bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A moveable feast: the centromere-kinetochore complex in cell division
Authors: Sullivan Kevin F
Published: November 2023

The goal of cell division is to transmit the genome from one generation to the next. This occurs in two essential steps: the genome is first replicated in S phase and then during mitosis the two copies are separated and transported into separate cytoplasmic domains destined to become new cells. This transport function is specified primarily by the centromeres, specialized nucleoprotein domains present in a single copy on each chromosome (1). Centromeres direct assembly of the machinery for microtubule binding and motor activities, known as the kinetochore, at the surface of each sister chromatid, maintain cohesion between sister chromatids, and possess regulatory elements that integrate chromosome motility and spindle function with cell cycle control pathways. During mitosis the kinetochores interact with spindle microtubules first to bind the spindle in prometaphase, then to achieve the crucial bipolar orientation in metaphase and finally to drive poleward movement in anaphase. A parallel system of regulatory elements located within the centromere monitors kinetochore attachment and communicates with the spindle to control anaphase onset. On the other side of the anaphase switch, centromeres very probably function as targets for regulated proteolysis of the 'glue' that holds sister chromatids together.
Telomeres: structure, synthesis, and cell cycle regulation
Authors: Hughes Timothy R , Lundblad Victoria
Published: November 2023

Genomic integrity depends on a number of different processes affecting chromo some replication and stability. Telomeres are specialized structures found at the ends of linear chromosomes and are functionally defined based on their properties, which differ from those of ends resulting from chromosome breakage. Studies in Drosophila and maize from the 1930s and 1940s first demonstrated that broken chromosomes that lack telomeres are unstable and capable of fusing with other newly broken ends. These observations, showing that telomeres are required for proper linear chromo some function, have since been confirmed and extended in a number of experimental systems. Over the last two decades, advances in our molecular knowledge regarding features of telomeric DNA structure, the identification of a novel DNA polymerase responsible for replicating telomeres, and the characterization of numerous other proteins that interact with telomeres have greatly extended our understanding of this essential chromosomal element.
Les enseignements de 50 ans de relations entre sciences et technologies
Authors: Devreux A
Published: November 2023

Elie a été initiEe d’abord par des raisons économiques (main-d’oeuvre, énergie, …), parfois sanitaires (nitrosamines) ou environnementales et, plus rarement, par un apport scientifique inattendu. C’est le cas du trempage alterné, de l’utilisation de I’acide gibberellique et du PVPP et, plus récemment, des isohumulones réduits.
Amplified fragment length polymorphism: a new technique for barley varieties identification
Authors: Lauer I , Brignon P , Gendre (F) F
Published: November 2023

Plant fingerprinting is useful to identify varieties, to detect differences between species and to assess relatedness between them. AFLP technology is a novel DNA fingerprinting technique based on the selective amplification of restriction fragments from a total digest of genomic DNA. This technique is reliable, reproducible, rapid and allows us to visualise DNA polymorphisms without any prior knowledge of nucleotide sequence. Our results show that barley varieties are clearly distinguishable and moreover that one variety can be identified by its pattern.
Generation of fertile transgenic barley synthesizing thermostable 0-amylase
Authors: Kihara Makoto , Okada Yukio , Kuroda Hisao , Saeki Kazuo , Yoshigi Naohiro , Ito Kazutoshi
Published: November 2023

ß-Glucan solubilase releases ß-glucan and probably pentosans from cell walls making them more accessible to endo-B-glucanases and pentosanases respectively. An improved assay for measuring solubilase activity has been developed. Solubilase is present in raw barley and is relatively heat stable. Four fractions of solubilase activity have been located. Two of the fractions contain feruloyl esterase. Ester linkages involving ferulic acid, probably with the arabinoxylan component of the cell walls, may be disrupted by solubilase. The control of feruloyl esterase activity should therefore facilitate the efficient processing of B-glucan and pentosan.
Determination of water uptake and its effect on barley metabolic activity using NMR imaging
Authors: Yin X S , Kendall E J , Fcmetsl W J , Laycock G S , Abrams G D , Abrams S R
Published: November 2023

A high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging technique has been developed to examine the intensity of tissue hydration in the barley kernel without physical dissection. Significant differences in the rate of water uptake were observed between different tissues of the kernel, and between the small and large barley kernels. A pronounced preferential hydration occurred in the scutellum. Data suggest that redistribution of tissue water took place first in the scutellum and the embryo then in the sub-scutellar and endosperm regions. Metabolic activities in the endosperm appear to initiate from the proximal end at six hours of imbibition.
Management of barley steeping conditions to control nitrosamine formation in malt
Authors: Zimmermann D , Gendre F , Carnielo M
Published: November 2023

