bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regional climate change impacts on agricultural crop production in Central and Eastern Europe – hotspots, regional differences and common trends
Authors: EITZINGER J. , TRNKA M. , SEMERÁDOVÁ D. , THALER S. , SVOBODOVÁ E. , HLAVINKA P. , ŠIŠKA B. , TAKÁČ J. , MALATINSKÁ L. , NOVÁKOVÁ M. , DUBROVSKÝ M. , ŽALUD Z.
Published: October 2012

The present study investigates regional climate change impacts on agricultural crop production in Central and Eastern Europe, including local case studies with different focuses in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The area studied experiences a continental European climate and is characterized by strong climatic gradients, which may foster regional differences or trends in the impacts of climate change on agriculture. To study the regional aspects and variabilities of climate change impacts on agriculture, the effect of climate change on selected future agroclimatic conditions, crop yield and variability (including the effect of higher ambient CO2 concentrations) and the most important yield limiting factors, such as water availability, nitrogen balance and the infestation risks posed by selected pests were studied. In general, the results predicted significant agroclimatic changes over the entire area during the 21st century, affecting agricultural crop production through various pathways. Simulated crop yield trends confirmed past regional studies but also revealed that yield-limiting factors may change from region to region. For example, pest pressures, as demonstrated by examining two pests, are likely to increase due to warmer conditions. In general, higher potentials for cereal yield increase are seen for wetter and cooler regions (i.e. uplands) than for the drier and warmer lowlands, where yield potentials will be increasingly limited by decreasing crop water availability and heat under most scenarios. In addition, yield variability will increase during the coming decades, but this may decrease towards the end of the 21st century. The present study contributes to the interpretation of previously conducted climate change impact and adaptation studies for agriculture and may prove useful in proposing future research in this field.
Predicting the potential distribution ofVexillata(Nematoda: Ornithostrongylidae) and its hosts (Mammalia: Rodentia) within America
Authors: Martínez-Salazar E.A. , Escalante T. , Linaje M. , Falcón-Ordaz J.
Published: October 2012

Species distribution modelling has been a powerful tool to explore the potential distribution of parasites in wildlife, being the basis of studies on biogeography.Vexillataspp. are intestinal nematodes found in several species of mammalian hosts, such as rodents (Geomyoidea) and hares (Leporidae) in the Nearctic and northern Neotropical regions. In the present study, we modelled the potential distribution ofVexillataspp. and their hosts, using exclusively species from the Geomyidae and Heteromyidae families, in order to identify their distributional patterns. Bioclimatic and topographic variables were used to identify and predict suitable habitats forVexillataand its hosts. Using these models, we identified that temperature seasonality is a significant environmental factor that influences the distribution of the parasite genus and its host. In particular, the geographical distribution is estimated to be larger than that predicted for its hosts. This suggests that the nematode has the potential to extend its geographical range and also its spectrum of host species. Increasing sample size and geographical coverage will contribute to recommendations for conservation of this host–parasite system.
Posterior prolongation of the cartilaginous nasal septum: an under-utilised source of autologous graft material
Authors: Phillips P S , Harvey R J , Sacks R , Chin D , Marcells G N
Published: October 2012

Aim:

To assess the clinical and radiological characteristics of the posterior prolongation of the cartilaginous nasal septum, an under-utilised source of autologous cartilage for nasal reconstruction.

Materials and methods:

Consecutive patients undergoing primary, external approach rhinoplasty were included. The septal cartilage was assessed intra-operatively prior to routine harvest. Cartilage use was recorded and post-operative cosmesis noted. Computed tomography scans from a separate patient group, with no septal surgery, were used to assess septal cartilage dimensions.

Results:

Of the 25 rhinoplasty patients studied, 24 had harvestable septal cartilage, with a posterior prolongation mean length ± standard deviation of 24.3 ± 8.40 mm, mean height of 4.33 ± 0.34 mm and mean width of 1.1 ± 0.35 mm. The mean post-operative cosmesis score was +2.41 ± 0.71 at a mean follow up of 45 ± 8.7 weeks. All 25 radiology patients had visible posterior prolongations on computed tomography (mean length, 18.1 ± 5.1 mm; mean height, 4.2 ± 1.1 mm; mean width 1.5 ± 0.63 mm).

