bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Highly Localized Interactions between Sensory Neurons and Sprouting Sympathetic Fibers Observed in a Transgenic Tyrosine Hydroxylase Reporter Mouse
Authors: Xie Wenrui , Strong Judith A , Mao Juxian , Zhang Jun-Ming 
Published: July 2011

Background: Sprouting of sympathetic fibers into sensory ganglia occurs in many preclinical pain models, providing a possible anatomical substrate for sympathetically enhanced pain. However, the functional consequences of this sprouting have been controversial. We used a transgenic mouse in which sympathetic fibers expressed green fluorescent protein, observable in live tissue. Medium and large diameter lumbar sensory neurons with and without nearby sympathetic fibers were recorded in whole ganglion preparations using microelectrodes. Results: After spinal nerve ligation, sympathetic sprouting was extensive by 3 days. Abnormal spontaneous activity increased to 15% and rheobase was reduced. Spontaneously active cells had Aαβ conduction velocities but were clustered near the medium/large cell boundary. Neurons with sympathetic basket formations had a dramatically higher incidence of spontaneous activity (71%) and had lower rheobase than cells with no sympathetic fibers nearby. Cells with lower density nearby fibers had intermediate phenotypes. Immunohistochemistry of sectioned ganglia showed that cells surrounded by sympathetic fibers were enriched in nociceptive markers TrkA, substance P, or CGRP. Spontaneous activity began before sympathetic sprouting was observed, but blocking sympathetic sprouting on day 3 by cutting the dorsal ramus in addition to the ventral ramus of the spinal nerve greatly reduced abnormal spontaneous activity. Conclusions: The data suggest that early sympathetic sprouting into the sensory ganglia may have highly localized, excitatory effects. Quantitatively, neurons with sympathetic basket formations may account for more than half of the observed spontaneous activity, despite being relatively rare. Spontaneous activity in sensory neurons and sympathetic sprouting may be mutually re-enforcing.
Differential trafficking of AMPA receptors following activation of NMDA receptors and mGluRs
Authors: Sanderson Thomas M , Collingridge Graham L , Fitzjohn Stephen M 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
The removal of AMPA receptors from synapses is a major component of long-term depression (LTD). How this occurs, however, is still only partially understood. To investigate the trafficking of AMPA receptors in real-time we previously tagged the GluA2 subunit of AMPA receptors with ecliptic pHluorin and studied the effects of NMDA receptor activation. In the present study we have compared the effect of NMDA receptor and group I mGluR activation, using GluA2 tagged with super ecliptic pHluorin (SEP-GluA2) expressed in cultured hippocampal neurons. Surprisingly, agonists of the two receptors, which are both able to induce chemical forms of LTD, had clearly distinct effects on AMPA receptor trafficking. In agreement with our previous work we found that transient NMDA receptor activation results in an initial decrease in surface GluA2 from extrasynaptic sites followed by a delayed reduction in GluA2 from puncta (putative synapses). In contrast, transient activation of group I mGluRs, using DHPG, led to a pronounced but more delayed decrease in GluA2 from the dendritic shafts. Surprisingly, there was no average change in the fluorescence of the puncta. Examination of fluorescence at individual puncta, however, indicated that alterations did take place, with some puncta showing an increase and others a decrease in fluorescence. The effects of DHPG were, like DHPG-induced LTD, prevented by treatment with a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitor. The electrophysiological correlate of the effects of DHPG in the SEP-GluA2 infected cultures was a reduction in mEPSC frequency with no change in amplitude. The implications of these findings for the initial mechanisms of expression of both NMDA receptor- and mGluR-induced LTD are discussed.
Feather barbs as a good source of mtDNA for bird species identification in forensic wildlife investigations
Authors: Speller Camilla F , Nicholas George P , Yang Dongya Y 
Published: July 2011

