bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computer‐aided calibration for visual estimation of vegetation cover
Authors: Gallegos Torell Åsa , Glimskär Anders
Published: September 2009

Question: What precision and accuracy of visual cover estimations can be achieved after repeated calibration with images of vegetation in which the true cover is known, and what factors influence the results?

Methods: Digital images were created, in which the true cover of vegetation was digitally calculated. Fifteen observers made repeated estimates with immediate feedback on the true cover. The effects on precision and accuracy through time were evaluated with repeated proficiency tests. In a field trial, cover estimates, before and after calibration, were compared with point frequency data.

Results: Even a short time of calibration greatly improves precision and accuracy of the estimates, and can also reduce the influence of different backgrounds, aggregation patterns and experience. Experienced observers had a stronger tendency to underestimate the cover of narrow‐leaved grasses before calibration. The field trial showed positive effects of computer‐based calibration on precision, in that it led to considerably less between‐observer variation for one of the two species groups.

Conclusions: Computer‐aided calibration of vegetation cover estimation is simple, self‐explanatory and time‐efficient, and might possibly reduce biases and drifts in estimate levels over time. Such calibration can also reduce between‐observer variation in field estimates, at least for some species. However, the effects of calibration on estimations in the field must be further evaluated, especially for multilayered vegetation.
Abundance of climbing plants in a southern temperate rain forest: host tree characteristics or light availability?
Authors: Carrasco‐Urra Fernando , Gianoli Ernesto
Published: September 2009

Question: In a southern temperate rain forest, we addressed three questions: (1) Does the abundance of climbing plants increase with light availability? (2) Do host tree species differ in their susceptibility to vine infestation? (3) How does the relationship between host tree trunk diameter and relative abundance of vines vary with their climbing mechanism?

Location: Two sites in the temperate evergreen rain forest of southern Chile: Puyehue (40°39′S, 72°09′W; 350 m a.s.l.) and Pastahue (42°22′S, 73°49′W; 285 m a.s.l.).

Methods: We sampled vines in 60 25‐m2 plots, with 20 plots in each of three light environments: mature forest, forest edges and canopy gaps. In each plot, for every tree ≥1.50‐m tall of any diameter we counted and identified all climbing plant individuals at a height of 1.30 m. We also counted, measured (trunk diameter at 1.30 m) and identified all these trees, and determined prevalence of vine infestation for each tree species.

Results: Light availability in forest plots did not affect vine abundance when the number and size of host trees was taken into account. Overall, vine abundance increased with host tree trunk diameter. Tree species did not differ in the prevalence of vine infestation. The relative abundance of stem twiners and adhesive climbers decreased and increased with trunk diameter, respectively. The densities of stem twiners and adhesive climbers were negatively correlated across the forest.

Conclusion: We provide further evidence that the pattern of vine abundance is independent of light availability in southern temperate rain forests, in contrast to results commonly reported for tropical rain forests. We also show that support suitability across the forest varies with the mechanism by which vines climb, probably due in part to biomechanical constraints and in part to vine interspecific competition, a virtually unexplored ecological factor.
Estimation of breeding values from large‐sized routine carcass data in Japanese Black cattle using Bayesian analysis
Authors: ARAKAWA Aisaku , IWAISAKI Hiroaki , ANADA Katsuhito
Published: September 2009

Volumes of official data sets have been increasing rapidly in the genetic evaluation using the Japanese Black routine carcass field data. Therefore, an alternative approach with smaller memory requirement to the current one using the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and the empirical best linear unbiased prediction (EBLUP) is desired. This study applied a Bayesian analysis using Gibbs sampling (GS) to a large data set of the routine carcass field data and practically verified its validity in the estimation of breeding values. A Bayesian analysis like REML‐EBLUP was implemented, and the posterior means were calculated using every 10th sample from 90 000 of samples after 10 000 samples discarded. Moment and rank correlations between breeding values estimated by GS and REML‐EBLUP were very close to one, and the linear regression coefficients and the intercepts of the GS on the REML‐EBLUP estimates were substantially one and zero, respectively, showing a very good agreement between breeding value estimation by the current GS and the REML‐EBLUP. The current GS required only one‐sixth of the memory space with REML‐EBLUP. It is confirmed that the current GS approach with relatively small memory requirement is valid as a genetic evaluation procedure using large routine carcass data.
Concentrations of ketone body and antidiuretic hormone in cerebrospinal fluid in response to the intra‐ruminal administration of butyrate in suckling calves
Authors: IRIKI Tsunenori , TAMURA Kazuyoshi , ISHII Mana , TANAKA Hiroyuki , MIYAMOTO Tsuyoshi , ONDA Ken
Published: September 2009

