bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Passive vs. active touch‐induced activity in the developing whisker pathway
Authors: Mosconi Tony , Woolsey Thomas A. , Jacquin Mark F. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe mouse trigeminal (V) system undergoes significant postnatal structural and functional developmental changes. Histological modules (barrelettes, barreloids and barrels) in the brainstem, thalamus and cortex related to actively moved (whisking) tactile hairs (vibrissae) on the face allow detailed studies of development. High‐resolution [3H]2‐deoxyglucose (2DG) emulsion autoradiography with cytochrome oxidase histochemistry was used to analyze neuronal activity changes related to specific whisker modules in the developing and mature mouse V system provoked by passive (experimenter‐induced) and active (animal‐induced) displacements of a single whisker (D4). We tested the hypothesis that neuronal activity patterns change in relation to the onset of active touch (whisking) on postnatal day (P)14. Quantitative image analyses revealed: (i) on P7, when whisker‐like patterns of modules are clear, heightened 2DG activity in all appropriate modules in the brainstem, thalamus and cortex; (ii) on P14, a transitory activity pattern coincident with the emergence of whisking behavior that presages (iii) strong labeling of the spinal V subnucleus interpolaris and barrel cortex produced by single‐whisker‐mediated active touch in adults and (iv) at all above‐listed ages and structures, significant suppression of baseline activity in some modules surrounding those representing the stimulated whisker. Differences in activity patterns before and after the onset of whisking behavior may be caused by neuronal activity induced by whisking, and by strengthening of modulatory projections that alter the activity of subcortical inputs produced by whisking behavior during active touch.
Morphology, molecular phenotypes and distribution of neurons in developing human corpus callosum
Authors: Jovanov‐Milošević Nataša , Petanjek Zdravko , Petrović Davor , Judaš Miloš , Kostović Ivica 
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate the morphology, molecular phenotypes, distribution and developmental history of interstitial neurons in the human corpus callosum, here defined as intracallosal neurons. We analysed 26 fetuses, three newborns, five infants and children, and eight adults [age range – 15 weeks postconception (PCW) to 59 years] by means of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemistry and immunohistochemistry for neuron markers (MAP2, NeuN, NPY, calretinin and calbindin). We found a heterogeneous neuron population, positioned within the callosal trunk itself (aside from neurons present in the transient midline structures such as callosal sling, septa or subcallosal zone), which was most numerous during the second half of gestation and early postnatal years. We named these cells intracallosal neurons. At 15 PCW, the intracallosal neuron population consisted of poorly differentiated, small fusiform or bipolar, migratory‐like MAP2‐ or calretinin‐positive neurons which could be observed until mid‐gestation. Later the population comprised morphologically diverse, predominantly well‐differentiated MAP2‐, NPY‐, calbindin‐ and AChE‐positive neurons. The morphological differentiation of intracallosal neurons culminated in the newborns and remained pronounced in infants and children. In the adult brain, the intracallosal neurons were found only sporadically, with small somata and poorly stained dendrites. Thus, intracallosal neurons form part of a transitory neuron population with a developmental peak contemporaneous to the critical period of callosal formation. Therefore, they may be involved in processes such as axon guiding or elongation, withdrawal of exuberant axons, fasciculation, or functional tuning, which occur at that time.
GENETIC FRONTIERS: CHALLENGES FOR HUMANITY AND OUR RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS
Authors: Hefner Philip 
Published: September 2010

