bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases prevents peroxynitrite‐induced contractile dysfunction in the isolated cardiac myocyte
Authors: León H , Baczkó I , Sawicki G , Light P E , Schulz R 
Published: December 2007

Background and purpose:The potent oxidant peroxynitrite (ONOO−) induces mechanical dysfunction in the intact heart in part through activation of matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2). This effect may be independent of the proteolytic actions of MMPs on extracellular matrix proteins. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of ONOO− on contractile function at the level of the single cardiac myocyte and whether this includes the action of MMPs.Experimental approach:Freshly isolated ventricular myocytes from adult rats were superfused with Krebs–Henseleit buffer at 21 °C and paced at 0.5 Hz. Contractility was measured using a video edge‐detector. ONOO− or decomposed ONOO− (vehicle control) were co‐infused over 40 min to evaluate the contraction cease time (CCT). The effects of ONOO− on intracellular [Ca2+] were determined in myocytes loaded with calcium green‐1 AM. MMP‐2 activity was measured by gelatin zymography.Key results:ONOO− (30‐600 μM) caused a concentration‐dependent reduction in CCT. Myocytes subjected to 300 μM ONOO− had a shorter CCT than decomposed ONOO− (14.9+1.5 vs 32.2+3.5 min, n=7–8; P<0.05) and showed increased MMP‐2 activity. The MMP inhibitors doxycycline (100 μM) or PD 166793 (2 μM) reduced the decline in CCT induced by 300 μM ONOO−. ONOO− caused shorter calcium transient cease time and significant alterations in intracellular [Ca2+] homoeostasis which were partially prevented by doxycycline.Conclusions and implications:This is the first demonstration that inhibition of MMPs protects the cardiac myocyte from ONOO−‐induced contractile failure via an action unrelated to proteolysis of extracellular matrix proteins. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 676–683; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707621; published online 10 December 2007
Bretylium abolishes neurotransmitter release without necessarily abolishing the nerve terminal action potential in sympathetic terminals
Authors: Brain K L , Cunnane T C 
Published: December 2007

Background and purpose:The antidysrhythmic bretylium is useful experimentally because it selectively abolishes neurotransmitter release from sympathetic peripheral nerve terminals. Its mechanism of action seemed settled, but recent results from optical monitoring of single terminals now suggests a new interpretation.Experimental approach:Orthograde transport of a dextran‐conjugated Ca2+ indicator to monitor Ca2+ in nerve terminals of mouse isolated vas deferens with a confocal microscope. In some experiments, local neurotransmitter release was detected by monitoring neuroeffector Ca2+ transients (NCTs) in adjacent smooth muscles, a local measure of purinergic transmission. Sympathetic terminals were identified with catecholamine fluorescence (UV excitation) or post‐experiment immunohistochemistry.Key results:Bretylium (10 μM) abolished NCTs at 60/61 junctions over the course of 2 h, indicating effective abolition of neurotransmitter release. However, bretylium did not abolish the field stimulus‐induced Ca2+ transient in most nerve terminals, but did increase both action potential delay (by 2±0.4 ms) and absolute refractory period (by 4±2 ms). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that 85–96% of terminals orthogradely filled with a dextran‐conjugated fluorescent probe contained Neuropeptide Y (NPY). A formaldehyde–glutaraldehyde‐induced catecholamine fluorescence (FAGLU) technique was modified to allow sympathetic terminals to be identified with a Ca2+ indicator present. Most terminals contained catecholamines (based on FAGLU) or secrete ATP (as NCTs in adjacent smooth muscle cells are abolished).Conclusions and implications:Bretylium can inhibit neurotransmitter release downstream of Ca2+ influx without abolishing the nerve terminal action potential. Bretylium‐induced increases in the absolute refractory period permit living sympathetic terminals to be identified. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 831–839; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707623; published online 10 December 2007
Negative and positive allosteric modulators of the P2X7receptor
Authors: Michel A D , Chambers L J , Walter D S 
Published: December 2007

