bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Cultural Public Sphere
Authors: McGuigan Jim
Published: November 2005

Media research that uses the concept of a public sphere in order to measure distortion against its ideal standard of dialogic democracy tends to concentrate upon the cognitive aspects of news and either ignores or disdains affective communications. Jurgen Habermas's original formulation distinguished between the literary and the political public spheres. While everyday news was a feature of the political public sphere, the literary public sphere was not so constrained journalistically by current events and provided an arena for deeper reflection. This article updates the notion of a literary public sphere into an expanded concept of the cultural public sphere, including the whole range of media and popular culture. This concept refers to the articulation of politics, public and personal, as a contested terrain through affective (aesthetic and emotional) modes of communication. Three typical political stances in relation to the cultural public sphere are identified and evaluated: uncritical populism, radical subversion and critical intervention.
A Utilitarian Assessment of Alternative Decision Rules in the Council of Ministers
Authors: Beisbart Claus , Bovens Luc , Hartmann Stephan
Published: November 2005

We develop a utilitarian framework to assess different decision rules for the European Council of Ministers. The proposals to be decided on are conceptualized as utility vectors and a probability distribution is assumed over the utilities. We first show what decision rules yield the highest expected utilities for different means of the probability distribution. For proposals with high mean utility, simple benchmark rules (such as majority voting with proportional weights) tend to outperform rules that have been proposed in the political arena. For proposals with low mean utility, it is the other way round. We then compare the expected utilities for smaller and larger countries and look for Pareto-dominance relations. Finally, we provide an extension of the model, discuss its restrictions, and compare our approach with assessments of decision rules that are based on the Penrose measure of voting power.
Treaties, Collective Responses and the Determinants of Aggregate Support for European Integration
Authors: Çíftçí Sabrí
Published: November 2005

Scholarly research investigating the determinants of support for European integration at the individual level is abundant, but the analysis of aggregate-level indicators is relatively less developed. This study examines the collective responses of the Europeans to different environments of integration by using a multiple interrupted time series design with panel data. The results suggest that the context of integration after important treaties changes the aggregate support for integration significantly. More importantly, the analysis provides evidence challenging some findings of earlier studies with regard to the impact of aggregate-level indicators of support for integration.
Forum Section: EU Representation and the Governance of the International Monetary Fund
Authors: Mahieu Géraldine , Ooms Dirk , Rottier Stéphane
Published: November 2005

The introduction of the euro and closer coordination of economic policies in the European Union are fuelling a debate on Europe's representation in the international financial institutions. A single EU representation at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would affect the balance of power in the institution through a fundamental reallocation of quotas and executive directors among its membership. A reduction in the number of European executive directors, and in the total voting power of Europe and in its contribution to the Fund's general resources, could go hand in hand with an increase in the Union's impact on IMF decision-making. Such a change would also weaken the cooperative nature of the Fund through a reduction in the number and impact of mixed constituencies.
The Record as a Formative Tool
Authors: Mäkitalo Åsa
Published: November 2005

Encounters between citizens and institutions are characterized by communicative activities where questions and answers are crucial elements. This kind of information eliciting constitutes a necessary part of institutional work in order to efficiently process the case, but it also has normative dimensions. In this study the use of the record in institutional conversations was analysed. The empirical material consists of 30 vocational guidance conversations at a public employment office between institutional actors and long-term unemployed applicants. In these conversations two versions of the applicant were addressed: the person and the record. It is argued that the way the institutional record is introduced and how the two versions are handled in the conversation has important pedagogical implications in the work of transforming the social position of the citizen.
Negotiating the ‘Problem-child’ in School
Authors: Hjörne Eva
Published: November 2005

Recently neuropsychiatric diagnoses have come to play an important role in Swedish schools when handling dilemmas encountered in the context of children who experience difficulties. The general interest of the work reported here is the issue of when and how such diagnoses (notably Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD]) are assigned to children. In the present study, an analysis of the interaction between parents (who are reluctant to consent to testing) and the school representatives is reported. It is shown that the experts have already decided beforehand to get the boy tested for ADHD. The attempts to persuade the parents that this would be beneficial for everyone include such arguments as that it would make it easier for the school to help the pupil, and that it would even make it easier for the parents to relate to their child. Any alternatives, such as pedagogical issues or relational/environmental circumstances, were never discussed during the process.
Evaluation of the impact of the recommendations of the Conference for the Development of Nursing Research in Salamanca
Authors: Casbas Teresa Moreno , Cano Alejandra , Hale Claire
Published: November 2005

In 2001, Investen-isciii (Unit for Coordination and Development of Nursing Research) carried out a questionnaire survey among 13 European countries the aim of which was to assess the degree of progress concerning the recommendations of the 1999 Euroconference entitled ‘Building a European Nursing Research Strategy’, held in Salamanca, Spain.

Aim:To evaluate the level of dissemination and the impact of these recommendations and assess which actions to stimulate nursing research had been subsequently undertaken in each country, after the Salamanca Euroconference.

Method:The study used a descriptive approach. A total of 23 questionnaires with 70 questions were distributed, 13 of which were returned. The questionnaire used a multiple-choice format with some space for explanations. The questionnaire covered the impact at national, regional and local level and the degree of dissemination of the recommendations of the conference in each country.