Conclusion:

Harvesting of the posterior prolongation would increase by 25 per cent the cartilage area available for autologous grafts. Endoscopic guidance aids this process. Cartilage is most commonly used for overlay grafts, with good cosmesis. The posterior prolongation is demonstrated on computed tomography, although dimensions may be underestimated.
Bondage on Qing China's Northwestern Frontier
Authors: NEWBY L. J.
Published: October 2012

Despite the extensive literature on global slavery and servitude, human bondage in Xinjiang (Eastern Turkestan) during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has been largely neglected. Here bondage did not discriminate between ethnic, racial or religious groups and fulfilled a wide range of social, economic, and political functions, reflecting both the region's geographical position at the edge of Central Asia and its political position—first as a dependency and then as a province of Qing China. This paper discusses the nature of the forms of bondage that emerged in this unique geopolitical setting and suggests that the emancipation of Xinjiang's ‘British’ slaves at the end of the nineteenth century and the gradual decline of bondage resulted from a convergence of local, regional, and global forces.
Theoretical Poverty in the Research on Chinese Civil Society
Authors: SALMENKARI TARU
Published: October 2012

This paper critiques current academic usage of the analytic category of ‘civil society’ in recent studies of contemporary China. The problem is not the lack of good empirical work (which abounds), but rather the way in which understandings of ‘civil society’ as applied to China have remained insulated from wider theoretical debates emerging from other parts of the world which have queried the productive utility of these understandings. Specifically, recent studies of China continue to define civil society through its alleged autonomy from the state. This definition has led to unsettling discrepancies between theory and empirical knowledge about Chinese society. Moreover, it has caused researchers to pay little attention to the equally complicated question of whether there are sufficient horizontal linkages among various social actors to constitute a civil society in China in the first place. This paper will argue that lessons learned from the rich civil society tradition and scholarship from other parts of the world may be adapted fruitfully to generate more meaningful and nuanced analyses of Chinese associations.
Tocqueville's Unfinished Manuscript on Ireland
Authors: Kries Douglas
Published: October 2012

In the summer of 1835, Alexis de Tocqueville visited Ireland. Within the travelogue that he kept while on his journey, there exists an incomplete manuscript in which Tocqueville uses the literary device of the tableau to attempt a general explanation of Ireland's political and religious problems. The present essay explains why this manuscript, whose uniqueness has not previously been recognized fully, must be separated from the rest of the Irish journals, studied in relation to other Tocquevillian tableaux, and scrutinized carefully for its teaching on religion and politics. The essay then attempts an interpretation of the manuscript, which Tocqueville titled A Catholic Priest and a Protestant Minister in Ireland, especially as it bears on the question of Christianity and politics in Democracy in America. It concludes by considering whether Tocqueville once considered revising A Catholic Priest for possible inclusion in Democracy in America and why Tocqueville eventually abandoned the manuscript.
Knowing God and Knowing About God: Martin Buber'sTwo Types of FaithRevisited
Authors: Moberly R. W. L.
Published: October 2012

Initially I briefly expound Martin Buber'sTwo Types of Faithso as to clarify Buber's sharp contrast between Jewish faith (HebrewEmunah) and Christian belief (GreekPistis). I suggest that Buber's polarisation ofEmunah, a trust and existential engagement with God, over againstPistis, an intellectual acknowledgement which lacks immediacy with God, has certain resonances with Wilfred Cantwell Smith's distinguishing between ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ in his attempt to overcome the Enlightenment tendency to reduce religious faith to propositional belief. I also acknowledge that Buber's conceptually alert and religiously constructive engagement with the Bible in its own way embodies many of the concerns in the current attempts to bring Bible and theology together via ‘theological interpretation’ or ‘a canonical approach’. However, Buber's account of the Old Testament overlooks the presence of the idiom ‘to know that’ (Hebrewyada(ki), which points to the importance of cognitive content in relation to knowing Israel's God. I consider a number of narratives which feature the deuteronomic idiom ‘to know thatYhwhis God’ (or closely comparable formulations) – Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), Rahab (Joshua 2), Naaman (2 Kings 5) and David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) – and consider the function of ‘knowing thatYhwhis God’ in each passage. By way of conclusion I reflect on the complementarity of ‘knowing God’ and ‘knowing about God’ and the problematic nature of tendencies, represented by Buber, to set these over against each other. I also suggest that there is fruitful work to be done through a comparative and synthetic biblical and theological study of the relationship between the Old Testament concern that people should ‘know thatYhwhis God’ and the New Testament concern that people should ‘believe that Jesus Christ is Lord’.
‘Schmallenberg virus’ – a novel orthobunyavirus emerging in Europe
Authors: BEER M. , CONRATHS F. J. , VAN DER POEL W. H. M.
Published: October 2012

In 2011, a novel orthobunyavirus of the Simbu serogroup, the Schmallenberg virus (SBV), was discovered using a metagenomic approach. SBV caused a large epidemic in Europe in ruminants. As with related viruses such as Akabane virus, it appears to be transmitted by biting midges. Transplacental infection often results in the birth of malformed calves, lambs and goat kids. In more than 5000 farms in Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark and Switzerland acute infections of adult ruminants or malformed SBV-positive offspring were detected, and high seroprevalences were seen in adult ruminants in the core regions in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. The discovery of SBV, the spread of the epidemic, the role of vectors, the impact on livestock, public health issues, SBV diagnosis and measures taken are described in this review. Lessons to be learned from the Schmallenberg virus epidemic and the consequences for future outbreaks are discussed.
The effects of bilingualism on efficiency and lateralization of attentional networks
Authors: MARZECOVÁ ANNA , ASANOWICZ DARIUSZ , KRIVÁ L'UBA , WODNIECKA ZOFIA
Published: October 2012

