bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
“NOT LIKE ANY FORM OF ACTIVITY”
Authors: Davis Clark 
Published: December 2008

In his meditation on Emerson's self-reliance, George Kateb argues that Emerson's entrance into antislavery politics, particularly his calls for collective mobilization, constitutes a “deviation from his theory of self-reliance, not its transformation.” Though Emerson often imagines a self-reliance that can lead to action, his descriptions of the fundamental attitude of the self towards the world suggest passivity, attention, and waiting. Because he rules out logical or teleological sources for inspiration, his conception of self-reliance is fundamentally at odds with progressivist narratives of history. His sense of “entranced waiting” flirts with an anarchic potentiality that he must reject in order to call for social solidarity and progressive action against slavery.
In “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” Melville takes the radical outsidedness of self-reliance to its conclusion, transforming Emersonian waiting into Bartleby's catatonic stillness. Emerson's waiting for inspiration becomes the copyist's quiet demand that his employer wait with him rather than use charitable actions to free himself from the burden Bartleby imposes. Bartleby obstructs the lawyer's ideas of improvement as well as his conception of himself as a moral agent in a world of moral possibility.
Simone Weil provides a similar version of a quietist waiting with. To an ungenerous “active searching” she opposes a fundamental generosity, a “waiting or attentive and faithful immobility” through which one is able to recognize “that the sufferer exists.” For Weil, as for Melville, there is no passage from such a recognition to a conception of history as progress. The sufferer is not a problem to be solved within a narrative of social improvement but the source of an unlimited and impossible obligation.
Developing a New Approach to Temperature and pH Effects in the Modelling of the Adsorption Isotherms of Benzoic Acid onto Activated Carbon
Authors: Ghorbanian Sohrab Ali , Abolghasemi Hossein , Radpour Saeid Reza , Mousavian Mohammad Ali 
Published: December 2008

Two models for predicting the effects of temperature and pH on isotherm curves are presented in this paper. The development of these models was based on mathematical analysis and statistical tests; they are referred to as the temperature effect term (T.E.T.) and pH effect term (pH E.T.), respectively, below. The adsorption isotherms for benzoic acid (BA) onto granular activated carbon (GAC) have been measured at various temperatures (25–60°C) and pH values (2–8). The results obtained have been analyzed using the adsorption models of Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich–Peterson, Toth, and Radke and Prausnitz. The Radke–Prausnitz (Ra–Pr) isotherm model gave the best fit to the experimental data. The T.E.T. and pH E.T. models predicted the isotherm curves with absolute relative errors of 1.19% and 2.19%, respectively. It was also demonstrated that these models gave successful predictions of isotherm curves at various temperatures and pH values. This was possible using a series of experimental data at specific temperatures and pH values. It was also shown that the models could be applied to the adsorption of any dilute organic acid onto any adsorbent which exhibited isotherm curves of a similar form to those obtained in the BA/GAC system.
The Adsorption of α-Amylase onto Activated Carbon Modified by Nitrocellulose Combustion and its Resulting Hydrolysis Activity towards Starch
Authors: Liu Chan , Guan Rengui , Shen Wenzhong , Li Zhijie 
Published: December 2008

The combustion oxidation of nitrocellulose at 300oC was employed to modify activated carbon by the introduction of oxygen-containing complexes onto its surface. The pore structure, elemental composition and chemical nature of the functional groups attached to the surface of the activated carbon were investigated after such oxidation. The results obtained show that oxygen-containing complexes may be introduced efficiently via the combustion of nitrocellulose, with the adsorption capacity of the resulting activated carbon towards α-amylase being enhanced due to interaction between the amino groups of α-amylase and the oxygen-containing surface groups. Thus, oxidized activated carbons with α-amylase immobilized on their surfaces exhibited a hydrolysis activity greater than 63% (based on free α-amylase) after five runs, while the hydrolysis activity of α-amylase immobilized on the original activated carbon was only 15% after two runs. A simple method for introducing oxygen-containing complexes onto the surface of activated carbon through the use of nitrocellulose combustion is described in the present work. The resulting oxidized activated carbon may be used as a support for the immobilization of α-amylase, with the immobilized α-amylase exhibiting a high hydrolysis activity even after repeated use.
Consumer Returns Policies and Supply Chain Performance
Authors: Su Xuanming 
Published: December 2008

