bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intraspecific variation in life history traits of a land snail after a bacterial challenge
Authors: Février Y. , Russo J. , Madec L. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractLife history theory suggests that variation in individual body size is often the result of resource availability and is controlled by trade‐offs between growth, reproductive features and subsequently, survival. In the land snail Cornu aspersum, body size and correlated life history traits vary strongly intraspecifically, leading to geographic patterns of life history tactics. This work investigates the potential role of repeated exposure to stress during the growth and reproduction stage on the life history responses of two subspecies. Cornu aspersum aspersa and Cornu aspersum maxima exhibit contrasting life history strategies, as shown morphologically by the giant size of maxima. In this study, we postulated that the two subspecies would respond differently when exposed to a similar, non‐specific stress. Thus, snails were regularly challenged with injections of Gram‐negative heat‐killed bacteria Escherichia coli suspensions. As expected, we found that stress induced by bacterial challenges leads to a significant decrease in fecundity in the two subspecies. We also observed differences between the challenged and the control snails in terms of the (1) growth features for C. a. maxima and (2) timing of the first egg‐laying for C. a. aspersa. Moreover, a delayed development of the reproductive organs in the post‐challenged animals suggested a trade‐off between growth and sexual maturity.
Linking behaviour and performance: intermittent locomotion in a climbing fish
Authors: Kemp P. S. , Tsuzaki T. , Moser M. L. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractHow locomotory performance is influenced by prior experience and behaviour is of adaptive significance. The relationship between kinematics, behaviour and performance was investigated by assessing a previously undescribed mode of climbing locomotion performed by adult Pacific lamprey. The lampreys were challenged with a 1.4 m vertical weir under an experimental setting. The majority of ascents used intermittent bouts of climbing (on an average approximately one‐fifth of total ascent time) via powerful cycles of axial undulation at 0.35–1.25 Hz, interspersed with periods of stationary attachment with the oral disk. However, two of the most rapid ascents (57 and 85 s) occurred during one continuous bout at a low cycle frequency (c. 0.38 and 0.50 Hz). Probability of success and ascent time was positively related to experience climbing the weir. The ratio of time spent actively climbing to time spent resting decreased with distance travelled, indicating fatigue. Ascents with long periods of activity had correspondingly high durations of recovery. Moreover, time to ascend was positively related to the proportion of time spent stationary in ascents that took <300 s. The findings suggest that modification of intermittent locomotion allows Pacific lamprey to compensate for variation in climbing performance and can extend distance travelled before exhaustion.
Education‐based group identity and consciousness in the authoritarian‐libertarian value conflict
Authors: STUBAGER RUNE 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe increasing importance of New Politics or authoritarian‐libertarian values to electoral behaviour in advanced Western industrial democracies and the previously documented strong link between such values and educational attainment indicates that, contrary to the claims of some New Politics theorists, the ideological conflict is anchored in the social structure – in particular in educational groups. For this interpretation to be warranted, however, it should be possible to document the existence of education‐based group identity and group consciousness related to the value conflict. The article develops indicators of the core variables out of Social Identity Theory. Based on a unique survey from Denmark, which includes the new set of indicators, the analyses show that members of the high and low education groups have developed both group identity and consciousness reflecting a conflict between the groups and that these factors are related to authoritarian‐libertarian values. The results are interpreted as reflecting a relationship of dominance, which supports the view that the ideological conflict is structurally anchored.
Intergenerational Earnings Mobility Among Daughters and Sons: Evidence from Sweden and a Comparison with the United States
Authors: Hirvonen Lalaina H. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThis article adopts Chadwick and Solon's (2002) model by using family earnings in the study of intergenerational earnings mobility with a highlight on the role of assortative mating. I analyze mean and quantile regression coefficients as well as transition matrices to investigate family earnings mobility between parents and daughters and parents and sons from Swedish register data. My findings indicate that Sweden has a higher degree of mobility compared to the United States, and that assortative mating also plays an important role as a channel through which income status is transmitted across generations in Sweden. However, the difference in intergenerational mobility patterns between the two countries does not, inherently, depend on factors that affect the marriage match. Swedish daughters and sons exhibit a rather similar scheme of intergenerational earnings transmission. Daughters tend to be slightly more mobile than sons, and the difference between their elasticity estimates is small but statistically significant. The quantile regression approach reveals that parents' family earnings are less important as an explanatory variable at the upper end of the children's earnings distribution than they are at the bottom, while transition matrices show substantial earnings persistence in the top earnings class.
Health related quality of life in survivors of pneumococcal meningitis
Authors: Legood Rosa , Coen Pietro G , Knox Kyle , Viner Russell M , El Bashir Haitham , Christie Deborah , Patel Bharat C , Booy Robert 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAim: To estimate the overall long‐term health related quality of life implications of an episode of pneumococcal meningitis in childhood.Method: Cases were identified through two regional UK surveillance studies and traced via their general practitioners (GPs) or local hospital paediatrician. Siblings were used as controls where available. Health related quality of life was assessed using the health utilities index (HUI). Mean utility scores were compared between cases and controls and univariate linear regression was used to identify factors that influenced the overall utility scores.Results: HUI data were available for 71 cases and 66 controls. The mean overall utility score for cases 0.774 (95% CI 0.711– 0.837) was significantly lower than for controls 0.866 (95% CI 0.824–0.907) (p‐value = 0.0185). Hearing was the most significantly affected health attribute (p‐value < 0.006). In cases, males had lower quality of life scores than females (p‐value = 0.018), however this was not seen in controls.Conclusion: An episode of pneumococcal meningitis results in a long‐term decrement in overall health related quality of life and is significantly related to hearing loss.
Age‐dependent basal insulin patterns in children with type 1 diabetes treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion
Authors: Szypowska Agnieszka , Lipka Maria , Błazik Marlena , Golicka Dorota , Groele Lidia , Pańkowska Ewa 
Published: December 2008

