bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Climate Change and the Common Good: Some Reflections from the South African Context
Authors: M. Conradie Ernst 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThis article is based on the observation that any theological discourse is always from a particular location and a particular point of view, which is immediately recognized by others. At the same time, any (theological) discourse cannot escape the use of universals, of common categories that we need to communicate with others. We make constructions of the whole, of that which is common, albeit that we ineluctably make particular constructions of the whole. This poses particular challenges for discourse on the common good in the context of public theology. On this basis the article investigates a selection of ecclesial statements on climate change produced during the course of the year 2009 alone that are available in English. It focuses on how these statements handle the dilemma of speaking about the universal and the particular, given the moral ambiguities surrounding any Christian discourse on climate change. It argues that most of these documents are plagued with problems of reception; namely, whether the stipulated addressees would actually receive and read the documents, let alone respond to them appropriately.
The Concealments of Carbon Markets and the Publicity of Love in a Time of Climate Change
Authors: Northcott Michael S. 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have failed to engage the nations in a cooperative approach to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that are destabilizing the earth’s climate. Central to this failure is the resort to neo-liberal market techniques—and in particular markets in carbon emissions—for the management of emissions reduction. The resort to Carbon Emissions Trading (CET) reveals the problematic philosophical premises of economic neoliberalism, which include a preference for anonymous algorithms as managers of human affairs over face-to-face political communities and shared engagement of citizens and corporations in practices that promote the common good of a stable climate. It is proposed in this article that a core task of the church’s public responsibility in relation to climate change is to offer a theological critique of neoliberal approaches to climate change mitigation and against these to advance a spiritual theology of cooperative action for the common good of a stable climate in which love for near and distant neighbours, and creatures, is the key metaphor.
Cosmic Liturgy: The Theological Dignity of Creation as a Basis of an Orthodox Ecotheology
Authors: Munteanu Daniel 
Published: July 2010

AbstractOne of the most important contributions of Orthodox theology to ecotheology consists in its understanding of matter as an expression of the divine rationality. The logoi of the world are connected with the divine Logos and have an inner aspiration towards communion with God. Maximus Confessor’s view of the material world as potential church leads to a cosmic ecclesiology with direct significance for the overcoming of our contemporary ecological crisis. His theology of creatio originalis and of the new creation as transfigurated universe allows us to speak about the theological dignity of matter as the ‘home of God’, as well as a field of dialogue between creator and human beings. The Orthodox spirituality, as spirituality of theosis, of the transfiguration of matter through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is deeply ecological and, at the same time a source for a culture of healing communication, dialogue, love and respect of the ecosystems as expression of God’s rationality.
International Law and the Responsibility to Protect: Clarifying or Expanding States' Responsibilities?
Authors: Welsh Jennifer , Banda Maria 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe Responsibility to Protect (R2P) invokes one of the most powerful moral and legal terms in contemporary international politics – namely, responsibility. The nature of the relationship between R2P and international law and morality, however, remains contested, giving rise to questions lying at the core of R2P's normative foundations. What is the source of R2P? To whom is this responsibility attributable, and under what circumstances? Does R2P give rise to legal obligations? Such questions challenge International Relations (IR) theorists to look beyond their discipline for more insightful tools and methods of analysis. In this article, we apply a broadened theoretical framework to explain the ongoing controversy about R2P. In Part II, we borrow tools from moral philosophy to identify the source and the bearer of the responsibility to protect in today's international society. In Part III, we draw on international legal scholarship to analyse whether R2P has emerged as a 'new' norm of customary international law. We find that international endorsement of R2P has helped to clarify existing obligations in international law, but that intrinsic ambiguities in its articulation currently limit R2P's capacity to entrench new obligations for states to protect strangers. At the same time, our finding that R2P is an example of 'soft law' leads us to conclude that R2P can nonetheless exert significant influence on how states interpret their legal obligations and, in the coming decade, it may also help catalyse diplomatic efforts to reform the international architecture for preventing and responding to mass atrocities.
The International Community's Responsibility to Protect
Authors: Glanville Luke 
Published: July 2010