AbstractBackgroundThe ability to accurately identify bird species is crucial for wildlife law enforcement and bird-strike investigations. However, such identifications may be challenging when only partial or damaged feathers are available for analysis.ResultsBy applying vigorous contamination controls and sensitive PCR amplification protocols, we found that it was feasible to obtain accurate mitochondrial (mt)DNA-based species identification with as few as two feather barbs. This minimally destructive DNA approach was successfully used and tested on a variety of bird species, including North American wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), Canada goose (Branta canadensis), blue heron (Ardea herodias) and pygmy owl (Glaucidium californicum). The mtDNA was successfully obtained from 'fresh' feathers, historic museum specimens and archaeological samples, demonstrating the sensitivity and versatility of this technique.ConclusionsBy applying appropriate contamination controls, sufficient quantities of mtDNA can be reliably recovered and analyzed from feather barbs. This previously overlooked substrate provides new opportunities for accurate DNA species identification when minimal feather samples are available for forensic analysis.
Mild-stretch mechanical ventilation upregulates toll-like receptor 2 and sensitizes the lung to bacterial lipopeptide
Authors: Charles Pierre-Emmanuel , Tissières Pierre , Barbar Saber Davide , Croisier Delphine , Dufour Julien , Dunn-Siegrist Irène , Chavanet Pascal , Pugin Jérôme 
Published: July 2011

Abstract
Introduction
Mechanical ventilation (MV) could prime the lung toward an inflammatory response if exposed to another insult such as bacterial invasion. The underlying mechanisms are not so far clear. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) allow the host to recognize selectively bacterial pathogens and in turn to trigger an immune response. We therefore hypothesized that MV modulates TLR2 expression and in turn modifies responsiveness to agonists such as bacterial lipopeptide (BLP).

Method
Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted. First, TLR2 expression and protein were measured in the A549 pulmonary epithelial cell line submitted to 8-hour cyclic stretch (20% elongation; 20/minute rate). After a 24-hour period of cyclic stretch, the inflammatory response of the A549 cells to the synthetic BLP, Pam3CSK4, was tested after 8 hours of exposure. In a second set of experiments, healthy anesthetized and paralyzed rabbits were submitted to 8-hour MV (tidal volume = 12 ml/kg, zero end-expiratory pressure; FIO2 = 50%; respiratory rate = 20/minute) before being sacrificed for TLR2 lung expression assessment. The lung inflammatory response to BLP was then tested in animals submitted to 24-hour MV before being sacrificed 8 hours after the tracheal instillation of Pam3CSK4.

Results
Cyclic stretch of human pulmonary epithelial cell lines increased both TLR2 mRNA and protein expression. Cells submitted to cyclic stretch also increased IL-6 and IL-8 secretion in response to Pam3CSK4, a classical TLR2 ligand. A mild-stretch MV protocol induced a 60-fold increase of TLR2 mRNA expression in lung tissue when compared with spontaneously breathing controls. Moreover, the combination of MV and airway exposure to Pam3CSK4 acted synergistically in causing lung inflammation and injury.

Conclusions
Mild-stretch MV increases lung expression of TLR2 and sensitizes the lung to bacterial TLR2 ligands. This may account for the propensity of mechanically ventilated patients to develop acute lung injury in the context of airway bacterial colonization/infection.
Role of alloreactive KIR2DS1+ NK cells in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Marcenaro Emanuela , Carlomagno Simona , Pesce Silvia , Della Chiesa Mariella , Moretta Alessandro , Sivori Simona 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTIn allo-HSCT, donor-derived, ″alloreactive″ NK cells have been shown to play a crucial role in the treatment of acute leukemia, contributing to eradication of leukemic blasts (GvL effect) and to clearance of residual recipient DCs and T lymphocytes (thus, preventing GvHD and graft rejection, respectively). Such alloreactive NK cells do not express CD94/NKG2A but express inhibitory KIRs, specific for HLA class I allotypes, present in the donor but lacking in the recipient. This review is focused on the role of the activating KIR2DS1 receptor (specific for the C2-epitope of HLA-C) in haplo-HSCT. Recent data indicate that KIR2DS1 expression in HSC donors may represent a remarkable advantage in alloreactive NK responses. This is a result of a substantial increase in the NK-mediated capability to kill, not only recipients' leukemic cells but also DCs and T cell blasts. The beneficial effects mediated by alloreactive KIR2DS1+ NK cells may occur after de novo expression of CCR7 upon interaction with allogeneic, KIR ligand-mismatched CCR7+ cells. As a consequence, they can be redirected to LNs, where they can prevent priming of donor T cells and induction of GvHD. Finally, KIR2DS1 expression may also significantly amplify the size of the alloreactive NK cell subset by switching a subset of “not alloreactive” NK cells into potent alloreactive cells.
A One-Year Randomized Trial of Lorcaserin for Weight Loss in Obese and Overweight Adults: The BLOSSOM Trial
Authors: Fidler Meredith C. , Sanchez Matilde , Raether Brian , Weissman Neil J. , Smith Steven R. , Shanahan William R. , Anderson Christen M. 
Published: July 2011

Abstract

Context:
Lorcaserin is a novel selective agonist of the serotonin 2C receptor.

