bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of signaling pathways related to cell proliferation stimulated by insulin analogs in human mammary epithelial cell lines
Authors: Shukla Ashish , Grisouard Jean , Ehemann Volker , Hermani Alexander , Enzmann Harald , Mayer Doris
Published: January 2009

Insulin and insulin analogs stimulate proliferation of human mammary epithelial cells. We identified and analyzed the signaling pathways related to cell proliferation induced by regular insulin and by four insulin analogs presently approved for therapeutical use. Benign and malignant mammary cell lines showing different insulin receptor (IR) and IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) expression patterns were studied. Cell proliferation was studied by crystal violet staining (BrdU-FACS analysis). Activation of insulin and IGF signaling pathways was studied by analysis of the phosphorylation status of IGF-IR and of key signaling proteins of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and MAP kinase pathways, by the use of specific PI3K and MAP kinase inhibitors, and by silencing of IR and IGF-IR. Lantus stimulated the growth of MCF7 cells, which show high IGF-IR/IR ratio, significantly at 0.3 nmol/l, while regular insulin (Actrapid and bovine insulin) and other insulin analogs (Novorapid, Humalog, and Levemir) stimulated cell growth at 1.5–15 nmol/l concentrations. No difference between Lantus and the other insulin analogs was observed regarding growth stimulation of MCF10A cells showing low IGF-IR/IR ratio. Growth stimulation of MCF7 cells by Lantus was mainly due to strong activation of the IGF-IR and the MAP kinase pathway. Regular insulin and other insulin analogs tested activated mainly the IR and the PI3K/Akt pathway. We conclude that unlike regular insulin and other insulin analogs, Lantus strongly activates the IGF-IR and the MAP kinase pathway in MCF7 cells and is a strong mitogen for cells characterized by a high-IGF-IR/IR ratio.
Array-comparative genomic hybridization in sporadic benign pheochromocytomas
Authors: van Nederveen Francien H , Korpershoek Esther , deLeeuw Ronald J , Verhofstad Albert A , Lenders Jacques W , Dinjens Winand N M , Lam Wan L , de Krijger Ronald R
Published: January 2009

Pheochromocytomas (PCC) are catecholamine-producing tumors arising from the adrenal medulla that occur either sporadically or in the context of hereditary cancer syndromes, such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2), von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL), neurofibromatosis type 1, and the PCC-paraganglioma syndrome. Conventional comparative genomic hybridization studies have shown loss of 1p and 3q in the majority of sporadic and MEN2-related PCC, and 3p and 11p loss in VHL-related PCC. The development of a submegabase tiling resolution array enabled us to perform a genome-wide high-resolution analysis of 36 sporadic benign PCC. The results show that there are two distinct patterns of abnormalities in these sporadic PCC, one consisting of loss of 1p with or without concomitant 3q loss in 20/36 cases (56%), the other characterized by loss of 3p with or without concomitant 11p loss in 11/36 (31%). In addition, we found loss of chromosome 22q at high frequency (35%), as well as the novel finding of high frequency chromosome 21q loss (21%). We conclude that there appear to be two subgroups of benign sporadic PCC, one of which has a pattern of chromosomal abnormalities that is comparable with PCC from patients with MEN2 and the other that is comparable with the PCC that arise in patients with VHL disease. In addition, genes on 21q and 22q might play a more important role in PCC pathogenesis than had been assumed thus far.
Nonlinear analysis of crack widths in reinforced concrete
Authors: Tammo K. , Lundgren K. , Thelandersson S.
Published: January 2009

Former research indicates that the crack width close to the bar can be a better indicator for the risk for reinforcement corrosion than, as current concrete codes impose, the crack width at the concrete surface. In this paper a finite-element model is used to increase the understanding of how the crack width varies at different levels from the reinforcement and how different mechanisms control this behaviour. Concrete and reinforcement are modelled with solid elements, where nonlinear fracture mechanics is used for the concrete material and a model, which has been modified for this purpose, describes the bond between steel and concrete. The results of the finite-element calculations of the crack widths are compared to earlier experimental studies. Both the finite-element analysis and experimental studies are performed on axially loaded concrete prisms with a central 16 mm reinforcement bar and concrete covers of 30, 50 and 70 mm. The finite-element analysis verifies the results from former experimental research, where the crack widths close to the reinforcement bar are affected only slightly, or not at all, by the concrete cover. This can lead to new possibilities of enlarging the concrete cover and increasing the durability of concrete structures in future.
Hydroponics reducing effluent's heavy metals discharge
Authors: Rababah Abdellah , Al-Shuha Ahmad
Published: January 2009

This paper investigates the capacity of Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) to control effluent's heavy metals discharge. A commercial hydroponic system was adapted to irrigate lettuces with primary treated wastewater for studying the potential heavy metals removal. A second commercial hydroponic system was used to irrigate the same type of lettuces with nutrient solution and this system was used as a control. Results showed that lettuces grew well when irrigated with primary treated effluent in the commercial hydroponic system. The NFT-plant system heavy metals removal efficiency varied amongst the different elements, The system's removal efficiency for Cr was more than 92%, Ni more than 85%, in addition to more than 60% reduction of B, Pb, and Zn. Nonetheless, the NFT-plants system removal efficiencies for As, Cd and Cu were lower than 30%. Results show that lettuces accumulated heavy metals in leaves at concentrations higher than the maximum acceptable European and Australian levels. Therefore, non-edible plants such as flowers or pyrethrum are recommended as value added crops for the proposed NFT.
Pollution load modelling in sewer systems: an approach of combining long term online sensor data with multi-objective auto-calibration schemes
Authors: Gamerith V. , Muschalla D. , Könemann P. , Gruber G.
Published: January 2009