AbstractThe concept of the responsibility to protect (R2P) holds that not only do sovereign states have a responsibility to protect their populations, but so too does the international community. The international community is said to be responsible for encouraging and assisting states to protect and also for taking collective action to enforce the protection of populations in instances where states fail to carry out their obligations. This idea that the international community itself bears not merely a right but a responsibility to protect, through military intervention if necessary, is perhaps the most novel aspect of the R2P concept, and it would seem to have extraordinary implications. Yet it remains largely under-examined. In this article, I consider how the notion that the international community bears a responsibility to protect might be fruitfully understood and conceptualised. After briefly outlining from where this idea has emerged, I consider two interrelated questions: What kind of responsibility is it – moral, legal, or political, or some combination of the three? And who in particular bears the responsibility – the international community broadly speaking, particular international institutions such as the Security Council, regional organisations, or individual states?
Complement-mediated inhibition of neovascularization reveals a point of convergence between innate immunity and angiogenesis
Authors: Langer Harald F. , Chung Kyoung-Jin , Orlova Valeria V. , Choi Eun Young , Kaul Sunil , Kruhlak Michael J. , Alatsatianos Markella , DeAngelis Robert A. , Roche Paul A. , Magotti Paola , Li Xuri , Economopoulou Matina , Rafail Stavros , Lambris John D. , Chavakis Triantafyllos 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBeyond its role in immunity, complement mediates a wide range of functions in the context of morphogenetic or tissue remodeling processes. Angiogenesis is crucial during tissue remodeling in multiple pathologies; however, the knowledge about the regulation of neovascularization by the complement components is scarce. Here we studied the involvement of complement in pathological angiogenesis. Strikingly, we found that mice deficient in the central complement component C3 displayed increased neovascularization in the model of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and in the in vivo Matrigel plug assay. In addition, antibody-mediated blockade of C5, treatment with C5aR antagonist, or C5aR deficiency in mice resulted in enhanced pathological retina angiogenesis. While complement did not directly affect angiogenesis-related endothelial cell functions, we found that macrophages mediated the antiangiogenic activity of complement. In particular, C5a-stimulated macrophages were polarized toward an angiogenesis-inhibitory phenotype, including the up-regulated secretion of the antiangiogenic soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1. Consistently, macrophage depletion in vivo reversed the increased neovascularization associated with C3- or C5aR deficiency. Taken together, complement and in particular the C5a-C5aR axes are potent inhibitors of angiogenesis.
Treatment with the Bcl-xL inhibitor ABT-737 in combination with interferon α specifically targets JAK2V617F-positive polycythemia vera hematopoietic progenitor cells
Authors: Lu Min , Wang Jiapeng , Li Yan , Berenzon Dmitriy , Wang Xiaoli , Mascarenhas John , Xu Mingjiang , Hoffman Ronald 
Published: July 2010

Abstract
Polycythemia vera (PV) treatment with interferon α (IFNα) is frequently limited by dose-related toxicity. PV CD34+ cells are characterized by overexpression of Bcl-xL, which can be antagonized by ABT-737 leading to apoptosis. We explored the effects of ABT-737 and IFNα on PV hematopoiesis. Both IFNα and ABT-737 alone or in combination had a modest effect on normal hematopoiesis but each individually were able to markedly induce PV CD34+ cell apoptosis and suppress hematopoietic colony formation. The inhibitory activities of these agents in combination were greater against PV hematopoiesis than either agent alone. The exposure of PV CD34+ cells to low doses of IFNα and ABT-737 in combination resulted in the reduction of the proportion of JAK2V617F+ colonies similar to that observed with higher doses of IFNα. These data provide the rationale for combination therapy with low doses of IFNα and a BH3 mimetic for patients with PV.
Bcheck: a wrapper tool for detecting RNase P RNA genes
Authors: Yusuf Dilmurat , Marz Manja , Stadler Peter F , Hofacker Ivo L 
Published: July 2010

Abstract

Background
Effective bioinformatics solutions are needed to tackle challenges posed by industrial-scale genome annotation. We present , a wrapper tool which predicts RNase P RNA genes by combining the speed of pattern matching and sensitivity of covariance models. The core of is a library of subfamily specific descriptor models and covariance models.

Results
Scanning all microbial genomes in GenBank identifies RNase P RNA genes in 98% of 1024 microbial chromosomal sequences within just 4 hours on single CPU. Comparing to existing annotations found in 387 of the GenBank files, predictions have more intact structure and are automatically classified by subfamily membership. For eukaryotic chromosomes could identify the known RNase P RNA genes in 84 out of 85 metazoan genomes and 19 out of 21 fungi genomes. predicted 37 novel eukaryotic RNase P RNA genes, 32 of which are from fungi. Gene duplication events are observed in at least 20 metazoan organisms. Scanning of meta-genomic data from the Global Ocean Sampling Expedition, comprising over 10 million sample sequences (18 Gigabases), predicted 2909 unique genes, 98% of which fall into ancestral bacteria A type of RNase P RNA and 66% of which have no close homolog to known prokaryotic RNase P RNA.

Conclusions
The combination of efficient filtering by means of a descriptor-based search and subsequent construction of a high-quality gene model by means of a covariance model provides an efficient method for the detection of RNase P RNA genes in large-scale sequencing data.
is implemented as webserver and can also be downloaded for local use from http://rna.tbi.univie.ac.at/bcheck
Establishment of a Cre/loxP recombination system for N-terminal epitope tagging of genes in Tetrahymena
Authors: Busch Clara Jana-Lui , Vogt Alexander , Mochizuki Kazufumi 
Published: July 2010

Abstract

Background
Epitope tagging is a powerful strategy to study the function of proteins. Although tools for C-terminal protein tagging in the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila have been developed, N-terminal protein tagging in this organism is still technically demanding.