Abstract.Genetic research and its applications pose a significant challenge today, in particular to religious communities. The most critical challenge is to our understanding of human nature and values. This article surveys the challenges and the resources that the monotheistic religions can bring to bear in response. It is important for those religious communities to communicate to the larger society both their common beliefs and values and the diversity among them.
THE SCIENTIST AS STATESMAN: BIOLOGISTS AND THIRD WORLD HEALTH
Authors: Carvalho John J. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract.One of the most threatening problems the world faces is the growing poverty crisis and the related human rights inequalities and the spread of diseases in underprivileged areas. Human rights and relief organizations try hard to contain the devastation of these interconnected difficulties. What is the role of the biomedical scientist in this endeavor? The challenges that biomedical scientists face in their research lead us to question whether scientists can go beyond the time‐consuming realm of experimental investigation and engage the issues of society in a more public way. I suggest how the scientist's role can be expanded in our complex and precarious world, introducing the idea of the modern biomedical researcher as scientist, scholar‐philosopher, and statesman for the scientific community and the larger human rights community. I provide examples of where the scientist can interface with human rights organizations, medical doctors, political and civic leaders, and the science‐religion dialogue. My argument reveals the emerging role of the biomedical scientist as one of public service in addition to and beyond the realm of the experimental investigator. This role, however, is formidable, and I list some of the obstacles it entails.
MYTHIC RELIGIOUS NATURALISM
Authors: Rottschaefer William A. 
Published: September 2010

Abstract.In his book Religion Is Not About God, Loyal Rue presents an evolutionarily based explanation of religion as a means to further the personal and social fulfillment of human beings. Rue argues that religions in the form of myths, adaptive falsities, provide an account of the connection between what is (facts) and what matters (values). Myths are false because they attribute subjectively based values to valueless facts, but adaptive because they motivate personally and socially beneficial actions. He maintains that the current crises of humankind, evidenced by both social conflict and environmental degradation, indicate that the major religious traditions—all of which project values onto some transcendent reality—are failing to serve humanity. To overcome these crises, Rue maintains that we need a new, scientifically based naturalized religion, one that attributes subjectively based values to Nature instead of a transcendent reality. I accept Rue's naturalism about values but reject his subjectivist account of them. Contrary to Rue, I show that the naturalistic fallacy sets no barrier to the existence of objective moral values. Modeling my view on the selection theories used in biology and psychology, I offer a scientifically based explanation of the origin and existence of objective values and support it with empirical findings from developmental psychology. Whether this account can count as religious, I do not address.
Beyond the Sociobiological Dilemma: Social Emotions and the Evolution of Morality
Authors: Rosas Alejandro 
Published: September 2010

Abstract.Is morality biologically altruistic? Does it imply a disadvantage in the struggle for existence? A positive answer puts morality at odds with natural selection, unless natural selection operates at the level of groups. In this case, a trait that is good for groups though bad (reproductively) for individuals can evolve. Sociobiologists reject group selection and have adopted one of two horns of a dilemma. Either morality is based on an egoistic calculus, compatible with natural selection; or morality continues tied to psychological and biological altruism but not as a product of natural selection. The dilemma denies a third possibility—that psychological altruism evolves as a biologically selfish trait. I discuss the classical treatments of the paradox by Charles Darwin ([1871] 1989) and Robert Trivers (1971), focusing on the role they attribute to social emotions. The upshot is that both Darwin and Trivers sketch a natural‐selection process relying on innate emotional mechanisms that render morality adaptive for individuals as well as for groups. I give additional reasons for viewing it as a form of natural, instead of only cultural, selection.
Colonial and Post‐Colonial Elaborations of Avataric Evolutionism
Authors: Brown C. Mackenzie 
Published: September 2010

Abstract.Avataric evolutionism is the idea that ancient Hindu myths of Vishnu's ten incarnations foreshadowed Darwinian evolution. In a previous essay I examined the late nineteenth‐century origins of the theory in the works of Keshub Chunder Sen and Madame Blavatsky. Here I consider two major figures in the history of avataric evolutionism in the early twentieth century, N. B. Pavgee, a Marathi Brahmin deeply involved in the question of Aryan origins, and Aurobindo Ghose, political activist turned mystic. Pavgee, unlike Keshub, used avataric evolutionism in expounding his nationalistic goals for an independent India. His rationale was bolstered by the idea that India was the fountainhead of all science and civilization. Aurobindo saw in avataric evolutionism a possible key to understanding the involution and evolution of the supreme spirit in the realm of matter as taught in traditional Vedanta. This material‐spiritual evolution represented for Aurobindo the necessary knowledge for the true liberation of India, transcending purely political independence. Such knowledge he also saw as the means for the spiritual liberation of the whole of humankind. The processes of involution and evolution he claimed were not in conflict with modern science, and Western evolutionary thinking seems to have inspired many of his own evolutionary reflections, even though in the end he rejected the Darwinian transmutation of species. I conclude with an overview and assessment of recent, post‐colonial Hindu assimilations of avataric evolutionism.
A study of the structure‐activity relationships present in skin active agents
Authors: HAGAN D. B. , PARROTT D. T. , TAYLOR A. P. 
Published: September 2010