The present study investigated the impact of bilingualism on efficiency of alerting, orienting and executive attention by means of the Lateralized Attention Network Test (LANT). Young adult bilinguals who had been exposed to their second language before the age of four years showed a reduced conflict cost and a larger alerting effect in terms of response time (RT), while no difference between bilinguals and monolinguals was observed in overall RT. Bilinguals also outperformed monolinguals on accuracy in both conflict and non-conflict trials, though the effect in the latter condition was very small. Moreover, while a left visual field advantage for accuracy of conflict resolution was present in the monolingual group, bilinguals did not show the asymmetry. The findings suggest that bilingualism enhances the efficiency of executive network while reducing its lateralization. The larger alerting effect in bilinguals is hypothesized to be related to bilinguals’ more efficient executive control, which may support processes of response anticipation or temporal orienting.
Adequacy of child anthropometric indicators for measuring nutritional stress at population level: a study from Niakhar, Senegal
Authors: Garenne Michel , Maire Bernard , Fontaine Olivier , Briend André
Published: October 2012

Objective

To compare the responsiveness of different anthropometric indicators for measuring nutritional stress among children in developing countries.

Design

Growth was studied within 6-month intervals in a rural Senegalese community during one dry and two rainy (hungry) seasons. Responsiveness was defined as the change divided by the standard deviation of each anthropometric indicator. Contrast was defined as the difference in responsiveness between dry and rainy seasons.

Setting

The study was conducted in Niakhar, a rural area of Senegal under demographic surveillance, with contrasted food and morbidity situations between rainy and dry seasons.

Subjects

Some 5000 children under 5 years of age were monitored at 6-month intervals in 1983–1984. The present analysis was carried out on a sub-sample of children aged 6–23 months with complete measures, totalling 2803 children-intervals.

Results

In both univariate and multivariate analysis, mid-upper arm circumference was found to be more responsive to nutritional stress than the commonly used weight-for-height Z-score (contrast = −0·64 for mid-upper arm circumference v. −0·53 for weight-for-height Z-score). Other discriminant indicators were: muscle circumference, weight-for-height, BMI and triceps skinfold. Height, head circumference and subscapular skinfold had no discriminating power for measuring the net effect of nutritional stress during the rainy season.

Conclusions

The use of mid-upper arm circumference for assessing nutritional stress in community surveys should be considered and preferred to other nutritional indicators. Strict standardization procedures for measuring mid-upper arm circumference are required for optimal use.
Three-Dimensional Morphology of Microdamage in Peri-Screw Bone: A Scanning Electron Microscopy of Methylmethacrylate Cast Replica
Authors: Wang Lei , Shao Jin , Ye Tingjun , Deng Lianfu , Qiu Shijing
Published: October 2012

Screw implantation inevitably causes microdamage in surrounding bone. However, little is known about the detailed characteristics of microdamage in peri-screw bone. In this study, we developed a method to construct microdamage cast with methylmethacrylate (MMA) and observed the cast using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In basic fuchsin stained bone sections observed by bright-field and fluorescence microscopy, diffuse damage, cross-hatched damage, and linear cracks were all presented in peri-screw bone. Using MMA casting/SEM method, we found numerous densely packed microcracks in the areas with diffuse damage. The osteocyte canaliculi and the microcracks consisting of diffuse damage had a similar diameter (or width), usually <0.5 μm, but their morphology was largely different. In the area with cross-hatched damage, the orientation of microcracks was similar to that in diffuse damage, but the number was significantly decreased. Many microcracks were thicker than 1 μm and associated with a rough surface. Large linear cracks (∼10 μm in diameter) occurred in different areas. Plenty of microcracks were present on the surface of some linear cracks. In conclusion, the MMA casting/SEM method can demonstrate the three-dimensional morphology of different types of microdamage, particularly the microcracks in diffuse damage, which are unable to be shown by light microscopy.
Consequences of a Fat Diet in the Distribution of Minerals within Pancreatic Tissues of Rats and Rabbits
Authors: Ynsa M. Dolores , Minquin Ren , Rajendran Reshmi , Pinheiro Teresa , Watt Frank
Published: October 2012

The effects of plasma lipid overload on pancreatic islet function and on mineral imbalance are issues under debate. However, the outcomes may be biased by the different metabolisms of different species. This prospective study evaluated whether a high fat diet intake changed the distribution of physiologically relevant elements within pancreatic endocrine and exocrine tissues of Sprague Dawley rats and New Zealand White rabbits. Nuclear microscopy techniques provided images of the specimen density and structure as well as the elemental distributions and quantification of P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, and Zn using unstained cryosections of pancreas. Our results indicate that pancreatic islets in normal rats and rabbits had lower tissue density and higher Ca, Fe, and Zn content compared to exocrine tissue, and that rabbit islets exhibit the highest Zn content (3,300 μg/g in rabbits versus 510 μg/g in rats). Fat diet intake resulted in large deposits of fat in the pancreas, which modified the density contrast of tissues and also resulted in a twofold decrease of Ca and Zn concentrations in islets of both rats and rabbits. This result indicates that a fat diet leads to a reduction in essential trace element concentrations in pancreas, which in turn may hamper endocrine function.
Funding of pensions and economic growth: are they really related?
Authors: ZANDBERG EELCO , SPIERDIJK LAURA
Published: October 2012