Malt nitrosodimethylamines (NDMA) which are believed to have carcinogenic and mutagenic potential are formed in barley during the kilning step by reactions between oxides of nitrogen (Nox) and NDMA precursors present in unkilned malt. In this paper, we will present novel steeping conditions which inhibit the production of NDMA precursors during barley malting and we will demonstrate the efficiency of this steeping process at the industrial malt production level where sulphur combustion at kilning has been suppressed.
The influence of malt-derived bacteria on the haze and filterability of wort and beer
Authors: Walker M D , Bourne D T , Wenn R V
Published: November 2023

Haze material in commercial sweet worts and green beers was found to contain significant amounts of dead malt-derived bacteria. Removal of this bacterial material caused large increases in filterability. Worts produced from experimental malt with low levels of bacteria had significantly lower haze and higher filterability than wort produced from malts with higher levels of bacteria. The release of bacteria during mashing was increased with increasing agitation. The findings highlight an often disregarded feature of malt which could have significant implications in the areas of malting, mashing, wort filtration and beer filtration.
Hochauflösende Gradienten-HPLC mit Dioden-Array-Detektor zur verbesserten Auftrennung von Hopfenbitterstoffen
Authors: Beck A Forster. B , Koberlein A , Schmidt R
Published: November 2023

The application of this method enables a better differentiation of hop varieties since hitherto possible with the well-known characteristics of the cohumulone and colupulone fractions. In this way, it is also possible to give a differentiated description of the ageing processes in hop products. A clear separation of all iso-a-acid types as well as of the polar bitter substance components is achieved in the wort and in the beer. The effects of the ageing of beer can be demonstrated well.
New milling and mashing-in systems, developed to avoid the initiation of lipid oxidation at the start of the lagerbeer brewing process
Authors: Waesberghe J W M van
Published: November 2023

Pale lagermalt is not free of lipoxygenase. Normally, milling and mashing-in conditions are implemented that initiate enzymatic lipid oxidation during the short time the grist is mashed in. In order to avoid that risk, ideally four engineering-dependent process conditions have to be controlled: the level of desintegration of germ-remnants, entrained oxygen, pH and temperature at hydration. With standard equipment, it is almost impossible to avoid enzymatic lipid oxidation. Two new techniques are proposed: a dry rollermill technique, adaptable to lautertun as well as thinbed filter operations and a wetmilling technique. Both techniques, whereby milling and mashing in are differently integrated, are described. An overview is given of results obtained, but for a semi-technical set-up, with selected malts.
A reliable method for detection and identification of beer-spoilage bacteria with internal positive control PCR (IPC-PCR)
Authors: Sakamoto Kanta , Funahashi Wataru , Yamashita Hiroshi , Eto Masakazu
Published: November 2023

To apply the PCR method to rapid detection and identification of microorganisms, we designed highly species-specific primers for beer spoilage bacteria (Lactobacil/us brevis, L. casei, L. coryniformis, L. plantarum, Pectinatus cerevisiiphilus, P. frisingensis, P. sp. DSM20764, Megasphaera cerevisiae) based on 16SrDNA sequences. We further established a reliable method, IPC-PCR, to confirm whether the reaction proceeded correctly. !n this method, the universal primers and respective species-specific primers were used in a single tube. The universal primers function as an internal positive control, which ensures the PCR results by eliminating false negative data. The improved reliability allowed us to apply PCR to routine microbiological analysis.
Analysis of protein-DNA interactions in complex nucleoprotein assemblies
Authors: Pemberton lain K
Published: November 2023

Higher-order nucleoprotein assemblies are involved in many fundament<1l physiological processes. These often require the recruitment of several different proteins into large and elaborate macromolecule structures. In many cases, the protein subunit will be functional only in the context of the correctly assembled nucleoprotein. A full understanding of its contribution to the reaction mechanism inevitably requires its role to be probed within this native environment ln this chapter, a direct approach is described for the identification of proteins that participate in close-range protein-DNA contacts at specific loci within such elaborate assemblies. Although this chapter is written principally with lN-laser photocross linking in mind, few modifications are required to adapt the protocol to alternative protein-DNA crosslinking procedures.
Double-strand break repair and V(D)J recombination
Authors: Singleton Belinda K , Jeggo Penny A
Published: November 2023

DNA damaging agents are present both exogenously in the environment and also endogenously as by-products of metabolic processing. Such DNA-damaging agents can cause many lesions, the most crucial of which may be a double-strand break (dsb). Misrepaired dsbs can result in gene mutations or chromosome rearrangements, while unrepaired dsbs may lead to cell death. Therefore, cells have evolved a number of pathways to deal with dsbs. Different species utilize these pathways to different extents. For example, homologous recombination is the predominant dsb repair pathway in lower eukaryotes, whereas higher eukaryotes mainly repair dsbs by mechanisms that require little or no DNA sequence homology.
Translesion replication
Authors: Lawrence Christopher , Woodgate Roger
Published: November 2023