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanism by which ketone bodies increase antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion. Four male Holstein calves (5 weeks of age) were utilized. Four levels of butyrate (0 g, 11 g, 22 g and 44 g) were administrated intra‐ruminally in a 4 × 4 Latin square design and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, six‐position lumbar puncture), blood plasma and urine were collected. The concentration of total plasma and CSF protein was 5.5–5.6 g/dL and 27.5–28.3 mg/dL, respectively. CSF concentrations of a specific ketone body, 3‐hydroxybutyric acid, were significantly higher in the 22 g and 44 g butyrate groups than in the control group. CSF concentrations of ADH in the 11 g and 44 g butyrate groups were significantly higher than in the control group. Plasma concentration of 3‐hydroxybutyric acid was increased by intraruminal administration of butyrate within 15 min in a dose‐dependent manner, and it was higher in the 22 g and 44 g butyrate group than in the control group from 15 min to 4 h. With the exception of the 11 g butyrate group, plasma concentrations of ADH also increased in response to butyrate treatment, and it was higher in the 44 g butyrate group than in the 22 g butyrate group from 15 min to 1.5 h. The duration of the elevated plasma concentrations of ADH was shorter than that of the plasma concentration of 3‐hydroxybutyric acid. The relationship between the plasma concentrations of ADH and 3‐hydroxybutyric acid was statistically significant but the correlation between the two concentrations was not high. Butyrate treatment elevated the plasma concentration of ADH and also resulted in reduced urine volume and increased urine osmolality. Haematocrit (Ht) values, and the osmolality of CSF and plasma were not different among the groups. Our results suggested that the increased ADH secretion observed in suckling calves fed dry feeds was caused by butyrate‐derived ketone body that crossed the blood‐brain barrier rapidly.
An insertion/deletion variant of a thymine base in exon 2 of the porcine beta 3‐adrenergic receptor gene associated with loin eye muscle area
Authors: HIROSE Kensuke , NAKAMURA Mariko , TAKIZAWA Tatsuya , FUKAWA Kazuo , ITO Tetsuya , UEDA Masayuki , SASAKI Takashi , TANAKA Kazuaki
Published: September 2009

An insertion/deletion variant of a thymine base (T5 and T6) in exon 2 of porcine beta 3‐adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) gene has been described. In the current study, we made an association study between the ADRB3 polymorphisms and production traits in 735 Duroc pigs. The allele frequencies for the T5 and T6 alleles in our study population were 0.433 and 0.567, respectively. Any associations between ADRB3 genotype and average daily weight gain during test period, or backfat thickness and intramuscular fat content were not detected in either sex. However the size of the loin eye muscle area (EMA) was significantly associated with ADRB3 genotypes in gilts. T6‐homozygous gilts had a higher mean of EMA (40.6 ± 0.6 cm2) than T5‐homozygous (38.1 ± 0.4 cm2, P = 0.002) and heterozygous (38.8 ± 0.3 cm2, P = 0.034) gilts. This association was not detected in males. In addition, a multiple traits animal model best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) analysis revealed that the T6‐homozygous genotype had positive effects on breeding value of EMA. Accordingly, we suggest that ADRB3 polymorphism has the potential to be an important genetic marker for prediction of EMA in Duroc pigs.
Oral disease experience of older adults seeking oral health services
Authors: Ahluwalia Kavita P. , Cheng Bin , Josephs Philip K. , Lalla Evanthia , Lamster Ira B.
Published: September 2009

doi:10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2009.00311.x
 
Oral disease experience of older adults seeking oral health services

Objective:  The objective of this investigation was to describe the dental disease (dental caries and alveolar bone loss) experience in a sample of community‐dwelling older adults who regularly utilize dental services in New York City.

Background:  Public financing for dental care directed at older adults in the United States is minimal. Improved preventive methods, primarily the use of fluorides, have resulted in declines in tooth loss, and concomitant increase in risk for dental diseases among older adults. While the oral disease burden in institutionalized elderly and those unable to access services is well‐documented, the dental care needs of older adults who access dental services are not well documented.

Materials and Methods:  Radiographic and record review were used to determine prevalence of dental caries, alveolar bone loss, frequency of service utilization, and medical status in this cross‐sectional investigation of a sample of older adults (N = 200) using dental services at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

Results:  Only 9% of the sample was completely edentulous, the mean DMFT was 19.9 and mean alveolar bone loss was 3.6 mm. Missing and Decayed Teeth accounted for 57.8% and 6.5% of the total caries burden respectively. Missing Teeth and alveolar bone loss increased with increasing age, but there was no increase in Decayed Teeth.

Conclusions:  While access to and utilization of dental services may result in improved tooth retention, older adults who use dental services continue to have dental care needs, especially periodontal care needs.
Disappearance of gender‐related difference in the toxicity of benzotriazole ultraviolet absorber in juvenile rats
Authors: Hirata‐Koizumi Mutsuko , Matsuyama Takashi , Imai Toshio , Hirose Akihiko , Kamata Eiichi , Ema Makoto
Published: September 2009

2‐(2′‐hydroxy‐3′,5′‐di‐tert‐butylphenyl)benzotriazole (HDBB) is an ultraviolet absorber used in plastic resin products, such as building materials and automobile components. In oral repeated dose toxicity studies using 5‐ or 6‐week‐old rats, this chemical induced hepatic histopathological changes, such as hypertrophy accompanied with eosinophilic granular changes and focal necrosis of hepatocytes, and male rats showed nearly 25 times higher susceptibility to the toxic effects than females. Castration at approximately 4 weeks of age markedly reduced the sex‐related variation in HDBB toxicity, but some difference, less than five times, remained between male and female castrated rats. Following oral HDBB administration to male and female juvenile rats from postnatal days 4–21, such gender‐related difference in toxic susceptibility was not detected; therefore, it is speculated that the determinants of susceptibility to HDBB toxicity are differentiated between sexes after weaning. In young rats given HDBB, there was no gender‐related difference in plasma HDBB concentration, and no metabolites were detected in the plasma of either sex. HDBB induced lauric acid 12‐hydroxylase activity in the liver and this change was more pronounced in males than in females. These findings indicate that HDBB could show hepatic peroxisome proliferation activity, and the difference in the susceptibility of male and female rats to this effect might lead to marked gender‐related differences in toxicity.
Varieties of (Scientific) Creativity: A Hierarchical Model of Domain-Specific Disposition, Development, and Achievement
Authors: Simonton Dean Keith
Published: September 2009