We examine whether changes in the degree of pension funding affect economic growth. Our sample consists of 54 countries, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as well as non-OECD, during 2001–10. We do not find any effect of changes in the degree of funding on growth in the short-run. For the long-run the evidence is mixed. Although a growth model with overlapping observations suggests that there is a positive effect of funding changes on economic growth, we find no effect in a simple cross-sectional model.
“All my saints are within me”: Expressions of end-of-life spirituality
Authors: Dobratz Marjorie C.
Published: October 2012

Objective:

With spirituality being one of the most important components of end-of-life (EOL) care, this study explored the oral responses of 44 dying persons who expressed spirituality.

Method:

Four identified spiritual themes: religious systems of beliefs and values, life meaning, purpose and connections with others, nonreligious systems of beliefs and values, and metaphysical or transcendental phenomena served as a framework for a content analysis of 91 spiritual references.

Results:

From the content analysis, eight interrelated and separate themes emerged. Although the highest number of responses centered on religious beliefs and values, nonreligious beliefs and values that included reason, dignity, mental discipline, and communion were expressed. The themes of life meaning, purpose, and connections with others also surfaced as important aspects of EOL spirituality.

Significance of results:

The findings support the need for hospice/palliative care professionals to approach spirituality from other than a Judeo-Christian viewpoint, help dying persons create meaning and purpose within the context of their lives, and assist them in their desire for connectedness to faith communities and other significant individuals in their lives.
Measuring political protest in Western Europe: assessing cross-national equivalence
Authors: Quaranta Mario
Published: October 2012

This article tests the cross-national equivalence of the political protest scale, as developed by Barnes and Kaase, in 20 Western European countries using a battery of items included in the fourth wave of the European Values Study. The scale measuring the concept of political protest is widely used, but no evidence of cross-country equivalence has yet been provided in the literature. The article illustrates the concept of political protest, the relationship between concept formation, operationalization, and measurement equivalence, and the possible consequences of a lack of equivalence. It is argued that comparative research may be threatened by a lack of measurement equivalence. The spread of international surveys eases comparative designs, but at the same time enlarges the chances that we compare what is not actually comparable. The article then outlines an empirical strategy to assess the political protest scale's measurement equivalence. To assess cross-country equivalence, Mokken Scale Analysis, a nonparametric scaling method within the family of Item Response Theory models, is used. This has been shown to work better than Confirmatory Factor Analysis when dealing with dichotomous and polytomous items forming ordinal scales. The results show that the cross-country equivalence of the political protest scale depends on the type of measure the scholar wishes to build and use.
The Bielefeld Longitudinal Study of Adult Twins (BiLSAT)
Authors: Kandler Christian , Riemann Rainer , Spinath Frank M. , Bleidorn Wiebke , Thiel Wolfgang , Angleitner Alois
Published: October 2012

The Bielefeld Longitudinal Study of Adult Twins (BiLSAT) is a German longitudinal study of monozygotic and dizygotic twins reared together, including more than 1,100 twin pairs aged between 14 and 80 who participated in the first wave. Data were collected at five waves of assessment between 1993 and 2009. Initially, the study focused on genetic and environmental influences on the structure and the development in adult temperament and personality. Today, the study includes a broad range of individual variables, such as personality disorders, major life goals, interests, attitudes, values, life and work satisfaction, and major life events. A special feature of this genetically informative study lies in the multiple-rater approach (i.e., self-reports and peer reports). Longitudinal multiple-rater analyses allow researchers to go beyond the basic nature–nurture decomposition of variance in self-reports examining genetic and environmental influences on stability and change in more accurately measured individual attributes. In the current article, we briefly describe the design and contents of BiLSAT as well as some recent major findings and future plans.
Irrelevant Auditory and Visual Events Induce a Visual Attentional Blink
Authors: Van der Burg Erik , Nieuwenstein Mark R. , Theeuwes Jan , Olivers Christian N. L.
Published: October 2012

In the present study we investigated whether a task-irrelevant distractor can induce a visual attentional blink pattern. Participants were asked to detect only a visual target letter (A, B, or C) and to ignore the preceding auditory, visual, or audiovisual distractor. An attentional blink was observed regardless of the distractor modality. The magnitude of the attentional blink was greater when the target was preceded by a visual or an audiovisual distractor than when the target letter was preceded by an auditory distractor. The presence of a distractor-induced attentional blink regardless of the distractor modality suggests that the attentional blink phenomenon is at least partly due to an amodal processing limitation.
Spatial gradients from irregular, multiple‐point spacecraft configurations
Authors: Shen C. , Rong Z. J. , Dunlop M. W. , Ma Y. H. , Li X. , Zeng G. , Yan G. Q. , Wan W. X. , Liu Z. X. , Carr C. M. , Rème H.
Published: October 2012

