bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Life Satisfaction Dynamics with Quarterly Life Event Data*
Authors: Frijters Paul , Johnston David W. , Shields Michael A. 
Published: February 2011

AbstractUsing life satisfaction responses from Australian panel data we examine the questions of when and to what extent individuals are affected by major positive and negative life events, including changes in financial situation, marital status, death of a close relative, and being the victim of crime. The key advantage of our data is that we are able to identify these events on a quarterly basis rather than on the yearly basis used by previous studies. We find evidence that life events are not randomly distributed, that individuals anticipate major events to a large extent, and that they fully adapt to many events within 12 months. The estimates can be used to calculate monetary values needed to compensate individuals for life events. Using a new valuation methodology that incorporates these dynamic factors produces considerably smaller compensation valuations than those calculated using the standard approach.
Federalism, Fertility, and Growth
Authors: Borck Rainald 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThis paper analyses the effect of federalism on fertility and growth. In a model with human capital accumulation and endogenous fertility, two regimes of education finance are compared: central and local. I find that local education finance yields higher growth at the price of increased inequality. The effect of federalism on total and differential fertility rates depends on the elasticity of substitution between children and consumption. The paper also empirically examines the relationship between fertility rates and fiscal decentralisation on a panel of OECD countries and finds a weak negative effect of decentralisation on total and differential (poor minus rich) fertility.
Links between Mountain Communities and Environmental Services in the Italian Alps
Authors: Notaro Sandra , Paletto Alessandro 
Published: February 2011

AbstractThe aim of this study is to evaluate the importance of mountain communities in increasing the value of environmental services. The assumption of the research is that, for historical and cultural reasons there is a greater sense of local identity and social capital in alpine communities and thus greater attention to the environment. In these communities individuals with a higher level of social capital will have a greater tendency to play a tangible role in the preservation of the environment. The study concerns the municipality of Premana in the Italian Alps. We evaluated forest and alpine pasture environmental services using the contingent valuation (CV) method. We interviewed 319 randomly selected residents (14 per cent of the population), asking them about their willingness to pay or donate work hours. Their annual mean willingness to pay was €94 and €896 in working hours, respectively. The CV results, together with other data collected through the questionnaire, demonstrate that local traditions and social capital play a key role in the multifunctional management of forests and alpine pastures. We suggest that studies such as this one on the benefits evaluation of the environmental services of mountain resources might be used for the formation and implementation of better informed policies that will affect the future of mountain communities.
WHITE PROTESTANTS AND BLACK CHRISTIANS: The Absence and Presence of Whiteness in the Face of the Black Manifesto
Authors: Harvey Jennifer 
Published: February 2011

ABSTRACTThis essay brings Critical Whiteness Studies into liberationist Christian ethics in order to analyze white Protestant responses to the 1969 Black Manifesto, which demanded reparations from white churches. The essay's primary argument is that the absence of a sense of white moral agency among white Protestants manifested itself in behaviors and rhetoric that ensured whiteness went unacknowledged, which caused Protestant responses to the Manifesto to fail. A related argument is that white behavior and rhetoric were particularly dramatic because of the call for reparations. Reparations assume that race is a material relationship in which there has been a perpetrator and a victim, rendering the acknowledgment of white agency unavoidable. This essay thus analyzes several ways in which whites can be seen turning away from white selves, turning a scrutinizing gaze instead to Black selves and, in the process, absenting white agency from the work of racial justice.
THE CONCEPT OF DIGNITY IN THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Authors: Hughes Glenn 
Published: February 2011

ABSTRACTThis essay examines the function of the concept of human dignity (both as an inherent feature of human existence and as an ideal achievement) in the United Nations's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It explains why the key framers of the document affirmed an inherent human dignity in order to provide an explanatory basis for the validity of universal human rights while eschewing any religious or metaphysical justification for this affirmation. It argues that the key framers, while aware of the Christian anthropology informing the modern Western concept of the dignity of the person, grasped (1) that the Declaration, to be ratifiable, would need to be free of religious reference, and also (2) that the notion of inherency suffices to suggest heuristically not only a universal human nature but also, crucially, a transcendent reality in which all persons participate.