Prior research supports the inference that scientific disciplines can be ordered into a hierarchy ranging from the “hard” natural sciences to the “soft” social sciences. This ordering corresponds with such objective criteria as disciplinary consensus, knowledge obsolescence rate, anticipation frequency, theories-to-laws ratio, lecture disfluency, and age at recognition. It is then argued that this hierarchy can be extrapolated to encompass the humanities and arts and interpolated within specific domains to accommodate contrasts in subdomains (e.g., revolutionary versus normal science). This expanded and more finely differentiated hierarchy is then shown to have a partial psychological basis in terms of dispositional traits (e.g., psychopathology) and developmental experiences (e.g., family background). This demonstration then leads to three hypotheses about how a creator's domain-specific impact depends on his or her disposition and development: the domain-progressive, domain-typical, and domain-regressive creator hypotheses. Studies published thus far lend the most support to the domain-regressive creator hypothesis. In particular, major contributors to a domain are more likely to have dispositional traits and developmental experiences most similar to those that prevail in a domain lower in the disciplinary hierarchy. However, some complications to this generalization suggest the need for more research on the proposed hierarchical model.
Sources of Scientific Innovation: A Meta-Analytic Approach (Commentary on Simonton, 2009)
Authors: Sulloway Frank J.
Published: September 2009

Innovations in science can be divided into at least four major types: radical revolutions (such as Copernican and Darwinian theory), technical revolutions (led by scientists such as Newton, Lavoisier, and Einstein), controversial innovations (for example, Semmelweis's theory of puerperal fever), and conservative innovations (eugenics and various vitalistic doctrines). Biographical predictors of support for scientific innovations are distinctly different depending on the type of innovation, as are the predictors of who initially engineers such innovations. A meta-analytic approach assessing each new scientific theory according to its salient features (including epistemological, ideological, and technical attributes) is required to make sense out of the varied predisposing factors associated with the origins of these innovations. These predisposing factors are not neatly classifiable in terms of Simonton's (2009, this issue) hierarchical model of domain-specific dispositions, although this model is applicable under some conditions. Instead, the principal sources of scientific achievement are largely a product of person-by-situation interaction effects that are dictated by the nature of the particular innovation.
The Psychology of Simonton's Science: Commentary on Simonton (2009)
Authors: Feist Gregory J.
Published: September 2009

One key assumption of the psychology of science is that psychological factors make certain interests, talents, and abilities more likely and others less likely (Feist, 2006). The line of argument that Simonton (2009, this issue) puts forth—integrating and uniting the meta-literatures on dispositional and developmental influences on scientific and artistic creativity—is not only consistent with this assumption from the psychology of science, but it is also a breeding ground for a host of testable hypotheses and calls for future empirical investigations. Given Simonton's own extraordinary levels of scientific creativity, indeed it would be interesting to turn his ideas back on him to see how his science is a product of his own developmental and dispositional experiences. We'll leave that, however, for future biographers and psychologists of science.
On Being Rejected: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Research on Rejection
Authors: Gerber Jonathan , Wheeler Ladd
Published: September 2009

This article presents the first meta-analysis of experimental research on rejection, sampling 88 studies. The results are consistent with a needs account, which states that rejection frustrates basic psychological needs, but not with a numbness account, which states that rejection causes physical and emotional numbness. Rejection moderately lowers mood (d = −0.50) and self-esteem (d = −0.70), but does not decrease arousal or flatten affect. Both belonging (d = 0.69) and control (d = 1.16) are frustrated by rejection. Aggressive responses to rejection, considered paradoxical by some, appear to be due to attempts to gain control; measures that contrast belonging and control (d = −1.17) cause antisocial responding, whereas measures that do not allow for control to be restored cause prosocial responding (d = 1.21). These findings suggest that rejection makes individuals feel bad—ready to act to restore control or belonging—and that they will prioritize restoring control even if it requires being antisocial.
Social Rejection, Control, Numbness, and Emotion: How Not to be Fooled by Gerber and Wheeler (2009)
Authors: Baumeister Roy F. , DeWall C. Nathan , Vohs Kathleen D.
Published: September 2009

Emotional numbness remains an empirically supported and theoretically intriguing pattern of response to social exclusion that warrants further research, and it would be a loss to the field if such research were prematurely terminated or hampered by the unwarranted conclusions from misleading meta-analyses. The meta-analyses by Gerber and Wheeler (2009, this issue) are based on a biased sample that omits much relevant work. Worse, the authors misinterpret what evidence they do assemble, even interpreting strong evidence for numbness as if it contradicted numbness. Their conclusions about control are similarly unfounded and misguided.
Shared Reality: Experiencing Commonality with others' Inner States about the World
Authors: Echterhoff Gerald , Higgins E. Tory , Levine John M.
Published: September 2009