Pollutant load modelling for sewer systems is state-of-the-art, especially for the estimation of discharged pollutant loads and development of sewer management strategies. However, conventionally obtained calibration data sets are often not exhaustive and have significant drawbacks. In the Graz West catchment area (Graz, Austria), continuous high-resolution long-term online measurements for discharge and pollutant concentration have been carried out since 2002.

In this paper, the application of single- and multi-objective auto-calibration schemes based on evolution strategies for a deterministic hydrological pollutant load model will be discussed. Three approaches for pollutant load modelling are examined and compared: using a constant storm weather concentration and two surface accumulation–wash-off approaches with basic respectively extended wash-off equations. It is shown that the applied auto-calibration method leads to very satisfying results for both the calibration and the validation data set, and also for the dry and the storm weather runoff. Results from multi-objective calibration show better robustness in validation events than single-objective calibration. The build-up wash-off approach using the basic wash-off equation gives the best correlations between measured data and simulation results.
Intelligent sequencing batch reactor control from theory, through modelling, to full-scale application
Authors: Shaw Andrew , Watts John , Fairey Andrew W. , Iler Marty
Published: January 2009

Sequencing batch reactors (SBR) can provide a high level of treatment and have potentially great flexibility in their modes of operation enabling the operator – in principle – to adjust the way the SBR operates to provide the desired treatment goal. In practice, however, SBRs are most often operated using simple phases with fixed time intervals. Advanced control techniques can be used to enable an SBR to realize its full treatment potential and maximize its capacity and this paper describes several online measurements and control approaches that can be used to do so. A case study is presented that demonstrates how first a process model was used to test three control options for the Daniel Island wastewater treatment facility in South Carolina, USA, followed by field testing of two approaches and the subsequent implementation of one of these to enable the plant to maximize its treatment capacity.
Hunting from motorboats displaces Wadden Sea eiders Somateria mollissima from their favoured feeding distribution
Authors: Laursen Karsten , Frikke John
Published: January 2009

Hunting of eiders Somateria mollissima from motorboats is common in Danish marine waters, and to reduce hunting pressure on eiders and other diving duck species in Denmark, motorboat hunting was banned within 42 marine sites covering an area of 2,934 km2, although the effects of this regulation have to date not been examined. Our case study analyses the effects of excluding motorboat hunting from an area of 682 km2 of the Danish Wadden Sea (hereafter the ‘Study Area’) which also supported a large area of blue mussel beds, the preferred food for eiders. Our study covered the entire Danish Wadden Sea (total area 1,225 km2) during the hunting seasons (October‐February) of 1980–2003 using 85 aerial surveys of eiders and motorboats used by hunters. Eider numbers increased by 56% in the Study Area following the ban on motorboat hunting despite a 50% reduction in the eider flyway population over the same period. There was a significant negative relationship between the density of hunter motorboats and that of eiders on a small geographical scale (1.8–2.5 km). Motorboat hunting in the Study Area also affected eider distribution at larger geographical scales (4–12 km), displacing eiders from the Study Area offshore from the Wadden Sea into the North Sea. Following the ban on motorboat hunting, most eiders occurred in the Study Area. Winter (21 December‐31 January) body condition of eiders was greater in the Study Area than the body condition of eiders in the Offshore Area during autumn (20 October‐20 December). Eider abundance relative to blue mussel biomass significantly increased after motorboat hunting was banned in the Study Area, but there was no such change during winter after the hunting ban. Since the ban on motorboat hunting in the Study Area, eider numbers throughout the entire Danish Wadden Sea seem to be regulated by total blue mussel biomass.
Spatial organisation and intra‐specific relationship of the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides in Central Europe
Authors: Drygala Frank , Stier Norman , Zoller Hinrich , Mix Henry M. , Bögelsack Kathrin , Roth Mechthild
Published: January 2009

During October 1999 ‐ October 2003, we monitored 26 adult raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides using radio‐telemetry in an area of Germany which has been occupied by this invasive alien species since the early 1990s. No adult animals dispersed from the area during the study period and home ranges tended to be used for several years, probably for life. The average annual home‐range size, calculated using 95% fixed kernel, was 382.2 ha±297.4 SD for females (N=30 seasonal home ranges) and 352.4 ha±313.3 for males (N=32 seasonal home ranges). Paired raccoon dogs had home ranges of similar size (P=0.203), with pairs sharing the same area all year round (P<0.001). Raccoon dogs occupied large core areas (85% kernel) covering 81.2% of their home ranges. The home ranges were at their smallest during the mating season. The slightly larger size of home ranges in winter suggests that, due to the temperate climate, raccoon dogs do not hibernate in Germany. Males and females formed a long‐term (probably lifelong) pair bond. Same‐sex neighbours ignored each other and even adjacent males/females showed neither preference nor avoidance. Thus, based on the results of home‐range overlap analysis and interaction estimations, it can be assumed that the raccoon dog in Central Europe is monogamous without exclusive territories.
Comparison of two sampling protocols and four home‐range estimators using radio‐tracking data from urban badgers Meles meles
Authors: Huck Maren , Davison John , Roper Timothy J.
Published: January 2009