We present a generalized multipoint analysis of physical quantities, such as magnetic field and plasma flow, based on spatial gradient properties, where the multipoint data may be taken by irregular (distorted) configurations of any number of spacecraft. The methodology is modified from a previous, fully 3‐D gradient analysis technique, designed to apply strictly to 4‐point measurements and to be stable for regular spacecraft configurations. Here, we adapt the method to be tolerant against distorted configurations and to return a partial result when fewer spacecraft measurements are available. We apply the method to a variety of important physical quantities, such as the electric current density and the vorticity of plasma flows based on Cluster and THEMIS multiple‐point measurements. The method may also have valuable applications on the coming Swarm mission.
Modeling and understanding persistence of climate variability
Authors: Vyushin D. I. , Kushner P. J. , Zwiers Francis
Published: October 2012

In this study, two parsimonious statistical representations of climate variability on interannual to multidecadal timescales are compared: the short‐memory first order autoregressive representation (AR1) and the long‐memory “power law” representation. Parameters for each statistical representation are fitted to observed surface air temperature at each spatial point. The parameter estimates from observations are found in general to be captured credibly in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3 (CMIP3) simulations. The power law representation provides an upper bound and the AR1 representation provides a lower bound on persistence as measured by the lag‐one autocorrelation. Both representations fit the data equally well according to goodness‐of‐fit‐tests. Comparing simulations with and without external radiative forcings shows that anthropogenic forcing has little effect on the measures of persistence considered (for detrended data). Given that local interannual to multi decadal climate variability appears to be more persistent than an AR1 process and less persistent than a power law process, it is concluded that both representations are potentially useful for statistical applications. It is also concluded that current climate simulations can well represent interannual to multidecadal internal climate persistence in the absence of natural and anthropogenic radiative forcing, at least to within observational uncertainty.
Crystal structures of Cg1458 reveal a catalytic lid domain and a common catalytic mechanism for the FAH family
Authors: Ran Tingting , Gao Yanyan , Marsh May , Zhu Wenjun , Wang Meitian , Mao Xiang , Xu Langlai , Xu Dongqing , Wang Weiwu
Published: October 2012

Cg1458 was recently characterized as a novel soluble oxaloacetate decarboxylase. However, sequence alignment identified that Cg1458 has no similarity with other oxaloacetate decarboxylases and instead belongs to the FAH (fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase) family. Differences in the function of Cg1458 and other FAH proteins may suggest a different catalytic mechanism. To help elucidate the catalytic mechanism of Cg1458, crystal structures of Cg1458 in both the open and closed conformations have been determined for the first time up to a resolution of 1.9 Å (1 Å=0.1 nm) and 2.0 Å respectively. Comparison of both structures and detailed biochemical studies confirmed the presence of a catalytic lid domain which is missing in the native enzyme structure. In this lid domain, a glutamic acid–histidine dyad was found to be critical in mediating enzymatic catalysis. On the basis of structural modelling and comparison, as well as large-scale sequence alignment studies, we further determined that the catalytic mechanism of Cg1458 is actually through a glutamic acid–histidine–water triad, and this catalytic triad is common among FAH family proteins that catalyse the cleavage of the C–C bond of the substrate. Two sequence motifs, HxxE and Hxx…xxE have been identified as the basis for this mechanism.
Exploring inhibition of Pdx1, a component of the PLP synthase complex of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Reeksting Shaun B. , Müller Ingrid B. , Burger Pieter B. , Burgos Emmanuel S. , Salmon Laurent , Louw Abraham I. , Birkholtz Lyn-Marie , Wrenger Carsten
Published: October 2012

Malaria tropica is a devastating infectious disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum. This parasite synthesizes vitamin B6de novo via the PLP (pyridoxal 5′-phosphate) synthase enzymatic complex consisting of PfPdx1 and PfPdx2 proteins. Biosynthesis of PLP is largely performed by PfPdx1, ammonia provided by PfPdx2 subunits is condensed together with R5P (D-ribose 5-phosphate) and G3P (DL-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate). PfPdx1 accommodates both the R5P and G3P substrates and intricately co-ordinates the reaction mechanism, which is composed of a series of imine bond formations, leading to the production of PLP. We demonstrate that E4P (D-erythrose 4-phosphate) inhibits PfPdx1 in a dose-dependent manner. We propose that the acyclic phospho-sugar E4P, with a C1 aldehyde group similar to acyclic R5P, could interfere with R5P imine bond formations in the PfPdx1 reaction mechanism. Molecular docking and subsequent screening identified the E4P hydrazide analogue 4PEHz (4-phospho-D-erythronhydrazide), which selectively inhibited PfPdx1 with an IC50 of 43 μM. PfPdx1 contained in the heteromeric PLP synthase complex was shown to be more sensitive to 4PEHz and was inhibited with an IC50 of 16 μM. Moreover, the compound had an IC50 value of 10 μM against cultured P. falciparum intraerythrocytic parasites. To analyse further the selectivity of 4PEHz, transgenic cell lines overexpressing PfPdx1 and PfPdx2 showed that additional copies of the protein complex conferred protection against 4PEHz, indicating that the PLP synthase is directly affected by 4PEHz in vivo. These PfPdx1 inhibitors represent novel lead scaffolds which are capable of targeting PLP biosynthesis, and we propose this as a viable strategy for the development of new therapeutics against malaria.
Insulin‐regulated expression of adiponectin receptors in muscle and fat cells
Authors: Sattar Akm A. , Sattar Rifat
Published: October 2012