Results:At the national level, the countries where the impact and acceptance of the conference findings were highest were Finland, Denmark and the UK. In Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, impact and acceptance had been good. At regional and local levels, the best rated countries were the UK, Denmark, Germany and Spain.

Conclusions:The major difficulty for nursing research is lack of funds and the lack of nursing research infrastructure in some of the countries studied. National and regional support are also very limited in some countries.
Doctoral preparation
Authors: Carr Eloise C.J. , Galvin Kathleen T.
Published: November 2005

There has been an exponential rise in the provision of doctoral education both in the UK and worldwide over the past 10 years. The nature of these programmes reflects diversity and challenges to the traditional PhD. This paper draws on several emerging issues relevant to academics and clinical leaders concerning the provision and utility of doctoral education. Our paper is informed by a postal survey of 45 nurse consultants in England (United Kingdom) which explored their perceptions of doctoral education. Relevant literature is drawn on to help develop an appraisal of the role of doctoral education within nurse consultant roles and similar nurse specialist or clinical leadership roles worldwide. There are implications for the development of research capacity, the limited impact of research on practice, evidence-based practice and the constraints of the traditional PhD and its changing status as the only way to generate new knowledge. The future challenges concern a response to the current shifts in knowledge production and the role of professional doctorates in both generating and utilising new knowledge through practicebased scholarship.
Mapping nursing research
Authors: White Edward , Winstanley Julie
Published: November 2005

An increase in capacity and the improvement of quality remain the paramount tasks for the nursing research endeavour. Recent attempts have been made to scope the shape of nursing research and to track any movement in these respects, over time. This paper will briefly report on the construction of a national database and the development of a methodological model to illustrate selected features of the contemporary circumstance of nursing research in the United Kingdom. The present study, funded by the National Health Executive (West Midlands), made scholarly use of the content of 1,084 abstracts submitted to three consecutive Royal College of Nursing Annual International Research Conferences, to create a database capable of being interrogated for a variety of purposes. These data were linked to a Geographical Information System and outputs from the analyses were mapped against a background of 1999 National Health Service Regional boundaries. Substantive findings have the potential to help uncover their relationship with other policy agendas and with priority areas for investigation. The present study has built the infrastructure to establish a unique UK nursing research data archive and further interrogation of the database could help to frame second-generation studies, using appropriately different approaches.
Selection based on CD133 and high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity isolates long-term reconstituting human hematopoietic stem cells
Authors: Hess David A. , Wirthlin Louisa , Craft Timothy P. , Herrbrich Phillip E. , Hohm Sarah A. , Lahey Ryan , Eades William C. , Creer Michael H. , Nolta Jan A.
Published: November 2005

The development of novel cell-based therapies requires understanding of distinct human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell populations. We recently isolated reconstituting hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by lineage depletion and purification based on high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (ALDHhiLin- cells). Here, we further dissected the ALDHhi-Lin- population by selection for CD133, a surface molecule expressed on progenitors from hematopoietic, endothelial, and neural lineages. ALDHhiCD133+Lin- cells were primarily CD34+, but also included CD34-CD38-CD133+ cells, a phenotype previously associated with repopulating function. Both ALDHhiCD133-Lin- and ALDHhiCD133+Lin- cells demonstrated distinct clonogenic progenitor function in vitro, whereas only the ALDHhiCD133+Lin- population seeded the murine bone marrow 48 hours after transplantation. Significant human cell repopulation was observed only in NOD/SCID and NOD/SCID β2M-null mice that received transplants of ALDHhiCD133+Lin- cells. Limiting dilution analysis demonstrated a 10-fold increase in the frequency of NOD/SCID repopulating cells compared with CD133+Lin- cells, suggesting that high ALDH activity further purified cells with repopulating function. Transplanted ALDHhiCD133+Lin- cells also maintained primitive hematopoietic phenotypes (CD34+CD38-) and demonstrated enhanced repopulating function in recipients of serial, secondary transplants. Cell selection based on ALDH activity and CD133 expression provides a novel purification of HSCs with long-term repopulating function and may be considered an alternative to CD34 cell selection for stem cell therapies.
AID expression identifies interfollicular large B cells as putative precursors of mature B-cell malignancies
Authors: Moldenhauer Gerhard , Popov Sergey W. , Wotschke Beate , Brüderlein Silke , Riedl Petra , Fissolo Nicolas , Schirmbeck Reinhold , Ritz Olga , Möller Peter , Leithäuser Frank
Published: November 2005

Neoplastic transformation of mature B cells can be triggered by class-switch recombination of the immunoglobulin gene, which aberrantly targets a protooncogene and promotes translocation. Class-switch recombination is initiated by the B-cell-specific protein activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). Using immunohistochemistry with a newly generated monoclonal antibody and quantitative reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on microdissected tissue from lymph node, tonsil, and thymus, we demonstrate that AID expression is found in secondary lymphoid organs outside germinal centers and in the thymic medulla at substantial levels. This is accompanied by the presence of circle transcripts, indicating class-switch recombination to be active at these sites. The dominant AID-expressing cell population outside germinal centers displays cytomorphologic properties corresponding to those that define the recently characterized interfollicular large B-cell subset. These findings indicate that interfollicular large B cells and AID-expressing B lymphocytes of the thymic medulla could give rise to mature B-cell malignancies. (Blood. 2006;107:2470-2473)
Reference values for methacholine reactivity (SAPALDIA study)
Authors: Jayet Pierre-Yves , Schindler Christian , Künzli Nino , Zellweger Jean-Pierre , Brändli Otto , Perruchoud André Paul , Keller Roland , Schwartz Joel , Ackermann-Liebrich Ursula , Leuenberger Philippe ,   SAPALDIA team
Published: November 2005