Radio‐telemetry is often the method of choice for studies of species whose behaviour is difficult to observe directly. However, considerable debate has ensued about the best way of deriving home‐range estimates. In recent years, kernel estimators have become the most widely used method, together with the oldest and simplest method, the minimum convex polygon (MCP). More recently, it has been suggested that the local convex hull (LCH) might be more appropriate than kernel methods in cases where an animal's home range includes a priori inaccessible areas. Yet another method, the Brownian bridge (BB), explicitly uses autocorrelated data to determine movement paths and, ultimately, home ranges or migration routes of animals. Whereas several studies have used simulation techniques to compare these different methods, few have used data from real animals. We used radio‐telemetric data from urban badgers Meles meles to compare two sampling protocols (10‐minute vs at least 30‐minute inter‐fix intervals) and four home‐range estimators (MCP, fixed kernels (FK), LCH and BB). We used a multi‐response permutation procedure and randomisation tests to compare overall patterns of fixes and degree of overlap of home ranges estimated using data from different sampling protocols, and a general linear model to compare the influence of sampling protocols and home‐range estimator on the size of habitat patches. The shape of the estimated home ranges was influenced by sampling protocol in some cases. By contrast, the sizes and proportions of different habitats within home ranges were influenced by estimator type but not by sampling protocol. LCH performed consistently better than FK, and is especially appropriate for patchy study areas containing frequent no‐go zones. However, we recommend using LCH in combination with other methods to estimate total range size, because LCH tended to produce smaller estimates than any other method. Results relating to BB are preliminary but suggest that this method is unsuitable for species in which range size is small compared to average travel speed.
Can ground counts reliably monitor ibex Capra ibex populations
Authors: Largo Emilie , Gaillard Jean‐Michel , Festa‐Bianchet Marco , Toïgo Carole , Bassano Bruno , Cortot Hervé , Farny Gilles , Lequette Benoît , Gauthier Dominique , Martinot Jean‐Pierre
Published: January 2009

Although ground counts are often used to monitor ungulate populations, several studies show that counts of ungulates have low precision and often underestimate population size. We assessed the reliability of ibex Capra ibex counts as performed in French national parks, by analysing up to 23 years of annual censuses of six ibex populations for which a subset of animals were individually marked. We compared the population growth rate obtained from census data (estimated by use of four different methods) with the growth rate calculated from a demographic model including parameters estimated from capture‐mark‐recapture methods. The correlations between count‐based estimates and growth rate obtained from demographic models were adequate to suggest that ground counts can monitor trends in population size of ibex, provided that the occasional undercounts are identified. Substantial undercounts in some years led to biologically impossible values of yearly population growth (λ>1.35) and, in the longest time series available, to marked autocorrelations in counts. Managers should replicate counts within the same year to check for underestimated counts. To reduce errors, population biologists analysing time series of ungulate counts should check the plausibility of annual growth rates estimated from two consecutive counts.
Evaluation of sexual function in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Fatemi Seyedeh Seddigeh , Taghavi Seyed Morteza
Published: January 2009

Sexual health is an important, but often neglected, component of diabetes care. In contrast to erectile dysfunction among men with diabetes, female sexual dysfunction has not been well studied among diabetic women. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with type 2 diabetes compared to that in an age-matched control group.

In all, 50 married women with type 2 diabetes attending the outpatient endocrine clinic of Ghaem Hospital between April 2007 and March 2008 were selected. Fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin were measured and sexual function was assessed by questionnaire. Scores in each domain of sexual function were compared with those of 40 non-diabetic controls.

Sexual function scores for the sexual drive, arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasm and overall satisfaction domains were all lower in the diabetic women (p value < 0.05). Duration of diabetes and age correlated negatively with all domains of sexual function. There was no significant relationship between sexual function and body mass index (BMI), glycaemic control, education or employment status.

Diabetes significantly impairs the sexual performance of diabetic women. Determinants of sexual function include age and duration of diabetes.
Jan van Riebeeck as Pioneering Explorer and Conservator of Natural Resources at the Cape of Good Hope (1652-62)
Authors: Pooley Simon
Published: January 2009

The first decade of Dutch VOC occupation of South Africa's Cape of Good Hope has been ill served by environmental historians. An examination of the daily journals covering the first decade of settlement proves fruitful for historians interested in the origins of European exploration, exploitation and conservation of natural resources at the Cape. This settlement is moreover a unique example of seventeenth-century Dutch settlers establishing a cornucopia of food plants in the absence of indigenous agriculturalists, experimenting with species imported from the VOC's many bases. The difficulty of establishing what they may have learned from the indigenous peoples is addressed.
Population, Land Use and Environmental Impacts in Shucheng County, Anhui Province, China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Authors: Zuozhi Yan , Hongyi Gu , Yangben Dai , Xuande Wu , Dearing John A. , Weiguo Zhang , Lizhong Yu
Published: January 2009

