bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aural metastasis from a nasal malignant melanoma: case report with literature review
Authors: Khan I , Mohamad S , Shakeel M , Jaramillo M J 
Published: August 2011

AbstractObjective:To raise awareness of nasal malignant melanoma, a rare tumour, and to highlight the difficulty associated with its optimum management.Method:Case report and literature review.Case report:A 71-year-old, Caucasian man was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in the right nasal cavity, after presenting with right-sided epistaxis. He underwent endoscopic medial maxillectomy; histological analysis confirmed that the resection margins were clear. However, within six months he re-presented with a metastatic deposit of malignant melanoma in his right external auditory canal, for which he underwent right temporal bone resection. There was no evidence of distant metastasis on radiological studies. Unfortunately, within a month the tumour recurred in the right nasopharynx. A multidisciplinary team decision was made to offer the patient palliative chemoradiotherapy.Conclusion:Mucosal malignant melanoma of the nose is very rare, and aural metastasis from this primary site has not previously been reported. Optimum management must involve a multidisciplinary team.
Role of dog behaviour and environmental fecal contamination in transmission ofEchinococcus multilocularisin Tibetan communities
Authors: VANISCOTTE A. , RAOUL F. , POULLE M. L. , ROMIG T. , DINKEL A. , TAKAHASHI K. , GUISLAIN M. H. , MOSS J. , TIAOYING L. , WANG Q. , QIU J. , CRAIG P. S. , GIRAUDOUX P. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYOn the Eastern Tibetan Plateau region (Sichuan province, China) dogs are regarded as important definitive hosts ofEchinococcus multilocularis. We studied dog spatial behaviour in 4 Tibetan villages in order to determine the role of dogs in environmental contamination and their potential interactions with small mammal intermediate hosts. We identified definitive host species andEchinococcusspp. infection status of feces collected in the field by PCR methods and analysed the spatial distribution of canid feces. Nocturnal space utilization of GPS collared dogs in and around villages was also undertaken.E. multilocularisDNA was amplified in 23% of dog feces (n=142) and in 15% of fox feces (n=13) but this difference was not significant. However, dog feces were more frequently observed (78% of collected feces) than fox feces and are therefore assumed to largely contribute to human environment contamination. Feces were mainly distributed around houses of dog owners (0–200 m) where collared dogs spent the majority of their time. Inside villages, the contamination was aggregated in some micro-foci where groups of dogs defecated preferentially. Finally, small mammal densities increased from the dog core areas to grasslands at the periphery of villages occasionally used by dogs; male dogs moving significantly farther than females. This study constitutes a first attempt to quantify in a spatially explicit way the role of dogs inE. multilocularisperi-domestic cycles and to identify behavioural parameters required to modelE. multilocularistransmission in this region.
Risk maps for the presence and absence ofPhlebotomus perniciosusin an endemic area of leishmaniasis in southern Spain: implications for the control of the disease
Authors: BARÓN S. D. , MORILLAS-MÁRQUEZ F. , MORALES-YUSTE M. , DÍAZ-SÁEZ V. , IRIGARAY C. , MARTÍN-SÁNCHEZ J. 
Published: August 2011

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to construct risk maps for the presence of the dominantLeishmania infantumvector,P. perniciosus,and check its usefulness (a) to predict the risk of canine leishmaniasis and (b) to define effective leishmaniasis control measures. We obtained data for the presence/absence ofP. perniciosusat 167 sampling sites in southern Spain, from which we also took a series of ecological and climate-related data. The probability ofP. perniciosuspresence was estimated as a function of these environmental variables and generated spatial risk maps. Altitude, land use and drainage hole features (with or without PVC piping) were retained as the only predictors for the distribution of this vector species. Drainage hole features in retaining walls, with or without PVC piping, produce significant variations in the probability ofP. perniciosuspresence, varying from 2·3 to 91·8% if PVC piping is absent and from 0·4 to 66·5% if all holes have PVC piping. It was concluded that the use of PVC piping in drainage holes could help to reduce leishmaniasis transmission.
The effects of puberty on genetic risk for disordered eating: evidence for a sex difference
Authors: Klump K. L. , Culbert K. M. , Slane J. D. , Burt S. A. , Sisk C. L. , Nigg J. T. 
Published: August 2011