Background

The distribution of airway responsiveness in a general population of non-smokers without respiratory symptoms has not been established, limiting its use in clinical and epidemiological practice. We derived reference equations depending on individual characteristics (i.e., sex, age, baseline lung function) for relevant percentiles of the methacholine two-point dose-response slope.

Methods

In a reference sample of 1567 adults of the SAPALDIA cross-sectional survey (1991), defined by excluding subjects with respiratory conditions, responsiveness during methacholine challenge was quantified by calculating the two-point dose-response slope (O'Connor). Weighted L1-regression was used to estimate reference equations for the 95th, 90th, 75thand 50thpercentiles of the two-point slope.

Results

Reference equations for the 95th, 90th, 75thand 50thpercentiles of the two-point slope were estimated using a model of the form a + b* Age + c* FEV1+ d* (FEV1)2, where FEV1corresponds to the pre-test (or baseline) level of FEV1. For the central half of the FEV1distribution, we used a quadratic model to describe the dependence of methacholine slope on baseline FEV1. For the first and last quartiles of FEV1, a linear relation with FEV1was assumed (i.e., d was set to 0). Sex was not a predictor term in this model. A negative linear association with slope was found for age. We provide an Excel file allowing calculation of the percentile of methacholine slope of a subject after introducing age – pre-test FEV1– and results of methacholine challenge of the subject.

Conclusion

The present study provides equations for four relevant percentiles of methacholine two-point slope depending on age and baseline FEV1as basic predictors in an adult reference population of non-obstructive and non-atopic persons. These equations may help clinicians and epidemiologists to better characterize individual or population airway responsiveness.
A strategy using NMR peptide structures of thromboxane A2 receptor as templates to construct ligand-recognition pocket of prostacyclin receptor
Authors: Ruan Cheng-Huai , Wu Jaixin , Ruan Ke-He
Published: November 2005

Background:

Prostacyclin receptor (IP) and thromboxane A2 receptor (TP) belong to rhodopsin-type G protein-coupling receptors and respectively bind to prostacyclin and thromboxane A2 derived from arachidonic acid. Recently, we have determined the extracellular loop (eLP) structures of the human TP receptor by 2-D 1H NMR spectroscopy using constrained peptides mimicking the individual eLP segments. The studies have identified the segment along with several residues in the eLP domains important to ligand recognition, as well as proposed a ligand recognition pocket for the TP receptor.

Results:

The IP receptor shares a similar primary structure in the eLPs with those of the TP receptor. Forty percent residues in the second eLPs of the receptors are identical, which is the major region involved in forming the ligand recognition pocket in the TP receptor. Based on the high homology score, the eLP domains of the IP receptor were constructed by the homology modeling approach using the NMR structures of the TP eLPs as templates, and then configured to the seven transmembrane (TM) domains model constructed using the crystal structure of the bovine rhodopsin as a template. A NMR structure of iloprost was docked into the modeled IP ligand recognition pocket. After dynamic studies, the segments and residues involved in the IP ligand recognition were proposed. A key residue, Arg173 involved in the ligand recognition for the IP receptor, as predicted from the modeling, was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis.

Conclusion:

A 3-D model of the human IP receptor was constructed by homology modeling using the crystal structure of bovine rhodopsin TM domains and the NMR structures of the synthetic constrained peptides of the eLP domains of the TP receptor as templates. This strategy can be applied to molecular modeling and the prediction of ligand recognition pockets for other prostanoid receptors.
The contribution of leading diseases and risk factors to excess losses of healthy life in eastern Europe: burden of disease study
Authors: Powles John W , Zatonski Witold , Vander Hoorn Stephen , Ezzati Majid
Published: November 2005

Background

The East/West gradient in health across Europe has been described often, but not using metrics as comprehensive and comparable as those of the Global Burden of Disease 2000 and Comparative Risk Assessment studies.

Methods

Comparisons are made across 3 epidemiological subregions of the WHO region for Europe – A (very low child and adult mortality), B (low child and low adult mortality) and C (low child and high adult mortality) – with populations in 2000 of 412, 218 and 243 millions respectively, and using the following measures: 1. Probabilities of death by sex and causal group across 7 age intervals; 2. Loss of healthy life (DALYs) to diseases and injuries per thousand population; 3. Loss of healthy life (DALYs) attributable to selected risk factors across 3 age ranges.

Results

Absolute differences in mortality are most marked in males and in younger adults, and for deaths from vascular diseases and from injuries. Dominant contributions to east-west differences come from the nutritional/physiological group of risk factors (blood pressure, cholesterol concentration, body mass index, low fruit and vegetable consumption and inactivity) contributing to vascular disease and from the legal drugs – tobacco and alcohol.