The paper considers the documented environmental history of Shucheng County, located in Anhui Province, eastern China, during the Ming and Qing dynasties. We take Shucheng County as a case study to reconstruct the variations of population and land use in the last 500 years, and to examine their influence on the environmental changes in this region. Data are compiled for population, land use, settlement, recorded climate hazards, and consequent disasters such as drought and flooding. The causative links between climate, human activities and environmental responses are not straightforward. At times, climate seems to have acted as a strong control on human activities, especially the timing of early agricultural expansion in the warm and wet late Ming period. But at other times human activities appear to have strongly modified environmental responses to climate. For example, while the overall incidence of flooding seems to be linked to periods of wetter climate the long term rising trend in the flood record on the Hangbu and Fengle rivers tracks the long term development of hydraulically engineered river systems, the expansion of paddy field agriculture and exploitation of the mountains.
Gender, Representation, Experience: The Case of Village Performers in Java
Authors: HUGHES-FREELAND FELICIA
Published: January 2009

This article explores how gender representations are deployed in anthropological analysis with reference to female performers (ledhek) in rural Java during the last decades of Suharto's New Order Indonesia (1966–1998). 1 It shows how the negative ascriptions given to ledheks were consistent with state promulgated gender ideologies in Indonesia, and explores the women's experiences in performances and everyday life. This different standpoint allows us to understand their dancing from the performers’ points of view, rather than from that of official state endorsed ideas of acceptable performance culture.
Bringing Carmen Back to Spain: Antonio Gades's Flamenco Dance in Carlos Saura's Choreofilm
Authors: SIMONARI ROSELLA
Published: January 2009

Carmen was published as a novella in 1845 by Prosper Mérimée and in 1875 the composer Georges Bizet transformed it into what would become a universally known opera. It is a French myth of a Spanish Gypsy whose sensual beauty leads men to perdition. As such it makes use of recurring elements of Spanish culture which are often reduced to stereotypical images. The 1983 film directed by Carlos Saura, with choreography by Antonio Gades, questions the cliché associated with the figure of Carmen by focussing on two principal issues: the story's multi-linear structure and Gades's flamenco dance. The structure is characterised by a story within a story: a choreographer who is looking for a dancer to perform Carmen falls in love with the performer of his choice, thus following the storyline he is supposed to represent in his choreography. Gades's flamenco dance is revealed as a work in progress, reconnecting the Carmen myth with its roots and, at the same time, deconstructing it from within. In this paper I shall analyse Antonio Gades's flamenco dance in Saura's Carmen in the light of current postcolonial perspectives. As Ermanna Carmen Mandelli has observed, Gades's style was inspired by the poor people of his childhood background and in contrast with the españolada (a performance which exaggerates the Spanish character) promoted by the Francoist regime. The analysis will be concluded with a close reading of the tabacalera scene which exemplifies Gades's style and his vision of Carmen.
Labels, Histories, Politics: Indian/South Asian Dance on the Global Stage
Authors: MEDURI AVANTHI
Published: January 2009

In this paper, I discuss issues revolving around history, historiography, alterity, difference and otherness concealed in the doubled Indian/South Asian label used to describe Indian/South Asian dance genres in the UK. The paper traces the historical genealogy of the South Asian label to US, Indian and British contexts and describes how the South Asian enunciation fed into Indian nation-state historiography and politics in the 1950s. I conclude by describing how Akademi: South Asian Dance, a leading London based arts organisation, explored the ambivalence in the doubled Indian/South Asian label by renaming itself in 1997, and forging new local/global networks of communication and artistic exchange between Indian and British based dancers and choreographers at the turn of the twenty-first century.
Archives of the Dance (21): Siobhan Davies Dance Online
Authors: WHATLEY SARAH
Published: January 2009

In 2006, an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) grant was awarded to researchers at Coventry University to create a digital archive of the work of Siobhan Davies Dance. The award is significant in acknowledging the limited resources readily available to dance scholars as well as to dance audiences in general. The archive, Siobhan Davies Dance Online, 1 will be the first digital dance archive in the UK. Mid-way through the project, Sarah Whatley, who is leading the project, reflects on some of the challenges in bringing together the collection, the range of materials that is going to be available within the archive and what benefits the archive should bring to the research community, the company itself and to dance in general.
Deleuze, Bakhtin, and the ‘Clamour of Voices’
Authors: Evans Fred
Published: January 2009

This paper pursues two goals. The first concerns clarifying the relationship between Deleuze and the Russian linguist and culturologist, Mikhail Bakhtin. Not only does Deleuze refer to Bakhtin as a primary source for his emphasis on voice and indirect discourse, both thinkers valorise heterogeneity and creativity. I argue Deleuze's notions of ‘deterritorialisation’ and ‘reterritorialisation’ parallel Bakhtin's idea of ‘heteroglossia’ and ‘monoglossia’. Clarifying the relationship between Deleuze and Bakhtin leads directly to the second of my two other goals. I will argue that an important difference in their characterisation of voice reveals a strong point in Deleuze's philosophy, one related to the political sphere. At the same time, however, Deleuze's particular way of articulating this point conceals a weakness, one related to the idea of the subject. I will conclude my paper by suggesting a way to address this weakness.
Expression, Immanence and Constructivism: ‘Spinozism’ and Gilles Deleuze
Authors: Nail Thomas
Published: January 2009