Humans have a fundamental need to experience a shared reality with others. We present a new conceptualization of shared reality based on four conditions. We posit (a) that shared reality involves a (subjectively perceived) commonality of individuals' inner states (not just observable behaviors); (b) that shared reality is about some target referent; (c) that for a shared reality to occur, the commonality of inner states must be appropriately motivated; and (d) that shared reality involves the experience of a successful connection to other people's inner states. In reviewing relevant evidence, we emphasize research on the saying-is-believing effect, which illustrates the creation of shared reality in interpersonal communication. We discuss why shared reality provides a better explanation of the findings from saying-is-believing studies than do other formulations. Finally, we examine relations between our conceptualization of shared reality and related constructs (including empathy, perspective taking, theory of mind, common ground, embodied synchrony, and socially distributed knowledge) and indicate how our approach may promote a comprehensive and differentiated understanding of social-sharing phenomena.
Giving Psychological Science Away: The Role of Applications Courses
Authors: Klatzky Roberta L.
Published: September 2009

The applicability of basic research in psychological science is obvious to those in the field, but too often underappreciated outside of it. In this article, I suggest some reasons for that gap, including confusion between the relevance of psychological science and its actual application, which can lead to hype; the interdisciplinary nature of applied science, which can obscure the credit due to the field; and the considerable difficulty of moving basic research into application, including the potential for resistance to the products we deliver. I suggest that our own students constitute a relatively underutilized audience for demonstrating that psychological science has been critical to applications, and I describe an applied cognitive science course that is intended to make the case to them.
Effects of carbon dioxide deficiency and metal toxicity on biological oxygen demand
Authors: Berkun Mehmet
Published: September 2009

In this study, the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) deficiency on the biological growth under respirometric conditions, first‐ and second‐order biological oxygen demand (BOD) progressions using two different BOD measurement techniques and metal toxicity effects on the respirometric BOD are investigated. The effects of CO2 deficiency in the growth of bacteria and related effects on the first‐ and second‐stage BOD progressions are investigated using various media with respirometers in comparison with the BOD dilution method. CO2 deficiency causes significant retardations on the growth of bacteria and the second‐stage respirometric BOD values are suppressed. CO2 seems to be an essential nutrient for the growth of microorganisms and for the oxygen uptake progressing rates. HgCl2, HgSO4, CuSO4, K2Cr2O7, ZnSO4 and Al2(SO4)3 inorganic metal compounds cause significant retardations in the respirometric BOD values obtained from a synthetic autotrophic medium. Effects are found to be dependent on the applied concentrations of these chemicals in the medium.
Single‐beat estimation of the left ventricular end‐systolic pressure–volume relationship in patients with heart failure
Authors: Ten Brinke E. A. , Klautz R. J. , Verwey H. F. , Van Der Wall E. E. , Dion R. A. , Steendijk P.
Published: September 2009

Aim:  The end‐systolic pressure–volume relationship (ESPVR) constructed from multiple pressure–volume (PV) loops acquired during load intervention is an established method to asses left ventricular (LV) contractility. We tested the accuracy of simplified single‐beat (SB) ESPVR estimation in patients with severe heart failure.

Methods:  Nineteen heart failure patients (NYHA III‐IV) scheduled for surgical ventricular restoration and/or restrictive mitral annuloplasty and 12 patients with normal LV function scheduled for coronary artery bypass grafting were included. PV signals were obtained before and after cardiac surgery by pressure‐conductance catheters and gradual pre‐load reductions by vena cava occlusion (VCO). The SB method was applied to the first beat of the VCO run. Accuracy was quantified by the root‐mean‐square‐error (RMSE) between ESPVRSB and gold‐standard ESPVRVCO. In addition, we compared slopes (EES) and intercepts (end‐systolic volume at multiple pressure levels (70–100 mmHg: ESV70–ESV100) of ESPVRSB vs. ESPVRVCO by Bland–Altman analyses.

Results:  RMSE was 1.7 ± 1.0 mmHg and was not significantly different between groups and not dependent on end‐diastolic volume, indicating equal, high accuracy over a wide volume range. SB‐predicted EES had a bias of −0.39 mmHg mL−1 and limits of agreement (LoA) −2.0 to +1.2 mmHg mL−1. SB‐predicted ESVs at each pressure level showed small bias (range: −10.8 to +9.4 mL) and narrow LoA. Two‐way anova indicated that differences between groups were not dependent on the method.

Conclusion:  Our findings, obtained in hearts spanning a wide range of sizes and conditions, support the use of the SB method. This method ultimately facilitates less invasive ESPVR estimation, particularly when coupled with emerging noninvasive techniques to measure LV pressures and volumes.
Social support and networks in health promotion of older people: a case study in Brazil
Authors: Rocha Semiramis Melani Melo , Nogueira Maria Lúcia , Cesario Manuel
Published: September 2009

Aim.  This research aimed at identifying social support for older people and their families.