BackgroundDifferences in genetic influences on disordered eating are present across puberty in girls. Heritability is 0% before puberty, but over 50% during and after puberty. Emerging data suggest that these developmental differences may be due to pubertal increases in ovarian hormones. However, a critical piece of evidence is lacking, namely, knowledge of genetic influences on disordered eating across puberty in boys. Boys do not experience increases in ovarian hormones during puberty. Thus, if pubertal increases in genetic effects are present in boys, then factors in addition to ovarian hormones may drive increases in heritability in girls. The current study was the first to examine this possibility in a sample of 1006 male and female twins from the Michigan State University Twin Registry.MethodDisordered eating was assessed with the Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey. Pubertal development was assessed with the Pubertal Development Scale.ResultsNo significant differences in genetic influences on disordered eating were observed in males across any developmental stage. Heritability was 51% in boys during pre-puberty, puberty and young adulthood. By contrast, in girls, genetic factors accounted for 0% of the variance in pre-puberty, but 51% of the variance during puberty and beyond. Sex differences in genetic effects were only significant during pre-puberty, as the best-fitting models constrained heritability to be equal across all males, pubertal females and young adult females.ConclusionsThe results highlight sex-specific effects of puberty on genetic risk for disordered eating and provide indirect evidence of a role for ovarian hormones and/or other female-specific factors.
Residential segregation of Jews in Amsterdam on the eve of the Shoah
Authors: TAMMES PETER 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTWhile previous studies showed a drop in residential segregation over time, calculated dissimilarity and isolation indices for 1941 show a halt in the decreasing segregation among Jews in Amsterdam. Furthermore, persons of Jewish origin who had left Judaism appear to have lived mainly in different districts from those who belonged to Jewish congregations, indicating that district of residence can serve as a reflection of the assimilation process. Moreover, analyses of life histories of about 700 Jewish persons show that being born outside the Jewish neighbourhood increased the likelihood that an individual would leave Judaism, while living outside the Jewish neighbourhood during adolescence increased the likelihood of marrying a Gentile; these results refine our understanding of the impact of residential segregation.
Famine, exchange networks and the village community. A comparative analysis of the subsistence crises of the 1740s and the 1840s in Flanders
Authors: VANHAUTE ERIC , LAMBRECHT THIJS 
Published: August 2011

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on local agency in two near-famines in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Flanders. Our comparative analysis of the food crises of 1740 and 1845–1847 in Flanders exposes the local mechanisms of coping and protection, both in an informal and a formal way. The main thesis is that the impact of hunger crises in peasant societies is directly related to the level of stress absorption within the local village community. Our findings contradict the traditional vision of a more-or-less straightforward shift in famine crisis management from rural, local and informal to urban, supra-local and formal. The success of surmounting a food crisis has always had local roots.
Dagger extension theorem
Authors: ÉSIK Z. , HAJGATÓ T. 
Published: August 2011

Partial iterative theories are algebraic theories such that for certain morphisms f the equation ξ = f ⋅ 〈ξ, 1p〉 has a unique solution. Iteration theories are algebraic theories satisfying a certain set of identities. We investigate some similarities between partial iterative theories and iteration theories.In our main result, we give a sufficient condition ensuring that the partially defined dagger operation of a partial iterative theory can be extended to a totally defined operation so that the resulting theory becomes an iteration theory. We show that this general extension theorem can be instantiated to prove that every Elgot iterative theory with at least one constant morphism 1 → 0 can be extended to an iteration theory. We also apply our main result to theories equipped with an additive structure.
Gulf War Syndrome: A role for organophosphate induced plasticity of locus coeruleus neurons
Authors: Cao Jun-li , Varnell Andrew , Cooper Donald 
Published: August 2011