Bioclimatic constraints to Andean cat distribution: a modelling application for rare species
Authors: Marino Jorgelina , Bennett Magdalena , Cossios Daniel , Iriarte Agustin , Lucherini Mauro , Pliscoff Patricio , Sillero‐Zubiri Claudio , Villalba Lilian , Walker Susan 
Published: February 2011

AbstractAim To identify the bioclimatic niche of the endangered Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita), one of the rarest and least known felids in the world, by developing a species distribution model.Location South America, High Andes and Patagonian steppe. Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina.Methods We used 108 Andean cat records to build the models, and 27 to test them, applying the Maxent algorithm to sets of uncorrelated bioclimatic variables from global databases, including elevation. We based our biogeographical interpretations on the examination of the predicted geographic range, the modelled response curves and latitudinal variations in climatic variables associated with the locality data.Results Simple bioclimatic models for Andean cats were highly predictive with only 3–4 explanatory variables. The climatic niche of the species was defined by extreme diurnal variations in temperature, cold minimum and moderate maximum temperatures, and aridity, characteristic not only of the Andean highlands but also of the Patagonian steppe. Argentina had the highest representation of suitable climates, and Chile the lowest. The most favourable conditions were centrally located and spanned across international boundaries. Discontinuities in suitable climatic conditions coincided with three biogeographical barriers associated with climatic or topographic transitions.Main conclusions Simple bioclimatic models can produce useful predictions of suitable climatic conditions for rare species, including major biogeographical constraints. In our study case, these constraints are also known to affect the distribution of other Andean species and the genetic structure of Andean cat populations. We recommend surveys of areas with suitable climates and no Andean cat records, including the corridor connecting two core populations. The inclusion of landscape variables at finer scales, crucially the distribution of Andean cat prey, would contribute to refine our predictions for conservation applications.
Potent antitumor and antineoplastic efficacy of baicalein on benzo(a)pyrene‐induced experimental pulmonary tumorigenesis
Authors: Naveenkumar Chandrashekar , Asokkumar Selvamani , Raghunandhakumar Subramanian , Jagan Sundaram , Anandakumar Pandi , Augustine Titto Alby , Kamaraj Sattu , Devaki Thiruvengadam 
Published: February 2011

AbstractCurrent study aims to evaluate the efficacy of baicalein (BE), a naturally occurring bioactive flavanoid (5,6,7‐trihydroxy‐flavone), at a dose of 12 mg/kg body wt in Swiss albino mice exposed to tobacco‐specific carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] (50 mg/kg body wt) for its ability to mitigate pulmonary adenoma formation and growth. Under coarse observation, B(a)P‐administered mice, after 16 weeks, developed macroscopically detectable tumors, whereas oral treatment with BE to the lung cancer–induced mice significantly reduced tumor incidence in 16‐week pre‐ and posttreated groups. A detailed histopathological examination of lung was conducted to determine the degree of cancer progression. Incidence of anaplasia, hyperplasia, dysplasia, severe dysplasia, and adenocarcinoma were evident in carcinogen‐administrated group in 6, 10, 12, 14, and 16th weeks, respectively, whereas these anomalies were effectively reduced after pre‐ and posttreatment with BE. In the pretreatment group, BE significantly arrested tumor multiplicity by approximately 65% and tumor load by approximately 88%, while in the posttreatment, the compound significantly reduced the tumor multiplicity by approximately 48% and tumor load by approximately 61%. Further analysis of serum tumor markers like carcinoembryonic antigen, CK 19 fragments (CYFRA 21‐1), and tissue marker enzymes like aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase, adenosine deaminase, γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase, 5′‐nucleotidase, and lactate dehydrogenase in serum and lung homogenate was carried out to substantiate the anticarcinogenic effect of BE. The overall data from our experiments suggested that BE significantly inhibited pulmonary adenoma formation and growth, thus revealing its potent antitumorigenic effect.