Adp (adiponectin), an adipocyte‐secreted hormone, exerts its effect via its specific receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 (adiponectin receptors 1 and 2), on insulin‐sensitive cells in muscle, liver and adipose tissues, and plays an important role in lipid and glucose metabolisms. The study has investigated the effect of insulin on AdipoRs expression in muscle and fat cells. Differentiated fat [3T3‐L1 (mouse adipocytes)], L6 (skeletal muscle) and vascular smooth muscle (PAC1) cells were serum starved and exposed to 100 nM insulin for 1–24 h. AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 mRNAs expression was monitored by real‐time PCR. The results demonstrate that insulin down‐regulates both AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 mRNAs levels in a biphasic manner in L6 and PAC1 cells. Insulin had little or no effect in the regulation of AdipoR1 expression in 3T3‐L1 cells, but significantly up‐regulated AdipoR2 mRNA level in a biphasic manner. The fact that insulin differentially regulates the expression of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 in muscle and fat cells suggests this is also dependent on the availability of the endogenous ligand, such as Adp for AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 in fat cells. The effects of globular Adp were also tested on insulin‐regulated expression of AdipoRs in L6 cells, and found to up‐regulate and counter insulin‐mediated suppression of AdipoRs expression in L6 cells.
Does uric acid qualify as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality?
Authors: Jeemon Panniyammakal , Prabhakaran Dorairaj
Published: October 2012

UA (uric acid) is the final product of purine metabolism in humans and is implicated in many disease conditions. Sustained hyperuricaemia has putative adverse roles in cardiovascular diseases. Despite strong evidence emerging from large epidemiological studies supporting the hypothesis that UA independently influences cardiovascular disease outcomes and mortality, a causal role is yet to be established. Serum UA is also considered as a useful biomarker for mortality in high-risk patients with acute coronary syndromes, heart failure and hypertension and in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Post-hoc analyses of clinical trial data suggest beneficial effects of reducing serum UA. However, these findings are inconclusive and are only hypothesis-generating. In the present issue of Clinical Science, Ndrepepa and co-workers have investigated the prognostic role of UA in high-risk Type 2 diabetic patients with established coronary artery disease in predicting 1-year survival and cardiovascular mortality. These results support the independent role of serum UA in predicting survival in Type 2 diabetic patients. However, long-term follow-up studies are required with serial UA measurement to establish the time-dependent association of UA with mortality outcomes.
Progress in Understanding Adolescent Language Disorders
Authors: Joffe Victoria L. , Nippold Marilyn A.
Published: October 2012

Purpose

This prologue introduces a clinical forum on adolescent language disorders, a topic that has long been of interest to school-based speech-language pathologists/therapists.

Method

A rationale for the clinical forum is provided, and the content is contrasted with a previous forum on the same topic that was published nearly 20 years ago. Implications and directions for future research and practice in adolescent language disorders are discussed.

Conclusions

Considerable progress has occurred in our understanding of the nature, assessment, and treatment of language and communication disorders in adolescents and young adults. Yet we continue to need to build the evidence base on the most effective and efficient ways of enhancing the spoken and written language skills of young people with language and communication disorders in academic, social, emotional, and vocational domains.
State Sovereignty, Bioethics, and Political Geographies: The Practice of Medicine under the Khmer Rouge
Authors: Tyner James A
Published: October 2012

This paper combines insights from political philosophy, bioethics, and political geography to examine the practice of medicine by the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian genocide. Through a discussion of both destructive and constructive health-related policies and practices enacted by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979, this paper documents how the practice of medicine provides a broader understanding of state sovereignty and the right to live or to let die. In so doing this paper contributes to our understanding in two areas: first, to the specific geographies of the Cambodian genocide and, second, the politics surrounding the calculated management of life and death.
Remapping the Border: Taxation, Territory, and (Trans) National Identity at the Mexico—Guatemala Border
Authors: Galemba Rebecca B
Published: October 2012

