bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ammonia‐dependent differential regulation of the gene cluster that encodes ammonia monooxygenase in Nitrosococcus oceani ATCC 19707
Authors: El Sheikh Amal F. , Klotz Martin G.
Published: September 2008

Molecular analysis of the ammonia monooxygenase‐encoding gene cluster in Nitrosococcus oceani revealed that the amo genes are differentially expressed from three promoters dependent on the external ammonia concentration. Whereas a distal amoRCABD operon promoter, pC1, is active only in the presence of ammonia, identified proximal amoC (pC2) and amoA (pA) sigma‐70‐type promoters are constitutive. Promoter region pC2 also contains a consensus sequence for binding of RpoN, usually involved in nitrogen starvation response. Additional regulation of transcript stability by anti‐termination and mRNA degradation are proposed and discussed.
Proteomics‐inferred genome typing (PIGT) demonstrates inter‐population recombination as a strategy for environmental adaptation
Authors: Denef Vincent J. , VerBerkmoes Nathan C. , Shah Manesh B. , Abraham Paul , Lefsrud Mark , Hettich Robert L. , Banfield Jillian F.
Published: September 2008

Analyses of ecological and evolutionary processes that shape microbial consortia are facilitated by comprehensive studies of ecosystems with low species richness. In the current study we evaluated the role of recombination in altering the fitness of chemoautotrophic bacteria in their natural environment. Proteomics‐inferred genome typing (PIGT) was used to genotype the dominant Leptospirillum group II populations in 27 biofilms sampled from six locations in the Richmond Mine acid mine drainage system (Iron Mountain, CA) over a 4‐year period. We observed six distinct genotypes that are recombinants comprised of segments from two ‘parental’ genotypes. Community genomic analyses revealed additional low abundance recombinant variants. The dominance of some genotypes despite a larger available genome pool, and patterns of spatiotemporal distribution within the ecosystem, indicate selection for distinct recombinants. Genes involved in motility, signal transduction and transport were over‐represented in the tens to hundreds of kilobase recombinant blocks, whereas core metabolic functions were significantly under‐represented. Our findings demonstrate the power of PIGT and reveal that recombination is a mechanism for fine‐scale adaptation in this system.
Psychometric examination and normative data for the Narcissistic Personality Inventory 29 item version
Authors: SVINDSETH MARIT F. , SØREBØ ØYSTEIN , NØTTESTAD JIM AAGE , ROALDSET JOHN OLAV , WALLIN JULISKA , DAHL ALV A.
Published: September 2008

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) is commonly used in empirical studies of narcissism. Few population‐based studies have been published. Our aim was to do a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the NPI 29 item version with a four‐factor structure, in two population‐based samples and in a patient sample, and present normative population‐based data. The NPI‐29 was filled in by 324 respondents from the Norwegian population, 231 from the Swedish population and 167 Norwegian psychiatric patients. The four‐factor structure of the NPI‐29 with Leadership/Power, Exhibitionism/Self‐admiration, Superiority/Arrogance and Uniqueness/Entitlement was reproduced in these samples. The CFA models showed good fit indices in all samples. Mean scores on the NPI‐29 and four subscales hardly differed between the samples. For the NPI‐29 total score and factors, few significant differences were observed. CFA of the samples supported the factor structure of the NPI‐29 formerly identified by principal component analysis of the Swedish population sample.
Gendered Futures? Women, the ICT Workplace and Stories of the Future
Authors: Moore Karenza , Griffiths Marie , Richardson Helen , Adam Alison
Published: September 2008

This article investigates stories of the future in relation to women in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector through the development of a theoretical and methodological stance towards the future. Given concerns about the future of the ICT sector in terms of skills shortages and gender imbalances, an understanding of how female ICT professionals view this future is vital. Using data gathered from female ICT professionals in the UK, we look specifically at gendered stories about the future in relation to hybrid/bridger ICT workers, the practices of offshoring/global locating ICT work and the under‐representation of women in ICT. Such stories of the future are part of wider discourses on gender relations in late modern society, and so their examination becomes a conduit for problematizing contemporary discourse about gender, work, time and technology.
STANDARDISIERT DIE NIEDERDEUTSCHE GRAMMATIK DAS NIEDERDEUTSCHE?
Authors: Stellmacher Dieter
Published: September 2008

