bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Scaling of suction-induced flows in bluegill: morphological and kinematic predictors for the ontogeny of feeding performance
Authors: Holzman Roi , Collar David C. , Day Steven W. , Bishop Kristin L. , Wainwright Peter C. 
Published: August 2008

SUMMARYDuring ontogeny, animals undergo changes in size and shape that result in shifts in performance, behavior and resource use. These ontogenetic changes provide an opportunity to test hypotheses about how the growth of structures affects biological functions. In the present study, we ask how ontogenetic changes in skull biomechanics affect the ability of bluegill sunfish, a high-performance suction feeder, to produce flow speeds and accelerations during suction feeding. The flow of water in front of the mouth was measured directly for fish ranging from young-of-year to large adults, using digital particle imaging velocimetry (DPIV). As bluegill size increased, the magnitude of peak flow speed they produced increased, and the effective suction distance increased because of increasing mouth size. However, throughout the size range, the timing of peak fluid speed remained unchanged, and flow was constrained to approximately one gape distance from the mouth. The observed scaling relationships between standard length and peak flow speed conformed to expectations derived from two biomechanical models, one based on morphological potential to produce suction pressure (the Suction Index model) and the other derived from a combination of morphological and kinematic variables (the Expanding Cone model). The success of these models in qualitatively predicting the observed allometry of induced flow speed reveals that the scaling of cranial morphology underlies the scaling of suction performance in bluegill.
Characterization of a descending pathway: activation and effects on motor patterns in the brachyuran crustacean stomatogastric nervous system
Authors: Hedrich Ulrike B. S. , Stein Wolfgang 
Published: August 2008

SUMMARYThe regulation of motor patterns by higher-order neuronal centers ensures appropriate motor function and behavior, but only a few studies have characterized this regulation at the cellular level. Here, we address motor pattern regulation in the stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) of the crab Cancer pagurus. This easily accessible model system is an extension of the central nervous system and contains the motor circuits that generate the rhythmic motor patterns for ingestion (esophageal rhythm) and processing of food (gastric mill and pyloric rhythms).We have documented the actions of two identified neurons located in the brain on the STNS motor circuits. We show that these neurons provide exteroceptive chemosensory information to the motor circuits and we outline their axonal projection patterns, their firing activity and their effects on three motor patterns. Backfill stainings and activity measurements in vivo and in vitro show that two neurons located in cluster 17 of the brain project via the inferior ventricular (IV) nerve to the STNS. These IV neurons started to burst rhythmically when chemosensory stimuli were applied to the first antennae. When rhythmically activated in vitro, gastric mill rhythms were elicited or, if already active,entrained by the IV neuron activity. In addition, IV neuron stimulation excited the esophageal motor neuron and inhibited several pyloric neurons such that the timing of the IV neuron activity was imposed on all motor rhythms. The IV neurons were thus capable of synchronizing the activities of different motor circuits, which demonstrates the regulation of motor patterns by higher-order neuronal centers.
Redox regulation of mitochondrial sulfide oxidation in the lugworm,Arenicola marina
Authors: Hildebrandt Tatjana M. , Grieshaber Manfred K. 
Published: August 2008

SUMMARYSulfide oxidation in the lugworm, Arenicola marina (L.), is most likely localized in the mitochondria, which can either produce ATP with sulfide as a substrate or detoxify it via an alternative oxidase. The present study identified selective activators of the energy-conserving and the detoxifying sulfide oxidation pathways respectively. In the presence of the ROS scavengers glutathione (GSH) and ascorbate, isolated lugworm mitochondria rapidly oxidized up to 100 μmoll–1 sulfide with maximal oxygen consumption rates but did not produce any ATP in the process. Under these conditions, salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM), which is an inhibitor of the alternative oxidase of plant mitochondria, completely blocked oxygen consumption whereas inhibitors of complex III and IV had hardly any effect. By contrast, dehydroascorbate (DHA) enabled the mitochondria to gain ATP from sulfide oxidation even if the sulfide concentration far exceeded the threshold for inhibition of cytochrome oxidase. In the presence of dehydroascorbate,respiratory rates were independent of sulfide concentrations, with a respiratory control ratio of 2.1±0.2, and both oxygen consumption and ATP production were completely inhibited by myxothiazol and sodium azide but only marginally by SHAM. The present data indicate that a redox mechanism may contribute to the regulation of sulfide oxidation in lugworm mitochondria in vivo. Thus, mitochondria are presumably much more sulfide resistant in a cellular context than previously thought.
Micromechanical properties of consecutive layers in specialized insect cuticle: the gula ofPachnoda marginata(Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae)and the infrared sensilla ofMelanophila acuminata(Coleoptera,Buprestidae)
Authors: Müller Martin , Olek Maciej , Giersig Michael , Schmitz Helmut 
Published: August 2008