Background and purpose:Antagonist effects at the P2X7receptor are complex with many behaving in a non‐competitive manner. In this study, the effects ofN‐[2‐({2‐[(2‐hydroxyethyl)amino]ethyl}amino)‐5‐quinolinyl]‐2‐tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]dec‐1‐ylacetamide (compound‐17) andN2‐(3,4‐difluorophenyl)‐N1‐[2‐methyl‐5‐(1‐piperazinylmethyl)phenyl]glycinamide dihydrochloride (GW791343) on P2X7receptors were examined and their mechanism of action explored.Experimental approach:Antagonist effects were studied by measuring agonist‐stimulated ethidium accumulation in cells expressing human or rat recombinant P2X7receptors and in radioligand binding studies.Key results:Compound‐17 and GW791343 were non‐competitive inhibitors of human P2X7receptors. Receptor protection studies using decavanadate and pyridoxalphosphate‐6‐azophenyl‐2',4′‐disulphonic acid (PPADS) showed that neither compound‐17 nor GW791343 competitively interacted at the ATP binding site and so were probably negative allosteric modulators of the P2X7receptor. GW791343 prevented the slowly reversible blockade of the human P2X7receptor produced by compound‐17 and inhibited [3H]‐compound‐17 binding to the P2X7receptor suggesting they may bind to similar or interacting sites. At rat P2X7receptors, compound‐17 was a negative allosteric modulator but the predominant effect of GW791343 was to increase agonist responses. Antagonist interaction and radioligand binding studies revealed that GW791343 did not interact at the ATP binding site but did interact with the compound‐17 binding site suggesting that GW791343 is a positive allosteric modulator of the rat P2X7receptor.Conclusions:Compound‐17 was a negative allosteric modulator of human and rat P2X7receptors. GW791343 was a negative allosteric modulator of the human P2X7receptor but at the rat P2X7receptor its predominant effect was positive allosteric modulation. These compounds should provide valuable tools for mechanistic studies on P2X7receptors.British Journal of Pharmacology(2008)153, 737–750; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707625; published online 10 December 2007
A Holy Grail of asthma management: toward understanding how long‐acting β2‐adrenoceptor agonists enhance the clinical efficacy of inhaled corticosteroids
Authors: Giembycz M A , Kaur M , Leigh R , Newton R 
Published: December 2007