AbstractGulf War syndrome is a chronic multi-symptom illness that has affected about a quarter of the deployed veterans of the 1991 Gulf War. Exposure to prolonged low-level organophosphate insecticides and other toxic chemicals is now thought to be responsible. Chlorpyrifos was one commonly used insecticide. The metabolite of chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos oxon, is a potent irreversible inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, much like the nerve agent Sarin. To date, the target brain region(s) most susceptible to the neuroactive effects of chlorpyrifos oxon have yet to be identified. To address this we tested ability of chlorpyrifos oxon to influence neuronal excitability and induce lasting changes in the locus coeruleus, a brain region implicated in anxiety, substance use, attention and emotional response to stress. Here we used an ex vivo rodent model to identify a dramatic effect of chlorpyrifos oxon on locus coeruleus noradrenergic neuronal activity. Prolonged exposure to chlorpyrifos oxon caused acute inhibition and a lasting rebound excitatory state expressed after days of exposure and subsequent withdrawal. Our findings indicate that the locus coeruleus is a brain region vulnerable to chlorpyrifos oxon-induced neuroplastic changes possibly leading to the neurological symptoms affecting veterans of the Gulf War.
Selection of non-competitive leptin antagonists using a random nanobody-based approach
Authors: Zabeau Lennart , Verhee Annick , Catteeuw Dominiek , Faes Liesbeth , Seeuws Sylvie , Decruy Tine , Elewaut Dirk , Peelman Frank , Tavernier Jan 
Published: August 2011

The adipocyte-derived cytokine leptin acts as a metabolic switch, connecting the body's metabolism to high-energy consuming processes such as reproduction and immune responses. Accumulating evidence suggests that leptin plays a role in human pathologies, such as autoimmune diseases and cancer, thus providing a rationale for the development of leptin antagonists. In the present study, we generated and evaluated a panel of neutralizing nanobodies targeting the LR (leptin receptor). A nanobody comprises the variable domain of the naturally occurring single-chain antibodies found in members of the Camelidae family. We identified three classes of neutralizing nanobodies targeting different LR subdomains: i.e. the CRH2 (cytokine receptor homology 2), Ig-like and FNIII (fibronectin type III) domains. Only nanobodies directed against the CRH2 domain inhibited leptin binding. We could show that a nanobody that targets the Ig-like domain potently interfered with leptin-dependent regulation of hypothalamic NPY (neuropeptide Y) expression. As a consequence, daily intraperitoneal injection increased body weight, body fat content, food intake, liver size and serum insulin levels. All of these characteristics resemble the phenotype of leptin and LR-deficient animals. The results of the present study support proposed models of the activated LR complex, and demonstrate that it is possible to block LR signalling without affecting ligand binding. These nanobodies form new tools to study the mechanisms of BBB (blood–brain barrier) leptin transport and the effect of LR inhibition in disease models.
Retinaldehyde is a substrate for human aldo–keto reductases of the 1C subfamily
Authors: Ruiz F. Xavier , Porté Sergio , Gallego Oriol , Moro Armando , Ardèvol Albert , Del Río-Espínola Alberto , Rovira Carme , Farrés Jaume , Parés Xavier 
Published: August 2011

Human AKR (aldo–keto reductase) 1C proteins (AKR1C1–AKR1C4) exhibit relevant activity with steroids, regulating hormone signalling at the pre-receptor level. In the present study, investigate the activity of the four human AKR1C enzymes with retinol and retinaldehyde. All of the enzymes except AKR1C2 showed retinaldehyde reductase activity with low Km values (~1 μM). The kcat values were also low (0.18–0.6 min−1), except for AKR1C3 reduction of 9-cis-retinaldehyde whose kcat was remarkably higher (13 min−1). Structural modelling of the AKR1C complexes with 9-cis-retinaldehyde indicated a distinct conformation of Trp227, caused by changes in residue 226 that may contribute to the activity differences observed. This was partially supported by the kinetics of the AKR1C3 R226P mutant. Retinol/retinaldehyde conversion, combined with the use of the inhibitor flufenamic acid, indicated a relevant role for endogenous AKR1Cs in retinaldehyde reduction in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Overexpression of AKR1C proteins depleted RA (retinoic acid) transactivation in HeLa cells treated with retinol. Thus AKR1Cs may decrease RA levels in vivo. Finally, by using lithocholic acid as an AKR1C3 inhibitor and UVI2024 as an RA receptor antagonist, we provide evidence that the pro-proliferative action of AKR1C3 in HL-60 cells involves the RA signalling pathway and that this is in part due to the retinaldehyde reductase activity of AKR1C3.
5′-AMP-activated protein kinase is inactivated by adrenergic signalling in adult cardiac myocytes
Authors: Tsuchiya Yugo , Denison Fiona C. , Heath Richard B. , Carling David , Saggerson David 
Published: August 2011