This paper is an attempt to explicate the relationship between Spinozist expressionism and philosophical constructivism in Deleuze's work through the concept of immanent causality. Deleuze finds in Spinoza a philosophy of immanent causality used to solve the problem of the relation between substance, attribute and mode as an expression of substance. But, when he proceeds to take up this notion of immanent causality found in Spinoza in Difference and Repetition, Deleuze instead inverts it into a modal one such that the identity of substance may be said only of the difference of the modes. Complicating this further, Deleuze and Guattari claim in A Thousand Plateaus that substance, attribute, and mode are each, themselves, multiplicities. What is Philosophy? takes up immanent causality once again, this time through a constructivist lens aimed at resolving the question of the relation between philosophical multiplicities: ‘plane,’ ‘persona,’ and ‘concept.’ By following the different formulations of immanent causality in these works this essay hopes to discover the relationship between Spinozist expressionism and philosophical constructivism in Deleuze's work.
Comparison of Different Neural Network Approaches for the Tropospheric Profiling over the Inter-tropical lands Using GPS Radio Occultation Data
Authors: Bonafoni Stefania , Pelliccia Fabrizio , Anniballe Roberta
Published: January 2009

In this study different approaches based on multilayer perceptron neural networks are proposed and evaluated with the aim to retrieve tropospheric profiles by using GPS radio occultation data. We employed a data set of 445 occultations covering the land surface within the Tropics, split into desert and vegetation zone. The neural networks were trained with refractivity profiles as input computed from geometrical occultation parameters provided by the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC satellites, while the targets were the dry and wet refractivity profiles and the dry pressure profiles obtained from the contemporary European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast data. Such a new retrieval algorithm was chosen to solve the atmospheric profiling problem without the constraint of an independent knowledge of one atmospheric parameter at each GPS occultation.
State-of-The-Art and Applications of 3D Imaging Sensors in Industry, Cultural Heritage, Medicine, and Criminal Investigation
Authors: Sansoni Giovanna , Trebeschi Marco , Docchio Franco
Published: January 2009

3D imaging sensors for the acquisition of three dimensional (3D) shapes have created, in recent years, a considerable degree of interest for a number of applications. The miniaturization and integration of the optical and electronic components used to build them have played a crucial role in the achievement of compactness, robustness and flexibility of the sensors. Today, several 3D sensors are available on the market, even in combination with other sensors in a “sensor fusion” approach. An importance equal to that of physical miniaturization has the portability of the measurements, via suitable interfaces, into software environments designed for their elaboration, e.g., CAD-CAM systems, virtual renders, and rapid prototyping tools. In this paper, following an overview of the state-of-art of 3D imaging sensors, a number of significant examples of their use are presented, with particular reference to industry, heritage, medicine, and criminal investigation applications.
THE IMAGES OF TIME IN THE EPOCH OF MULTICULTURALISM
Authors: Nalivaika Ina
Published: January 2009

The article is devoted to the comprehension of the connection between the idea and practice of multiculturalism and images of time that define the identity of classical cultural models. To answer the question about the perspectives and the limits of multiculturalism as new form of pluralism, it is necessary to examine the origins of the idea of plurality in Western culture. This idea occurs to be deeply connected with the specific movement of subjectivation and the mode of time‐experience that defines the ontological basis of the Self. The specific feature of European mode of apprehension of the time is its visual character. The vivid call of the epoch of multiculturalism is the need for transformation of indefinite plurality into real diversity. It demands new ontology based on refusal from visual approach to time and on transition “eidetic” one into “existential”.
Metal‐Ion Selectivity of Chemically Modified Uracil Pairs in DNA Duplexes
Authors: Okamoto Itaru , Iwamoto Kenji , Watanabe Yuko , Miyake Yoko , Ono Akira
Published: January 2009

Doppelstrang‐DNA mit gepaarten 5‐Brom‐, 5‐Fluor‐ oder 5‐Cyanuracilgruppen bindet selektiv an Metallionen. Das Bindungsverhalten hängt vom pH‐Wert der Lösung ab (siehe Schema), weil die Aciditäten der modifizierten Uracilbasen durch die elektronenziehenden Wirkungen der Substituenten beeinflusst werden.

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Metal Silylenes Generated by Double Silicon–Hydrogen Activation: Key Intermediates in the Rhodium‐Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Ketones
Authors: Schneider Nathanaëlle , Finger Markus , Haferkemper Christian , Bellemin‐Laponnaz Stéphane , Hofmann Peter , Gade Lutz H.
Published: January 2009

Wenig Aktivierungsenergie benötigt die Hydrosilylierung von Ketonen mit R2SiH2, an der Rhodiumsilylene beteiligt sind, die durch doppelte Si‐H‐Aktivierung am Metall entstehen. Eine DFT‐Studie der Reaktionsmechanismen passt zu den experimentellen Befunden, vor allem zur höheren Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit von R2SiH2 gegenüber R3SiH und zum inversen kinetischen Isotopeneffekt.