SUMMARYInsect cuticle is a highly adaptive material that fulfils a wide spectrum of different functions. Cuticle does not only build the exoskeleton with diverse moveable parts but is also an important component of a stunning variety of mechanosensory receptors. Therefore, the mechanical properties of these specialized cuticular systems are of crucial importance. We studied the different cuticular layers of the head part (gula) of the head-to-neck ball articulation of Pachnoda marginata and of the photomechanic infrared(IR) sensilla of Melanophila acuminata on the basis of cross sections. In our study, we combined histological methods (i.e. detection of the different types of cuticle by specific staining) with measurements of hardness (H) and reduced elastic modulus (Er) by nanoindentation technique. In the gula of Pachnoda we found an unusual aberrance from the well-known layering. Between the epi- and exocuticle, two meso- and one endocuticular layers are deposited which are softer and more elastic than the underlying exo- and mesocuticular layers. The hardest of all examined materials is the cuticle of the exocuticular shell of the internal sphere of the Melanophila IR sensillum with H=0.53GPa whereas the inner mesocuticular core of the sensillum represents the most elastic and softest layer with values of H=0.29GPa and Er=4.8GPa. Results are discussed with regard to the proposed functions.
Highly Multiplexed Genotyping of Thiopurine S-Methyltransferase Variants Using MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry: Reliable Genotyping in Different Ethnic Groups
Authors: Schaeffeler Elke , Zanger Ulrich M , Eichelbaum Michel , Asante-Poku Steven , Shin Jae-Gook , Schwab Matthias 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground: To avoid severe hematotoxicity in patients, determination of the TPMT (thiopurine S-methyltransferase) genotype before commencing thiopurine therapy has become accepted.Methods: We used MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) based on Sequenom iPLEX® technology to develop novel multiplex assays for comprehensive testing of TPMT. Two assays, a 15-plex and a 7-plex assay, consisting of multiplex PCR, shrimp alkaline phosphatase treatment, primer extension, and MALDI-TOF MS analysis, allow detection of all currently known functionally relevant 24 TPMT alleles (TPMT*2 to *18, *20 to *23). Previously identified variant DNA samples and newly constructed synthetic templates were used as quality controls.Results: Assay evaluation performed on a panel of 586 genomic DNA samples previously genotyped by other methods (denaturing HPLC, sequencing) resulted in 100% agreement. Analyses of the distribution of TPMT alleles in 116 samples from a Ghanaian population revealed a TPMT*8 allele frequency of 3.4%. In a Korean population of 118 unrelated individuals, we found a TPMT*6 allele frequency of 1.3%.Conclusions: The newly developed multiplex MALDI-TOF MS assay allows efficient genotyping for all currently known functional TPMT variants. To achieve the most accurate prediction of TPMT phenotype, molecular diagnosis of TPMT should include all these variants.
High-Abundance Polypeptides of the Human Plasma Proteome Comprising the Top 4 Logs of Polypeptide Abundance
Authors: Hortin Glen L , Sviridov Denis , Anderson N Leigh 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground: Plasma contains thousands of proteins, but a small number of these proteins comprise the majority of protein molecules and mass.Content: We surveyed proteomic studies to identify candidates for high-abundance polypeptide chains. We searched the literature for information on the plasma concentrations of the most abundant components in healthy adults and for the molecular mass of the mature polypeptide chains in plasma. Because proteomic studies usually dissociate proteins into polypeptide chains or detect short peptide segments of proteins, we summarized data on individual peptide chains for proteins containing multiple subunits or polypeptides. We collected data on about 150 of the most abundant polypeptides in plasma. The abundant polypeptides span approximately the top 4 logs of concentration in plasma, from 650 to 0.06 μmol/L on a molar basis or from about 50 000 to 1 mg/L mass abundance.Conclusions: Data on the concentrations of the high-abundance peptide chains in plasma assist in understanding the composition of plasma and potential approaches for clinical laboratory or proteomic analysis of plasma proteins. Development of more extensive databases regarding the plasma concentrations of proteins in health and diseases would promote diagnostic and proteomic advances.
Racial Identity and the Civilizing Mission: Double-Consciousness at the 1895 Congress on Africa
Authors: Harris Paul W. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe Congress on Africa was held in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 1895 as part of a campaign to promote African American involvement in Methodist missions to Africa. Held in conjunction with the same exposition where Booker T. Washington delivered his famous Atlanta Compromise address, the Congress in some ways shared his accommodationist approach to racial advancement. Yet the diverse and distinguished array of African American speakers at the Congress also developed a complex rationale for connecting the peoples of the African diaspora through missions. At the same time that they affirmed the need for “civilizing” influences as an indispensable element for racial progress, they also envisioned a reinvigorated racial identity and a shared racial destiny emerging through the interactions of black missionaries and Africans. In particular, the most thoughtful participants in the Congress anticipated the forging of a black civilization that combined the unique gifts of their race with the progressive dynamics of Christian culture. These ideas parallel and likely influenced W. E. B. Du Bois's concept of double-consciousness. At a time when the missionary movement provided the most important source of awareness about Africa among African Americans, it is possible to discern in the proceedings of the Congress on Africa the glimmerings of a new pan-African consciousness that was destined to have a profound effect on African American intellectual life in the twentieth century.
“Terrible Laughing God”: Challenging Divine Justice in African American Antilynching Plays, 1916–1945
Authors: Prentiss Craig 
Published: August 2008

