bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The New Atlantis: Francis Bacon's Theological-Political Utopia?
Authors: Smith Suzanne 
Published: January 2008

In his seminal 1968 study of Francis Bacon's political thought, Howard B. White argued that the New Atlantis is “a rewriting of a Platonic myth, and a rewriting clearly intended as a refutation.” Bacon's attack on Plato, however, is partially mediated through his critique of Christianity. Indeed, Bacon pays more explicit attention to the tropes and themes of revealed religion than he does to those of the story of the “old” Atlantis told in Plato's Timaeus and Critias. Scholars are divided as to the exact nature of Bacon's intentions in his treatment of religion in the New Atlantis. Richard Tuck suggests that “the desire for a reconstructed religion” is “explicit in the blend of Protestantism and Judaism” created by Bacon. Most scholars, however, unlike Tuck, argue that Bacon was more interested in undermining religion—or more specifically, its political authority—than in reconstructing it. Laurence Lampert's argument that Bacon stands at the head of “the actual holy war fought in Europe . . ., the warfare of science against religion that tamed sovereign religion” typifies much of the scholarly commentary on the New Atlantis since White's reading of it almost forty years ago. The consensus view is that Bacon promotes the politic manipulation of the tropes and themes of revealed religion so that they might be made to support the modern scientific project and the cause of peace from religious strife: “Bacon's lifelong concern for religion uniformly expressed itself in arguments for moderation in religion.” White argues that Bacon demonstrates how “religious turmoil” can be countered “not only by religious toleration, but also by religious eclecticism, amounting to religious universality.”
The relationship between normocytic, hypochromic anaemia and iron concentration together with hepatic enzyme activities in cattle infected withFasciola hepatica
Authors: Lotfollahzadeh S. , Mohri M. , Bahadori Sh. Ranjbar , Dezfouly M.R. Mokhber , Tajik P. 
Published: January 2008

AbstractErythrograms determined from whole blood analyses and serum analyses for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities, and iron concentration, were used in infected and uninfected cattle to determine the type of anaemia and degree of hepatic damage caused byFasciola hepatica. Blood samples from 86 infected and 30 uninfected cattle were taken at slaughter. Haematological analyses revealed decreased levels of packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in infected compared with uninfected cattle (P < 0.05). A decrease in the concentration of serum iron was also observed in infected cattle compared with uninfected cattle (P < 0.05). Significant increases in AST, GGT and ALP activities were observed in cattle infected withF. hepaticawhen compared with uninfected cattle (P < 0.05). It was concluded that the anaemia observed in cattle infected withF. hepaticais a normocytic, hypochromic anaemia and the most important aetiology of the anaemia is the chronic blood loss due to the blood-sucking activity of the adult flukes and leakage of blood from the bile duct to the intestine, which results in iron deficiency. The increased activities of serum enzymes indicated chronic hepatic and bile duct injuries associated with chronic infection withF. hepatica.
Plasmid encoded antibiotic resistance: acquisition and transfer of antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria
Authors: Bennett P M 
Published: January 2008

Bacteria have existed on Earth for three billion years or so and have become adept at protecting themselves against toxic chemicals. Antibiotics have been in clinical use for a little more than 6 decades. That antibiotic resistance is now a major clinical problem all over the world attests to the success and speed of bacterial adaptation.Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in bacteria are varied and include target protection, target substitution, antibiotic detoxification and block of intracellular antibiotic accumulation. Acquisition of genes needed to elaborate the various mechanisms is greatly aided by a variety of promiscuous gene transfer systems, such as bacterial conjugative plasmids, transposable elements and integron systems, that move genes from one DNA system to another and from one bacterial cell to another, not necessarily one related to the gene donor. Bacterial plasmids serve as the scaffold on which are assembled arrays of antibiotic resistance genes, by transposition (transposable elements and ISCR mediated transposition) and site‐specific recombination mechanisms (integron gene cassettes).The evidence suggests that antibiotic resistance genes in human bacterial pathogens originate from a multitude of bacterial sources, indicating that the genomes of all bacteria can be considered as a single global gene pool into which most, if not all, bacteria can dip for genes necessary for survival. In terms of antibiotic resistance, plasmids serve a central role, as the vehicles for resistance gene capture and their subsequent dissemination. These various aspects of bacterial resistance to antibiotics will be explored in this presentation.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, S347–S357; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707607; published online 14 January 2008
Knockout of β1‐ and β2‐adrenoceptors attenuates pressure overload‐induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis
Authors: Kiriazis H , Wang K , Xu Q , Gao X‐M , Ming Z , Su Y , Moore X‐L , Lambert G , Gibbs M E , Dart A M , Du X‐J 
Published: January 2008