Translesion replication (TR) is a specialized form of DNA replication that is used to extend nascent chains past sites of unrepaired template damage that would otherwise impede or block elongation. The progress of replication forks can be inhibited by a wide variety of DNA lesions, including UV photoproducts, chemical adducts, and abasic sites. They are sometimes collectively called ‘bulky’ lesions because each appreciably alters DNA structure. Translesion replication therefore enhances the ability of cells to tolerate DNA damage, and increases survival when their genomes contain unrepaired damage. On occasion, it is called ‘error-prone repair’, but this is a less suitable name because translesion replication does not itself repair DNA, though it does produce molecules that are substrates for repair by other processes. Although TR increases tolerance to DNA damage, it is also a major source of both spontaneous and induced mutations, which are rarely beneficial. Mutations arise principally because the accuracy with which DNA polymerases insert the correct number or type of nucleotide opposite a site of template damage is usually much lower than is typically found for replication on undamaged templates, though some mutations may also arise because of the lower inherent accuracy of the DNA polymerase employed in TR. Nevertheless, TR still favours survival, since its error frequency rarely approaches 100%, and moreover many mutations are essentially neutral.
Mistnatch repair and cancer
Authors: Karran P , Bignami M
Published: November 2023

DNA mismatch repair is one of the three known DNA excision repair pathways. Unlike nucleotide and base excision repair, in which the substrate is damaged or altered DNA, mismatch repair acts on undamaged DNA bases which are in in appropriate contexts. Mismatch repair corrects unmodified DNA bases in non Watson-Crick pairings or small distortions generated by the incorrect alignment of two otherwise normal DNA strands. Structural abnormalities such as these are generated during recombination between DNA molecules that are not perfectly homologous, and the phrase ‘mismatch repair’ was originally invoked to explain apparently anomalous recombination frequencies. DNA replication errors are also a major source of mismatches. Mismatch repair acts after replication to rectify mismatches that have evaded proofreading by the replication apparatus. Organisms with defective mismatch repair invariably display increased spontaneous mutation rates. Although some of the later steps of the three excision repair pathways share common components, the initial steps, in which the substrate for repair is identified and marked for correction, can be considered unique for each pathway. There is an additional constraint on substrate recognition during mismatch repair. To achieve biologically significant correction, the repair proteins must not only recognize the structurally anomalous mismatches, but must also obtain information as to which of the mispaired DNA strands is incorrect.
Recent advances in fluorescent differential display
Authors: Lowe Karen
Published: November 2023

Differential display (DD) was first described by Liang and Pardee (1) in 1992 as a method for analysing gene expression in eukaryotic cells and tissues. DD has been widely applied to study changes in mRNA expression induced by temporal development, diseases, and various cellular factors (2-7). This simple and powerful technique simultaneously screens for both up-regulated and down-regulated transcripts in multiple cell populations. To understand the advantages of DD, it is helpful to briefly review some other gene expression analysis methods.
RAP-array: expression profiling using arbitrarily primed probes for cDNA arrays
Authors: Jung Barbara , Trenkle Thomas , Mcclelland Michael , Mathieu-Daude Francoise , Welsh John
Published: November 2023

We present a method for detecting differential gene expression using RNA arbitrarily primed PCR (RAP-PCR) fingerprints as probes against cDNA arrays. Using inexpensive arrays of cDNA clones, together with reduced complexity probes derived from RAP-PCR, this approach makes cDNA array technology generally accessible to any laboratory. This hybrid method combining RNA standard gel analysis of RNA fingerprints. We present an example where a RAP PCR fingerprint (Figure 1) was converted to probe and used to address an array of approximately 18000 IMAGE consortium cDNA clones by differential hybridiza tion (Figures 2 and 3). In this chapter, we describe protocols for preparing probes from RNA fingerprint reactions and for using them in differential screening against large cDNA arrays.
Subtracted differential display and antisense approaches to analysing brain signalling
Authors: Uhl G R , Wang X B
Published: November 2023

Many biological, pharmacological, and pathological processes can be better understood by defining the constellation of genes whose expression is altered by the process under study. The brain expresses more genes than most other tissues. Much of the richness of brain gene expression is reflected in variation in gene expression patterns from one brain region to the next, from one developmental stage to the next, from one drug treatment to the next, or from normal brain to diseased brain. Neuroscientists are thus particularly interested in applications of methods to help them identify and validate the significance of brain region-specific alterations in gene expression patterns.
Phosphoinositide 3-kinases: regulation by cell-surface receptors and function of 3-phosphorylated lipids
Authors: Stephens Len , McGregor Alex , Hawkins Philip
Published: November 2023

