe Jewish and Christian inhabitants of twelfth-century Rome viewed the urban landscape of their city through the lens of its ancient past. Their perception of Rome was shaped by a highly localized topography of cultural memory that was both shared and contested by Jews and Christians. Our reconstruction of this distinctively Roman perspective emerges from a careful juxtaposition of the report of Benjamin of Tudela’s visit to Rome preserved in his Itinerary and various Christian liturgical and topographical texts, especially those produced by the canons of the Lateran basilica. These sources demonstrate that long-standing local claims regarding the presence in Rome of ancient artifacts from the Jerusalem Temple and their subsequent conservation in the Lateran acquired particular potency in the twelfth century. Jews and Christians participated in a common religious discourse that invested remains from the biblical and Jewish past reportedly housed in Rome with symbolic capital valued by the two communities and that thus fostered both contact and competition between them. During this pivotal century and within the special microcosm of Rome, Jews and Christians experienced unusually robust cultural and social interactions, especially as the Jews increasingly aligned themselves with the protective power of the papacy.
An Assessment of the Political Symbolism of the City of Rome in the Writings of John of Salisbury
Authors: O’Daly Irene A. 
Published: October 2011

AbstractThis article focuses on John of Salisbury’s analysis of contemporary Rome (its citizenry, its revived “republican” institutions, its ecclesiastical role, and its ancient symbolism), examining the extent to which John’s study and use of classical Roman political ideas was interwoven with his perceptions of the contemporary city. It argues that John’s use of Rome as a metaphor, specifically the trope of the avaricious Roman, had a significant impact on John’s critique and presentation of contemporary political events such as the re-establishment of the Senate, the difficulties experienced by the papacy in their efforts to control Rome, and the controversial activities of Arnold of Brescia.