Background and purpose:The role of β‐adrenoceptors in heart disease remains controversial. Although β‐blockers ameliorate the progression of heart disease, the mechanism remains undefined. We investigated the effect of β‐adrenoceptors on cardiac hypertrophic growth using β1‐ and β2‐adrenoreceptor knockout and wild‐type (WT) mice.Experimental approach:Mice were subjected to aortic banding or sham surgery, and their cardiac function was determined by echocardiography and micromanometry.Key results:At 4 and 12 weeks after aortic banding, the left ventricle:body mass ratio was increased by 80–87% in wild‐type mice, but only by 15% in knockouts, relative to sham‐operated groups. Despite the blunted hypertrophic growth, ventricular function in knockouts was maintained. WT mice responded to pressure overload with up‐regulation of gene expression of inflammatory cytokines and fibrogenic growth factors, and with severe cardiac fibrosis. All these effects were absent in the knockout animals.Conclusion and implications:Our findings of a markedly attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis following pressure overload in this knockout model emphasize that β‐adrenoceptor signalling plays a central role in cardiac hypertrophy and maladaptation following pressure overload. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 684–692; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707622; published online 14 January 2008
Cytotoxic activity of polyacetylenes and polyenes isolated from roots of Echinacea pallida
Authors: Chicca A , Pellati F , Adinolfi B , Matthias A , Massarelli I , Benvenuti S , Martinotti E , Bianucci A M , Bone K , Lehmann R , Nieri P 
Published: January 2008

Background and purpose:The n‐hexane extracts of the roots of three medicinally used Echinacea species exhibited cytotoxic activity on human cancer cell lines, with Echinacea pallida found to be the most cytotoxic. Acetylenes are present in E. pallida lipophilic extracts but essentially absent in extracts from the other two species. In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of five compounds, two polyacetylenes (namely, 8‐hydroxy‐pentadeca‐(9E)‐ene‐11,13‐diyn‐2‐one (1) and pentadeca‐(9E)‐ene‐11,13‐diyne‐2,8‐dione (3)) and three polyenes (namely, 8‐hydroxy‐pentadeca‐(9E,13Z)‐dien‐11‐yn‐2‐one (2), pentadeca‐(9E,13Z)‐dien‐11‐yne‐2,8‐dione (4) and pentadeca‐(8Z,13Z)‐dien‐11‐yn‐2‐one (5)), isolated from the n‐hexane extract of E. pallida roots by bioassay‐guided fractionation, were investigated and the potential bioavailability of these compounds in the extract was studied.Experimental approach:Cytotoxic effects were assessed on human pancreatic MIA PaCa‐2 and colonic COLO320 cancer cell lines. Cell viability was evaluated by the WST‐1 assay and apoptotic cell death by the cytosolic internucleosomal DNA enrichment and the caspase 3/7 activity tests. Caco‐2 cell monolayers were used to assess the potential bioavailability of the acetylenes.Key results:The five compounds exhibited concentration‐dependent cytotoxicity in both cell types, with a greater potency in the colonic cancer cells. Apoptotic cell death was found to be involved in the cytotoxic effect of the most active, compound 5. Compounds 2and 5were found to cross the Caco‐2 monolayer with apparent permeabilities above 10 × 10−6 cm s−1.Conclusions and implications:Compounds isolated from n‐hexane extracts of E. pallida roots have a direct cytotoxicity on cancer cells and good potential for absorption in humans when taken orally.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 879–885; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707639; published online 14 January 2008
Cardiovascular reactivity after blockade of angiotensin AT1receptors in the experimental model of tilting test in conscious rats
Authors: Bedette D , Santos R A S , Fontes M A P 
Published: January 2008