AbstractAims: Identifying age‐dependent basal rates in type 1 diabetic children treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII).Methods: CSII‐treated children with type 1 diabetes exhibiting insulin requirement > 0.5U/kg and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) < 8%. The study population was composed of 198 Caucasian children (111 girls) with mean age of 9.8 ± 3.8 years, mean duration of diabetes of 4.3 ± 3.1 years and mean HbA1c value of 6.7 ± 0.7%. Data were evaluated for four age groups (0–6; 6–9; 9–12, 12–18 years). Basal rates records were downloaded from pump memory. HbA1c, weight, height were measured at scheduled visits.Results: Significant differences in the average hourly basal rate between groups were observed: I gr. 0.14 versus II gr. 0.24 versus III gr. 0.39 versus IV gr. 0.72 units/h; p < 0.0001. The average hourly basal rate correlated with age, body weight, BMI, diabetes duration and total insulin daily dose. Insulin peaks were observed for: I gr. – before midnight, II gr. – before midnight and in the early morning, gr. III and IV – in the early morning.Conclusion: Basal insulin infusion rate profiles in well‐controlled paediatric patients on CSII reflect the age‐dependent amount of basal insulin (20–40%) and affect circadian distribution of insulin needs.
Childhood Sexual Abuse, Selective Attention for Sexual Cues and the Effects of Testosterone with or Without Vardenafil on Physiological Sexual Arousal in Women with Sexual Dysfunction: A Pilot Study
Authors: Van Der Made Flip , Bloemers Jos , Van Ham Diana , Yassem Wadi El , Kleiverda Gunilla , Everaerd Walter , Olivier Berend , Tuiten Adriaan 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) may be associated with reduced central sensitivity for sexual cues. A single dose of testosterone might induce an increase in sensitivity for sexual stimuli, which in turn allows a PDE5 inhibitor to be effective in boosting the physiological sexual response. Negative sexual experience—like childhood sexual abuse (CSA)—might be an important intervening factor in these drugs-induced alterations.

Aim
To investigate if the combination of testosterone and vardenafil causes an increase in sensitivity for sexual cues and an increase in physiological sexual responding in women suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).

Methods
Thirteen women with HSDD underwent four different drug treatments: (i) placebo; (ii) vardenafil; (iii) testosterone; and (iv) combination of testosterone and vardenafil. During each treatment, they performed an emotional Stroop task and watched neutral and erotic film clips.

Main Outcome Measures
A masked version of the emotional Stroop task, and the vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA).

Results
We found different effects in women who had reported CSA (N = 5) compared with those who had not (N = 8). In women without CSA, testosterone induced an increase in their originally low levels of preconscious attention for sexual cues, while women with CSA showed a decrease in their originally high levels of attention. In these groups, we also found different effects of the combination of testosterone and vardenafil on the VPA: women without CSA revealed a statistically significant increase in their VPA during treatment with the combination of testosterone and vardenafil as compared with placebo. Women with CSA, however, showed no alterations in their physiological sexual responding during this combined drug treatment.

Conclusion
In women without CSA, testosterone appears to activate central sexual mechanisms resulting in higher VPA under the combination of testosterone and vardenafil. This effect did not occur in women with CSA.
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Erectile Dysfunction
Authors: Hidalgo-Tamola Josephine , Chitaley Kanchan 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). Although most diabetic ED cases are in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the majority of basic science studies examining mechanisms of diabetic ED have been conducted in animal models of type 1 diabetes.

Aim
Recently, however, clinical and laboratory-based studies have uncovered some key underlying factors of T2DM-associated ED, which we have compiled in this review of T2DM ED.