Conclusion

The main requirements for reducing excess health losses in the east of Europe are: 1) favorable shifts in all amenable vascular risk factors (irrespective of their current levels) by population-wide and personal measures; 2) intensified tobacco control; 3) reduced alcohol consumption and injury control strategies (for example, for road traffic injuries). Cost effective strategies are broadly known but local institutional support for them needs strengthening.
Preventive effect of vitamin E on iron-induced oxidative damage in rabbit
Authors: Koyu Ahmet , Ozguner Fehmi , Caliskan Sadettin , Karaca Halit
Published: November 2005

Although iron (Fe), plays an important role in different oxidative steps during the metabolism of the human body, it can cause free radical damage. Iron ions seem to play a major role in initiation and promotion reactions of intracellular lipid peroxidation. The aim of this study was to investigate if vitamin E has a protective effect on oxidative changes in erythrocytes induced by Fe treatment. Thirty male New Zealand white rabbits weighing 14009 / 50 g were used in the study. The animals were divided into three groups. The first group (n:10) was given 500 mg/kg iron-dextran through intraperitoneal (ip) injection. The second group was given 500 mg/kg iron-dextran+100 mg/kg vitamin E(ip). The third group constituted the control group and received a saline solution injection. The activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes; Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutatione peroxidase (GSH-Px), Catalase (CAT) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) level, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were determined. Erythrocyte SOD, GSH-Px and CAT activities were decreased and MDA level was increased in iron-dextran treated animals compared to the control group (PB / 0.05). The activities of the three antioxidant enzymes were increased and MDA level was decreased in iron-dextran and vitamin E treated group compared to the control group (PB / 0.05).

Our data indicate that lipid peroxidation occurs after iron overload in the blood. In the light of our findings, vitamin E administration can prevent the toxic oxidative effects induced by iron-dependent free radical damage in erythrocytes.
The Neuronal Growth-Associated Protein (GAP)-43 Is Expressed by Corticotrophs in the Rat Anterior Pituitary After Adrenalectomy
Authors: Paden Charles M. , Watt John A. , Selong Tiffany H. , Paterson Courtney L. , Cranston Harwood J.
Published: November 2005

The neuronal growth-associated protein (GAP)-43 has been localized in both long fibers and punctate clusters by immunocytochemistry within the rat anterior pituitary (AP). After adrenalectomy (ADX), GAP-43 immunoreactivity (GAP-43-ir) is greatly increased and is associated with corticotrophs at the light microscopic level. We have undertaken an electron microscopic study to determine the cellular localization of GAP-43 in the post-ADX AP. Using preembedding immunocytochemistry, we found GAP-43-ir localized exclusively to the cytoplasmic surface of the plasmalemma within a subset of endocrine cells with ultrastructure typical of degranulated corticotrophs at 4 d after ADX. We combined preembedding immunoelectron microscopy for GAP-43 with immunogold labeling for ACTH and found that GAP-43-ir was invariably present only in cells containing ACTH-positive granules. The density of GAP-43-ir was highest within extensive processes emanating from the soma, suggesting that these processes are the basis for the punctate clusters of GAP-43 staining seen surrounding corticotrophs in the light microscope. We also observed rare synaptic-like contacts between GAP-43-ir processes and distant cell bodies. GAP-43 mRNA was detected in extracts of the AP 4 d after ADX using RT-PCR, and quantitative PCR confirmed that GAP-43 mRNA was significantly up-regulated in the AP in response to ADX. We postulate that increased expression of GAP-43 may stimulate process outgrowth and intercellular communication by activated corticotrophs.
Altered Subcellular Distribution of Estrogen Receptor α Is Implicated in Estradiol-Induced Dual Regulation of Insulin Signaling in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes
Authors: Nagira Kiyofumi , Sasaoka Toshiyasu , Wada Tsutomu , Fukui Kazuhito , Ikubo Mariko , Hori Satoko , Tsuneki Hiroshi , Saito Shigeru , Kobayashi Masashi
Published: November 2005

We investigated the mechanisms by which estrogen alters insulin signaling in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Treatment with 17β-estradiol (E2) did not affect insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor. E2 enhanced insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), IRS-1/p85 association, phosphorylation of Akt, and 2-deoxyglucose uptake at 10−8m, but inhibited these effects at 10−5m. A concentration of 10−5m E2 enhanced insulin-induced phosphorylation of IRS-1 at Ser307, which was abolished by treatment with a c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase inhibitor. In addition, the effect of E2 was abrogated by pretreatment with a specific estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI182,780. Membrane-impermeable E2, E2-BSA, did not affect the insulin-induced phosphorylation of Akt at 10−8m, but inhibited it at 10−5m. Furthermore, E2 decreased the amount of estrogen receptor α at the plasma membrane at 10−8m, but increased it at 10−5m. In contrast, the subcellular distribution of estrogen receptor β was not altered by the treatment. These results indicate that E2 affects the metabolic action of insulin in a concentration-specific manner, that high concentrations of E2 inhibit insulin signaling by modulating phosphorylation of IRS-1 at Ser307 via a c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-dependent pathway, and that the subcellular redistribution of estrogen receptor α in response to E2 may explain the dual effect of E2.
Interleukin-8 Synthesis, Regulation, and Steroidogenic Role in H295R Human Adrenocortical Cells
Authors: Romero Damian G. , Vergara Gaston R. , Zhu Zheng , Covington Gina S. , Plonczynski Maria W. , Yanes Licy L. , Gomez-Sanchez Elise P. , Gomez-Sanchez Celso E.
Published: November 2005