There is unequivocal evidence that the combination of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)—i.e. glucocorticoid—and an inhaled long‐acting β2‐adrenoceptor agonist (LABA) is superior to each component administered as a monotherapy alone in the clinical management of asthma. Moreover, Calverley and colleagues (Lancet 2003, 361: 449–456; N Engl J Med 2007, 356: 775–789) reporting for the ‘TRial of Inhaled STeroids ANd long‐acting β2‐agonists (TRISTAN)’ and ‘TOwards a Revolution in COPD Health (TORCH)’ international study groups also demonstrated the superior efficacy of LABA/ICS combination therapies over ICS alone in the clinical management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This finding has been independently confirmed indicating that the therapeutic benefit of LABA/ICS combination therapies is not restricted to asthma and may be extended to other chronic inflammatory diseases of the airways. Despite the unquestionable benefit of LABA/ICS combination therapies, there is a vast gap in our understanding of how these two drugs given together deliver superior clinical efficacy. In this article, we review the history of LABA/ICS combination therapies and critically evaluate how these two classes of drugs might interact at the biochemical level to suppress pro‐inflammatory responses. Understanding the molecular basis of this fundamental clinical observation is a Holy Grail of current respiratory diseases research as it could permit the rational exploitation of this effect with the development of new ‘optimized’ LABA/ICS combination therapies.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 1090–1104; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707627; published online 10 December 2007
MALE NORMS AND FEMALE ADJUSTMENTS: THE INFLUENCE OF CARE CREDITS ON GENDER PENSION GAPS IN FRANCE AND GERMANY
Authors: Frericks Patricia , Maier Robert , de Graaf Willibrord 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
European pension systems are in the process of change. A general development is the retrenchment of public schemes. In combination with the aim of individualizing pension entitlements, it is crucial that the pension situation of women, and of mothers in particular, be improved. Some European countries attempt to reduce the gender pension gaps with child care credits. This paper takes a closer look at the French and German systems. Can adjustments to the pension norm, in terms of different allowances for child care as introduced in both countries, balance gender pension gaps? Following the logic of the individual factors, the duration of insurance and the level of paid contributions, the main factors are analysed to evaluate the efficiency of care credits. Within the complexity of pension-related factors, adjustments to the originally male pension norms have very ambiguous effects, and they are insufficient to de-gender pension gaps.
PERSISTENT POVERTY: PORTUGAL AND THE SOUTHERN EUROPEAN WELFARE REGIME
Authors: Ferreira Leonor Vasconcelos 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
This article aims to assess the extent to which social policies address current and persistent poverty in southern European Union countries in general and Portugal in particular. The southern European welfare regime, which includes Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, has been seen as less developed and less generous in covering social risks. Additionally, the southern European welfare regime presents several inefficiencies that make social policies much less successful in tackling current and persistent poverty. In spite of having recently followed a common path of welfare reforms, southern European countries are far from achieving substantial results in poverty reduction in recent years. Possible explanations of enduring poverty may rest on cultural and institutional factors such as less state accountability in the context where a prominent role in welfare provision rests on families, high levels of tolerance of inequality and poverty, and, in broader terms, in attitudes toward inequality and poverty embedded in social and political practices. In this framework, the case of Portugal is further developed and contrasted with others countries in southern Europe.
THE STATE AND SOCIAL SERVICES IN BRITAIN, FRANCE AND GERMANY SINCE THE 1980s
Authors: Bahle Thomas 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
The article studies the development of social services in Britain, France and Germany since the 1980s. In this period services grew strongly and were extended to large population groups, although the welfare state was in crisis. Moreover, the power of the state was enhanced. The share of public service provision declined somewhat, but this was more than balanced by increased public funding and intensified state control of delivery. The paper argues that the rise of social services does not signal a ‘new’ welfare state. Rather, the belated expansion of social services compared to other areas is explained by the fact that services have become crucial for the economy and the labour market only recently. Since this was the case, they have followed the classical path of welfare state expansion.
FREE TO MOVE?: THE ACCEPTANCE OF FREE MOVEMENT OF LABOUR AND NON DISCRIMINATION AMONG CITIZENS OF EUROPE
Authors: Gerhards Jürgen 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
The article first describes how the European Union has replaced the idea of nationally bounded freedom to move, settle, and work with the idea of free movement for all Europeans and the notion of non-discrimination. The second section gives an analysis of the extent to which citizens of different European countries support the idea of non-discrimination between nationals and European foreigners. The empirical basis for our analysis is the ‘European Values Study’. The descriptive findings show that the idea of non-discrimination is not supported by the majority of the European citizens, and that there are substantial differences between the countries. In the third section, we explain these differences by referring, among other factors, to the level of modernization of a country, the value orientation of the respondent, the level of education of the respondent, and the unemployment rate.