In adult rat cardiac myocytes adrenaline decreased AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) activity with a half-time of approximately 4 min, decreased phosphorylation of AMPK (α-Thr172) and decreased phosphorylation of ACC (acetyl-CoA carboxylase). Inactivation of AMPK by adrenaline was through both α1- and β-ARs (adrenergic receptors), but did not involve cAMP or calcium signalling, was not blocked by the PKC (protein kinase C) inhibitor BIM I (bisindoylmaleimide I), by the ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) cascade inhibitor U0126 or by PTX (pertussis toxin). Adrenaline caused no measurable change in LKB1 activity. Adrenaline decreased AMPK activity through a process that was distinct from AMPK inactivation in response to insulin or PMA. Neither adrenaline nor PMA altered the myocyte AMP:ATP ratio although the adrenaline effect was attenuated by oligomycin and by AICAR (5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside), agents that mimic ‘metabolic stress’. Inactivation of AMPK by adrenaline was abolished by 1 μM okadaic acid suggesting that activation of PP2A (phosphoprotein phosphatase 2A) might mediate the adrenaline effect. However, no change in PP2A activity was detected in myocyte extracts. Adrenaline increased phosphorylation of the AMPK β-subunit in vitro but there was no detectable change in vivo in phosphorylation of previously identified AMPK sites (β-Ser24, β-Ser108 or β-Ser182) suggesting that another site(s) is targeted.
Alborz High School and the Process of Rationalization in Iran
Authors: Vahdat Farzin 
Published: August 2011