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Organocatalytic Asymmetric Alkylation of Aldehydes by SN1‐Type Reaction of Alcohols
Authors: Cozzi Pier Giorgio , Benfatti Fides , Zoli Luca
Published: January 2009

Fähige Alkohole: Die schwierige enantioselektive katalytische α‐Alkylierung von Aldehyden, eine lange gesuchte Umwandlung, wurde mithilfe von Alkoholen mit der Fähigkeit zur Stabilisierung von Carbokationen erreicht (siehe Schema, TFA=Trifluoressigsäure).

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Reversible Storage of Lithium in a Rambutan‐Like Tin–Carbon Electrode
Authors: Deng Da , Lee Jim Yang
Published: January 2009

Fruity electrodes: A simple bottom‐up self‐assembly method was used to fabricate rambutan‐like tin–carbon (Sn@C) nanoarchitecture (see scheme, green Sn) to improve the reversible storage of lithium in tin. The mechanism of the growth of the pear‐like hairs is explored.

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Proteomic Analysis of Plasma Membrane Vesicles
Authors: Bauer Brigitte , Davidson Max , Orwar Owe
Published: January 2009

A simple and scalable method is presented for harvesting, purification, and on‐chip processing of mammalian plasma membrane vesicles (PMVs) optimized for downstream proteome analysis. After immobilization on a microfluidic flowcell of PMVs, the embedded membrane proteins are proteolytically digested, and the peptides harvested and analyzed by LC‐MS/MS. Over 93 % of the detected proteins are plasma‐membrane‐derived.

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Mode of Action and Design Rules for Additives That Modulate Crystal Nucleation
Authors: Anwar Jamshed , Boateng Papa Kofi , Tamaki Reiko , Odedra Sheetal
Published: January 2009

Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the key factors that determine the ability of an additive to modulate crystal nucleation are the strength of its interaction with the solute, its disruptive ability (which may be based on steric, entropic, or energetic effects), and interfacial properties, along with its ability to serve as a template for nucleation (see snapshot of an emerging nucleus with a single‐particle additive: black spheres).

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Metal Silylenes Generated by Double Silicon–Hydrogen Activation: Key Intermediates in the Rhodium‐Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Ketones
Authors: Schneider Nathanaëlle , Finger Markus , Haferkemper Christian , Bellemin‐Laponnaz Stéphane , Hofmann Peter , Gade Lutz H.
Published: January 2009

Rhodium silylenes, which are generated by double Si–H activation at the metal, are involved in a low‐activation‐barrier mechanism of the hydrosilylation of ketones with R2SiH2. A DFT‐based study of reaction mechanisms accounts for the experimental observations, notably the rate enhancement for R2SiH2 over R3SiH and an inverse kinetic isotope effect.

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Organocatalytic Asymmetric Alkylation of Aldehydes by SN1‐Type Reaction of Alcohols
Authors: Cozzi Pier Giorgio , Benfatti Fides , Zoli Luca
Published: January 2009

Work‐alcoholic! The elusive enantioselective catalytic α‐alkylation of aldehydes, a widely sought transformation, was brought to execution by the use of alcohols capable of forming stabilized carbocations (see scheme, TFA=trifluoroacetic acid).

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Plugging a Molecular Wire into Photosystem I: Reconstitution of the Photoelectric Conversion System on a Gold Electrode
Authors: Terasaki Nao , Yamamoto Noritaka , Hiraga Takashi , Yamanoi Yoshinori , Yonezawa Tetsu , Nishihara Hiroshi , Ohmori Tsutomu , Sakai Makoto , Fujii Masaaki , Tohri Akihiko , Iwai Masako , Inoue Yasunori , Yoneyama Satoshi , Minakata Makoto , Enami Isao
Published: January 2009

Plug and play: Photoinduced electron transfer occurs from photoexcited P700 in photosystem I (PSI) to a gold surface (see picture). A novel molecular connector system is used, in which an artificial molecular wire, which is assembled on the gold surface, was plugged into PSI by reconstitution. Analysis of the photoelectron transfer kinetics proved both the output of electrons from PSI and the effectiveness of the molecular wire.