GENDER, CULTURE AND NON-FINANCIAL EMPLOYMENT COMMITMENT IN GREAT BRITAIN AND SWEDEN
Authors: Hult Carl 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
The main question this paper seeks to tackle is whether men and women, as some argue, commit themselves to employment differently or for different reasons. The focus is thus on the mechanisms behind non-financial employment commitment (such as the possible effect of family situation, occupational position, and of different work-related preferences and experiences). The question is comparatively investigated in Sweden and Great Britain, where, in spite of many similarities, the existence of different societal/cultural contexts with relevance for gender and work has been suggested. The results in this paper suggest that the most important motivator for non-financial employment commitment is interesting work, which was found to have a positive effect both as a work goal and as experienced in the workplace. Although women and men in both countries displayed quite similar patterns, some country and gender differences appeared in the way occupational position and degree of education relate to this type of commitment. Higher occupational position and education where more clearly related to higher degrees of commitment for British women than for British men, while the Swedish gender pattern was reversed. In the concluding discussion, possible explanations and implications are discussed, and avenues for further research are suggested.
Vendor‐supplied usage data for electronic resources: a survey of academic libraries
Authors: BAKER Gayle , READ Eleanor J. 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACTA survey was sent to research libraries in the United States and Canada to learn about the level of effort involved in working with vendors' usage reports, how the data are used, and which data are most useful to librarians in managing electronic resources. Ninety‐two responses were received and analyzed. Lack of standards and inconsistencies in the usage data were identified as issues in effectively preparing the data for further analysis. In fact, the results showed that more time was spent acquiring, reformatting, and manipulating the data than on actually analyzing them. The number of full‐text downloads was specified as the most useful statistic for assessing the use of electronic resources.
What do society and association members really want?
Authors: WALTHAM Mary 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACTDiscussion among professional and learned society staff about what their members really want now ranges across such a broad spectrum of services that it is often difficult to focus on the question. That said, the responses tend to be relatively simple. They often take the form of folk wisdom, proverbs handed down from one generation to the next that are not so much inaccurate as sometimes unhelpful. Members are variously described as joining to receive the journal, to attend the meetings, to get cheaper insurance, to pay lower page charges, and so on. This article goes beyond the proverbs, by looking at real evidence and emerging trends in society membership and publications. The aim is to support pragmatic decision‐making by society and association publishers in a world where membership ‘to get the journal’ is no longer necessarily the norm.
Choosing a publishing partner: advice for societies and associations
Authors: WARE Mark 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACTFor societies and associations seeking a publishing partner, the healthy competition between publishers means that the deals on offer have never been better. The problem for the society is distinguishing a good short‐term deal (say, an attractive financial offer) from the partnership that will actually be in the better long‐term interests of the journal. This article, based on the author's experience as a publisher‐turned‐consultant advising societies, offers a framework for selecting a partner based on a careful analysis of what the society needs from its publisher in the long term. Underlying the performance of the best publisher partners are a good understanding of the needs of societies and their journals; a strong service orientation; and an ability to plan strategically for each journal on the basis of facts and data.
Integrating research articles and supporting data in crystallography
Authors: STRICKLAND Peter R. , McMAHON Brian , HELLIWELL John R. 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACTThe development by a scientific learned society of data description and exchange standards has revolutionized the publication of journal articles in crystallography. Data validation has become an essential element in peer review. Submission, review, and handling of articles are carried out faster, more efficiently, and more consistently. The full data to support a scientific model are made available to the reader, allowing molecular structures to be visualized and analysed. The journals provide a much more complete account of the scientific record, in a model that should appeal to other data‐rich scientific disciplines.
For a few dollars more: a future for scholarly books in Australia?
Authors: DERRICOURT Robin 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACTAustralia's universities have seen significant growth in government research funding, with more to come, but this is not reflected in the output of research monograph publications; structural barriers stand between creation and dissemination of research. This is especially a problem for those working on Australian topics. The author has proposed a new model for funding scholarly publishing in Australia, which may well be applicable to other countries: just a small proportion of the funds committed by the Australian government to research inputs could ensure the publication of research outputs. This would deliver major gains in impact and productivity for government, universities, and individual academics alike.
A sharp bound for the Stein-Wainger oscillatory integral
Authors: Parissis Ioannis 
Published: December 2007