Objective:
Our objective was to evaluate the effects of lorcaserin on body weight, cardiovascular risk factors, and safety in obese and overweight patients.

Design and Setting:
This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel arm trial took place at 97 U.S. research centers.

Patients:
Patients included 4008 patients, aged 18–65 yr, with a body mass index between 30 and 45 kg/m2 or between 27 and 29.9 kg/m2 with an obesity-related comorbid condition.

Interventions:
Patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1:2 ratio to receive lorcaserin 10 mg twice daily (BID), lorcaserin 10 mg once daily (QD), or placebo. All patients received diet and exercise counseling.

Main Outcome Measures:
The ordered primary endpoints were proportion of patients achieving at least 5% reduction in body weight, mean change in body weight, and proportion of patients achieving at least 10% reduction in body weight at 1 yr. Serial echocardiograms monitored heart valve function.

Results:
Significantly more patients treated with lorcaserin 10 mg BID and QD lost at least 5% of baseline body weight (47.2 and 40.2%, respectively) as compared with placebo (25.0%, P &lt; 0.001 vs. lorcaserin BID). Least squares mean (95% confidence interval) weight loss with lorcaserin BID and QD was 5.8% (5.5–6.2%) and 4.7% (4.3–5.2%), respectively, compared with 2.8% (2.5–3.2%) with placebo (P &lt; 0.001 vs. lorcaserin BID; least squares mean difference, 3.0%). Weight loss of at least 10% was achieved by 22.6 and 17.4% of patients receiving lorcaserin 10 mg BID and QD, respectively, and 9.7% of patients in the placebo group (P &lt; 0.001 vs. lorcaserin BID). Headache, nausea, and dizziness were the most common lorcaserin-related adverse events. U.S. Food and Drug Administration-defined echocardiographic valvulopathy occurred in 2.0% of patients on placebo and 2.0% on lorcaserin 10 mg BID.

Conclusions:
Lorcaserin administered in conjunction with a lifestyle modification program was associated with dose-dependent weight loss that was significantly greater than with placebo.
Famine, Aid, and Ideology: The Political Activism of Médecins sans Frontières in the 1980s
Authors: Davey Eleanor 
Published: July 2011

This article concerns humanitarian debates in France in the 1980s, in particular as inspired by the activism of the organization Médecins sans Frontières (MSF). It examines three episodes of debate about compromise and the complicity of humanitarian activism in totalitarian repression: a protest march at the Cambodian border in 1980, spearheaded by MSF; the creation by MSF in 1985 of a political think tank, the Fondation Liberté sans Frontières, with its inaugural conference attacking Third Worldism; and finally, MSF's stand in 1985 against the manipulation of aid by the Ethiopian government. It seeks to demonstrate how the realization of humanitarianism's vulnerability to manipulation emerged from a period of intensified, politically targeted activism. The analysis focuses on two key strands of debate: attitudes to ideology, specifically Third Worldist ideology, and the use of the media as part of the sans-frontiériste practice of témoignage.
Cet article porte sur les débats humanitaires en France pendant les années 1980, visant surtout les débats sur l'activisme de l'organisation Médecins sans frontières (MSF). Il présente trois épisodes dont le débat portait sur la compromission et la complicité de l'humanitarisme dans la répression totalitaire: une manifestation menée par MSF à la frontière cambodgienne en 1980; la création par la même organisation, en 1985, d'un centre de recherche politique, la Fondation Liberté sans frontières, avec son colloque inaugural s'attaquant au tiers-mondisme; et enfin la prise de position de MSF en 1985 contre la manipulation de l'aide humanitaire par le gouvernement éthiopien. Cet article cherche à démontrer comment, pendant la famine éthiopienne, l'articulation de la vulnérabilité de l'humanitarisme à la manipulation a été le résultat d'une période d'activisme politique intensifié. L'analyse se concentre sur deux motifs importants du débat: les attitudes envers l'idéologie, spécifiquement l'idéologie tiers-mondiste, et l'usage des médias comme partie intégrale de la pratique sans-frontiériste du témoignage.
Behind the Imperial Curtain: International Humanitarian Efforts and the Critique of French Colonialism in the Interwar Years
Authors: Daughton J. P. 
Published: July 2011