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Synthesis and molecular structures of 1‐chloro‐1‐silacyclopent‐2‐enes. Combination of 1,2‐hydroboration, 1,1‐organoboration and protodeborylation
Authors: Khan Ezzat , Kempe Rhett , Wrackmeyer Bernd
Published: January 2009

The reaction of alkyn‐1‐yl(chloro)(methyl)vinyl‐ and alkyn‐1‐yl(chloro)(phenyl)‐vinylsilane with 9‐borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9‐BBN) afforded selectively 1‐silacyclopent‐2‐ene derivatives containing a SiCl function, as a result of consecutive 1,2‐hydroboration and 1,1‐organoboration. Protodeborylation with acetic acid left the SiCl functions in various 1‐silacyclopent‐2‐enes untouched, whereas acetic acid in the presence of dipropylamine led to conversion of the SiCl into the SiOAc function. New starting materials and all products were characterized in solution by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy (1H, 11B, 13C and 29Si NMR), and the molecular structures of two 1‐silacyclopent‐2‐ene derivatives were determined by X‐ray analysis. The gas phase geometries of 1‐silacyclopent‐2‐enes were optimized by DFT calculations [B3LYP/6‐311 + G(d,p) level of theory], found to be in reasonable agreement with the results of the crystal structure determination, and NMR parameters were calculated at the same level of theory. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of a Sialic Acid Containing Complex‐Type N‐Glycan on a Solid Support
Authors: Tanaka Katsunori , Fujii Yohei , Tokimoto Hiroomi , Mori Yasutaka , Tanaka Shin‐ichi , Bao Guang‐ming , Siwu Eric R. O. , Nakayabu Aiko , Fukase Koichi
Published: January 2009

On solid ground: A new solid‐phase synthesis of N‐linked glycans featuring 1) highly stereoselective β‐mannosylation and microfluidic α‐sialylation and 2) efficient glycosylation of the N‐phenyltrifluoroacetimidate units on JandaJel resin is reported. Reagent concentration effects by a fluorous solvent are effectively applied, and the use of these methods results in the first synthesis of a sialic acid containing complex‐type N‐glycan on a solid support.

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A new solid‐phase synthesis of N‐linked glycans featuring 1) highly stereoselective β‐mannosylation and microfluidic α‐sialylation and 2) efficient glycosylation of the N‐phenyltrifluoroacetimidate units on JandaJel resin is reported. Reagent concentration effects by a fluorous solvent are effectively applied, and the use of these methods results in the first synthesis of a sialic acid containing complex‐type N‐glycan on a solid support.
Framing of imprecise quantities: When are lower interval bounds preferred to upper bounds?
Authors: Halberg Anne‐Marie , Teigen Karl Halvor
Published: January 2009

Imprecisely known quantities (e.g., predictions) are often described in approximate terms as “more than X” or “less than Y” (e.g., “Ann will earn more than $50 000” or “less than $60 000”). Such phrases carry both quantitative and qualitative (pragmatic) information. Three studies are reported showing that lower limit estimates (more than, over, minimum) are generally more frequent, and considered more appropriate than upper limit estimates (less than, under, maximum) over a wide range of contexts. This is partly due to scalar properties of the number system, where lower numbers are attained before, and included in higher numbers, but not vice versa. As a result, upper limit statements are perceived as negations, and carry more specific information about the speaker's communicative concerns. Upper limit statements are preferred with amounts or quantities that can be perceived as small, whereas lower limit statements can be used both to indicate large quantities and as a default. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The need for the incorporation of phylogeny in the measurement of biological diversity, with special reference to ecosystem functioning research
Authors: King Ian
Published: January 2009

Defining and measuring biodiversity is an important research area in biology, with very interesting theoretical and applied aspects. Numerous definitions have been proposed, and these definitions of biodiversity influence how it is measured. From the still commonly used measure of species diversity, through higher taxon diversity, molecular measures, ecological measures and indicator taxa, these measures have as their fundamental shortcoming the lack of an explicit consideration of the evolutionary context represented by phylogenies. Attempts have been made to incorporate phylogenetic considerations into measuring biodiversity, but more hypothesis‐driven research needs to be done. A specific case study is presented of how this added emphasis on phylogeny‐based biodiversity measurement can influence the way in which research is directed and hypotheses are generated. The elucidation of the relationship of biodiversity to ecosystem functioning is a very timely concern with the unarguable loss of biodiversity this planet is experiencing, whichever way biodiversity is measured.
The spectra of point mutations in vertebrate genomes
Authors: Albrecht‐Buehler Guenter
Published: January 2009

In spite of the importance of point mutations for evolution and human diseases, their natural spectrum of incidence in different species is not known. Here I propose to determine these spectra by comparing consecutive sequence periods in stretches of repetitive DNA. The article presents the analysis of more than 51,000 such point mutations identified by this approach in the genomes of human, chimpanzee, rat, mouse, pufferfish, zebrafish, and sea squirt. I propose to explain the observed spectra by auto‐mutagenic mechanisms of genome variation involving the inter‐conversions of nucleotides, single base‐pair inversions and their combinations.
The life and death of gene families
Authors: Demuth Jeffery P. , Hahn Matthew W.
Published: January 2009

One of the unique insights provided by the growing number of fully sequenced genomes is the pervasiveness of gene duplication and gene loss. Indeed, several metrics now suggest that rates of gene birth and death per gene are only 10–40% lower than nucleotide substitutions per site, and that per nucleotide, the consequent lineage‐specific expansion and contraction of gene families may play at least as large a role in adaptation as changes in orthologous sequences. While gene family evolution is pervasive, it may be especially important in our own evolution since it appears that the “revolving door” of gene duplication and loss has undergone multiple accelerations in the lineage leading to humans. In this paper, we review current understanding of gene family evolution including: methods for inferring copy number change, evidence for adaptive expansion and adaptive contraction of gene families, the origins of new families and deaths of previously established ones, and finally we conclude with a perspective on challenges and promising directions for future research.
RNA regulation of epigenetic processes
Authors: Mattick John S. , Amaral Paulo P. , Dinger Marcel E. , Mercer Tim R. , Mehler Mark F.
Published: January 2009