This paper develops a model of consumer returns policies. In our model, consumers face valuation uncertainty and realize their valuations only after purchase. There is also aggregate demand uncertainty, captured using the conventional newsvendor model. In this environment, consumers decide whether to purchase and then whether to return the product, whereas the seller sets the price, quantity, and refund amount. Using our model, we study the impact of full returns policies (e.g., using 100% money-back guarantees) and partial returns policies (e.g., when restocking fees are charged) on supply chain performance. Next, we demonstrate that consumer returns policies may distort incentives under common supply contracts (such as manufacturer buy-backs), and we propose strategies to coordinate the supply chain in the presence of consumer returns. Finally, we explore several extensions and demonstrate the robustness of our findings.
Different Truths in Different Worlds
Authors: Miller Kent D. , Lin Shu-Jou 
Published: December 2008

Models of organizational learning typically assume that organizations rely upon performance feedback and that an exogenous (uncontrollable) environment presents the problems that organizations seek to solve. By contrast, we consider how different epistemologies within organizations, or combinations of epistemologies, and the degree to which the environment is amenable to organizational control jointly affect learning over time. This study presents three different epistemologies expressed in interpersonal learning: pragmatism (learning beliefs from better performers), coherentism (learning beliefs that fit together), and conformism (adopting beliefs that are popular). We also examine the learning implications of a dominant coalition that can promulgate its preferred beliefs throughout an organization. Outcomes from our agent-based model point toward key epistemological and environmental contingencies affecting the dynamics of organizational learning. Organizations filled with pragmatists learn effectively if the environment is fixed or controllable. Coherentists and conformists advance in knowledge only to the extent that they can control the environment. Adding pragmatists to organizations with coherentists or conformists produces a nonlinear (S-shaped) effect on knowledge achieved as different proportions of pragmatists alter social networks. Models involving learning from a dominant coalition affirm March's trade-off between learning speed and eventual knowledge achieved only for organizations filled with pragmatists and operating in an uncontrollable environment.
Does Crime Affect Economic Decisions? An Empirical Investigation of Savings in a High-Crime Environment
Authors: De Mello Joao M , Zilberman Eduardo 
Published: December 2008