Background.  The Brazilian National Policy for Older People’s Health, created in 1998, is based on the promotion of healthy ageing, aiming at encouraging older people to remain in their environment and independently exert their functions in society. Nursing has engaged in this process, seeking to provide integrated care to the older person and family.

Method.  A case study with multiple participants was carried out. The inclusion criteria were families of older people over 70 years old who attended a Family Health Unit in the interior of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data were collected between April and June, 2007. In‐depth interviews, genograms and ecomaps were used to collect data, which were categorized by thematic content analysis.

Results.  Three families participated in this study, totalling seven participants.

Conclusions.  The older people’s families depend on institutional networks for their health maintenance. Spirituality and religion are mixed and are very expressive sources of support.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Assessing social support and networks can favour nursing interventions in order to intensify social interactions, promote leisure and help the families of older people to cope with life changes.
Problems with partnership at work: lessons from an Irish case study
Authors: Teague Paul , Hann Deborah
Published: September 2009

This article uses a case study of a celebrated enterprise partnership in Ireland that broke down to get an insight into why such arrangements are hard to sustain. The argument of the article is that meaningful enterprise partnerships require trade unions and management to accept agency costs, which in practice involves management modifying their right to manage and unions accepting that issues normally addressed by the collective bargaining process may have to be delegated to the partnership arrangement. The evidence of the case study is that neither management nor unions were prepared to incur such costs. The case study suggests that the following trinity – meaningful partnership, full‐blown collective bargaining and management's right to manage is exceptionally difficult to operate at the same time.
Combating the English language deficit: the labour market experiences of migrant women in Australia
Authors: Syed Jawad , Murray Peter
Published: September 2009

This article takes a multilevel perspective on the labour market issues and challenges that migrant women from non‐English speaking backgrounds (NESB) encounter in Australia. The article is based on two main arguments: (1) a much more complex picture emerges when we look at the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and migration, and its implications for the labour market experiences of NESB women and (2) single level conceptualisations of diversity management within the domain of organisational or legal policies are inadequate to address the multilevel challenges faced by NESB women. The article presents a qualitative study in which we theorise our findings through a multilevel construct, examining the macro‐national, meso‐organisational, and micro‐individual challenges that NESB women, originating from Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, face in the Australian labour market.
Becoming an HR strategic partner: tales of transition
Authors: Pritchard Katrina
Published: September 2009

This article aims to bridge the gap between previous examinations of HR strategic partnership from a role perspective and an emerging interest in the social construction of identity. I consider ‘strategic partner’ as a local, flexible social construction framed by the broader occupational context. Based on a year‐long ethnographic study, I examine the experiences of HR practitioners ‘becoming’ strategic partners, considering the themes of becoming strategic, becoming a partner and remaining a generalist. Practitioners depict becoming strategic as a ‘release’ from previous constraints, with becoming a partner positioned as filling a gap created by clients' deficiencies in people management. Meanwhile, tensions develop as strategic partners attempt to retain a say in transactional issues. I reflect on the resulting practical issues while also considering the role of HR practitioners in, in the words of Helen Francis, ‘the dynamic and socially complex nature of HRM’.
Recently Discovered Lords' Lists and their Uses, 1833–42*
Authors: DAVIS RICHARD W.
Published: September 2009

This note deals with previously unpublished lists which identify the party affiliations, whig, Liberal, and Conservative, of members of the house of lords from 1833 to 1842. They were prepared by the chief whips (or in one case the party leader) of their respective parties, and can thus be considered authoritative. Such information is invaluable in properly understanding the political history of the house of lords, and therefore of the nation.
Further Proxy Records for the House of Lords, 1660–1720*
Authors: JONES CLYVE
Published: September 2009

Proxy voting was a privilege of the members of the house of lords, which was used in their absence. Proxies were normally registered by a clerk of the House in the proxy books which recorded the proxy held and by whom, the date of the proxy or its registration, and, where necessary, the date and reason for its revoking. An examination of the manuscript minutes of the proceedings of the House for 1660–1720, kept by the same clerks who kept the proxy books, has revealed another source for proxies: marginal annotations designed as aide‐memoires to help the clerks to transfer the record of the proxies into the proxy book. A further source for proxies, hitherto ignored, can, for the period 1660–1704, be found in the record in the journal of the Lords of the calls of the House, designed to encourage members to attend or, at least, register their proxies. Both these sources reveal hitherto unknown proxies, though the new sources do not give as much information on the proxies as can be found in the proxy books.
Growth‐Inhibiting Activities of Phenethyl Isothiocyanate and Its Derivatives against Intestinal Bacteria
Authors: Kim M.G. , Lee H.S.
Published: September 2009