AbstractIn the early twentieth century, African Americans waged a propaganda war against the scourge of lynching. Theater was a vital element of this effort, and over two dozen plays were written with the intent of depicting the horror that accompanied these brutal acts of violence. These plays, though largely neglected by historians, have been studied as elements of an effort to promote antilynching legislation. Until now, however, their testimony to important religious currents in African American culture has been ignored. A closer look at these texts reveals them to be engaged in theological discourse that examines the role of God and the church in the face of evil. These plays reflect a burgeoning humanism in African American culture, particularly among the intelligentsia. By creating characters and constructing plot lines that explicitly challenged the goodness of God in light of African American suffering, or by exposing the hypocrisy and impotence of the church to bring about an end to violence and oppression, these playwrights were engaged in a form of vernacular theology. By observing their efforts, we add a fresh layer to our understanding of African American life during this time period.
“It Is a Day of Judgment”: The Peacemakers, Religion, and Radicalism in Cold War America
Authors: Danielson Leilah 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThis article argues that Christian beliefs and concerns shaped the political culture of anti-nuclear activism in the early years of the Cold War. It focuses in particular on the origins of the Peacemakers, a group founded in 1948 by a mostly Protestant group of radical pacifists to oppose conscription and nuclear proliferation. Like others who came of age in the interwar years, the Peacemakers questioned the Enlightenment tradition, with its emphasis on reason and optimism about human progress, and believed that liberal Protestantism had accommodated itself too easily to the values of modern, secular society. But rather than adopt the “realist” framework of their contemporaries, who gave the United States critical support in its Cold War with the Soviet Union, radicals developed a politics of resistance rooted in a Christian framework in which repentance for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the first step toward personal and national redemption. Although they had scant influence on American policymakers or the public in the early years of the Cold War, widespread opposition to nuclear testing and U.S. foreign policy in the late 1950s and 1960s launched them into leadership roles in campaigns for nuclear disarmament and peace.
Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells into Oligodendrocytes: Involvement of the Polycomb Group Protein Ezh2
Authors: Sher Falak , Rößler Reinhard , Brouwer Nieske , Balasubramaniyan Veerakumar , Boddeke Erik , Copray Sjef 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the regulation of neural stem cell (NSC) renewal and maintenance of their multipotency are still not completely understood. Self-renewal of stem cells in general implies repression of genes that encode for cell lineage differentiation. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2) is a Polycomb group protein involved in stem cell renewal and maintenance by inducing gene silencing via histone methylation and deacetylation. To establish the role of Ezh2 in the maintenance and differentiation of NSCs, we have examined the expression of Ezh2 in NSCs isolated from embryonic (embryonic day 14) mice during proliferation and differentiation in vitro. Our results show that Ezh2 is highly expressed in proliferating NSCs. In accordance with its suggested role as a transcription repressor, the expression of Ezh2 decreased when the NSCs differentiated into neurons and was completely suppressed during differentiation into astrocytes. Surprisingly, Ezh2 remained highly expressed in NSCs that differentiated into an oligodendrocytic cell lineage, starting from oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) up to the immature (premyelinating) oligodendrocyte stage. To further establish the role of Ezh2 in NSC differentiation, we silenced and induced overexpression of the Ezh2 gene in NSCs. High levels of Ezh2 in differentiating NSCs appeared to be associated with an increase in oligodendrocytes and a reduction in astrocytes, whereas low levels of Ezh2 led to completely opposite effects. The increase in the number of oligodendrocytes induced by enhanced expression of Ezh2 could be ascribed to stimulation of OPC proliferation although stimulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation cannot be excluded.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Express Cardiac-Specific Markers, Retain the Stromal Phenotype, and Do Not Become Functional Cardiomyocytes In Vitro
Authors: Rose Robert A. , Jiang Huijie , Wang Xinghua , Helke Simone , Tsoporis James N. , Gong Nanling , Keating Stephanie C.J. , Parker Thomas G. , Backx Peter H. , Keating Armand 
Published: August 2008