We have attempted to give a wide-angle view of the part phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are currently thought to play in intracellular signalling pathways that are triggered by cell-surface receptors. Some PI3Ks play vital roles in more house-keeping cellular functions, such as protein trafficking; this subfamily and their biological context are described in detail in Chapter 8. This chapter is not intended to give an account of the historical development of the field or to be uniformly detailed. This will be particularly the case regarding PI3Ks in non-mammalian species; here we will use information that helps us better understand the subject. Several excellent reviews have been published recently that approach the subject of PI3Ks with slightly different perspectives, for example: Toker and Cantley (1), Leevers et al. (2), and Alessi and Downes (3), concentrating on the cellular targets of the lipid products of PI3Ks; Vanhaesebroeck et al. (4) and Wymann and Pirola (5), focusing on the structural characteristics of different PI3Ks and the gross consequences of their genetic manipulation in a wide range of species; Munnick et al. (6) provide a superb review of lipid metabolism in plant cells; and Bottomley et al. (7) on structural and mechanistic studies of phosphoinositide-binding proteins.
Methods for oncogene detection
Authors: Cosenza Stephen C , Baker Stacey J , Premkumar Reddy E
Published: November 2023

It is now widely agreed that cancer results from mutations in genes that regulate a cell’s ability to proliferate, differentiate, and die. Despite the fact that the human genome contains, on average 1-3 X 108 base pairs of DNA, relatively few mutated genes have been implicated as causative agents in the induction of cancer. As a result, the identification of these genes, termed oncogenes, within the past 10-15 years has allowed the field of molecular biology to make vast contributions to the field of cancer research.
Gene chips and microarrays: applications in disease profiles, drug target discovery, drug action and toxicity
Authors: Heller Renu A
Published: November 2023

The high density microchips and microarrays are novel technologies. They provide the ability to query the action patterns of hundreds and thousands of genes simultaneously (1–6) and therefore allow parallel genetic analyses. Not only can they furnish gene expression profiles during normal development and differentiation, they can also provide a view of the disease state and its progression. Complex diseases, in particular, are difficult to comprehend because of the multiplicity of factors involved such as different cell types, cell type-specific gene expression, altered expression patterns caused by a malfunctioning of autocrine or paracrine controls, and so on. With parallel genetic analysis, normal gene expression patterns and those gone awry can be traced to provide a level of comprehension heretofore not feasible.
SRS-Access to molecular biological databanks and integrated data analysis tools
Authors: Kreil D P , Etzold T
Published: November 2023

This first section gives an introduction to SRS. Section 2 (A user’s primer) is a tutorial that demonstrates basic tasks: simple database queries, exploiting links between databases, exploration of results, and launching analysis tools. Section 3 (Advanced tools and concepts) builds on the skills imparted by the tutorial, and shows how to refine queries, create custom views on data, and use distributed SRS resources. Section 4 (SRS server side) introduces aspects of using a local SRS installation, and outlines how to take advantage of one. Section 5 (Where to turn for help) suggests where to turn to, if this chapter does not address a particular question or problem.
Cell biology of polarity developtnent in Xenopus oocytes and etnbryos
Authors: Larabell Carolyn a.
Published: November 2023

The development of a single cell into a multicellular organism involves a complex series of highly orchestrated events. Establishing polarity is critical for the normal development of all species and, therefore, it is not surprising that it begins very early–even before the egg is fertilized in some species. During development of the vertebrate, Xenopus laevis, three distinct axes of polarity are established: (1) the animal-vegetal axis, established during oogenesis; (2) the dorsal-ventral axis, established immediately following fertilization; and (3) the left-right axis, established during embryogenesis. These axes are established sequentially, with each subsequent axis superimposed upon the preceding axis. In this chapter I will focus on the first two polarization events, since the third has been addressed quite well in recent reviews (1-3).
cell polarity in response to chemoattractants
Authors: Weiner Orion D , Servant Guy , Parent Carole A , Devreotes Peter N , Bourne Henry R
Published: November 2023

To carry out their biological responsibilities, many eukaryotic cells depend on their ability to polarize and migrate toward a source of chemoattractant ligand. This crucial ability allows single-cell organisms to hunt and mate, axons to find their way in the developing nervous system, and cells in the innate immune system to find and kill invading pathogens. How do eukaryotic cells interpret a chemotactic gradient? Which signalling molecules carry information from the external world to internal cellular responses? What are the final effectors for cell polarity and migration? How are polarity responses co-ordinated in space and time? To address these and other questions, we will focus on two especially useful systems for the study of eukaryotic chemotaxis: neutrophils and Dictyostelium discoideum.
Photometric assays
Authors: John Robert A
Published: November 2023