PPARα mediates the anti‐inflammatory effect of simvastatin in an experimental model of zymosan‐induced multiple organ failure
Authors: Rinaldi Barbara , Donniacuo Maria , Esposito Emanuela , Capuano Annalisa , Sodano Loredana , Mazzon Emanuela , Di Palma Donatella , Paterniti Irene , Cuzzocrea Salvatore , Rossi Francesco 
Published: February 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Zymosan‐induced non‐septic shock is a multi‐factorial pathology that involves several organs including the kidneys, liver and lungs. Its complexity and diversity presents a continuing therapeutic challenge. Given their pleiotropic effect, statins could be beneficial in non‐septic shock. One of the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti‐inflammatory effect of statins involves the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR) α. We used a zymosan‐induced non‐septic shock experimental model to investigate the role of PPARα in the anti‐inflammatory effects of simvastatin.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Effects of simvastatin (5 or 10 mg·kg−1 i.p.) were analysed in PPARα knock‐out (KO) and PPARα wild type (WT) mice after zymosan or vehicle administration. Organ injury in lung, liver, kidney and intestine was evaluated by immunohistology. PPARα mRNA expression and nuclear factor‐κB activation were evaluated in all experimental groups, 18 h after study onset. Cytokine levels were measured in plasma, and nitrite/nitrate in plasma and peritoneal exudate. Nitric oxide synthase, nitrotyrosine and poly ADP‐ribose were localized by immunohistochemical methods.KEY RESULTS Simvastatin significantly and dose‐dependently increased the zymosan‐induced expression of PPARα levels in all tissues analysed. It also dose‐dependently reduced systemic inflammation and the organ injury induced by zymosan in lung, liver, intestine and kidney. These effects were observed in PPARαWT mice and in PPARαKO mice.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Simvastatin protected against the molecular and cellular damage caused by systemic inflammation in our experimental model. Our results also provide new information regarding the role of PPARα in the anti‐inflammatory effects of statins.
20‐Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid inhibits ATP‐induced COX‐2 expression via peroxisome proliferator activator receptor‐α in vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Liang Chan‐Jung , Tseng Ching‐Ping , Yang Chuen‐Mao , Ma Yunn‐Hwa 
Published: February 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE20‐Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20‐HETE), formed from arachidonate by cytochrome P450, regulates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) function. Because 20‐HETE may activate peroxisome proliferator activator receptors (PPARs) and may participate in inflammatory responses, we asked whether 20‐HETE may inhibit cyclooxygenase 2 (COX‐2) expression by activating PPARs in VSMC.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHQuiescent neonatal VSMC (R22D cell line), were incubated with 20‐HETE, synthetic ligands of PPARs, or inhibitors of the extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK1/2), c‐jun N‐terminal kinase and the transcription factor activated protein‐1 before adding ATPγS. mRNA and protein expression of COX‐2 and the promoter luciferase activity of COX‐2 and PPAR response element were determined.KEY RESULTSPretreatment with 20‐HETE (5–10 µM) significantly inhibited ATPγS‐induced COX‐2 mRNA and protein expression in VSMC. The inhibitory effect of 20‐HETE on COX‐2 expression was mimicked by WY14643, a PPARα ligand and inhibited by MK886, a PPARα inhibitor or by transfection of shRNA for PPARα. Both 20‐HETE and WY14643 significantly increased the PPAR‐response element luciferase activity. Furthermore, ATPγS‐induced activation of the COX‐2 promoter containing the activated protein‐1 site was also inhibited by pretreatment with 20‐HETE, which was reversed by MK886 or by transfection with shRNA for PPARα.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSThe PPARα may mediate the inhibitory effects of 20‐HETE on COX‐2 expression through a negative cross‐talk between PPARα and the COX‐2 promoter.
Differential reactivity of human mammary artery and saphenous vein to prostaglandin E2: Implication for cardiovascular grafts
Authors: Foudi N , Kotelevets L , Gomez I , Louedec L , Longrois D , Chastre E , Norel X 
Published: February 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEHuman internal mammary arteries (IMA) and saphenous veins (SV) are frequently used for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Intra‐ and postoperatively, the bypass grafts are exposed to inflammatory conditions, under which there is a striking increase in the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). In this context, the physiological response of these vascular grafts to PGE2 is highly relevant. The aim of this study was thus to characterize the PGE2 receptor subtypes (EP1, EP2, EP3 or EP4) involved in modulation of the vascular tone in these two vessels.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHRings of IMA and SV were prepared from 48 patients. The rings were mounted in organ baths for isometric recording of tension, and a pharmacological study was performed, together with associated reverse transcriptase PCR and immunohistochemistry experiments.KEY RESULTSPGE2 induced contractions of IMA (Emax= 1.43 ± 0.20 g; pEC50= 7.50 ± 0.10); contractions were also observed with the EP3 receptor agonists, sulprostone, 17‐phenyl‐PGE2, misoprostol or ONO‐AE‐248. In contrast, PGE2 induced relaxation of the precontracted SV (Emax=–0.22 ± 0.02 g; pEC50= 7.14 ± 0.09), as did the EP4 receptor agonist, ONO‐AE1‐329. These results were confirmed by the use of selective EP receptor antagonists (GW627368X, L‐826266, ONO‐8713, SC‐51322) and by molecular biology and immunostaining.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSPGE2 induced potent and opposite effects on the human vascular segments used for grafting, namely vasoconstriction of the IMA and vasodilatation of the SV via EP3 and EP4 receptors respectively. These observations suggest that EP3 and EP4 receptors could constitute therapeutic targets to increase vascular graft patency.