SynopsisThe effects of aqueous solutions of 2‐hydroxyalkanoic acids and analogous materials on the extensibility of an in vitro model for human stratum corneum have been investigated. The increase in extensibility of stratum corneum caused by treatment with 2‐hydroxy acid solutions reaches a peak at C8 in the case of the saturated molecules. Introducing unsaturation into the hydrocarbon chain shifts the point of maximum efficacy to a longer chain length. Further modifications to the molecular backbone, such as the replacement of a methylene group by heteroatoms, can improve significantly the relative plasticization obtained from aqueous treatment. Alteration of the acidic head group markedly influences the elasticity increase. The free acid is the most efficacious species. An increase in the pKa of HCA by the addition of polyol increases the extensibility improvement. Movement of the hydroxyl group from C‐2 is not advantageous, but replacement with a 2‐thio derivative is beneficial in terms of increased plasticization. The best systems for improving extensibility have a strong affinity for protein.RésuméNous avons analysé les effets de solutions aqueuses d'acides 2‐hydroxyalkanoïques et de matériaux similaires sur l'extensibilité in vitro d'un échantillon de stratum corneum humain. L'augmentation de l'extensibilité du stratum corneum générée par le traitement aux solutions des acides 2‐hydroxy atteint un pic à C8 dans le cas de molécules saturées. L'introduction d'une insaturation au niveau de la chaîne d'hydrocarbone amène le point d'efficacité maximum à une chaîne plus longue. Des modifications apportées aux molécules principales, telles que le remplacement du groupe méthylène par des hétéroatomes peuvent améliorer de façon significative la plasticité relative obtenue par un traitement aqueux. L'altération du groupe acide de tête influence de façon notable l'augmentation de l'élasticité. L'acide libre est la plus efficace. Une augmentation du pKa de l'acide 2‐hydroxy caprylique par addition de polyol accroît l'amélioration de l'extensibilité. Le deplacement du groupe hydroxy de C‐2 n'est pas efficace mais le remplacement par des dérivés 2‐thio améliore la plasticité. Les systémes qui améliorent au maximum l'extensibilité ont une affinité importante avec les protéines.
Association of Linear Growth Impairment in Pediatric Crohn's Disease and a Known Height Locus: A Pilot Study
Authors: Lee Jessica J. , Essers Jonah B. , Kugathasan Subra , Escher Johanna C. , Lettre Guillaume , Butler Johannah L. , Stephens Michael C. , Ramoni Marco F. , Grand Richard J. , Hirschhorn Joel 
Published: September 2010