Photometric methods are the most frequently used of all kinds of enzyme assay. They are convenient and capable of rapidly providing accurate and reproducible results on large numbers of samples. Useful changes in the optical properties of the system under analysis frequently arise directly from the chemical transformations accompanying the enzyme catalysed conversion of substrate to product. When the reaction catalysed by the enzyme under assay does not itself produce a useful change in optical properties, incorporation of appropriate additional reagents often allows the reaction to be monitored photometrically. Enzyme assays based on changes in the light absorbed by the solution as the reaction proceeds are more frequently used than other photometric methods. However, changes in fluorescence and changes in turbidity of the solution also provide the bases of useful optical methods for assaying enzymes.
Electrochemical assays: the nitric oxide electrode
Authors: Hurst R D , Clark J B
Published: November 2023

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important, short-lived bio-regulatory messenger molecule that plays a critical part in a variety of biological functions. The selective and reliable detection of NO in biological systems is crucial in order to research and understand the role of NO. Non-electrochemical methods for the detection of NO have been reported but are not well suited for realtime measurement and are very time consuming. A few electrochemical NO sensors have also been described but have significant drawbacks in terms of both selectivity and sensitivity for NO. Moreover, these systems have been limited to researchers with a good understanding of electro-analytical theory and often require an external reference electrode, which can complicate and limit the experimental design (1, 2). Only recently has the technology become available to reliably and specifically measure NO in biological systems. World Precision Instruments (WPI) released recently the first commercially available NO electrode for general laboratory use. The system is described here and offers distinct advantages over those previously reported and enables quick, easy, and reliable NO measurement.
Basic light microscopy
Authors: Zimmermann Timo , Pepperkok Rainer , Stephens David , Girod Andreas , Rietdorf Jens
Published: November 2023

There are a multitude of introductions to the basic principles of light microscopy reflecting on one hand the importance of the subject and on the other the fact that light microscopy has been used as a tool in different areas of research for a long time, and is constantly being developed further. The general approach for explaining light microscopy begins with considerations of the nature of light, properties of waves and lenses, the laws of diffraction, etc. and ends on the actual technical details of microscope usage. However, we decided to approach this text from the side of the sample, for the principal reason that the direction of thinking of the researcher usually comes from this. Biological scientists will usually raise questions such as where the cell/protein localizes, where and when it moves, whether it co-localizes or interacts with something, rather than asking what he or she could do with a certain type of lens.
Subcellular fractionation
Authors: Hodel Alois , Edwardson J Michael
Published: November 2023

Subcellular fractionation has been crucial to the development of modern cellular and molecular biology. In recent years, the major driving force behind the isolation of organelles has been the requirement to study their function in vitro. Naturally, if organelles are to be used in in vitro assays, native structure and activity must be preserved during fractionation, and protocols are constantly being improved with this in mind. Although separation techniques based on non-specific physical properties are still widely used, additional methods based on specific biochemical interactions, such as antigen-antibody recognition, have been introduced. The principles behind these various techniques are discussed in this chapter, and specific examples will be described in detail. Throughout, the emphasis will be on the isolation of functionally competent organelles.
Nucleic acids
Authors: Brown T A
Published: November 2023

A full description of the nucleic acid techniques relevant to cell biology would require hundreds of pages of text. This chapter is therefore restricted to the key procedures involved in the extraction of nucleic acids from living tissues and the study of those nucleic acids by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), agarose gel electrophoresis, hybridization analysis, and DNA sequencing. The reader is referred to the relevant parts of larger and more comprehensive manuals (e.g. refs 1 and 2) for further information on these techniques and for descriptions of procedures that are beyond the scope of this chapter.
Gene expression
Authors: Parada Luis , Elbi Cem , Dundr Miroslav , Misteli Tom
Published: November 2023

Gene expression has traditionally been studied by biochemical, molecular, and genetic approaches, rather than cell biological methods. Recent advances in microscopy techniques and microscope equipment, probe generation, and the availability of virtually any sequence in the genome as the result of sequencing efforts have made cell biological investigation of gene expression and genome organization a desirable and feasible undertaking (1, 2). The cell biological study of gene expression almost invariably involves microscopy methods. It is now possible to routinely and reliably localize nuclear proteins, entire chromosomes, specific gene loci, as well as unspliced pre-mRNA and spliced mRNA in chemically-fixed cells. Combination of these methods and application of image analysis software provide powerful approaches to the cell biological study of gene expression.
Transport across the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum
Authors: Römisch Karin
Published: November 2023

This chapter describes cell-free experimental systems designed to monitor both protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and the subsequent fates of the translocated proteins. The cell fractions for the assays described here are derived from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These assays can therefore be performed with membranes or cytosol from mutant yeast strains, and thus allow the assessment of the roles of specific genes in translocation across the ER membrane in addition to the biochemical manipulations that are possible in all cell-free systems. Similar experimental systems based on mammalian microsomes and cytosol have been described elsewhere (1, 2).
Redox Hydrogel-Based Electrochemical Biosensors
Authors: Heller Adam
Published: November 2023