This paper examines how rural communities on a clandestine road crossing the Mexico—Guatemala border stake claim over this route while delegitimizing state control. Each community delimits its control by erecting a cadena, or chain, across its section of the road, from which it levies tolls on cross-border contraband. The cadenas shape political, economic, and cultural geography by instituting a local sovereign system of morality, economy, and legality. As border residents reimagine and rematerialize the border by displacing it from the geopolitical line to their cadenas, they mark their claims to this space. In a region where the majority of border flows occur through clandestine routes, residents contest the power of the nation-state to determine the border, sovereignty, belonging, and transregional development. Simultaneously, however, residents' border practices mimetically reproduce the relation between territory, power, and identity. I argue that the margins of the state can be critical junctures for examining how everyday people and state actors continuously negotiate and reconfigure the shifting materializations and meanings of territory, state power, and (trans)national space.
Assessment of an indirect technique to predict hay and silage storage dry matter losses through Monte Carlo simulation
Authors: Jaurena G.
Published: October 2012

Control of dry matter losses (DML) is a major concern of forage conservation systems. Measuring DML during hay and silage storage is difficult and time-consuming, so it is usually limited to experimental conditions. The lack of a practical way of measuring DML to monitor forage conservation efficiency has contributed to the poor adoption of good practices. The availability of a practical, easy, and economic technique capable of estimating on-farm DML would facilitate advisory and extension work. The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy and precision of an indirect technique based on compositional changes to estimate storage DML for silages and hays. Data were generated through a Monte Carlo simulation developed to test the effects of type of data distribution (normal or log-normal), variability (5 and 10% coefficient of variation), and sample size (1000, 30, 20, and 10). Results indicated that potential markers (acid detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin were explored) had log-normal distribution and that a coefficient of variation of ~10% was reasonable. Summary statistic analysis showed that means and medians were coherent for different sample sizes. It was concluded that changes in marker concentrations could lead to a reasonably robust system of predicting DML during hay or silage storage.
Cassytha pubescens and C. glabella (Lauraceae) are not disjunctly distributed between Australia and the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan - evidence from morphological and molecular data
Authors: Kokubugata Goro , Nakamura Koh , Forster Paul I. , Wilson Gary W. , Holland Ailsa E. , Hirayama Yumiko , Yokota Masatsugu
Published: October 2012

Morphological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted to resolve taxonomic confusion in Cassytha glabella and C. pubescens, both of which were first described from Australia and subsequently considered to be disjunctly distributed between Australia and the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan. In the morphological comparisons, plants considered as C. pubescens in the Ryukyus differ from C. pubescens in Australia in the presence or absence of hairs on the petals, and those considered as C. glabella in the Ryukyus differ from the C. glabella in Australia in bract and peduncle morphology. The molecular analyses indicated that plants attributed to C. pubescens in the Ryukyus were not closely related to C. pubescens in Australia, and were nested in a clade of populations of a Pan-Western Pacific species C. filiformis. Plants attributed to C. glabella in the Ryukyus were distantly related to C. glabella in Australia. We concluded that plants considered as C. pubescens and C. glabella in the Ryukyus are to be respectively treated as C. filiformis and the Ryukyu endemic species C. pergracilis.
Phylogenetic relationships in Loganieae (Loganiaceae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast DNA sequence data
Authors: Gibbons Kerry L. , Henwood Murray J. , Conn Barry J.
Published: October 2012

Molecular systematics has clarified the limits of Loganiaceae (Gentianales), the tribal circumscriptions and the phylogenetic relationships within the family. Loganieae includes seven genera; however, generic boundaries remain untested and intergeneric relationships are largely unknown. The chloroplast intron petD and the nuclear ribosomal ETS were sequenced for 37 ingroup accessions, including all genera of Loganieae, to infer generic and infrageneric boundaries and intergeneric relationships within the tribe. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses resolved several strongly supported clades. Mitreola s. str. was placed sister to the rest of Loganieae. The south-western Australian endemic, Mitreola minima B.J.Conn, was placed sister to Mitrasacme, Schizacme and Phyllangium, rendering Mitreola polyphyletic. Mitrasacme, Logania section Logania and L. section Stomandra were each strongly supported as monophyletic, but there was no support for the monophyly of Logania. Geniostoma was paraphyletic with respect to a monophyletic Labordia. It is here recommended that Mitreola minima be afforded generic status and that the three species of Labordia used in the present study be reduced to synonymy of Geniostoma. Additional sampling is needed to clarify the relationship between Logania section Logania and L. section Stomandra and to increase support for intergeneric relationships in Loganieae.
Molecular phylogeny and systematics of Prostanthera (Lamiaceae)
Authors: Wilson Trevor C. , Conn Barry J. , Henwood Murray J.
Published: October 2012