SummaryThe etiology of growth impairment in Crohn's disease (CD) has been inadequately explained by nutritional, hormonal, and/or disease‐related factors, suggesting that genetics may be an additional contributor. The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to investigate genetic variants associated with linear growth in pediatric‐onset CD. We genotyped 951 subjects (317 CD patient–parent trios) for 64 polymorphisms within 14 CD‐susceptibility and 23 stature‐associated loci. Patient height‐for‐age Z‐score < −1.64 was used to dichotomize probands into growth‐impaired and nongrowth‐impaired groups. The transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) was used to study association to growth impairment. There was a significant association between growth impairment in CD (height‐for‐age Z‐score < −1.64) and a stature‐related polymorphism in the dymeclin gene DYM (rs8099594) (OR = 3.2, CI [1.57–6.51], p = 0.0007). In addition, there was nominal over‐transmission of two CD‐susceptibility alleles, 10q21.1 intergenic region (rs10761659) and ATG16L1 (rs10210302), in growth‐impaired CD children (OR = 2.36, CI [1.26–4.41] p = 0.0056 and OR = 2.45, CI [1.22–4.95] p = 0.0094, respectively). Our data indicate that genetic influences due to stature‐associated and possibly CD risk alleles may predispose CD patients to alterations in linear growth. This is the first report of a link between a stature‐associated locus and growth impairment in CD.
Soluble forms of the cell adhesion molecule L1 produced by insect and baculovirus‐transduced mammalian cells enhance Schwann cell motility
Authors: Lavdas Alexandros A. , Efrose Rodica , Douris Vassilis , Gaitanou Maria , Papastefanaki Florentia , Swevers Luc , Thomaidou Dimitra , Iatrou Kostas , Matsas Rebecca 
Published: September 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1137–1149.AbstractFor biotechnological applications, insect cell lines are primarily known as hosts for the baculovirus expression system that is capable to direct synthesis of high levels of recombinant proteins through use of powerful viral promoters. Here, we demonstrate the implementation of two alternative approaches based on the baculovirus system for production of a mammalian recombinant glycoprotein, comprising the extracellular part of the cell adhesion molecule L1, with potential important therapeutic applications in nervous system repair. In the first approach, the extracellular part of L1 bearing a myc tag is produced in permanently transformed insect cell lines and purified by affinity chromatography. In the second approach, recombinant baculoviruses that express L1‐Fc chimeric protein, derived from fusion of the extracellular part of L1 with the Fc part of human IgG1, under the control of a mammalian promoter are used to infect mammalian HEK293 and primary Schwann cells. Both the extracellular part of L1 bearing a myc tag accumulating in the supernatants of insect cultures as well as L1‐Fc secreted by transduced HEK293 or Schwann cells are capable of increasing the motility of Schwann cells with similar efficiency in a gap bridging bioassay. In addition, baculovirus‐transduced Schwann cells show enhanced motility when grafted on organotypic cultures of neonatal brain slices while they retain their ability to myelinate CNS axons. This proof‐of‐concept that the migratory properties of myelin‐forming cells can be modulated by recombinant protein produced in insect culture as well as by means of baculovirus‐mediated adhesion molecule expression in mammalian cells may have beneficial applications in the field of CNS therapies.
Mammalian endemism, range size and conservation status in the southern temperate zone
Authors: Lamoreux John F. , Lacher Thomas E. 
Published: September 2010

AbstractAim  To examine the taxonomic uniqueness, range sizes, endemism and conservation status of southern temperate zone mammals and how factors impacting their conservation differ across hemispheres.Location  Land surfaces of all continents (with the exception of Antarctica) and continental islands with an emphasis on the southern temperate hemisphere (land south of the Tropic of Capricorn).Methods  We used data from the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to characterize conservation status, threats and range sizes to compare northern and southern temperate zone mammals. We assessed the taxonomic uniqueness of the two regions as derived from the EDGE programme. We also conducted a gap analysis by overlapping mammal ranges with protected area coverages for temperate regions.Results  Southern temperate species are phylogenetically more unique than in the Northern Hemisphere. The endemics have significantly smaller range sizes and are at a significantly greater risk of extinction (about 50% greater, with 24.7% of species being threatened versus 15.6% in the Northern Hemisphere). Finally, southern temperate endemics are significantly more likely to exist outside protected areas (13.38% versus 3.65%).Main conclusions  The southern temperate zone harbours a unique fauna, attributed to the long isolation from the northern temperate zone. Temperate regions are heavily exploited for human activities, especially grazing and agriculture. The Southern Hemisphere is particularly susceptible to disturbance, given the small range sizes of its species and the low degree of protected area coverage. The scenario now is one of regions with numerous endemics under high threat from human activities.
Non‐native salmonids affect amphibian occupancy at multiple spatial scales
Authors: Pilliod David S. , Hossack Blake R. , Bahls Peter F. , Bull Evelyn L. , Corn Paul Stephen , Hokit Grant , Maxell Bryce A. , Munger James C. , Wyrick Aimee 
Published: September 2010