Abstract
Although bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may be beneficial in treating heart disease, their ability to transdifferentiate into functional cardiomyocytes remains unclear. Here, bone marrow-derived MSCs from adult female transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the cardiac-specific α-myosin heavy chain promoter were cocultured with male rat embryonic cardiomyocytes (rCMs) for 5–15 days. After 5 days in coculture, 6.3% of MSCs became GFP+ and stained positively for the sarcomeric proteins troponin I and α-actinin. The mRNA expression for selected cardiac-specific genes (atrial natriuretic factor, Nkx2.5, and α-cardiac actin) in MSCs peaked after 5 days in coculture and declined thereafter. Despite clear evidence for the expression of cardiac genes, GFP+ MSCs did not generate action potentials or display ionic currents typical of cardiomyocytes, suggesting retention of a stromal cell phenotype. Detailed immunophenotyping of GFP+ MSCs demonstrated expression of all antigens used to characterize MSCs, as well as the acquisition of additional markers of cardiomyocytes with the phenotype CD45−-CD34+-CD73+-CD105+-CD90+-CD44+-SDF1+-CD134L+-collagen type IV+-vimentin+-troponin T+-troponin I+-α-actinin+-connexin 43+. Although cell fusion between rCMs and MSCs was detectable, the very low frequency (0.7%) could not account for the phenotype of the GFP+ MSCs. In conclusion, we have identified an MSC population displaying plasticity toward the cardiomyocyte lineage while retaining mesenchymal stromal cell properties, including a nonexcitable electrophysiological phenotype. The demonstration of an MSC population coexpressing cardiac and stromal cell markers may explain conflicting results in the literature and indicates the need to better understand the effects of MSCs on myocardial injury.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Use of a Low-Cost, Commercially Available Gaming Console (Wii) for Rehabilitation of an Adolescent With Cerebral Palsy
Authors: Deutsch Judith E , Borbely Megan , Filler Jenny , Huhn Karen , Guarrera-Bowlby Phyllis 
Published: August 2008

Background and Purpose
The purpose of this retrospective and prospective case report is to describe the feasibility and outcomes of using a low-cost, commercially available gaming system (Wii) to augment the rehabilitation of an adolescent with cerebral palsy.