ABSTRACT: The growth‐inhibiting activities of Sinapis alba L. seed‐derived materials were examined on the growth of Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. breve, B. longum, Clostridium difficile, C. perfringens, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and L. casei. The active component of S. alba seeds was purified using silica gel column chromatography and HPLC and was identified as phenethyl isothiocyanate by various spectroscopic analyses. The antimicrobial activity of phenethyl isothiocyanate varied according to the dose and bacterial strain tested. Phenethyl isothiocyanate strongly inhibited the growth of C. difficile and C. perfringens at 1 mg/disc, and weakly (+) inhibited its growth at 0.1 mg/disc. Furthermore, phenethyl isothiocyanate moderately (++) inhibited the growth of E. coli at a dose of 2 mg/disc, but did not inhibit the growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Addition of various functional groups to isothiocyanates resulted in selective inhibitory activity against harmful bacteria with low concentrations of aromatic isothocyanates demonstrating greater inhibitory activity against clostridia and E. coli than aliphatic isothiocyanates. In conclusion, aromatic isothiocyanates containing phenethyl‐, benzyl‐, and benzoyl‐groups might be useful in the development of novel preventive and therapeutic agents against diseases caused by harmful intestinal bacteria.
Recent advances and hurdles in melanoma immunotherapy
Authors: Jandus Camilla , Speiser Daniel , Romero Pedro
Published: September 2009

Worldwide incidence of malignant melanoma has been constantly increasing during the last years. Surgical excision is effective when primary tumours are thin. At later disease stages patients often succumb, due to failure of metastasis control. Therefore, great efforts have been made to develop improved strategies to treat metastatic melanoma patients. In the search for novel treatments during the last two decades, immunotherapy has occupied a prominent place. Numerous early phase immunotherapy clinical trials, generally involving small numbers of patients each time, have been reported: significant tumour‐specific immune responses could often be measured in patients upon treatments. However, clinical responses remain at a dismal low rate. In some anecdotal cases, objective clinical benefit was more frequently observed among immune responders than immune non‐responders. This clearly calls for a better understanding of protective immunity against tumours as well as the cross talk taking place between tumours and the immune system. Here we discuss advances and limitations of specific immunotherapy against human melanoma in the light of the literature from the last 5 yr.
New insights into the active site structure and catalytic mechanism of tyrosinase and its related proteins
Authors: Olivares Concepcion , Solano Francisco
Published: September 2009

Tyrosinases are widely distributed in nature. They are copper‐containing oxidases belonging to the type 3 copper protein family, together with catechol oxidases and haemocyanins. Tyrosinases are essential enzymes in melanin biosynthesis and therefore responsible for pigmentation of skin and hair in mammals, where two more enzymes, the tyrosinase‐related proteins (Tyrps), participate in the pathway. The structure and catalytic mechanism of mammalian tyrosinases have been extensively studied but they are not completely understood because of the lack of information on the tertiary structure. The availability of crystallographic data of one plant catechol oxidase and one bacterial tyrosinase has improved the model of the three‐dimensional structure of the active site of the enzyme. Furthermore, sequence comparison of tyrosinase and the Tyrps reveals that the three orthologue proteins share many key structural features, because of their common origin from an ancestral gene, although the specific residues responsible for their different catalytic capabilities have not been identified yet.

This review summarizes our current knowledge of tyrosinase and Tyrps structure and function and describes the catalytic mechanism of tyrosinase and Dct/Tyrp2, which are better characterized.
Cholestasis enhances liver ischemia/reperfusion‐induced coagulation activation in rats
Authors: Kloek Jaap J. , Levi Marcel , Heger Michal , Van Der Loos Chris M. , Gouma Dirk J. , Van Gulik Thomas M.
Published: September 2009

Aim:  Cholestasis is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing major liver surgery. An additional risk is induced when vascular inflow occlusion is applied giving rise to liver ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The role of the coagulation system in this type of injury is elusive. The aim of the current study was to assess activation of coagulation following hepatic I/R injury in cholestatic rats.

Methods:  Male Wistar rats were randomized into two groups and subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL) or sham laparotomy. After 7 days, both groups underwent 30 min partial liver ischemia. Animals were sacrificed before ischemia or after 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h reperfusion.

Results:  Plasma AST and ALT levels were higher after I/R in cholestatic rats (P < 0.05). Hepatic necrosis, liver wet/dry ratio and neutrophil influx were increased in the BDL group up to 48 h reperfusion (P < 0.05). Liver synthetic function was decreased in the BDL group as reflected by prolonged prothrombin time after 6 h and 24 h reperfusion (P < 0.05). I/R in cholestatic rats resulted in a 12‐fold vs. 7‐fold (P < 0.01) increase in markers for thrombin generation and a 6‐fold vs. 2‐fold (P < 0.01) increase in fibrin degradation products (BDL vs. control, respectively). In addition, the cholestatic rats exhibited significantly decreased levels of antithrombin (AT) III and increased levels of the fibrinolytic inhibitor plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI‐1) during reperfusion.

Conclusions:  Cholestasis significantly enhances I/R‐induced hepatic damage and inflammation that concurs with an increased activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis.
Myostatin represses physiological hypertrophy of the heart and excitation–contraction coupling
Authors: Rodgers Buel D. , Interlichia Jillian P. , Garikipati Dilip K. , Mamidi Ranganath , Chandra Murali , Nelson O. Lynne , Murry Charles E. , Santana Luis F.
Published: September 2009