AbstractAim  The introduction of non‐native species into aquatic environments has been linked with local extinctions and altered distributions of native species. We investigated the effect of non‐native salmonids on the occupancy of two native amphibians, the long‐toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) and Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris), across three spatial scales: water bodies, small catchments and large catchments.Location  Mountain lakes at ≥ 1500 m elevation were surveyed across the northern Rocky Mountains, USA.Methods  We surveyed 2267 water bodies for amphibian occupancy (based on evidence of reproduction) and fish presence between 1986 and 2002 and modelled the probability of amphibian occupancy at each spatial scale in relation to habitat availability and quality and fish presence.Results  After accounting for habitat features, we estimated that A. macrodactylum was 2.3 times more likely to breed in fishless water bodies than in water bodies with fish. Ambystoma macrodactylum also was more likely to occupy small catchments where none of the water bodies contained fish than in catchments where at least one water body contained fish. However, the probability of salamander occupancy in small catchments was also influenced by habitat availability (i.e. the number of water bodies within a catchment) and suitability of remaining fishless water bodies. We found no relationship between fish presence and salamander occupancy at the large‐catchment scale, probably because of increased habitat availability. In contrast to A. macrodactylum, we found no relationship between fish presence and R. luteiventris occupancy at any scale.Main conclusions  Our results suggest that the negative effects of non‐native salmonids can extend beyond the boundaries of individual water bodies and increase A. macrodactylum extinction risk at landscape scales. We suspect that niche overlap between non‐native fish and A. macrodactylum at higher elevations in the northern Rocky Mountains may lead to extinction in catchments with limited suitable habitat.
Transabdominal scanning of the cervix at the 20‐week morphology scan: Comparison with transvaginal cervical measurements in a healthy nulliparous population
Authors: STONE Peter R. , CHAN Eliza H.Y. , MCCOWAN Lesley M. E. , TAYLOR Rennae S. , MITCHELL Jennifer M. ,   on behalf of the SCOPE Consortium
Published: September 2010

Background:  Healthy, nulliparous women at low risk for preterm birth would not usually undergo transvaginal scanning at the 20‐week morphology scan. The study aimed to determine whether transabdominal cervical measurement would be sufficient to exclude a short cervix in this population.Aims:  To investigate the relationship between transabdominal (TA) and transvaginal (TV) ultrasound measurements of the cervix at 20 weeks’ gestation.Methods:  At 20 weeks’ gestation, TA and TV cervical length was measured in 203 healthy nulliparous participants in the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study. The TA and TV measurements were correlated and examined for variance.Results:  Paired measurements were achieved in 203 cases. The shortest cervical length on TV scanning was 22 mm, the longest was 59 mm, with TA equivalents of 21 mm and 56 mm respectively. The mean TV cervical length was 39.1 (SD 6.2) mm and mean TA 36.6 (SD 5.8) mm. The average difference between the measurements was 2.6 (SD 5.2) mm, the TA length being the shorter of the two. A TA on the 25th percentile (33 mm length) was associated with a 25th percentile TV length of 36 mm. The intraclass correlation coefficient between TV and TA measurements was 0.77, but the actual difference between the two measurements was not constant.Conclusions:  Transabdominal measurements are consistently less than TV measurements. As the measurements are correlated, TA scanning could be used to assess cervical length in most cases initially. Where the TA length is <5th percentile (27 mm), this measure could be used as an indication to perform a TV scan as this correlates with a 5th percentile TV measurement of 28 mm.
Editorials: Ethical Conflicts for Physicians Treating ESRD Patients
Authors: Bennett William M. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTManaging an end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patient is complex and presents many ethical challenges for the physician. Ownership of dialysis facilities has shifted over the past decade from largely nonprofit organizations to large companies whose shareholders are primarily interested in the profitability of their investments rather than the well‐being of the patients being treated. Furthermore, market forces rather than scientific questions that need to be answered now drive much of the research regarding patients with ESRD. These developments have created ethical dilemmas for treating physicians. This editorial describes some of these ethical challenges and expresses the point of view that the doctor‐patient relationship and its ethical imperatives are more important than company profit and loss statements.