Abstract
While most economic studies of crime have examined the determinants of criminal activity, this paper asks the reverse question: how does crime affect economic behavior? We study the relationship between crime and savings in the cities of São Paulo, a wealthy but crime-ridden state in Brazil. Our empirical results suggest that property crime is associated with an increase in savings. However, we do not observe a relationship between violent crime and savings, findings that are consistent with the theoretical explanation as to why crime induces thriftiness. These results are robust to an extensive sensitivity analysis that includes: 1) the inclusion of a large set of demographic covariates when examining cross-city variation; 2) accounting for city and period fixed effects when studying cross-city variation over time; 3) accounting for sample selection; and 4) splitting the sample by population size and income. We provide evidence that the association is not driven by reallocation towards bank deposits in general, which are safer assets in high-crime environments. Finally, we find a similar impact using household consumption and savings data.
Illuminating Dark Plasmons of Silver Nanoantenna Rings to Enhance Exciton–Plasmon Interactions
Authors: Gong Hong‐Mei , Zhou Li , Su Xiong‐Rui , Xiao Si , Liu Shao‐Ding , Wang Qu‐Quan 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe chemical growth of silver nanorings that possess singly twinned crystals and a circular cross section via a reductive reaction solution is reported. The wire and ring diameters of the synthesized nanorings are in the ranges 80–200 nm and 4.5–18.0 μm, respectively. By lighting up the multipolar dark plasmons with slanted illumination, the silver nanoring exhibits unique focused scattering and large local‐field enhancement. We also demonstrate strong exciton–plasmon interactions between a monolayer of CdSe/ZnS semiconductor quantum dots and a single silver antenna‐like nanoring (nanoantenna) at the “hot spots” located at the cross points of the incident plane and nanoring; the position of these spots are tunable by adjusting the incidence angle of illumination. The tunable plasmonic behavior of the silver nanorings could find applications as optical nanoantennae or plasmonic nanocavities.
Lack of correlation between degree of human plasma low density lipoprotein oxidation and its atherogenic potential
Authors: Tertov Vladimir V. , Kaplun Victor V. , Orekhov Alexander N. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractWe have recently found that adducts of lipids, particularly cholesterol, with apolipoprotein B (apoB) are stable markers of human plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation [V.V. Tertov, V.V. Kaplun, S.N. Dvoryantsev and A.N. Orekhov, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 214 (1995), 608–613]. In this study we attempt to assess the relationship between the degree of plasma LDL oxidation, evaluated by the content of apoB‐bound cholesterol and the ability of LDL to induce cholesterol accumulation in cultured human aortic intima smooth muscle cells, i.e., LDL atherogenic potential. LDL samples of 32 out of 39 healthy subjects did not increase cholesterol content in cells cultured from grossly normal intima of human aorta. Most of LDL preparations isolated from coronary atherosclerosis patients with (34 out of 43) or without (35 out of 45) hypercholesterolemia stimulated intracellular cholesterol acumulation by 32–302%. The ability of human LDL to induce cholesterol accumulation in aortic smooth muscle cells did not correlate with the degree of in vivo LDL oxidation (r=0.10, n=127). These results suggest that atherogenicity of LDL circulating in human plasma does not depend on the degree of lipid peroxidation in LDL particles.
The effect of chronic treatment with NO donors during intimal thickening and fatty streak formation
Authors: De Meyer Guido R. Y. , Bult Hidde , Kockx Mark M. , Herman Arnold G. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractIntimal thickening in arteries is considered as a site of predilection for atherosclerosis. We investigated whether oral application of the nitric oxide (NO) donors SPM‐5185 (N‐nitratopivaloyl‐S‐(N'‐acetylalanyl)‐cysteine ethylester, 10 mg/kg body weight/b.i.d.) and molsidomine (pro‐drug of 3‐morpholino‐sydnonimine (SIN‐1), 10 mg/kg body weight/day) can retard intimal thickening and changes in vascular reactivity induced by a silicone collar positioned around the carotid artery of rabbits. Intimal thickening was significantly inhibited by SPM‐5185 (cross‐sectional area 18 ± 6 vs. 44 ± 10× 10‐3 mm2; P< 0.05), but not by molsidomine (28 ± 6 vs. 35 ± 9× 10‐3 mm2), which is a donor of both NO and superoxide anions. In organ chamber studies collaring was associated with a decreased sensitivity to acetylcholine (ACh). SPM‐5185 evoked a tendency towards normalization of the pD2 of ACh in collared arteries.We also investigated whether chronic nitric oxide (NO) treatment affected vascular reactivity and fatty streak development in the rabbit aorta. During 16 weeks rabbits recived 150 g/day of a standard diet, or diets with 0.3% cholesterol, with 0.02% molsidomine (10 mg/kg body weight/day) or with the combination. The NO donor enhanced the area of fatty streaks, without affecting hypercholesterolemia. Moreover, it desensitized the smooth muscle cells of the rabbit aorta to vasodilators acting via the cytoplasmic guanylate cyclase and suppressed the capacity of the endothelial cells to release NO in response to muscarinic receptor stimulation. This suggested that chronic exposure to large quantities of NO caused a negative feedback, with selective decreases of both the endothelial capacity to generate NO and the responsiveness to vasodilators operating via cyclic GMP.In conclusion, we demonstrated that exogenous NO can decrease intimal hyperplasia in vivo. However, prolonged in vivo treatment with a donor of NO enhanced atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.
The effects of insulin, transferrin and androgens on rat prostate explants in serum‐free organ culture
Authors: Nguyen‐Le X. K. , Briére N. , Corcos J. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractA model previously developed in our laboratory to culture rat prostate explants in serum‐free chemically‐defined medium was used to evaluate the direct influence of potential regulators. The aim of the present work was to verify the effects of insulin (I) and transferrin (Tr), two hormones considered as essential in other serum‐free culture systems, and three androgenic hormones, since the prostate is known to be androgen‐dependent. Explants of rat prostate were cultured for five days in serum‐free Leibovitz's L‐15 medium (37°C, 95% air – 5% CO2). The addition of Tr (50 μg/ml) had no effect, but I (5 μg/ml) significantly increased DNA synthesis. This influence was amplified by combination of the two hormones. However, protein synthesis was only slightly stimulated. Testosterone (T) or androstanediol significantly increased DNA synthesis when compared to corresponding control values at five days. In combination with I plus Tr, each hormone showed potentiated effects, particularly T with a twofold increase over day 0 values. When dihydrotestosterone was added singly, the incorporation of 3H‐thymidine was stimulated by 300% over control values at five days, and by 100% over values in uncultured explants. This influence was maximal since it was not improved by I plus Tr. Protein synthesis was increased significantly by the triple combination. In addition, each androgen as well as the combination of I plus Tr had a positive influence on explant morphology. The above conditions optimize the present culture system and establish its usefulness as a valuable tool to study the direct influence of different effectors in prostate metabolism and to eventually identify putative cancer markers.
Energy transduction function of the quinone reactions in cytochrome bc complexes
Authors: Cramer William A. , Soriano Glenda M. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractCytochrome bc1, a multi‐subunit integral membrane protein complex found in mammalian mitochondria, plays a central role in the transfer of electrons and protons generated by the oxidation of ubiquinol. According to the classical chemiosmotic theory, quinones shuttle protons across the hydrophobic membrane bilayer with the net result of H+ transfer to the aqueous side and generation of an electrochemical proton gradient. Recently, high‐resolution structures of the mitochondrial bc1 complex showed quinone binding sites at one of the transmembrane helices of cytochrome b, and two potentially protonatable histidine residues on the Rieske iron‐sulfur protein. The modern biochemical refinements of the original chemiosmotic theory require electron and proton transfer from quinones to particular residues/redox centers of integral membrane proteins and subsequent transfer of H+ to the bulk aqueous phase outside the membrane.
Plasma ubiquinol‐10 as a marker for disease: Is the assay worthwhile?
Authors: Kontush Anatol , Schippling Sven , Spranger Torsten , Beisiegel Ulrike 
Published: December 2008