Although myostatin negatively regulates skeletal muscle growth, its function in heart is virtually unknown. Herein we demonstrate that it inhibits basal and IGF‐stimulated proliferation and differentiation and also modulates cardiac excitation–contraction (EC) coupling. Loss of myostatin induced eccentric hypertrophy and enhanced cardiac responsiveness to β‐adrenergic stimulation in vivo. This was due to myostatin null ventricular myocytes having larger [Ca2+]i transients and contractions and responding more strongly to β‐adrenergic stimulation than wild‐type cells. Enhanced cardiac output and β‐adrenergic responsiveness of myostatin null mice was therefore due to increased SR Ca2+ release during EC coupling and to physiological hypertrophy, but not to enhanced myofilament function as determined by simultaneous measurement of force and ATPase activity. Our studies support the novel concept that myostatin is a repressor of physiological cardiac muscle growth and function. Thus, the controlled inhibition of myostatin action could potentially help repair damaged cardiac muscle by inducing physiological hypertrophy.
Maternal prolactin inhibition during lactation programs for metabolic syndrome in adult progeny
Authors: De Moura Egberto Gaspar , Bonomo Isabela Teixeira , Nogueira‐Neto José Firmino , De Oliveira Elaine , Trevenzoli Isis Hara , Reis Adelina Martha , Passos Magna Cottini Fonseca , Lisboa Patricia Cristina
Published: September 2009

Neonatal malnutrition is associated with metabolic syndrome in adulthood. Maternal hypoprolactinaemia at the end of lactation (a precocious weaning model) caused obesity, leptin resistance and hypothyroidism in adult offspring, suggesting an association of prolactin (PRL) and programming of metabolic dysfunctions. Metabolic syndrome pathogenesis is still unclear, but abdominal obesity, higher triglycerides, lower high‐density lipoprotein (HDL‐c) and insulin resistance have been proposed to be important factors involved. We studied the consequences of maternal hypoprolactinaemia during lactation on parameters associated with metabolic syndrome. Lactating Wistar rats were treated with bromocriptine (BRO, 1 mg twice a day) or saline on days 19, 20 and 21 of lactation and their offspring were followed from weaning until 180 days old. Adult BRO offspring had higher body weight (+10%, P < 0.05), total body fat (+41%, P < 0.05), visceral fat (+20%, P < 0.05), subcutaneous fat (+3 times, P < 0.05) and total body protein (+24%, P < 0.05). BRO group presented hyperglycaemia (+16%, P < 0.05), lower muscle glycogen (−51%, P < 0.05), higher cholesterol (+30%, P < 0.05), higher low‐density lipoprotein (LDL‐c) (+1.5 times, P < 0.05), higher triglycerides (+49%, P < 0.05), lower HDL‐c (−28%, P < 0.05), hyperleptinaemia (+2.9 times, P < 0.05), hypoadiponectinaemia (−16%, P < 0.05) and hypoprolactinaemia (−54%, P < 0.05) as well as higher insulin resistance index (+24%, P < 0.05). Regarding adrenal function, BRO rats showed hypercorticosteronaemia (+46%, P < 0.05) and higher total catecholamine (+37%, P < 0.05). In the hypothalamus, no change was observed in protein expression of the leptin signalling pathway. Thus, neonatal malnutrition induced by maternal PRL inhibition during late lactation programs for obesity, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance in adult offspring increasing the risk for metabolic syndrome development.
Resistance exercise‐induced increases in putative anabolic hormones do not enhance muscle protein synthesis or intracellular signalling in young men
Authors: West Daniel W. D. , Kujbida Gregory W. , Moore Daniel R. , Atherton Philip , Burd Nicholas A. , Padzik Jan P. , De Lisio Michael , Tang Jason E. , Parise Gianni , Rennie Michael J. , Baker Steven K. , Phillips Stuart M.
Published: September 2009

We aimed to determine whether exercise‐induced elevations in systemic concentration of testosterone, growth hormone (GH) and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) enhanced post‐exercise myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) and phosphorylation of signalling proteins important in regulating mRNA translation. Eight young men (20 ± 1.1 years, BMI = 26 ± 3.5 kg m−2) completed two exercise protocols designed to maintain basal hormone concentrations (low hormone, LH) or elicit increases in endogenous hormones (high hormone, HH). In the LH protocol, participants performed a bout of unilateral resistance exercise with the elbow flexors. The HH protocol consisted of the same elbow flexor exercise with the contralateral arm followed immediately by high‐volume leg resistance exercise. Participants consumed 25 g of protein after arm exercise to maximize MPS. Muscle biopsies and blood samples were taken as appropriate. There were no changes in serum testosterone, GH or IGF‐1 after the LH protocol, whereas there were marked elevations after HH (testosterone, P < 0.001; GH, P < 0.001; IGF‐1, P < 0.05). Exercise stimulated a rise in MPS in the biceps brachii (rest = 0.040 ± 0.007, LH = 0.071 ± 0.008, HH = 0.064 ± 0.014% h−1; P < 0.05) with no effect of elevated hormones (P= 0.72). Phosphorylation of the 70 kDa S6 protein kinase (p70S6K) also increased post‐exercise (P < 0.05) with no differences between conditions. We conclude that the transient increases in endogenous purportedly anabolic hormones do not enhance fed‐state anabolic signalling or MPS following resistance exercise. Local mechanisms are likely to be of predominant importance for the post‐exercise increase in MPS.
Alteration of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release termination by ryanodine receptor sensitization and in heart failure
Authors: Domeier Timothy L. , Blatter Lothar A. , Zima Aleksey V.
Published: September 2009