Main Outcome Measures
The outcomes discussed in this review include major mechanisms underlying T2DM, discussing both clinical and basic science studies.

Methods
We conducted an extensive search of pertinent clinical and basic science literature using PUBMED.

Results
Mechanisms causing ED in T2DM are multifactorial and often lead to resistance to current therapy. Systemic effects of hyperglycemia and hypogonadism contribute to the development of impaired vasodilatory signaling, smooth muscle cell hypercontractility, and veno-occlusive disorder in T2DM ED.

Conclusions
Understanding the different causes for ED in T2DM patients may allow targeted therapy for improved erectile function.
Ideas, Pictures, and the Directness of Perception in Descartes and Locke
Authors: Newman Lex 
Published: December 2008

AbstractHow are we to understand philosophical claims about sense perception being direct versus indirect? There are multiple relevant notions of perceptual directness, so I argue. Perception of external objects may be direct on some notions, while indirect on others. My interest is with the sense in which ideas count as perceptual mediators in the philosophy of Descartes and Locke. This paper has two broader aims. The first is to clarify four main notions of perceptual directness. The second is to support my contention that in the texts characterizing ideas as immediate objects of perception, Descartes and Locke are invoking the notion of directness I call ‘objectual’. This notion is modeled on the way a picture mediates perception of the pictured object. The upshot of my account is that – with respect to the objectual notion of directness – Descartes and Locke each hold an indirect theory of perception.
Disputes over Yasukuni Shrine and Its War Dead in Contemporary Japan
Authors: Okuyama Michiaki 
Published: December 2008

AbstractYasukuni Shrine, a Shinto sanctuary located in Tokyo, has become the focus of a recent dispute in Japan, and a source of criticism against Japanese politicians by neighboring Asian countries. Especially since the former Prime Minister Koizumi Jun’ichirō visited Yasukuni once every year during the period of his administration (2001–2006), arguments have been accumulated both in Japan and abroad. This essay tries to review some of the arguments over the war dead and war memory in modern Japanese history, referring also to more specific issues such as the Class A war criminals and Li Ying's documentary film Yasukuni (2007).
Portably solving file races with hardness amplification
Authors: Tsafrir Dan , Hertz Tomer , Wagner David , Silva Dilma Da 
Published: December 2008