The adrenal gland secretes several cytokines, and cytokines modulate steroid secretion by this gland. In this study, a survey of cytokine production by H295R human adrenocortical cells demonstrated that these cells secreted IL-2, IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, and TNFα but not IL-5, IL-12, or interferon-γ. IL-8 was the IL secreted at higher concentration. IL-8 secretion, its regulation, and role in steroidogenesis were further studied. Secreted ILs and steroids were measured by ELISA in cell culture supernatant. IL-8 mRNA was quantified by real-time RT-PCR. H295R cells and human adrenal gland expressed IL-8 mRNA. Angiotensin II, potassium, endothelin-1, IL-1α, IL-1β, TNFα, and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide dose-dependently increase IL-8 secretion by H295R cells after 24 h incubation. IL-6 had no effect on IL-8 secretion. Angiotensin II time-dependently increased IL-8 secretion by H295R cells up to 48 h. Angiotensin II caused a biphasic increase in IL-8 mRNA expression with a peak 6 h after stimulation. TNFα synergized angiotensin II, potassium, and IL-1α-mediated IL-8 secretion. IL-8 did not modify aldosterone or cortisol secretion by H295R cells under basal or stimulated (angiotensin II or potassium) conditions. In conclusion, it is demonstrated for the first time that human adrenal cells expressed and secreted IL-8 under the regulation of angiotensin II, potassium, endothelin-1, and immune peptides. Adrenal-secreted IL-8 is one point of convergence between the adrenal gland and the immune system and may have relevance in physiological and pathophysiological conditions associated with increased levels of aldosterone secretagogues and the immune system.
Hairless Suppresses Vitamin D Receptor Transactivation in Human Keratinocytes
Authors: Xie Zhongjian , Chang Sandra , Oda Yuko , Bikle Daniel D.
Published: November 2005

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) and its ligand 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] are required for normal keratinocyte differentiation. Both the epidermis and the hair follicle are disrupted in VDR-null mice. Hairless (Hr), a presumptive transcription factor with no known ligand, when mutated, disrupts hair follicle cycling similar to the effects of VDR mutations. Hr, like VDR, is found in the nuclei of keratinocytes in both epidermis and hair follicle. To investigate the potential interaction between Hr and VDR on keratinocyte differentiation, we examined the effect of Hr expression on vitamin D-responsive genes in normal human keratinocytes. Inhibition of Hr expression in keratinocytes potentiated the induction of vitamin D-responsive genes, including involucrin, transglutaminase, phospholipase C-γ1, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D-24-hydroxylase (24-hydroxylase) by 1,25(OH)2D3. Overexpression of Hr in human keratinocytes suppressed the induction of these vitamin D-responsive genes by 1,25(OH)2D3. Coimmunoprecipitation, DNA mobility shift assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that Hr binds to VDR in human keratinocytes. Hr binding to the VDR was eliminated by 1,25(OH)2D3, which recruited the coactivator vitamin D receptor-interacting protein 205 (DRIP205) to the VDR/vitamin D response element complex. These data indicate that Hr functions as a corepressor of VDR to block 1,25(OH)2D3 action on keratinocytes.
Transepithelial urate transport by avian renal proximal tubule epithelium in primary culture
Authors: Dudas Paul L. , Pelis Ryan M. , Braun Eldon J. , Renfro J. Larry
Published: November 2005

Birds are uricotelic, and because they excrete urate by renal tubular secretion, they provide a convenient model for examination of this process. Primary monolayer cultures of the isolated renal proximal tubule epithelium from the domestic chicken, Gallus gallus L., were mounted in Ussing chambers where several substrates/inhibitors of renal organic anion transporters were tested for the sidedness and specificity of their effects on transepithelial urate transport. Transepithelial electrical resistance,electrical potential and sodium-dependent glucose current were monitored to detect nonspecific effects. Under control short-circuited conditions the ratio of unidirectional fluxes of [14C]urate was found to be 3:1. Active net secretion was specifically inhibited by 1 mmol l–1probenecid and 10 mmol l–1para-aminohippuric acid(PAH). Bromocresol Green, cimetidine, nocodozole, cytochalasin D and ouabain also inhibited secretion but were toxic. Interstitial-side lithium (5 mmol l–1) and glutarate (1 mmol l–1) specifically blocked transport, but 10–100 μmol l–1 glutarate had no effect. Interstitial estrone sulfate (ES) stimulated urate secretion at 10μmol l–1 but was inhibitory at 500 μmol l–1. Active PAH secretion (5:1 flux ratio) was inhibited 34%by 330 μmol l–1 urate. ES (500 μmol l–1) blocked the remainder. From the lumen side,glucose-free, Cl--free and high K+ (30 mmol l–1) solutions, or an alkaline pH of 7.7 had no effect on urate transport and neither did several compounds known to be uricosuric. Lumen-side methotrexate (500 μmol l–1) and MK571 (20μmol l–1) strongly inhibited urate secretion. MK571 had no effect from the interstitial side. RT-PCR revealed mRNA for OAT1-, OAT3-,MRP2- and MRP4-like organic anion transporters in chicken proximal epithelium.
The effects of l-arginine and l-NAME supplementation on redox-regulation and thermogenesis in interscapular brown adipose tissue
Authors: Petrović Vesna , Korać Aleksandra , Buzadzić Biljana , Korać Bato
Published: November 2005