Let

P

d

\mathcal {P}_d

denote the space of all real polynomials of degree at most

d
d

. It is an old result of Stein and Wainger that
\[

sup

P
∈

P

d

|

p
.
v
.

∫

R

e

i
P
(
t
)

d
t

t

|

≤

C
d

\sup _ {P\in \mathcal {P}_d} \bigg |p.v.\int _{\mathbb {R}} {e^{iP(t)}\frac {dt}{t}} \bigg |\leq C_d

\]
for some constant

C
d

C_d

depending only on

d
d

. On the other hand, Carbery, Wainger and Wright claim that the true order of magnitude of the above principal value integral is

log
⁡
d

\log d

. We prove that
\[

sup

P
∈

P

d

|

p
.
v
.

∫

R

e

i
P
(
t
)

d
t

t

|

∼
log
⁡

d

.

\sup _ {P\in \mathcal {P}_d}\bigg |p.v. \int _{\mathbb {R}}{e^{iP(t)}\frac {dt}{t}}\bigg |\sim \log {d}.

\]
Core of ideals of Noetherian local rings
Authors: Wang Hsin-Ju 
Published: December 2007

The core of an ideal is the intersection of all its reductions. In 2005, Polini and Ulrich explicitly described the core as a colon ideal of a power of a single reduction and a power of

I
I

for a broader class of ideals, where

I
I

is an ideal in a local Cohen-Macaulay ring. In this paper, we show that if

I
I

is an ideal of analytic spread

1
1

in a Noetherian local ring with infinite residue field, then with some mild conditions on

I
I

, we have

core
⁡
(
I
)
⊇
J
(

J
n

:

I
n

)
=
I
(

J
n

:

I
n

)
=
(

J

n
+
1

:

I
n

)
∩
I

\operatorname {core} (I)\supseteq J(J^n: I^n)=I(J^n: I^n)=(J^{n+1}: I^n)\cap I

for any minimal reduction

J
J

of

I
I

and for

n
≫
0

n\gg 0

.
Characterizations of Disjointness preserving operators on vector-valued function spaces
Authors: Jeang Jyh-Shyang , Lin Ying-Fen 
Published: December 2007

We characterize compact and completely continuous disjointness preserving linear operators on vector-valued continuous functions as follows: a disjointness preserving operator

T
:

C
0

(
X
,
E
)
→

C
0

(
Y
,
F
)

T : C_0(X, E) \to C_0(Y, F)

is compact (resp. completely continuous) if and only if

T
f
=

∑
n

δ

x
n

⊗

h
n

(
f
)

for all
f
∈

C
0

(
X
,
E
)
,

\begin{align*} Tf = \sum _n \delta _{x_n} \otimes h_n (f) \quad \text {for all } f \in C_0(X,E), \end{align*}

where

h
n

:
Y
→
B
(
E
,
F
)

h_n : Y \to B(E,F)

is continuous and vanishes at infinity in the uniform (resp. strong) operator topology, and

h
n

(
y
)

h_n(y)

is compact (resp.

h
n

h_n

is uniformly completely continuous).
The best constant in a weighted Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev inequality
Authors: Chen Wenxiong , Li Congming 
Published: December 2007

We prove the uniqueness for the solutions of the singular nonlinear PDE system:

(1)

{

−
δ
(

|

x

|

α

u
(
x
)
)
=

v
q

(
x
)

|

x

|

β

,

−
δ
(

|

x

|

β

v
(
x
)
)
=

u
p

(
x
)

|

x

|

α

.

\begin{equation}\tag {1} \begin {cases} - \delta ( |x|^{\alpha } u(x) ) = \dfrac {v^q (x)}{|x|^{\beta }} ,\\ - \delta ( |x|^{\beta } v(x) ) = \dfrac {u^p (x)}{|x|^{\alpha }}. \end{cases} \end{equation}

In the special case when

α
=
β

\alpha = \beta

and

p
=
q

p = q

, we classify all the solutions and thus obtain the best constant in the corresponding weighted Hardy-Littlewood-Sobolev inequality.
Echocardiographic Changes in Cases of Intermittent Acute Porphyria
Authors: PANWAR RAJA BABU , SETIA VIJAY , GUPTA BAL KISHAN , SAKSENA HEM CHAND 
Published: December 2007

Intermittent acute porphyria (IAP) is an inborn metabolic disorder of biosynthesis of haeme, characterized by increased excretion of porphyrin or porphyrin precursor in urine and clinically by gastrointestinal, neuro‐psychiatric and cardiovascular manifestations.Significant observations were made on echocardiographic examination of 25 IAP patients in our study. Significant decrease in ejection fraction (48.4 ± 7.9, control group 63.0 ± 7.5, P < 0.001) and percentage of fractional shortening (23.5%± 6.87%, control group = 36.4 ± 4.26, P ± .001) was observed in IAP, this shows derangement in left ventricular systolic functions in IAP.The study also shows significant thickening of IVS (1.22 ± 0.20, control group 0.88 ± 0.12 cm, P ± 0.001). The most interesting finding was the significantly increased incidence of mitral valve and/or tricuspid valve prolapse in 15 (60%) patients of IAP. Thickening of AML, PML, and calcification of AML were also observed.