Telmisartan, ramipril and their combination improve endothelial function in different tissues in a murine model of cholesterol‐induced atherosclerosis
Authors: Schlimmer N , Kratz M , Böhm M , Baumhäkel M 
Published: February 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEErectile dysfunction correlates with cardiovascular disease and its common risk factors due to the development of endothelial dysfunction. Positive effects on endothelial and erectile function have been described for substances inhibiting the renin‐angiotensin‐system. Here, we investigated in an atherosclerosis model, whether telmisartan (angiotensin receptor blocker) and ramipril (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor) are equivalent or the combination of both is superior in improving endothelial function in the aorta and the corpus cavernosum and in reducing atherosclerosis.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHWild‐type (WT, C57/B6) and apolipoprotein‐E‐deficient (ApoE−/−) mice were treated with a cholesterol‐rich diet for 8 weeks. ApoE−/− mice were supplemented with either telmisartan (20 mg·kg−1·day−1), ramipril (2.5 mg·kg−1·day−1) or the combination thereof.KEY RESULTSSystolic blood pressure significantly decreased in treatment groups (P < 0.001), with significantly smaller reduction under ramipril monotherapy (P < 0.05). Endothelial function (assessed by pharmacological stimulation of aortic rings and corpus cavernosum in organ bath chambers) was impaired in ApoE−/− mice compared to WT animals, which was improved by all three treatments to a comparable extent (P < 0.05). Atherosclerotic lesion size in the ascending aorta and aortic sinus (P < 0.001), the amount of lipid peroxides in cavernosal and aortic tissue (P < 0.05) and free radical load (dihydroethidium‐stain) (P < 0.05) were enhanced in untreated ApoE−/− mice in comparison to WT animals and were significantly reduced by either treatment. In penile tissue, expression of eNOS could be restored by renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system blockade.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSTelmisartan and ramipril significantly improved endothelial function of aortic and cavernosal tissues in ApoE−/− via reduction of oxidative stress. Combination of both agents does not enhance beneficial effects significantly.
Significantly reduced cytochrome P450 3A4 expression and activity in liver from humans with diabetes mellitus
Authors: Dostalek Miroslav , Court Michael H. , Yan Bingfang , Akhlaghi Fatemeh 
Published: February 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Patients with diabetes mellitus require pharmacotherapy with numerous medications. However, the effect of diabetes on drug biotransformation is not well understood. Our goal was to investigate the effect of diabetes on liver cytochrome P450 3As, the most abundant phase I drug‐metabolizing enzymes in humans.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Human liver microsomal fractions (HLMs) were prepared from diabetic (n= 12) and demographically matched nondiabetic (n= 12) donors, genotyped for CYP3A4*1B and CYP3A5*3 polymorphisms. Cytochrome P450 3A4, 3A5 and 2E1 mRNA expression, protein level and enzymatic activity were compared between the two groups.KEY RESULTS Midazolam 1′‐ or 4‐hydroxylation and testosterone 6β‐hydroxylation, catalyzed by P450 3A, were markedly reduced in diabetic HLMs, irrespective of genotype. Significantly lower P450 3A4 protein and comparable mRNA levels were observed in diabetic HLMs. In contrast, neither P450 3A5 protein level nor mRNA expression differed significantly between the two groups. Concurrently, we have observed increased P450 2E1 protein level and higher chlorzoxazone 6‐hydroxylation activity in diabetic HLMs.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These studies indicate that diabetes is associated with a significant decrease in hepatic P450 3A4 enzymatic activity and protein level. This finding could be clinically relevant for diabetic patients who have additional comorbidities and are receiving multiple medications. To further characterize the effect of diabetes on P450 3A4 activity, a well‐controlled clinical study in diabetic patients is warranted.