AbstractUbiquinol‐10 and ubiquinone‐10 were measured in plasma of patients with several pathologies known to be associated with increased oxidative stress. Plasma ubiquinol‐10, expressed as a percentage of total ubiquinol‐10 + ubiquinone‐10, was found to be significantly lower in hyperlipidaemic patients and in patients with liver diseases than in age‐matched control subjects. In contrast, no decrease in ubiquinol‐10 was detected in plasma of patients with coronary heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. Except for ubiquinol‐10, no other lipophilic antioxidant was found to be decreased in patients with liver diseases. These data suggest that the level of ubiquinol‐10 in human plasma may serve as a marker for liver dysfunction, reflecting its diminished reduction by the liver rather than increased consumption by oxidants.
Sesamin and α‐tocopherol synergistically suppress lipid‐peroxide in rats fed a high docosahexaenoic acid diet
Authors: Yamashita K. , Kagaya M. , Higuti N. , Kiso Y. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractDocosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential nutrient for human health, but has extremely high oxidative susceptibility. We examined the suppressing effect of sesamin, a sesame seed lignan, on lipidperoxides in rats fed a low α‐tocopherol and high DHA containing diet. Groups of rats were fed four experimental diets: low α‐tocopherol (10 mg/kg diet) control diet, low α‐tocopherol + 0.2% sesamin diet, low α‐tocopherol + 0.5% DHA diet and low α‐tocopherol + 0.5% DHA + 0.2% sesamin diet. TBARS concentrations in plasma and liver were significantly increased by DHA, but were completely suppressed by sesamin. α‐Tocopherol concentrations in plasma and liver decreased by addition of DHA, but with sesamin recovered to the control level. The addition of DHA into the diets caused remarkable increases of DHA concentrations in plasma and liver lipids. Sesamin caused a significant increase of DHA concentrations in the triacylglycerol of plasma.
Cloning and expression of rat glucocorticoid‐receptor DNA‐binding domain
Authors: Okamoto Kazuki , Shibata Kiyotaka , Isohashi Fumihide 
Published: December 2008