Background and purpose:Studies have shown that the angiotensin II AT1receptor antagonist, losartan, accentuates the hypotensive response in the orthostatic stress test (tilt) performed in anaesthetized rats. The same effect was not reported with other AT1antagonists. The aim of this study was to re‐evaluate the effects of AT1receptor blockade on the cardiovascular response to tilt in a model developed for conscious rats.Experimental approach:Rats (n=5–7 per group) were instrumented for infusion of drugs and recording of cardiovascular parameters and, after recovery, placed in a plastic tube positioned over the tilt board. The tilt test was conducted by raising the head side of the tilt board from horizontal position to 75° head up position for 15 min.Key results:Compared with control group (NaCl 0.9%, 1 ml kg−1), oral treatment with 1 mg kg−1per day of losartan or telmisartan did not alter the blood pressure response during tilt. With the 10 mg kg−1dose, both antagonists altered the blood pressure response during tilt (mean maximum changes −11±3 mm Hg;P<0.01). A post‐tilt hypotension was observed with both doses in losartan and telmisartan groups (−13±1 and −9±2 mm Hg, respectively;P<0.01).Conclusions and implications:The present results indicate that the effect of losartan on the cardiovascular reactivity to tilt shares a similar profile to that of other AT1antagonists. Evidence discussed addresses the importance of using a conscious model for testing the influence of antihypertensive drugs on the cardiovascular reactivity to orthostatic challenges.British Journal of Pharmacology(2008)153, 966–971; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707652; published online 14 January 2008
Neuroimaging and molecular genetics of schizophrenia: pathophysiological advances and therapeutic potential
Authors: Lawrie S M , Hall J , McIntosh A M , Cunningham‐Owens D G , Johnstone E C 
Published: January 2008

There is impressive evidence for the involvement of several genetic risk factors in the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. Most of these genes impact on neuropharmacological systems. Examining their relationship with brain imaging indices is arguably the best currently available method of examining these effectsin vivo. In a sample of young, initially healthy people at high genetic risk of schizophrenia brain structure was measured with structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and brain function was indexed with neuropsychological tests and functional MRI. Regular detailed clinical assessments established whether subjects had developed psychotic symptoms and/or schizophrenia itself. The Catechol‐O‐Methyl Transferase (COMT) Val allele increased the risk of schizophrenia in this cohort in a dose‐dependent manner. Subjects with this allele had reduced grey matter density in anterior cingulate cortex and increased fMRI activation in lateral prefrontal cortex and anterior and posterior cingulate. The risk allele in the Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) promoter region, on the other hand, was associated with the development of psychotic symptoms, decreased premorbid IQ and decreased activation of pre‐frontal and temporal lobe regions. The NRG1 gene appears to be a risk factor for an extended or intermediate phenotype, while the COMT Val allele, which decreases the rate at which cortical dopamine is degraded compared to the Met allele, is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia in subjects at increased familial risk. We provide examples of how these advances in our knowledge could lead to the development of new treatments for psychosis.British Journal of Pharmacology(2008)153, S120–S124; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707655; published online 14 January 2008
Kinetics of G‐protein‐coupled receptor signals in intact cells
Authors: Lohse M J , Hein P , Hoffmann C , Nikolaev V O , Vilardaga J‐P , Bünemann M 
Published: January 2008