The file-system API of contemporary systems makes programs vulnerable to TOCTTOU (time-of-check-to-time-of-use) race conditions. Existing solutions either help users to detect these problems (by pinpointing their locations in the code), or prevent the problem altogether (by modifying the kernel or its API). But the latter alternative is not prevalent, and the former is just the first step: Programmers must still address TOCTTOU flaws within the limits of the existing API with which several important tasks cannot be accomplished in a portable straightforward manner. Recently, Dean and Hu [2004] addressed this problem and suggested a probabilistic hardness amplification approach that alleviated the matter. Alas, shortly after, Borisov et al. [2005] responded with an attack termed “filesystem maze” that defeated the new approach.
We begin by noting that mazes constitute a generic way to deterministically win many TOCTTOU races (gone are the days when the probability was small). In the face of this threat, we: (1) develop a new user-level defense that can withstand mazes; and (2) show that our method is undefeated even by much stronger hypothetical attacks that provide the adversary program with ideal conditions to win the race (enjoying complete and instantaneous knowledge about the defending program's actions and being able to perfectly synchronize accordingly). The fact that our approach is immune to these unrealistic attacks suggests it can be used as a simple and portable solution to a large class of TOCTTOU vulnerabilities, without requiring modifications to the underlying operating system.
Epigenetic Enhancement of Antigen Processing and Presentation Promotes Immune Recognition of Tumors
Authors: Setiadi A. Francesca , Omilusik Kyla , David Muriel D. , Seipp Robyn P. , Hartikainen Jennifer , Gopaul Rayshad , Choi Kyung Bok , Jefferies Wilfred A. 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have been hailed as a powerful new class of anticancer drugs. The HDACi, trichostatin A (TSA), is thought to interfere with epigenetic control of cell cycle progression in G1 and G2-M phase, resulting in growth arrest, differentiation, or apoptosis. Here, we describe a novel mechanism of action of HDACis in promoting immune responses against tumors. We report that treatment of carcinoma cells with TSA increases the expression of many components of the antigen processing machinery, including TAP-1, TAP-2, LMP-2, and Tapasin. Consistent with this result, we found that treatment of metastatic carcinoma cells with TSA also results in an increase in MHC class I expression on the cell surface that functionally translates into an enhanced susceptibility to killing by antigen-specific CTLs. Finally, we observed that TSA treatment suppresses tumor growth and increases tap-1 promoter activity in TAP-deficient tumor cells in vivo. Intriguingly, this in vivo anti-tumoral effect of TSA is entirely mediated by an increase in immunogenicity of the tumor cells, as it does not occur in immunodeficient mice. These novel insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling tumor immune escape may help revise immunotherapeutic modalities for eradicating cancers. [Cancer Res 2008;68(23):9601–7]
HPV-16 E7 Reveals a Link between DNA Replication Stress, Fanconi Anemia D2 Protein, and Alternative Lengthening of Telomere–Associated Promyelocytic Leukemia Bodies
Authors: Spardy Nicole , Duensing Anette , Hoskins Elizabeth E. , Wells Susanne I. , Duensing Stefan 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
Expression of the high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV-16) E7 oncoprotein extends the life span of primary human keratinocytes and partially restores telomere length in the absence of telomerase. The molecular basis of this activity is incompletely understood. Here, we show that HPV-16 E7 induces an increased formation of alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT)–associated promyelocytic leukemia bodies (APBs) in early passage primary human keratinocytes as well as HPV-negative tumor cells. This activity was found to require sequences of HPV-16 E7 involved in degradation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein as well as regions in the COOH terminus. HPV-16 E7–induced APBs contained ssDNA and several proteins that are involved in the response to DNA replication stress, most notably the Fanconi anemia D2 protein (FANCD2) as well as BRCA2 and MUS81. In line with these results, we found that FANCD2-containing APBs form in an ATR-dependent manner in HPV-16 E7–expressing cells. To directly show a role of FANCD2 in ALT, we provide evidence that knockdown of FANCD2 rapidly causes telomere dysfunction in cells that rely on ALT to maintain telomeres. Taken together, our results suggest a novel link between replication stress and recombination-based telomere maintenance that may play a role in HPV-16 E7–mediated extension of host cell life span and immortalization. [Cancer Res 2008;68(23):9954–63]
Gene Therapy Using TRAIL-Secreting Human Umbilical Cord Blood–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells against Intracranial Glioma
Authors: Kim Seong Muk , Lim Jung Yeon , Park Sang In , Jeong Chang Hyun , Oh Ji Hyeon , Jeong Moonsup , Oh Wonil , Park Sang-Hoon , Sung Young-Chul , Jeun Sin-Soo 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
Adenovirus-mediated gene therapies against brain tumors have been limited by the difficulty in tracking glioma cells infiltrating the brain parenchyma. Human umbilical cord blood–derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSC) are particularly attractive cells for clinical use in cell-based therapies. In the present study, we evaluated the tumor targeting properties and antitumor effects of UCB-MSCs as gene delivery vehicles for glioma therapy. We efficiently engineered UCB-MSCs to deliver a secretable trimeric form of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (stTRAIL) via adenoviral transduction mediated by cell-permeable peptides. We then confirmed the migratory capacity of engineered UCB-MSCs toward tumor cells by an in vitro migration assay and by in vivo injection of UCB-MSCs into the tumor mass or the opposite hemisphere of established human glioma in nude mice. Moreover, in vitro coculture, experiments on Transwell plates, and in vivo survival experiments showed that MSC-based stTRAIL gene delivery has more therapeutic efficacy compared with direct injection of adenovirus encoding the stTRAIL gene into a tumor mass. In vivo efficacy experiments showed that intratumoral injection of engineered UCB-MSCs (MSCs-stTRAIL) significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival of glioma-bearing mice compared with controls. These results suggest that human UCB-MSCs have potential use as effective delivery vehicles for therapeutic genes in the treatment of intracranial glioma. [Cancer Res 2008;68(23):9614–23]
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation–on-Chip Reveals Stress-Dependent p53 Occupancy in Primary Normal Cells but Not in Established Cell Lines
Authors: Shaked Helena , Shiff Idit , Kott-Gutkowski Miriam , Siegfried Zahava , Haupt Ygal , Simon Itamar 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
The p53 tumor suppressor protein is a transcription factor that plays a key role in the cellular response to stress and cancer prevention. Upon activation, p53 regulates a large variety of genes causing cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, or senescence. We have developed a p53-focused array, which allows us to investigate, simultaneously, p53 interactions with most of its known target sequences using the chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-on-chip methodology. Applying this technique to multiple cell types under various growth conditions revealed a profound difference in p53 activity between primary cells and established cell lines. We found that, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, p53 exists in a form that binds only a small subset of its target regions. Upon exposure to genotoxic stress, the extent of targets bound by p53 significantly increased. By contrast, in established cell lines, p53 binds to essentially all of its targets irrespective of stress and cellular fate (apoptosis or arrest). Analysis of gene expression in these established lines revealed little correlation between DNA binding and the induction of gene expression. Our results suggest that nonactivated p53 has limited binding activity, whereas upon activation it binds to essentially all its targets. Additional triggers are most likely required to activate the transcriptional program of p53. [Cancer Res 2008;68(23):9671–7]