There is increasing evidence that dynamic changes to chromatin, chromosomes and nuclear architecture are regulated by RNA signalling. Although the precise molecular mechanisms are not well understood, they appear to involve the differential recruitment of a hierarchy of generic chromatin modifying complexes and DNA methyltransferases to specific loci by RNAs during differentiation and development. A significant fraction of the genome‐wide transcription of non‐protein coding RNAs may be involved in this process, comprising a previously hidden layer of intermediary genetic information that underpins developmental ontogeny and the differences between species, ecotypes and individuals. It is also evident that RNA editing is a primary means by which hardwired genetic information in animals can be altered by environmental signals, especially in the brain, indicating a dynamic RNA‐mediated interplay between the transcriptome, the environment and the epigenome. Moreover, RNA‐directed regulatory processes may also transfer epigenetic information not only within cells but also between cells and organ systems, as well as across generations.
X‐chromosome upregulation and inactivation: two sides of the dosage compensation mechanism in mammals
Authors: Dementyeva Elena V. , Shevchenko Alexander I. , Zakian Suren M.
Published: January 2009

Mammals have a very complex, tightly controlled, and developmentally regulated process of dosage compensation. One form of the process equalizes expression of the X‐linked genes, present as a single copy in males (XY) and as two copies in females (XX), by inactivation of one of the two X‐chromosomes in females. The second form of the process leads to balanced expression between the X‐linked and autosomal genes by transcriptional upregulation of the active X in males and females. However, not all X‐linked genes are absolutely balanced. This review is focused on the recent advances in studying the dosage compensation phenomenon in mammals.
Beta‐catenin and axis formation in planarians
Authors: Meinhardt Hans
Published: January 2009

In three recent articles it was shown that β‐catenin is crucial for the establishment and the maintenance of the overall polarity and especially for the character ‘posterior’ in planarians. If the transcription of the β‐catenin gene was silenced by RNA interference, the overall polarity is lost, and in regenerating fragments a posterior blastema displays anterior characters by forming eyes and anterior ganglia. An attempt is made to integrate these new data, well‐known older observations, and observations from other regenerating systems into an outline of a model that will clarify our current understanding as well as highlight areas still to be developed.
A day of systems and synthetic biology for non‐experts
Authors: Moore Andrew
Published: January 2009

From understanding ageing to the creation of artificial membrane‐bounded ‘organisms’, systems biology and synthetic biology are seen as the latest revolutions in the life sciences. They certainly represent a major change of gear, but paradigm shifts? This is open to debate, to say the least. For scientists they open up exciting ways of studying living systems, of formulating the ‘laws of life’, and the relationship between the origin of life, evolution and artificial biological systems. However, the ethical and societal considerations are probably indistinguishable from those of human genetics and genetically modified organisms. There are some tangible developments just around the corner for society, and as ever, our ability to understand the consequences of, and manage, our own progress lags far behind our technological abilities. Furthermore our educational systems are doing a bad job of preparing the next generation of scientists and non‐scientists.
Adsorption of peroxidase on Celite 545 directly from ammonium sulfate fractionated white radish (Raphanus sativus) proteins
Authors: Satar Rukhsana , Husain Qayyum
Published: January 2009

This paper demonstrates the direct immobilization of peroxidase from ammonium sulfate fractionated white radish proteins on an inorganic support, Celite 545. The adsorbed peroxidase was crosslinked by using glutaraldehyde. The activity yield for white radish peroxidase was adsorbed on Celite 545 was 70% and this activity was decreased and remained 60% of the initial activity after crosslinking by glutaraldehyde. The pH and temperature‐optima for both soluble and immobilized peroxidase was at pH 5.5 and 40°C. Immobilized peroxidase retained higher stability against heat and water‐miscible organic solvents. In the presence of 5.0 mM mercuric chloride, immobilized white radish peroxidase retained 41% of its initial activity while the free enzyme lost 93% activity. Soluble enzyme lost 61% of its initial activity while immobilized peroxidase retained 86% of the original activity when exposed to 0.02 mM sodium azide for 1 h. The Km values were 0.056 and 0.07 mM for free and immobilized enzyme, respectively. Immobilized white radish peroxidase exhibited lower Vmax as compared to the soluble enzyme. Immobilized peroxidase preparation showed better storage stability as compared to its soluble counterpart.
It takes two to flirt with a dimeric RNase
Authors: D'Alessio Giuseppe
Published: January 2009

In my long RNase‐life‐time I have had the fortune to entertain with Lelio Mazzarella what I have called special interactions, which not only advanced my knowledge of proteins but also gave pleasure, as one obtains by reading a beautiful book, an inspiring poem, or watching a very good movie. In this article, I recall the more than 30‐year long story of these interactions in which “it took two,” a structural biologist with his coworkers and a biochemist with his coworkers, to flirt with an unusual, dimeric RNase. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 989–994, 2009.

This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com