G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest group of cell surface receptors. They are stimulated by a variety of stimuli and signal to different classes of effectors, including several types of ion channels and second messenger‐generating enzymes. Recent technical advances, most importantly in the optical recording with energy transfer techniques––fluorescence and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer, FRET and BRET––, have permitted a detailed kinetic analysis of the individual steps of the signalling chain, ranging from ligand binding to the production of second messengers in intact cells. The transfer of information, which is initiated by ligand binding, triggers a signalling cascade that displays various rate‐controlling steps at different levels. This review summarizes recent findings illustrating the speed and the complexity of this signalling system.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, S125–S132; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707656; published online 14 January 2008
G‐protein‐coupled receptor phosphorylation: where, when and by whom
Authors: Tobin A B 
Published: January 2008

Almost all G‐protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are regulated by phosphorylation and this process is a key event in determining the signalling properties of this receptor super‐family. Receptors are multiply phosphorylated at sites that can occur throughout the intracellular regions of the receptor. This diversity of phospho‐acceptor sites together with a lack of consensus phosphorylation sequences has led to the suggestion that the precise site of phosphorylation is not important in the phosphorylation‐dependent regulation of GPCR function but rather it is the increase in bulk negative charge of the intracellular face of the receptor which is the significant factor. This review investigates the possibility that the multi‐site nature of GPCR phosphorylation reflects the importance of specific phosphorylation events which mediate distinct signalling outcomes. In this way receptor phosphorylation may provide for a flexible regulatory mechanism that can be tailored in a tissue specific manner to regulate physiological processes. By understanding the flexible nature of GPCR phosphorylation if may be possible to develop agonists or allosteric modulators that promote a subset of phosphorylation events on the target GPCR and thereby restrict the action of the drug to a particular receptor mediated signalling response.British Journal of Pharmacology(2008)153, S167–S176; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707662; published online 14 January 2008
Reaction of some winter oat cultivars to oat mosaic and oat tubular viruses
Authors: CATHERALL P. L. , BOULTON R. E. 
Published: January 2008

SUMMARYIn four out of five seasons in Wales, during 1970‐76, the winter oat cvs Maris Osprey and Peniarth were very susceptible to oat mosaic virus, cv. Padarn was moderately susceptible and cvs Pendrwm and Century were resistant. However, plants of resistant cultivars were sometimes severely damaged and some symptomless plants contained virus particles. It is suggested that a minimum threshold of virus in the plant is necessary to induce symptoms and that this threshold is lower in susceptible than in resistant cultivars. Cvs Pendrwm and Century were also the most resistant to oat tubular virus. Sap from cv. Padarn induced most local lesions in the assay host Nicotiana clevelandii, indicating that oat tubular virus reached its highest concentration in this cultivar.
Reaction of selected spring barley cultivars to inoculation with loose smut, Ustilago nuda
Authors: HEWETT P. D. 
Published: January 2008

SUMMARYTwo types of physiological resistance to loose smut (Ustilago nuda (Jens.) Rostr.) occur in commercial cultivars of spring barley. Five cultivars, Francette, Mirena, Ramona, Tintern and Uta. rarely produced smutted ears although a severe incidence of embryo infection was obtained on inoculation. Cv. Excelle similarly produced few smutted ears but, by contrast, only a few embryos were infected in each of three years.
Relationships between small numbers of Pratylenchus penetrans and field damage in a celery crop
Authors: GREEN C. D. 
Published: January 2008

SUMMARYThin, poor quality crowns were correlated with small populations of Pratylenchus penetrans (Cobb) Chitwood & Oteifa in the roots of celery plants grown in a field in Cheshire, England, in 1975. P. penetrans invaded the petioles and reproduced there but caused no obvious damage. The presence of waterlogged, translucent petioles in some plants was not related to the concentration of P. penetrans in the soil, roots or petioles.
The Berkeley Wavelet Transform: A Biologically Inspired Orthogonal Wavelet Transform
Authors: Willmore Ben , Prenger Ryan J. , Wu Michael C.-K. , Gallant Jack L. 
Published: January 2008