Redox hydrogel-based sensors are a subgroup of mediator-based sensors. Unlike their older cousins, the diffusional mediator-based sensors, their electron trans-port mediating redox centers are polymer-bound. When the resulting redox polymers are crosslinked on electrodes, they become insoluble, but swell in water to form redox hydrogels (1-4). These hydrogels can be as soft as Jell-0, or as tough as leather, depending on the extent of their crosslinking (1, 5). Upon hydration and swelling, the mobility of their segments is increased.
Screen-Printing Methods For Biosensor Production
Authors: Zhang Xian-En
Published: November 2023

Conventional enzyme electrodes use bulky electrochemical devices as transducers, such as the oxygen electrode and hydrogen electrode. Applications of the sensors are attractive but their market development is slow and limited due to the fact that these sensors, either electrodes or enzyme membranes, are made expensively and need frequent calibration and regular maintenance. In addition, the interferences from variation in oxygen tension or unspecific electro-active substances are also problems. Therefore, cheaper, more reliable and friendly biosensors are required to promote exploitation of the market. This had not been realized until the invention of the mediated enzyme electrode and introduction of screen-printing technology.
Cloning
Authors: Clarke John
Published: November 2023

A clone is a population of cells which are descended from a single parental cell. Clones may be derived from continuous cell lines or from primary cultures, but in either case the purpose of cloning is the same: to minimize the degree of genetic and phenotypic variation within a cell population. This is done by isolating a single cell under suitable conditions and then allowing it to multiply to produce a large enough number of cells for the required purpose.
Cytokine receptor signalling pathways: PC-specific phospholipase C and sphingomyelinases
Authors: Schütze Stefan , KrÖnke Martin
Published: November 2023

Cytokines constitute a category of regulatory polypeptides that include lyrnpho-kines, interleukins, and interferons. They play vital roles as mediators of inter cellular communication within the immune system. The two hallmarks of cytokine function are the marked pleiotrophy and redundancy of biological activities. That is, one cytokine may exert many different activities on different cell types, and many of the cytokines display overlapping biologicai activities. The redundancy of cytokine activities may be based on the utilization of shared key components ,of intracellular signalling pathways. Receptor-mediated signalling pathways are generally initiated by the binding of intracellular proteins to the cytosolic domains of the receptors. These receptor-associated proteins either function as adaptor proteins for the recruitment of other signalling proteins or are themselves enzymes, e.g. kinases, phosphatases, proteases, or lipases.
Conditional and fixed cytokine gene modifications in transgenic and mutant mice
Authors: Kassiotis* George , Pasparakis Manolis , Kollias* George
Published: November 2023

For many years, transgenic mice have served as fine tools in the dissection and understanding of complex biological phenomena. Studies on gene function in multifactorial and multicellular systems have benefited most, because they often require experimental settings which faithfully stimulate the in vivo situation. As additional technological advances become accessible to a growing number of investigators, these offer the opportunity to inactivate or modify endogenous genes in the mouse and provide new possibilities for research. In general, perturbation of gene expression in transgenic systems often leads to measurable alterations in the physiology of the animal and important functional implications come to light.
Cytoklne regulation of endothelial cells
Authors: Allavena P , Bianchi G , Sironi M , Garlanda C , Vecchi A
Published: November 2023

Endothelial cells (EC) have long been considered a ‘passive’ lining of blood vessels, endowed with negative properties, the most important one being that of representing a non-thrombogenic substrate for blood. As such, EC were thought to participate in tissue reactions essentially as targets for injurious agents. The possibility of isolating and culturing EC from various tissues permitted study of their complex reactions to a variety of activating stimuli. EC have, in this way, emerged as active participants in many physiological and pathological processes. It is now evident that haemostasis, inflammatory reactions, and immunity in­volve close interactions between immunocompetent cells and vascular endo­thelium. In particular, the ontogeny and function of white blood cells require an intimate relationship with vascular EC. Cytokines are mediators of these complex bidirectional interactions between leucocytes and vascular elements (for a review see refs 1 and 2).
Blologlcal assays for haemopoletlc growth factors
Authors: de Wynter E A , Heyworth C M , Lord B I , Testa N G
Published: November 2023

The aim of this chapter is to summarize in vitro standard assays used to investi­gate the myeloid growth factors interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G­CSF), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), and erythropoietin (Epo). Such methods are illustrated by experimental protocols using murine cells, and with selected examples using human bone-marrow cells.
Cytoklne production by indlvldual cells
Authors: Burke B , Lewis J S , Lewis C E
Published: November 2023