Results
In this study, we have established a Cre/loxP recombination system in Tetrahymena and have applied this system for the N-terminal epitope tagging of Tetrahymena genes. Cre can be expressed in Tetrahymena and localizes to the macronucleus where it induces precise recombination at two loxP sequences in direct orientation in the Tetrahymena macronuclear chromosome. This Cre/loxP recombination can be used to remove a loxP-flanked drug-resistance marker from an N-terminal tagging construct after it is integrated into the macronucleus.

Conclusions
The system established in this study allows us to express an N-terminal epitope tagged gene from its own endogenous promoter in Tetrahymena.
An adeno-associated viral vector transduces the rat hypothalamus and amygdala more efficient than a lentiviral vector
Authors: de Backer Marijke WA , Fitzsimons Carlos P , Brans Maike AD , Luijendijk Mieneke CM , Garner Keith M , Vreugdenhil Erno , Adan Roger AH 
Published: July 2010

Abstract

Background
This study compared the transduction efficiencies of an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector, which was pseudotyped with an AAV1 capsid and encoded the green fluorescent protein (GFP), with a lentiviral (LV) vector, which was pseudotyped with a VSV-G envelop and encoded the discosoma red fluorescent protein (dsRed), to investigate which viral vector transduced the lateral hypothalamus or the amygdala more efficiently. The LV-dsRed and AAV1-GFP vector were mixed and injected into the lateral hypothalamus or into the amygdala of adult rats. The titers that were injected were 1 × 108 or 1 × 109 genomic copies of AAV1-GFP and 1 × 105 transducing units of LV-dsRed.

Results
Immunostaining for GFP and dsRed showed that AAV1-GFP transduced significantly more cells than LV-dsRed in both the lateral hypothalamus and the amygdala. In addition, the number of LV particles that were injected can not easily be increased, while the number of AAV1 particles can be increased easily with a factor 100 to 1000. Both viral vectors appear to predominantly transduce neurons.

Conclusions
This study showed that AAV1 vectors are better tools to overexpress or knockdown genes in the lateral hypothalamus and amygdala of adult rats, since more cells can be transduced with AAV1 than with LV vectors and the titer of AAV1 vectors can easily be increased to transduce the area of interest.
Association of the genetic polymorphisms of the ACE gene and the eNOSgene with lupus nephropathy in northern Chinese population
Authors: Li X , An J , Guo R , Jin Z , Li Y , Zhao Y , Lu F , Lian H , Liu P , Zhao Y , Jin X 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackgroundIt has been reported that some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene and the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene are associated with the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the progression of nephropathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association between six SNPs (A-5466C,T-3892C,A-240T,C1237T,G2215AandA2350G) of theACEgene and two SNPs (T-786CandG894T) of theeNOSgene with lupus nephropathy in a northern Chinese population.MethodsIn this study, 225 patients with lupus nephropathy were compared to 232 healthy controls, matched by gender, age and ethnicity. Following the extraction of genomic DNA from the leukocytes in the peripheral blood, the genotypes of the eight selected SNPs were determined by the method of PCR-RFLP; the haplotypes were inferred using PHASE 2.1. The associations between the SNPs and the risk of lupus nephropathy were analyzed using Chi-square test and Logistic regression with SPSS13.0 software.ResultsStatistically significant differences of the allele frequency distribution of three SNPs (A-5466C,A2350GandG894T) were observed between cases and controls (P< 0.05). Among the 53 haplotypes identified, the frequencies of five haplotypes (CTTCGA, ACTTAA, ACATGG, ACACGG and ATTCGA) were significantly different between cases and controls (P< 0.05).ConclusionsOur study indicated an association between the risk of lupus nephropathy and the sequence variations of both theACEgene and theeNOSgene, which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephropathy in the northern Chinese population. Further studies are warranted to validate our findings.
Demethylation by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine in colorectal cancer cells targets genomic DNA whilst promoter CpG island methylation persists
Authors: Mossman David , Kim Kyu-Tae , Scott Rodney J 
Published: July 2010

Abstract

Background
DNA methylation and histone acetylation are epigenetic modifications that act as regulators of gene expression. Aberrant epigenetic gene silencing in tumours is a frequent event, yet the factors which dictate which genes are targeted for inactivation are unknown. DNA methylation and histone acetylation can be modified with the chemical agents 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) and Trichostatin A (TSA) respectively. The aim of this study was to analyse de-methylation and re-methylation and its affect on gene expression in colorectal cancer cell lines treated with 5-aza-dC alone and in combination with TSA. We also sought to identify methylation patterns associated with long term reactivation of previously silenced genes.