We describe the Berkeley wavelet transform (BWT), a two-dimensional triadic wavelet transform. The BWT comprises four pairs of mother wavelets at four orientations. Within each pair, one wavelet has odd symmetry, and the other has even symmetry. By translation and scaling of the whole set (plus a single constant term), the wavelets form a complete, orthonormal basis in two dimensions. The BWT shares many characteristics with the receptive fields of neurons in mammalian primary visual cortex (V1). Like these receptive fields, BWT wavelets are localized in space, tuned in spatial frequency and orientation, and form a set that is approximately scale invariant. The wavelets also have spatial frequency and orientation bandwidths that are comparable with biological values. Although the classical Gabor wavelet model is a more accurate description of the receptive fields of individual V1 neurons, the BWT has some interesting advantages. It is a complete, orthonormal basis and is therefore inexpensive to compute, manipulate, and invert. These properties make the BWT useful in situations where computational power or experimental data are limited, such as estimation of the spatiotemporal receptive fields of neurons.
A Classification Method to Distinguish Cell-Specific Responses Elicited by Current Pulses in Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Cells
Authors: Ambros-Ingerson José , Grover Lawrence M. , Holmes William R. 
Published: January 2008

The suprathreshold electrophysiological responses of pyramidal cells have been grouped into large classes such as bursting and spiking. However, it is not known whether, within a class, response variability ranges uniformly across all cells or whether each cell has a unique and consistent profile that can be differentiated. A major difficulty when comparing suprathreshold responses is that slight variations in spike timing in otherwise very similar traces render traditional metrics ineffective. To address these issues, we developed a novel distance measure based on fiducial points to quantify the similarity among traces with trains of action potentials and applied it together with classification techniques to a set of in vitro patch clamp recordings from CA1 pyramidal cells. We tested if responses to repeated current stimulation of a given cell would cluster together yet remain distinct from those of other cells. We found that depolarizing and hyperpolarizing current pulses elicited responses in each cell that clustered and were systematically distinguishable from responses in other cells. The fiducial-point distance measure was more effective than other methods based on spike times and voltage-gradient phase planes. Depolarizing traces were more reliably differentiated than hyperpolarizing traces, and combining both scores was even more effective. These results suggest that each CA1 pyramidal cell has unique properties that can be detected and quantified with methods discussed here. This uniqueness may be due to slight variations in morphology or membrane channel densities and kinetics, or to large, coordinated variations in these elements. Ascertaining the actual sources and their degree of variability is important when constructing network models of neural function to ensure that key mechanisms are robust in the face of variations within these ranges. The analytical tools presented here can assist in constructing detailed cell models to match experimental records to elucidate the sources of electrophysiological variability in neurons.
Messages of Oscillatory Correlograms: A Spike Train Model
Authors: Schneider Gaby 
Published: January 2008

Oscillatory correlograms are widely used to study neuronal activity that shows a joint periodic rhythm. In most cases, the statistical analysis of cross-correlation histograms (CCH) features is based on the null model of independent processes, and the resulting conclusions about the underlying processes remain qualitative. Therefore, we propose a spike train model for synchronous oscillatory firing activity that directly links characteristics of the CCH to parameters of the underlying processes. The model focuses particularly on asymmetric central peaks, which differ in slope and width on the two sides. Asymmetric peaks can be associated with phase offsets in the (sub-) millisecond range. These spatiotemporal firing patterns can be highly consistent across units yet invisible in the underlying processes. The proposed model includes a single temporal parameter that accounts for this peak asymmetry. The model provides approaches for the analysis of oscillatory correlograms, taking into account dependencies and nonstationarities in the underlying processes. In particular, the auto- and the cross-correlogram can be investigated in a joint analysis because they depend on the same spike train parameters. Particular temporal interactions such as the degree to which different units synchronize in a common oscillatory rhythm can also be investigated. The analysis is demonstrated by application to a simulated data set.