Changes in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein levels and its relationship with the hyperplasia and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) levels were examined in interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) of adult rat males receiving l-arginine (l-Arg; 2.25%) or N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME; 0.01%)as a drinking liquid and maintained at low (4±1°C) or room(22±1°C) temperature for 45 days.

Cold generally diminished both iNOS immunopositivity and protein level in IBAT, as well as the rate of apoptosis. Among groups acclimated to cold,higher iNOS immunopositivity and protein levels were detected only in the l-Arg-treated group. Furthermore, chronic l-Arg treatment increased IBAT mass and UCP1 protein content, while l-NAME had an opposite effect, decreasing both IBAT mass and UCP1 protein level, as compared to the control maintained at 4±1°C.

These data suggest that nitric oxide (NO) produced by iNOS could also contribute to overall NO-associated regulation of thermogenesis in IBAT. Namely, that iNOS, i.e. NO, in correlation with enhanced thermogenesis,additionally induced IBAT hyperplasia and UCP1 level compared to that induced by low temperature. Cooperative action of decreased apoptosis accompanied by increased tissue hyperplasia and UCP1 level, observed in IBAT of cold-acclimated rats, would be a way of meeting the metabolic requirements for increased thermogenesis.
Response properties of electrosensory afferent fibers and secondary brain stem neurons in the paddlefish
Authors: Hofmann Michael H. , Chagnaud Boris , Wilkens Lon A.
Published: November 2005

The passive electrosense is used by many aquatic animals to detect weak electric fields from other animals or from geoelectric sources. In contrast to the active electrosense, `passive' means that there are no electric organs,and only external fields are measured. Electroreceptors are distributed in the skin, but are different from other skin senses because they can detect and localize sources a considerable distance away. Distant sources, however,stimulate a large number of receptors at the same time and central circuits have to compute the exact location of the source from this distributed information. In order to gain insights into the algorithms involved, we compared the response properties of units in the dorsal octavolateral nucleus(DON) with primary afferent fibers in the paddlefish. The following parameters were tested: spontaneous activity, sensitivity, frequency tuning, receptive field size, movement sensitivity, and topography within the DON. Although there are some differences in spontaneous activity and receptive field size,there are no major differences between primary afferents and DON units that could reveal any substantial amount of spatial information processing. In particular the lack of any topographic order whithin the DON renders a lateral interaction between neighboring receptive fields unlikely.
The red muscle morphology of the thresher sharks (family Alopiidae)
Authors: Sepulveda C. A. , Wegner N. C. , Bernal D. , Graham J. B.
Published: November 2005

A more medial and anterior position of the red aerobic myotomal muscle (RM)and the presence of a vascular counter-current heat exchange system provide the functional elements that facilitate regional RM endothermy in tunas,lamnid sharks and the common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus). The convergent RM morphology among all species capable of RM endothermy suggests that RM position is a strong predictor of fish endothermic capacity. The present study investigated the comparative RM morphology of the other two thresher shark species (bigeye thresher, Alopias superciliosus, and the pelagic thresher, Alopias pelagicus), for which there is no information regarding their capacity for RM endothermy, and compared these data with published works on A. vulpinus. The digitization of transverse sections along the body of A. superciliosus and A. pelagicus enabled quantification of the relative amount of RM and the position and placement of the RM along the body. The RM in both A. superciliosus and A. pelagicus is positioned subcutaneously,along the lateral edges of the myotomes, and is distributed relatively evenly over the trunk of the body. The position of maximum RM area is at 50% fork length (FL) for A. superciliosus and at 75% FL for A. pelagicus. The amount of RM (mean ± s.e.m.) is 2.31±0.11% and 3.01±0.10% in A. superciliosus and A. pelagicus, respectively. When compared with A. vulpinus,all three alopiid sharks have a similar amount of RM. However, A. superciliosus and A. pelagicus differ from A. vulpinusin that they do not possess the medial and anterior RM arrangement that would likely facilitate metabolic heat conservation (RM endothermy).
Expression of eight distinct MHC isoforms in bovine striated muscles:evidence for MHC-2B presence only in extraocular muscles
Authors: Toniolo L. , Maccatrozzo L. , Patruno M. , Caliaro F. , Mascarello F. , Reggiani C.
Published: November 2005