As a leading foundational institution of modernity, Alborz High School under the leadership of Dr. Mohammad Ali Mojtahedi came to embody and promote techno-scientific (or instrumental) rationality that has been the dominant form of rationality in Iran in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The essay analyzes this form of rationality and its fostering by Alborz High School during the tenure of Mohammad Ali Mojtahedi. It is argued that while instrumental rationality is necessary for any developing country, it poses fundamental problems for the development of democratic ethos. Alternatively, Jürgen Habermas' notion of “communicative rationality” is proposed and analyzed as a way to complement and democratize Iranian approach toward rationality and modernity
The disease of reason is that reason was born from man's urge to dominate nature, and the “recovery” depends on insight into the nature of the original disease.Max Horkheimer1
Analysis of corner kicks in relation to match status in the 2006 World Cup
Authors: De Baranda Pilar Sainz , Lopez‐Riquelme David 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThe aim of this study was twofold: to provide a quantitative analysis of corner kicks during the 2006 World Cup and to examine the effect of match status on corner kicks. Through the elaboration of a category system and following an observational methodology, we performed an analysis of all corner kicks (n = 653) in the 64 matches in the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. Matches were divided into sections according to evolving match status (whether the team was winning, n = 144; losing, n = 171; or drawing, n = 338). Using an observational methodology the following performance indicators were analysed: type of corner kick, scoring area, effectiveness, subsequent play, part of the body used to shoot, goal zone, number of players defending the goalposts, and defence tactics. The results obtained showed that: a) in relation to kick modality, teams perform more short corners and take more short kicks and outswing corner kicks when winning. On the other hand, teams perform more outstep and inswing corner kicks when drawing and losing; b) In relation to the scoring area, teams perform more shots that head toward the semicircle placed by the penalty area or do not use the centre when winning. However, teams head their s'hots toward the first and the second goalpost when drawing and losing; c) In relation to defence, when teams that are winning perform the corner kick, the defending teams tend to have fewer players defending the goal line; d) No significant statistical association was observed for the following performance indicators: effectiveness, subsequent play, part of the body used to shoot, goal zone, and defensive system.
Effect of the ball mass on the one‐on‐one game situation in 9–11 year old boys' basketball
Authors: Arias José L. , Argudo Francisco M. , Alonso José I. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractChildren normally lack the strength and physical characteristics required to use the equipment and rules of adult sports. Studies that utilise a test have shown that changes in the ball mass may improve shot performance and other ball handling skills. The objective of this study was to analyse with which ball participants played a higher number of one‐on‐one situations in basketball. The participants were 54 nine to eleven‐year‐old boys from six teams. We established three situations in which the participants played four games with each of the following balls: (a) regulation ball (485 g, 69–71 cm), (b) ball of smaller mass (440 g, 69–71 cm), and (c) ball of greater mass (540 g, 69–71 cm). The procedures that were followed were: (a) defining the variable, the dependent variable was the number of one‐on‐one situations; (b) instructing the observers and obtaining reliability, reliability was above 0.95; (c) monitoring the properties of the ball and filming the games; and (d) recording (four observers) the data from the observation of the game videos. The results reflected statistically significant differences for the number of one‐on‐one situations χ 2 (2, N=1,858)=44.510, P=0.000, indicating an increase when using the 440 g ball in comparison to the regulation ball, the 540 g ball, and the results of the reviewed studies.
Environmental and venue‐related factors affecting the performance of elite male track athletes
Authors: Hollings Stephen C. , Hopkins Will G. , Hume Patria A. 
Published: August 2011

AbstractThe effects of environmental and other venue‐related factors need to be taken into account when tracking an individual athlete's competitive performance. We report the effects of such factors on the performances of elite male track athletes. Performance times throughout the athletic careers of male track athletes placed in the top 16 of their event in at least one Olympic Games or World Championship between 2000 and 2009 were downloaded from the athletics results database at tilastopaja.org. In the 10 running events (100 m through 10,000 m, including hurdles and steeplechase), there were 619 athletes with 43,999 performances, all with enviromental and venue‐related information. Times for a given event were log‐transformed to estimate percent effects in a mixed linear model with fixed effects for the environmental and venue‐related factors and random effects for within‐athlete race‐to‐race variability and individual athlete performance progression. After adjustment for quadratic trends for year of competition and each athlete's age, the model provided estimates of effects of standard of competition (Olympics and World Championships vs other competitions), altitude (sea level vs ≥ 1000 m), timing method (electronic vs stopwatch), wind speed (greater than vs less than 2 m · s–1), and venue (outdoors vs indoors). Uncertainty in estimates of environmental effects expressed as 99% confidence limits was sufficiently small (at most ±0.9%) for almost all outcomes to be clear when interpreted in relation to smallest important changes (0.3–0.5%). Olympics and World Championships produced substantially faster times for events up to 400 m (0.7–0.8%) but slower times for the 1500 m, 5000 m, and 10,000 m events (0.6%, 1.2%, and 0.2% respectively), presumably reflecting differences in preparation or pacing. Altitude produced substantially faster times in some 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, and hurdle events (0.1–0.5%) but substantially slower times in longer races (1.1–2.4%), reflecting opposing effects of altitude on air resistance and aerobic power. Stopwatch times were faster for sprints (0.3–0.5%) but slower for 1500 m and longer events (0.6–2.1%), possibly because of bias in reaction time and confounding by standard of competition. A typical trailing wind of 2 m · s–1 conferred small benefits (0.5–0.8%) on the three sprint events where wind speed was recorded. Indoor events were consistently slower (1.6–2.3%), a likely consequence of tight bends. In conclusion, use of these environmental and venue‐related effects to adjust performances of male track athletes will make comparative assessment of all their performances more meaningful.