Method
Colorectal cancer cell lines were treated with 5-aza-dC, with and without TSA, to analyse global methylation decreases by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Re-methylation was observed with removal of drug treatments. Expression arrays identified silenced genes with differing patterns of expression after treatment, such as short term reactivation or long term reactivation. Sodium bisulfite sequencing was performed on the CpG island associated with these genes and expression was verified with real time PCR.

Results
Treatment with 5-aza-dC was found to affect genomic methylation and to a lesser extent gene specific methylation. Reactivated genes which remained expressed 10 days post 5-aza-dC treatment featured hypomethylated CpG sites adjacent to the transcription start site (TSS). In contrast, genes with uniformly hypermethylated CpG islands were only temporarily reactivated.

Conclusion
These results imply that 5-aza-dC induces strong de-methylation of the genome and initiates reactivation of transcriptionally inactive genes, but this does not require gene associated CpG island de-methylation to occur. In addition, for three of our selected genes, hypomethylation at the TSS of an epigenetically silenced gene is associated with the long term reversion of gene expression level brought about by alterations in the epigenetic status following 5-aza-dC treatment.
Late presenters to HIV care and treatment, identification of associated risk factors in HIV-1 infected Indian population
Authors: Mojumdar Kamalika , Vajpayee Madhu , Chauhan Neeraj K , Mendiratta Sanjay 
Published: July 2010

Abstract

Background
Timely access to antiretroviral therapy is a key to controlling HIV infection. Late diagnosis and presentation to care diminish the benefits of antiretrovirals and increase risk of transmission. We aimed to identify late presenters in patients sent for first CD4 T cell count after HIV diagnosis, for therapy initiation evaluation. Further we aimed at identifying patient factors associated with higher risk of late presentation.

Methods
Retrospective data collection and analysis was done for 3680 subjects visiting the laboratory for CD4 T cell counts between 2001 and 2007. We segregated the patients on basis of their CD4 T cell counts after first HIV diagnosis. Factors associated with risk of late presentation to CD4 T cell counts after HIV diagnosis were identified using univariate analysis, and the strength of association of individual factor was assessed by calculation of odds ratios.

Results
Of 3680 subjects, 2936 (83.37%) were defined as late presenters. Late testing varied among age groups, transmission categories, and gender. Males were twice as likely to present late as compared to females. We found significant positive association of heterosexual transmission route (p < 0.001), and older age groups of 45 years and above (p = 0.0004) to late presentation. Female sex, children below 14 years of age and sexual contact with HIV positive spouse were associated with significantly lower risks to presenting late. Intravenous drug users were also associated with lower risks of late presentation, in comparison to heterosexual transmission route.

Conclusions
The study identifies HIV infected population groups at a higher risk of late presentation to care and treatment. The risk factors identified to be associated with late presentation should be utilised in formulating targeted public health interventions in order to improve early HIV diagnosis.
A randomised, multi-centre, prospective, double blind pilot-study to evaluate safety and efficacy of the non-absorbable Optilene® Mesh Elastic versus the partly absorbable Ultrapro® Mesh for incisional hernia repair
Authors: Seiler Christoph , Baumann Petra , Kienle Peter , Kuthe Andreas , Kuhlgatz Jens , Engemann Rainer , v Frankenberg Moritz , Knaebel Hanns-Peter 
Published: July 2010

AbstractBackgroundRandomised controlled trials with a long term follow-up (3 to 10 years) have demonstrated that mesh repair is superior to suture closure of incisional hernia with lower recurrence rates (5 to 20% versus 20 to 63%). Yet, the ideal size and material of the mesh are not defined. So far, there are few prospective studies that evaluate the influence of the mesh texture on patient's satisfaction, recurrence and complication rate. The aim of this study is to evaluate, if a non-absorbable mesh (Optilene®Mesh Elastic) will result in better health outcomes compared to a partly absorbable mesh (Ultrapro®Mesh).Methods/DesignIn this prospective, randomised, double blind study, eighty patients with incisional hernia after a midline laparotomy will be included. Primary objective of this study is to investigate differences in the physical functioning score from the SF-36 questionnaire 21 days after mesh insertion. Secondary objectives include the evaluation of the patients' daily activity, pain, wound complication and other surgical complications (hematomas, seromas), and safety within six months after intervention.DiscussionThis study investigates mainly from the patient perspective differences between meshes for treatment of incisional hernias. Whether partly absorbable meshes improve quality of life better than non-absorbable meshes is unclear and therefore, this trial will generate further evidence for a better treatment of patients.Trial registrationNCT00646334