This article examines the work of French critics of empire in the context of an international effort to minimize violence and suffering in Europe's colonies during the interwar years. Rather than highlight individual political motivations, the article considers the important similarities of these critics' works. Often writing in the style of documentary reportage and concerned with how policies caused suffering among non-European populations, authors as varied as Albert Londres, Félicien Challaye, and Paul Monet produced articles and books that critiqued colonial practices at their most fundamental level. They shared an interest in the impact of colonial rule with other European, American, and non-European individuals and institutions informally linked by the networks of the League of Nations and the International Labor Organization. The existence of these new networks removed key debates about colonialism from the national stage and opened them to the scrutiny of more international and, at times, anticolonial perspectives.
Cet article analyse les critiques françaises de l'empire d'outre-mer dans le contexte de l'effort international qui essayait de minimiser la violence et la misère des populations des colonies européennes pendant l'entre-deux-guerres. Au lieu de mettre en lumière les mobiles politiques individuels, l'article trace les ressemblances importantes entre certains ouvrages de ces critiques. Dans leurs articles et livres, Albert Londres, Félicien Challaye et Paul Monet critiquaient les pratiques coloniales dans leur aspect fondamental. Ecrits le plus souvent dans un style de reportage documentaire, ils témoignent d'une préoccupation concernant l'impact néfaste des politiques coloniales sur les populations autochtones. Par cette critique des effets de la politique coloniale, ils font preuve d'une affinité avec nombre d'individus et institutions européennes, américaines, et non européennes liés par des réseaux informels de la Société des nations et du Bureau international du travail. Finalement, l'apparition de ces nouveaux réseaux a déplacé ces débats importants sur le colonialisme de la scène nationale, pour les faire exposer à l'œil vigilant des groupes internationaux et/ou anticoloniaux.
Growing backwards: an inverted role for the shrimp ortholog of vertebrate myostatin and GDF11
Authors: De Santis Christian , Wade Nicholas M. , Jerry Dean R. , Preston Nigel P. , Glencross Brett D. , Sellars Melony J. 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARY
Myostatin (MSTN) and growth differentiation factor-11 (GDF11) are closely related proteins involved in muscle cell growth and differentiation as well as neurogenesis of vertebrates. Both MSTN and GDF11 negatively regulate their functions. Invertebrates possess a single ortholog of the MSTN/GDF11 family. In order to understand the role of MSTN/GDF11 in crustaceans, the gene ortholog was identified and characterized in the penaeid shrimp Penaeus monodon. The overall protein sequence and specific functional sites were highly conserved with other members of the MSTN/GDF11 family. Gene transcripts of pmMstn/Gdf11, assessed by real-time PCR, were detected in a variety of tissue types and were actively regulated in muscle across the moult cycle. To assess phenotypic function in shrimp, pmMstn/Gdf11 gene expression was downregulated by tail-muscle injection of sequence-specific double-stranded RNA. Shrimp with reduced levels of pmMstn/Gdf11 transcripts displayed a dramatic slowing in growth rate compared with control groups. Findings from this study place the MSTN/GDF11 gene at the centre of growth regulation in shrimp, but suggest that, compared with higher vertebrates, this gene has an opposite role in invertebrates such as shrimp, where levels of gene expression may positively regulate growth.
Hearing and morphological specializations of the mojarra (Eucinostomus argenteus)
Authors: Parmentier Eric , Mann Kenneth , Mann David 
Published: July 2011

SUMMARYThe air-filled swimbladder acts as an acoustic amplifier for some fish by converting sound pressure into particle motion, which is transmitted to the inner ear. Here, we describe in detail the specialized connection between the swimbladder and ear in the mojarra, as well as a modified cone on the anal fin in which the posterior end of the swimbladder sits. Hearing tests show the mojarra has better hearing sensitivity than other species of fish without a connection. However, mojarras do not seem to use this adaptation for communication. Furthermore, the inclined position of the swimbladder may help the fish to catch their prey more easily, as the swimbladder will be horizontal when they are picking up benthic prey.
Atomic Layer Deposition of Aluminum Nitride Thin films from Trimethyl Aluminum (TMA) and Ammonia
Authors: Liu Xinye , Ramanathan Sasangan , Lee Eddie , Seidel Thomas E. 
Published: July 2011

AbstractAluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were deposited from trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and Ammonia (NH3) by thermal atomic layer deposition (thermal ALD) and plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) on 200 mm silicon wafers. For both thermal ALD and PEALD, the deposition rate increased significantly with the deposition temperature. The deposition rate did not fully saturate even with 10 seconds of NH3 pulse time. Plasma significantly increased the deposition rate of AlN films. A large number of incubation cycles were needed to deposit AlN films on Si wafers. 100% step coverage was achieved on trenches with aspect ratio of 35:1 at 100 nm feature size by thermal ALD. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data showed that the AlN films deposited from 370 °C to 470 °C were polycrystalline. Glancing angle X-ray reflection (XRR) results showed that the RMS roughness of the films increased as the film thickness increased.
Processing and On-Wafer Measurements of Ferroelectric Interdigitated Tunable Microwave Capacitors
Authors: Grishin Alexander M. , Kim Jang-Yong , Khartsev Sergey I. 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTNa0.5K0.5NbO3 (NKN) and Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 (PZT) films have been grown by rf-magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser deposition techniques, correspondingly, on sapphire (Al2O3-0112, rcut), YAlO3 + 1% Nd (Nd:YAlO3-001), and quartz (Y+36°-cut) single crystal substrates. Interdigital capacitor (IDC) of coplanar waveguide (CPW) structures were defined by a standard lift off technique in a Au(0.5μm)/Cr(10nm) electrode electron beam evaporated on ferroelectric film surface. IDCs consisted of five pairs of fingers separated by 2 and 4 μm gap. On-wafer microwave characterization was performed using a workbench equipped with a coplanar probe station (Cascade Microtech) with G-S-G (Ground-Signal-Ground) Picoprobe, a network analyzer (Agilent Technologies E8364A) operating in 45 MHz to 40 GHz range and programmable power supply for dc DUT (Device Under Test) biasing. Assumed equivalent circuit for the IDC/CPW structure contains planar capacitor under test C, the coplanar line with a complex impedance ς and a parasitic capacitance Cp between the signal and ground lines. The de-embedding technique has been employed to determine all six complex parameters C, ς and Cp from S-parameter measurements performed for three different device structures: device, open and thru. NKN film interdigital capacitors on sapphire show superior performance in this microwave range: the frequency dispersion was as low as 18%, voltage tunability = 1 – C(40V)/C(0) (40 V, 200 kV/cm) about 14%, loss tangent ∼ 0.11, K-factor = tunability/tanδ from 131% @ 10 GHz to 56% @ 40 GHz. The reliability of the de-embedding procedure is clearly proved by analysis of the frequency dependences of the parasitic capacitance and loss tangent as well as impedance of the coplanar line. Within the accuracy of experimental data and de-embedding calculations these values appear to be voltage independent: Cp ∼ 70 fF, tan δp changes from 0.07@10 GHz to 0.15@40 GHz; real and imaginary part of interconnect impedance increases with frequency from 0.16Ω@10 GHz to 0.36Ω@40 GHz and from 1.6Ω@10 GHz to 5.84Ω@40 GHz respectively.
Study of pulsed RF DPN process parameters for 65 nm node MOSFET gate dielectrics
Authors: Rothschild A. , Kraus P. A. , Chua T.C. , Nouri F. , Cubaynes F.N. , Veloso A. , Mertens S. , Date L. , Schreutelkamp R. , Schaekers M. 
Published: July 2011

ABSTRACTIn order to understand how N2plasma conditions impact on the incorporation of nitrogen species into a thin SiO2(1.4 nm), tuning of some pulsed RF (pRF) Decoupled Plasma Nitridation (DPN) process parameters was performed: duty cycle (DC) or on-time per period, frequency (f), process time (t) and some cross-combinations (DC*f, DC*t, DC*f*t). The N2plasma and the SiOxNyfilm were characterized using Langmuir probe analysis (LP) and Delay to Reoxidation (D2R) techniques, respectively. Correlations are established between ion density and electron temperature and the resultant nitrogen concentration and parasitic physical thickness increase. The LP results indicate that while DC impacts the ion density and energy, the frequency has no impact to first order. This is consistent with the physical characteristics of the film. From the combination of DC*f*t, the importance of the off-time portion of the pulse was revealed. With the help of a modified pulsed RF DPN generator, allowing a decrease of the frequency down to 2 kHz, a 5% improvement of the drive current for pMOS transistors was obtained.