AbstractThe inability to obtain sufficient quantities of purified glucocorticoid receptor (GR) causes difficulties in studying in vitro the interactions of GR with other proteins which contribute to the transcriptional activation of chromatin. Thus, we overexpressed the DNA‐binding domains (DBD) of GR in E. coli using glutathione S‐transferase (GST)‐fusion protein expression vector. The DBD‐GST protein (about 57 kDa), recovered in the soluble fraction, was purified by glutathione‐agarose column. However, during the chromatography, more than 90% of the DBD‐GST protein was cleaved into three species with molecular sizes of about 40, 35 and 30 kDa. The 40 kDa and 35 kDa proteins were immunostained with the anti‐GR antibody, and the 30 kDa protein was stained with anti‐GST antibody. Among these proteins, only the 57 kDa DBD‐GST protein bound to the GRE‐agarose. These data indicate that the properly folded 57 kDa protein has a DNA binding function and is resistant to intrinsic cleavage of the protein.
Gender influences the effect of perinatal copper deficiency on cerebellar PKC gamma content
Authors: Thomas Johnson W. , Prohaska Joseph R. 
Published: December 2008

AbstractChange in cerebellar protein kinase C gamma (PKCγ) content caused by perinatal copper (Cu) deficiency was determined in 22‐day old rats. The offspring of dams with low Cu intake during gestation and lactation exhibited signs characteristic of Cu deficiency including anemia, greater than 90% reduction in liver Cu concentration, and undetectable serum ceruloplasmin. In addition, brain Cu concentrations were reduced 80%. No differences in the signs of Cu deficiency were observed between female and male offspring. However, cerebellar PKCγ content was reduced 54% (P<0.05, Tukey's test) in female offspring but only 18% (P>0.05) in male offspring. Following 6 weeks of Cu supplementation, brain Cu concentrations remained depressed in female and male rats that experienced perinatal Cu deficiency, but cerebellar PKCγ content was completely restored to control levels. Postnatal expression of PKCγ in the cerebellum coincides with and regulates cerebellar maturation. The results of the present study indicate perinatal Cu deficiency may impair cerebellar maturation to a greater extent in females than in males. However, it is not clear whether supression of PKCγ by perinatal Cu deficiency produces permanent neuropathology in the cerebellum because the effects were reversed by Cu supplementation.
Chemoprotection against cancer by induction of Phase 2 enzymes
Authors: Talalay Paul 
Published: December 2008

AbstractInduction of Phase 2 enzymes is an effective and sufficient strategy for achieving protection against the toxic and neoplastic effects of many carcinogens. It is proposed that the concept of Phase 2 enzymes as being responsible only for the conjugation of functionalized xenobiotics with endogenous cellular ligands such as glutathione (glutathione S‐transferases) and glucuronic acid (UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases) be expanded to include proteins with the following common characteristics: (a) coordinate induction by a broad range of chemical agents that all have the capacity to react with sulfhydryl groups; (b) possible regulation by common promoter elements; and (c) catalysis of reactions that lead to comprehensive protection against electrophile and reactive oxygen toxicities, by a wide variety of mechanisms. These mechanisms include: conjugation with endogenous ligands, chemical modification of reactive features of molecules that can damage DNA and other macromolecules, and generation or augementation of cellular antioxidants. In addition to the above conjugating enzymes, a provisional and partial list of Phase 2 proteins might include: NAD(P)H:quinone reductase, epoxide hydrolase, dihydrodiol dehydrogenase, γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase, heme oxygenase‐1, leukotriene B_4 dehydrogenase, aflatoxin B_1 dehydrogenase, and ferritin.
Prevention of the formation of mutagenic and/or carcinogenic heterocyclic amines by food factors
Authors: Kikugawa Kiyomi , Hiramoto Kazuyuki , Kato Tetsuta 
Published: December 2008

AbstractIntroduction of phenolic antioxidants, thiol compounds and reductones into the heated model system composed of glucose/glycine/creatinine was effective to scavenge the intermediary pyrazine cation radical and to reduce the mutagenicity due to imidazoquinoxaline heterocyclic amines. Addition of a reductone, ascorbate or erythorbate, at 0.3% to ground beef effectively reduced the mutagenicity of cooked hamburger. Mutagenicity of cooked hamburger was also decreased by addition of glucose at more than 0.7% to ground beef.