Patient and Setting
The patient was an adolescent with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy classified as GMFCS level III who was treated during a summer session in a school-based setting.

Intervention
The patient participated in 11 training sessions, 2 of which included other players. Sessions were between 60 and 90 minutes in duration. Training was performed using the Wii sports games software, including boxing, tennis, bowling, and golf. He trained in both standing and sitting positions.

Outcomes
Three main outcome measures were used: (1) visual-perceptual processing, using a motor-free perceptual test (Test of Visual Perceptual Skills, third edition); (2) postural control, using weight distribution and sway measures; and (3) functional mobility, using gait distance. Improvements in visual-perceptual processing, postural control, and functional mobility were measured after training.

Discussion and Conclusions
The feasibility of using the system in the school-based setting during the summer session was supported. For this patient whose rehabilitation was augmented with the Wii, there were positive outcomes at the impairment and functional levels. Multiple hypotheses were proposed for the findings that may be the springboard for additional research. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first published report on using this particular low-cost, commercially available gaming technology for rehabilitation of a person with cerebral palsy.
Photovoltaic Processes of Singlet and Triplet Excited States in Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Xu Zhihua , Hu Bin 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThis article reports the respective photovoltaic processes of singlet and triplet photoexcited states in dissociation and charge reactions based on the studies of magnetic‐field effects of photocurrents. The magnetic‐field effects of photocurrents reveal that weak donor‐acceptor interactions lead to a two‐step photovoltaic process: dissociation in polaron‐pair states evolved from singlet excitonic states and exciton‐charge reactions occurred in triplet excitonic states in the generation of the photocurrent. However, strong donor‐acceptor interactions yield a one‐step photovoltaic process: direct dissociation of both singlet and triplet excitons in bulk‐heterojunction organic solar cells. In addition, the magnetic‐field effects of photocurrents indicate that the dissociated electrons and holes form charge‐transfer complexes with singlet and triplet spin configurations at donor‐acceptor intermolecular interfaces. As a result, the magnetic‐field effects of photocurrents can deliver a critical understanding of singlet and triplet photovoltaic processes to design advanced solar‐energy materials and devices.
In vivo Imaging and Drug Storage by Quantum‐Dot‐Conjugated Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Guo Yan , Shi Donglu , Cho Hoonsung , Dong Zhongyun , Kulkarni Amit , Pauletti Giovanni M. , Wang Wei , Lian Jie , Liu Wen , Ren Lei , Zhang Qiqing , Liu Guokui , Huth Christopher , Wang Lumin , Ewing Rodney C. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractA specially designed carbon nanotube (CNT) is developed for use in the early detection and treatment of cancer. The key functionalities for biomedical diagnosis and drug delivery are incorporated into the CNTs. In vivo imaging of live mice is achieved by intravenously injecting quantum dot (QD)‐conjugated CNT for the first time. With near infrared emission around 752 nm, the CNT with surface‐conjugated QD (CNT‐QD) exhibit a strong luminescence for non‐invasive optical in vivo imaging. CNT surface modification is achieved by a plasma polymerization approach that deposited ultra‐thin acrylic acid or poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) films (∼3 nm) onto the nanotubes. The anticancer agent paclitaxel is loaded at 112.5 ± 5.8 µg mg−1 to PLGA‐coated CNT. Cytotoxicity of this novel drug delivery system is evaluated in vitro using PC‐3MM2 human prostate carcinoma cells and quantified by the 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The in vivo distribution determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) indicates CNT‐QD uptake in various organs of live animals.
Highly Modular P‐O‐P Ligands for Asymmetric Hydrogenation
Authors: Fernández‐Pérez Héctor , Pericàs Miquel A. , Vidal‐Ferran Anton 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe preparation of a library of new P‐O‐P ligands (phosphine‐phosphites and phosphine‐phosphinites), easily available in two synthetic steps from enantiopure Sharpless epoxy ethers, is reported. The “lead” catalyst of the series has proven to have outstanding catalytic properties in the rhodium‐catalysed asymmetric hydrogenation of a wide variety of functionalised alkenes (16 examples). The excellent performance and modular design of the catalysts makes them attractive for future applications.