This study aimed to analyse the expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC)isoforms in bovine muscles, with particular attention to the MHC-2Bgene. Diaphragm, longissimus dorsi, masseter, several laryngeal muscles and two extraocular muscles (rectus lateralis and retractor bulbi) were sampled in adult male Bos taurus (age 18-24 months, mass 400-500 kg) and analysed by RT-PCR, gel electrophoresis and immunohistochemistry. Transcripts and proteins corresponding to eight MHC isoforms were identified: MHC-αand MHC-β/slow (or MHC-1), two developmental isoforms (MHC-embryonic and MHC-neonatal), three adult fast isoforms (MHC-2A, MHC-2X and MHC-2B) and the extraocular isoform MHC-Eo. All eight MHC isoforms were found to be co-expressed in extrinsic eye muscles, retractor bulbi and rectus lateralis,four (β/slow, 2A, 2X, neonatal) in laryngeal muscles, three (β/slow,2A and 2X) in trunk and limb muscles and two (β/slow and α) in masseter. The expression of MHC-2B and MHC-Eo was restricted to extraocular muscles. Developmental MHC isoforms (neonatal and embryonic) were only found in specialized muscles in the larynx and in the eye. MHC-α was only found in extraocular and masseter muscle. Single fibres dissected from masseter, diaphragm and longissimus were classified into five groups(expressing, respectively, β/slow, α, slow and 2A, 2A and 2X) on the basis of MHC isoform electrophoretical separation, and their contractile properties [maximum shortening velocity (v0) and isometric tension (P0)] were determined. v0increased progressively from slow to fast 2A and fast 2X, whereas hybrid 1-2A fibres and fibres containing MHC-α were intermediate between slow and fast 2A.
Molecular characterisation of SALMFamide neuropeptides in sea urchins
Authors: Elphick Maurice R. , Thorndyke Michael C.
Published: November 2005

The SALMFamides are a family of neuropeptides found in species belonging to the phylum Echinodermata. Members of this family have been identified in starfish (class Asteroidea) and in sea cucumbers (class Holothuroidea) but not in other echinoderms. Our aim here was to characterise SALMFamide neuropeptides in sea urchins (class Echinoidea). Radioimmunoassays for the starfish SALMFamides S1 and S2 were used to test for related peptides in whole-body acetone extracts of the sea urchin Echinus esculentus. Fractionation of extracts using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)revealed several peaks of SALMFamide-like immunoreactivity, with two S2-like immunoreactive peaks (3 and 4) being the most prominent. However, peak 4 could not be purified to homogeneity and although peak 3 was purified, only a partial sequence (MRYH) could be obtained.

An alternative strategy for identification of echinoid SALMFamides was provided by sequencing the genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Analysis of whole-genome shotgun sequence data using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) identified a contig (347664) that contains a coding region for seven putative SALMFamide neuropeptides(PPVTTRSKFTFamide, DAYSAFSFamide, GMSAFSFamide, AQPSFAFamide, GLMPSFAFamide,PHGGSAFVFamide and GDLAFAFamide), which we have named SpurS1-SpurS7,respectively. Three of these peptides (SpurS1-3) have the C-terminal sequences TFamide or SFamide, which are identical or similar to the C-terminal region of the starfish SALMFamide S2. This may explain the occurrence of several S2-like immunoreactive peptides in extracts of Echinus esculentus.

Detailed analysis of the sequence of contig 347664 indicated that the SALMFamide gene in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus comprises two exons,with the first exon encoding a signal peptide sequence and the second exon encoding SpurS1-SpurS7. Characterisation of this gene is important because it is the first echinoderm neuropeptide precursor sequence to be identified and,more specifically, it provides our first insight into the structure and organisation of a SALMFamide gene in an echinoderm. In particular, it has revealed a hitherto unknown complexity in the diversity of SALMFamide neuropeptides that may occur in an echinoderm species because all previous studies, which relied on peptide purification and sequencing, revealed only two SALMFamide neuropeptides in each species examined. It now remains to be established whether or not the occurrence of more than two SALMFamides in Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is a feature that is peculiar to this species and to echinoids in general or is more widespread across the phylum Echinodermata. Identification of SpurS1-SpurS7 provides the basis for comparative analysis of the physiological actions of these peptides in sea urchins and for exploitation of the sea urchin genome sequence to identify the receptor(s) that mediate effects of SALMFamides in echinoderms.
Respiratory and acid–base responses during migration and to exercise by the terrestrial crabDiscoplax (Cardisoma) hirtipes, with regard to season, humidity and behaviour
Authors: Morris Steve
Published: November 2005

The terrestrial crab Discoplax hirtipes (formerly Cardisoma hirtipes) exhibits a seasonally dichotomous activity pattern governed by the seasonal rainfall on Christmas Island, with a breeding migration in the wet season. Greater activity in the wet season reflects a release of constraints on ion and water balance independent of changes in exercise physiology. The respiratory responses to walking exercise by D. hirtipes were assessed with regard to humidity and season. In the laboratory, crabs walked 38% faster when humidity was high, while the O2 uptake across the lung became diffusion limited despite a Ca2+-induced increase in O2 affinity of the haemocyanin. Crabs walking in 90% relative humidity exhibited a larger metabolic acidosis while re-oxidation of l-lactate was only 0.49 mmol l–1 h–1. The wet-season crabs were more active and exhibited a respiratory acidosis compared with the quiescent dry-season crabs. The migration was close to the limit of the aerobic scope of the crabs, and the pulmonary oxygen partial pressure(PO2) was depressed, the O2 uptake diffusion limited and the arterial–venous PO2 difference diminished. Additional, enforced exercise induced a metabolic acidosis. The optimum strategy for migration would be walking continuously but at a speed within the aerobic scope. D. hirtipes is influenced by seasonal rain and responds to lower ambient humidity by limiting exercise. The behavioural response is paramount since the changes in respiratory status were determined primarily by the differences in commitment to, and investment in, walking and not by direct effects of humidity on respiratory physiology.
Reconfigurable flight control
Authors: Pachter M , Nelson E B
Published: November 2005