In recent years, fundamental problems have emerged in the analysis of cytokine production. Aspects of cytokine biology such as their overlapping biological effects, association with carrier proteins, competition with inhibitors, rapid induction, transient storage, and ability to bind to surface sites on producer cells, have meant that considerable care has to be taken in the selection of appropriate and meaningful techniques for their accurate detection.
Tight junction protein expression in early Xenopus development and protein interaction studies
Authors: Citi Sandra , D’Atri Fabio , Cordenonsi Michelangelo , Cardellini Pietro
Published: November 2023

abstract

This chapter is divided into two sections. The first section describes protocols to produce eggs and embryos of Xenopus laevis to investigate the organization and composition of tight junctions (or other structures). The second part describes approaches to study interactions between tight junction (or other) proteins using recombinant proteins and lysates of cultured epithelial cells (from Xenopus or mammalian organisms), reticulocytes, and insect cells. Combining studies on protein expression in vivo with studies on protein interactions in vitro can help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in tight junction biogenesis. The reader is referred to review articles (1–5) for a suitable introduction to the structure, function, and molecular composition of epithelial tight junctions.
Model systems for the investigation of implantation
Authors: Aplin John D , Lacey Helen , Chen Chie-Pein , Jones Carolyn J P , Kimber Susan J , Blissett Melanie J , Simón Carlos
Published: November 2023

Embryo implantation is fundamental to reproduction, yet we know little of its cellular and molecular mechanisms, especially in humans (1). The initial interaction of the human embryo is with luminal endometrial epithelial cells at the lining of the uterine cavity. These maternal cells appear to switch from a non-receptive to a receptive state about 6 days after ovulation (2). Following attachment of trophectoderm to the epithelial apical surface, intrusion is thought to occur, with transient adhesion to the lateral epithelial borders. This is followed by direct contact with, and then penetration of, the basement membrane. Within 1–2 days, the embryo becomes embedded fully in the stroma (3). Given the obvious ethical and practical difficulties in carrying out investigations in vivo, progress will depend on advances in methodology for investigation of cellular interactions in vitro.
Tasks for Ending
Authors: Walsh Joseph
Published: November 2023

Clinical intervention includes at least four phases—assessment, planning, intervention, and ending—and each phase has distinct tasks and areas of focus. The ending phase sometimes begins as early as the first session, particularly if the practitioner orients the client to an intervention strategy that utilizes concrete indicators of goal attainment. Even in those situations, however, attention to specific ending tasks may not begin until the practitioner perceives that the intervention is nearing completion. In fact, we can say that intervention includes both pretermination and termination activities. The former are activities addressed by the client and practitioner as the practitioner becomes aware of the approaching end and begins to focus the intervention in that direction. Termination activities emerge in the context of the practitioner and client discussing and agreeing on a specific ending strategy.
Practitioner Reactions to Endings
Authors: Walsh Joseph
Published: November 2023

In chapter 9, we focused on clients. Now we consider the range of reactions that practitioners experience as they end clinical relationships. All practitioners should develop habits of monitoring their reactions, both positive and negative. Doing so will maximize their chances to facilitate satisfactory closure for themselves and their clients and to build careers that feature professional satisfaction. Both personal and clinical factors influence practitioner reactions to endings.
Additional Ending Activities
Authors: Walsh Joseph
Published: November 2023

Thinking back over my process of writing this book, I am most grateful to the many practitioners who offered their stories, sometimes quite personal, of noteworthy clinical ending experiences. I accumulated more examples of clinical endings than I could neatly fit within the body of the book. Still, many of these examples provide useful ideas for ending activities from a variety of practice perspectives. My own “ending activity” consists of presenting some of these additional ending activities.
Volunteerism and Human Behavior Theory
Authors: Sherr Michael E
Published: November 2023

This chapter analyzes volunteerism through the lens of eight different human behavior theories. From a strengths perspective, volunteerism provides an opportunity to consider these theories without advancing a view of individuals, groups, and communities as pathological or deviant. Instead, volunteerism encourages individual capacity building while simultaneously addressing community social problems. The vignettes from chapters 1 and 2 will illustrate how human behavior theories apply to volunteerism.
Mindfulness and Social Work
Authors: Hick Steven F
Published: November 2023

There is widespread and growing interest in mindfulness within the social work profession. All helping professions, including psychology and medicine, are using mindfulness, but in many ways social work has engaged with it in unique ways. There are a range of books that detail mindfulness-based interventions, and one (Hick & Bien, 2008) that examines mindfulness and the therapeutic relationship. This is the first book on the topic of mindfulness with a specific social work focus. As we know, social work is much more than a profession doing individual and group therapy. Social workers, unlike other helping professions, practice at the community and policy levels as well. A generalist or structural practitioner might endeavor to practice at all three levels. This book therefore aims to explore how mindfulness might prove useful for social workers in relation to professional self (the inner dimension), client interventions (micro-practice), and community work (micro- and mezzo-practice).
Watching the Train: Mindfulness and Inner Dialogue in Therapist Skills Training
Authors: Parè David A , Richardson Brian , Tarragona Margarita
Published: November 2023