Many physiological processes and pharmacological agents modulate the ryanodine receptor (RyR), the primary sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release channel in the heart. However, how such modulations translate into functional effects during cardiac excitation–contraction coupling (ECC) is much less clear. Using a low dose (250 μm) of caffeine we sensitized the RyR and examined SR Ca2+ release using dynamic measurements of cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and free Ca2+ within the SR ([Ca2+]SR). In field stimulated (1 Hz) rabbit ventricular myocytes, application of 250 μm caffeine caused an initial 33% increase in SR Ca2+ release, which was followed by a decrease in SR Ca2+ load (28%) and steady‐state SR Ca2+ release (23%). To investigate the effects of caffeine on local SR Ca2+ release, we measured [Ca2+]SR from individual release junctions during ECC as well as during spontaneous Ca2+ sparks. In intact myocytes during ECC, caffeine increased global fractional SR Ca2+ release by decreasing the [Ca2+]SR level at which local release terminated by 21%. Similarly, in permeabilized myocytes during spontaneous Ca2+ sparks, caffeine decreased the [Ca2+]SR level for release termination by 12%. Finally, we examined if Ca2+ release termination was changed in myocytes from failing hearts, where remodelling processes lead to altered RyR function. In myocytes from failing rabbit hearts, the [Ca2+]SR termination level for Ca2+ sparks was 13% lower than that of non‐failing myocytes. Collectively, these data suggest that altering the termination level for local Ca2+ release may represent a novel mechanism to increase SR Ca2+ release and contractility during ECC.
Nerve‐evoked purinergic signalling suppresses action potentials, Ca2+ flashes and contractility evoked by muscarinic receptor activation in mouse urinary bladder smooth muscle
Authors: Heppner Thomas J. , Werner Matthias E. , Nausch Bernhard , Vial Catherine , Evans Richard J. , Nelson Mark T.
Published: September 2009

Contraction of urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM) is caused by the release of ATP and ACh from parasympathetic nerves. Although both purinergic and muscarinic pathways are important to contraction, their relative contributions and signalling mechanisms are not well understood. Here, the contributions of each pathway to urinary bladder contraction and the underlying electrical and Ca2+ signalling events were examined in UBSM strips from wild type mice and mice deficient in P2X1 receptors (P2X1−/−) before and after pharmacological inhibition of purinergic and muscarinic receptors. Electrical field stimulation was used to excite parasympathetic nerves to increase action potentials, Ca2+ flash frequency, and force. Loss of P2X1 function not only eliminated action potentials and Ca2+ flashes during stimulation, but it also led to a significant increase in Ca2+ flashes following stimulation and a corresponding increase in the force transient. Block of muscarinic receptors did not affect action potentials or Ca2+ flashes during stimulation, but prevented them following stimulation. These findings indicate that nerve excitation leads to rapid engagement of smooth muscle P2X1 receptors to increase action potentials (Ca2+ flashes) during stimulation, and a delayed increase in excitability in response to muscarinic receptor activation. Together, purinergic and muscarinic stimulation shape the time course of force transients. Furthermore, this study reveals a novel inhibitory effect of P2X1 receptor activation on subsequent increases in muscarinic‐driven excitability and force generation.
Genetic basis of inter‐individual variability in the effects of exercise on the alleviation of lifestyle‐related diseases
Authors: Mori Masayuki , Higuchi Keiichi , Sakurai Akihiro , Tabara Yasuharu , Miki Tetsuro , Nose Hiroshi ,   Shinshu University Genetic Research Consortium
Published: September 2009

Habitual exercise training, including a high‐intensity interval walking programme, improves cardiorespiratory fitness and alleviates lifestyle‐related diseases, such as obesity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. However, the extent of improvement has been shown to differ substantially among individuals for various exercise regimens. A body of literature has demonstrated that gene polymorphisms could account for the inter‐individual variability in the improvement of risk factors for lifestyle‐related diseases following exercise training. However, the fractions of the variability explained by the polymorphisms are small (∼5%). Also, it is likely that the effects of gene polymorphisms differ with exercise regimens and subject characteristics. These observations suggest the necessity for further studies to exhaustively identify such gene polymorphisms. More importantly, the physiological and molecular genetic mechanisms by which gene polymorphisms interact with exercise to influence the improvements of risk factors for lifestyle‐related diseases differentially remain to be clarified. A better understanding of these issues should lead to more effective integration of exercise to optimize the treatment and management of individuals with lifestyle‐related diseases.
Exercise protects the cardiovascular system: effects beyond traditional risk factors
Authors: Joyner Michael J. , Green Daniel J.
Published: September 2009

In humans, exercise training and moderate to high levels of physical activity are protective against cardiovascular disease. In fact they are ∼40% more protective than predicted based on the changes in traditional risk factors (blood lipids, hypertension, diabetes etc.) that they cause. In this review, we highlight the positive effects of exercise on endothelial function and the autonomic nervous system. We also ask if these effects alone, or in combination, might explain the protective effects of exercise against cardiovascular disease that appear to be independent of traditional risk factor modification. Our goal is to use selected data from our own work and that of others to stimulate debate on the nature and cause of the ‘risk factor gap’ associated with exercise and physical activity.