Prostanthera is the largest genus of Lamiaceae in Australia and was last comprehensively revised in 1870. To test the classification, and the homology of the morphological characters on which it is based, we analysed nuclear (ETS) and chloroplast (trnT–F and ndhF–rpl32) sequence data for 71 species of Westringieae (Lamiaceae) in separate and combined datasets by using maximum-parsimony and Bayesian-inference methods. Results supported the monophyly of the Westringieae, but indicated that Prostanthera is paraphyletic with respect to Wrixonia, requiring the latter to be synonymised with the former. Although combinations of datasets provided some degree of infrageneric resolution within Prostanthera sensu lato, none of its sections or series could be recovered unambiguously. Prostanthera section Prostanthera and P. section Klanderia (regarded as entomophilous and ornithophilous, respectively) did not form a sister relationship, and neither could be unequivocally resolved as monophyletic. However, all species of P. section Klanderia nested within P. section Prostanthera raising the possibility that P. section Prostanthera is paraphyletic. Similarly, the phylogeny of Prostanthera based on molecular data could not be reconciled with the morphological definition of the traditionally recognised series. We recommend abandoning Bentham’s series as a means of organising morphological variation within the genus, but acknowledge that it is premature to discard Bentham’s sections. The evolutionary and systematic implications of the lack of congruence between our molecular phylogeny and morphologically defined subgeneric taxa are discussed.
Identification of antituberculosis agents that target ribosomal protein interactions using a yeast two-hybrid system
Authors: Lin Yuan , Li Yan , Zhu Yuanjun , Zhang Jing , Li Yongzhen , Liu Xiao , Jiang Wei , Yu Shishan , You Xue-Fu , Xiao Chunling , Hong Bin , Wang Yanchang , Jiang Jian-Dong , Si Shuyi
Published: October 2012

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
kills about 2 million people annually and antibiotic resistance is a cause of increased mortality. Therefore, development of new antituberculosis drugs is urgent for the control of widespread tuberculosis infections. For this purpose, we performed an innovative screen to identify new agents that disrupt the function of ribosomes in
M. tuberculosis
. Two bacterial ribosomal proteins L12 and L10 interact with each other and constitute the stalk of the 50S ribosomal subunit, which recruits initiation and elongation factors (EFs) during translation. Therefore, the L12–L10 interaction should be essential for ribosomal function and protein synthesis. We established a yeast two-hybrid system to identify small molecules that block the interaction between L12 and L10 proteins from
M. tuberculosis
. Using this system, we identified two compounds T766 and T054 that show strong bactericidal activity against tuberculosis but with low toxicity to mice and other bacterial strains. Moreover, using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assay, we have demonstrated that these compounds bind specifically to L12 to disrupt L12–L10 interaction. Overproduction of L12 protein, but not L10, lowers the antibacterial activity of T766 and T054, indicating that the ribosome is likely the cellular target. Therefore, our data demonstrate that this yeast two-hybrid system is a useful tool to identify unique antituberculosis agents targeting the ribosomal protein L12–L10 interaction.
Baseline reward circuitry activity and trait reward responsiveness predict expression of opioid analgesia in healthy subjects
Authors: Wanigasekera Vishvarani , Lee Michael C. , Rogers Richard , Kong Yazhuo , Leknes Siri , Andersson Jesper , Tracey Irene
Published: October 2012

Variability in opioid analgesia has been attributed to many factors. For example, genetic variability of the μ-opioid receptor (MOR)-encoding gene introduces variability in MOR function and endogenous opioid neurotransmission. Emerging evidence suggests that personality trait related to the experience of reward is linked to endogenous opioid neurotransmission. We hypothesized that opioid-induced behavioral analgesia would be predicted by the trait reward responsiveness (RWR) and the response of the brain reward circuitry to noxious stimuli at baseline before opioid administration. In healthy volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging and the μ-opioid agonist remifentanil, we found that the magnitude of behavioral opioid analgesia is positively correlated with the trait RWR and predicted by the neuronal response to painful noxious stimuli before infusion in key structures of the reward circuitry, such as the orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and the ventral tegmental area. These findings highlight the role of the brain reward circuitry in the expression of behavioral opioid analgesia. We also show a positive correlation between behavioral opioid analgesia and opioid-induced suppression of neuronal responses to noxious stimuli in key structures of the descending pain modulatory system (amygdala, periaqueductal gray, and rostral–ventromedial medulla), as well as the hippocampus. Further, these activity changes were predicted by the preinfusion period neuronal response to noxious stimuli within the ventral tegmentum. These results support the notion of future imaging-based subject-stratification paradigms that can guide therapeutic decisions.
Experience and the developing prefrontal cortex
Authors: Kolb Bryan , Mychasiuk Richelle , Muhammad Arif , Li Yilin , Frost Douglas O. , Gibb Robbin
Published: October 2012

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) receives input from all other cortical regions and functions to plan and direct motor, cognitive, affective, and social behavior across time. It has a prolonged development, which allows the acquisition of complex cognitive abilities through experience but makes it susceptible to factors that can lead to abnormal functioning, which is often manifested in neuropsychiatric disorders. When the PFC is exposed to different environmental events during development, such as sensory stimuli, stress, drugs, hormones, and social experiences (including both parental and peer interactions), the developing PFC may develop in different ways. The goal of the current review is to illustrate how the circuitry of the developing PFC can be sculpted by a wide range of pre- and postnatal factors. We begin with an overview of prefrontal functioning and development, and we conclude with a consideration of how early experiences influence prefrontal development and behavior.