The quotes above are samples of reflections from student therapists on their experiences of attending to their inner dialogues in the midst of a therapeutic conversation. The task of directing their attention inwardly during a session reaps a rich range of reflections, from exasperation with conflicting impulses to delight at the discovery of what becomes visible when one slows down and attends to the moment at hand. Their comments capture some of the paradoxes and possibilities unveiled by mindful attention to therapeutic conversation.
Subjective Well-Being, Mindfulness, and the Social Work Workplace: Insight into Reciprocal Relationships
Authors: Graham Susan M , Graham John R
Published: November 2023

The profession of social work operates within the context of multiple social levels—the individual, community, and institutional levels. Along with the complexity attached to practicing amid these multiple social levels, practitioners are presented with individual challenges and situations that have been shown to weigh negatively on the workplace and the individual practitioner. As a result, emphasis is placed on the negative repercussions and limitations of the work. Moving away from focusing on these limitations, we find it useful to unravel the interconnected and reciprocal relationship between mindfulness and subjective well-being (SWB), as these two concepts relate to the social work workplace and the profession in general. Social work practitioners could take on unique roles in their respective workplaces as leaders by adopting some of the promising characteristics associated with mindfulness and potentially improving overall individual and workplace SWB. Further- more, drawing on the role of social work practice in the present social environment, we seek to begin expanding the discourse related to SWB and mindfulness beyond the individual to encompass the community and institutional levels of society.
Integrating Affect Regulation with Mindfulness in Family Therapy
Authors: Katz Ellen
Published: November 2023

This chapter will discuss both theoretical and practice applications of mindfulness to family therapy from the perspective of affect regulation. I see affect regulation and mindfulness as overlapping concepts that can be used in family therapy and are implicitly central to family therapy even when not explicitly discussed and crafted into interventions. Before defining affect regulation and mindfulness, I will situate social work theoretically in the discussion. My aim in this chapter is to demonstrate how social work’s unique focus on the individual within both a family context and a larger societal context fits well with the use of mindfulness in family therapy.
NeuroFreq: a MATLAB Toolbox for Time-Frequency Analysis of M/EEG Data
Authors: Rawls Eric
Published: November 2023

Time-frequency (TF) analysis of M/EEG data enables rich understanding of cortical dynamics underlying cognition, health, and disease. There are many algorithms for time-frequency decomposition of M/EEG neural data, but they are implemented in an inconsistent manner and most existing toolboxes either 1) contain only one or a few transforms, or 2) are not adapted to analyze multichannel, multitrial M/EEG data. This makes entry into time-frequency daunting for new practitioners and limits the ability of the community to flexibly compare the performance of multiple TF methods on M/EEG data. This paper introduces theNeuroFreqtoolbox for MATLAB, which includes multiple TF transformation algorithms that are implemented in a consistent fashion and produce consistent output. The toolbox includes TF decomposition algorithms of both linear and quadratic classes, utilities for resampling, averaging, and baseline correction of TF representations, and tools for visualizing and interacting with single-trial or averaged TF representations over multiple channels. This paper introduces these utilities, and applies them to synthetic and EEG data to demonstrate theNeuroFreqtoolbox.
Simultaneous multi-transient linear-combination modeling of MRS data improves uncertainty estimation
Authors: Zöllner Helge J. , Davies-Jenkins Christopher , Simicic Dunja , Tal Assaf , Sulam Jeremias , Oeltzschner Georg
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The interest in applying and modeling dynamic MRS has recently grown. 2D modeling yields advantages for the precision of metabolite estimation in interrelated MRS data. However, it is unknown whether including all transients simultaneously in a 2D model without averaging (presuming a stable signal) performs similarly to 1D modeling of the averaged spectrum. Therefore, we systematically investigated the accuracy, precision, and uncertainty estimation of both described model approaches.

Methods

Monte Carlo simulations of synthetic MRS data were used to compare the accuracy and uncertainty estimation of simultaneous 2D multi-transient LCM with 1D-LCM of the average. 2,500 datasets per condition with different noise representations of a 64-transient MRS experiment at 6 signal-to-noise levels for two separate spin systems (scyllo-inositol and GABA) were analyzed. Additional datasets with different levels of noise correlation were also analyzed. Modeling accuracy was assessed by determining the relative bias of the estimated amplitudes against the ground truth, and modeling precision was determined by standard deviations and Cramér-Rao Lower Bounds (CRLB).

Results

Amplitude estimates for 1D- and 2D-LCM agreed well and showed similar level of bias compared to the ground truth. Estimated CRLBs agreed well between both models and with ground truth CRLBs. For correlated noise the estimated CRLBs increased with the correlation strength for the 1D-LCM but remained stable for the 2D-LCM.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that the model performance of 2D multi-transient LCM is similar to averaged 1D-LCM. This validation on a simplified scenario serves as necessary basis for further applications of 2D modeling.