Indirect adaptive control for reconfigurable flight control is advocated. Specifically, online static system identification using a moving window/batch estimation is implemented. The ensuing linear regression is augmented with an intercept. The intercept parameter is included to address the effects of trim change associated with the occurrence of a control surface failure. Parameter estimate information is used to adjust the inner loop's control gains, and a command derived from the intercept estimate is fed forward to automatically retrim the aircraft. The tracking performance of this automatic retrimming method, which relies on system identification, surpasses the conventional approach of exclusively relying on integral action for retrimming. These adaptive and reconfigurable flight control concepts are illustrated in the context of a fighter aircraft's pitch plane dynamics. The novel adaptive and reconfigurable flight control system successfully handles a 50 per cent horizontal tail control surface loss.
Flight Control System Design for Propulsion-Controlled Aircraft
Authors: Ochi Y
Published: November 2005

The loss of an aircraft's primary flight controls can lead to a fatal accident. However, if the engine thrust is available, controllability and safety can be retained. This article describes flight control using engine thrust only when an aircraft has lost all primary flight controls. This is a kind of flight control reconfiguration. For safe return, the aircraft must first descend to a landing area, decelerate to a landing speed, and then be capable of precise flight control for approach and landing. For these purposes, two kinds of controllers are required: a controller for descent and deceleration and a controller for approach and landing. The former controller is designed for longitudinal motion using a model-following control method, based on a linear quadratic regulator. The latter is designed by an H∞ state-feedback control method for both longitudinal and lateral-directional motions. Computer simulation is conducted using linear models of the Boeing 747. The results indicate that flight path control, including approach and landing, is possible using thrust only; however, speed control proves more difficult. However, if the horizontal stabilizer is available, the airspeed can be reduced to a safe landing speed.
Editorial: The Sixth Interfaces Ranking of Universities’ Contributions to the Practice Literature
Authors: Rothkopf Michael H.
Published: November 2005

For the sixth time, I rank universities according to their contributions to the practice literature. I trace the evolution of the rankings of the top universities. Carnegie Mellon University is now top ranked. Erasmus University is now the top-ranked non-US university. For the first time, the practice publication rate of the top-ranked universities is higher than it was in the immediately preceding ranking.
Gamma radiolysis studies of uranyl fluoride
Authors: Icenhour A. S. , Toth L. M. , Del Cul G. D. , Miller L. F.
Published: November 2005

The safe handling and storage of radioactive materials require an understanding of the effects of radiolysis on those materials. Radiolysis may result in the production of gases (e.g., corrosives) or pressures that are deleterious to storage containers. A study has been performed to address these concerns as they relate to the radiolysis of residual fluoride compounds in uranium oxides. Samples of UO2F2·xH2O and U3O8 (with ∼1.4 wt.% fluorine content) were irradiated in a 60Co source and in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) elements from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Container pressures were monitored throughout the irradiations, and gas and solid samples were analyzed after the irradiations. The irradiation of UO2F2·xH2O produced O2 – with G(O
2)-values ranging from 0.007 to 0.03 molecules of O2 produced per 100 eV. Neither F2 nor HF was produced by the irradiations. Chemical analyses of solid samples showed that some of the uranium was reduced from U(VI) to U(IV). A saturation damage limit for the UO2F2·xH2O was demonstrated by using the HFIR SNF elements, and the limit was found to be 7–9% at ∼108 rad/h). It is shown that the covalently bonded oxygen is more susceptible to radiation damage than is the ionically bonded fluorine. Irradiation of U3O8 (with ∼1.4 wt.% fluorine content) resulted in neither gas production nor a pressure increase. These experiments led to the conclusion that during long-term storage U3O8 is safe from overpressurization and the production of corrosives caused by gamma radiolysis of residual fluorides.
Measurement of fission neutron spectrum averaged cross sections of some threshold reactions on europium: small scale production of no-carrier-added153Sm in a nuclear reactor
Authors: Fatima I. , Zaidi Jamshed H. , Ahmad Shujaat , Subhani M. S.
Published: November 2005

Employing the activation technique in combination with radiochemical separations and high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy fission neutron spectrum averaged cross sections were measured for several (n, 2n), (n, p) and (n, α) reactions on isotopes of europium. Our measurements constitute the first systematic studies. Of special interest was the investigation of153Eu(n, p)153Sm reaction for the production of no-carrier-added153Sm in a nuclear reactor. Using 100% enriched153Eu target, 97.21 MBq153Sm per batch can be produced which is, however, not sufficient for medical application.