Distinct tachykinin NK1 receptor function in primate nucleus tractus solitarius neurons is dysregulated after second‐hand tobacco smoke exposure
Authors: Sekizawa Shin‐ichi , Joad Jesse P , Pinkerton Kent E , Bonham Ann C 
Published: February 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSESecond‐hand tobacco smoke (SHS) exposure in children increases the risk of asthma and sudden infant death syndrome. Epidemiological and experimental data have suggested SHS can alter neuroplasticity in the CNS, associated with substance P. We hypothesized that exposure to SHS in young primates changed the effect of substance P on the plasticity of neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), where airway sensory information is first processed in the CNS.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHThirteen‐month‐old rhesus monkeys were exposed to filtered air (FA, n= 5) or SHS (n= 5) for >6 months from 50 days of their fetal age. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings were performed on NTS neurons in brainstem slices from these animals to record the intrinsic cell excitability in the absence or presence of the NK1 receptor antagonist, SR140333 (3 µM).KEY RESULTSNeurons were electrophysiologically classified based on their spiking onset from a hyperpolarized membrane potential into two phenotypes: rapid‐onset spiking (RS) and delayed‐onset spiking (DS) types. In RS neurons, SR140333 reduced the spiking response, similarly in both FA‐ and SHS‐exposed animals. In DS neurons, SR140333 almost abolished the spiking response in FA‐exposed animals, but had no effect in SHS‐exposed animals.CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSThe contribution of NK1 receptors to cell excitability depended on firing phenotype of primate NTS neurons and was disrupted by SHS exposure, specifically in DS neurons. Our findings reveal a novel NK1 receptor function in the primate brainstem and support the hypothesis that chronic exposure to SHS in children causes tachykinin‐related neuroplastic changes in the CNS.
Balloon catheter injury abolishes phenylephrine‐induced relaxation in the rat contralateral carotid
Authors: Pernomian L , Gomes MS , de Oliveira AM 
Published: February 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSEThe consequences of compensatory responses to balloon catheter injury in rat carotid artery, on phenylephrine‐induced relaxation and contraction in the contralateral carotid artery were studied.EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHRelaxation and contraction concentration–response curves for phenylephrine were obtained for contralateral carotid arteries in the presence of indomethacin (COX inhibitor), SC560 (COX‐1 inhibitor), SC236 (COX‐2 inhibitor) or 4‐hydroxytetramethyl‐L‐piperidine‐1‐oxyl (tempol; superoxide dismutase mimetic). Reactive oxygen species were measured in carotid artery endothelial cells fluorimetrically with dihydroethidium.KEY RESULTSPhenylephrine‐induced relaxation was abolished in contralateral carotid arteries from operated rats (Emax= 0.01 ± 0.004 g) in relation to control (Emax= 0.18 ± 0.005 g). Phenylephrine‐induced contractions were increased in contralateral arteries (Emax= 0.54 ± 0.009 g) in relation to control (Emax= 0.38 ± 0.014 g). SC236 restored phenylephrine‐induced relaxation (Emax= 0.17 ± 0.004 g) and contraction (Emax= 0.34 ± 0.018 g) in contralateral arteries. Tempol restored phenylephrine‐induced relaxation (Emax= 0.19 ± 0.012 g) and contraction (Emax= 0.42 ± 0.014 g) in contralateral arteries, while apocynin did not alter either relaxation (Emax= 0.01 ± 0.004 g) or contraction (Emax= 0.54 ± 0.009 g). Dihydroethidium fluorescence was increased in contralateral samples (18 882 ± 435 U) in relation to control (10 455 ± 303 U). SC236 reduced the fluorescence in contralateral samples (8250 ± 365 U).CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONSBalloon catheter injury abolished phenylephrine‐induced relaxation and increased phenylephrine‐induced contraction in contralateral carotid arteries, through O2‐ derived from COX‐2.