Das Niederdeutsche (Nd.) zählt unbestritten zu den historischen germanischen Einzelsprachen. Im Unterschied zu den meisten anderen Vertretern der germanischen Sprachfamilie hat das Nd. aber einen umfassenden Statuswandel erfahren und existiert ab dem 17./18. Jahrhundert nur noch als eine Dialektgruppe. Dieser Einschnitt in der Sprachgeschichte des Nd. hat Folgen für das Selbstverständnis der Nd.‐Sprecher und für die wissenschaftliche Arbeit am Nd. Wenn es auch heute ein Gegenstand der deutschen Dialektologie ist, so erfährt das Nd. doch eine von den anderen deutschen Dialekten verschiedene linguistische Bearbeitung. Dafür steht die 1998 erschienene Niederdeutsche Grammatik (Nd. Gr.), die als eine Gebrauchsgrammatik konzipiert ist, sodass die Frage nach ihrer präskriptiven Wirkung auf der Hand liegt. Das wird im Aufsatz an der von der Nd. Gr. vorgestellten Schreibung des Nd. und an morphologischen und syntaktischen Erscheinungen geprüft. Obwohl die Deskription grammatischer Erscheinungen Standardisierungen des modernen Nd. den Weg bereitet, kann von einer nd. Standardgrammatik (noch) nicht gesprochen werden. Hier wird die Wirkung der Nd. Gr. weiter zu beobachten sein. Ihr Beschreibungsschwerpunkt, das Nd. des Weser‐Trave‐Raumes, ist auf jeden Fall geeignet, das progressive Nord‐Nd. vom eher konservativen Süd‐Nd. noch stärker abzuheben. In dieser Sprachgeschichte bildet die Nd. Gr. einen markanten Orientierungspunkt, und zwar nicht nur für niederdeutsche Linguisten.
STANDARDISATION: THE NORTH BRITISH VIEW*1
Authors: Hogg Richard M.
Published: September 2008

George Campbell was a major figure in the history of prescriptivism in the late eighteenth century. He is best known for his attack on Swift and his requirements that grammar must be reputable, national and present. This paper examines Campbell's idea in the wider context of his time, and in particular considers the implications for his work of the contemporary views about national identity. As a native of Aberdeen, Campbell had a double allegiance, to both Britain and to Scotland, and it is this which is explored here. I examine Campbell's role in the Scottish Enlightenment and more generally the position of intellectuals in that movement and I contrast that with the English grammarians of the time. Campbell's views fit squarely into the Common Sense School of philosophy. Although this school is often seen as representing middle class values, this has to be embedded into the intellectual context of the time.
CLUES TO LANGUAGE CHANGE FROM NON‐STANDARD ENGLISH
Authors: Denison David
Published: September 2008

Colloquial speech has a different grammar from written English, and published descriptions of English are largely based on the written form; therefore the grammatical consensus may be missing important facts about everyday English. Non‐standard language often prefigures changes which spread eventually into the standard; sometimes it preserves forms lost elsewhere. Linguistic change in standard English can sometimes be detected by looking at different forms of non‐standard English, or by comparison of different national standards. These useful windows on the standard language are illustrated with examples from unplanned speech, internet data, and British and American usage.
Machine Politics and Democracy: The Deinstitutionalization of the Argentine Party System
Authors: Scherlis Gerardo
Published: September 2008

This article contends that intra-party dynamics based on particularistic exchanges constitute a double-edged sword for a political system. On the one hand, they provide party leaders with strategic flexibility, which can be essential for their party stability and for the governability of the political system. On the other hand, in permitting office holders to switch policies whenever they consider fit, these dynamics render governments unpredictable and unaccountable in partisan terms, thus debasing the quality of democratic representation. The hypothesis is illustrated by recent Argentine political development.
Accounting for Negative, Zero and Positive Willingness to Pay for Landscape Change in a National Park
Authors: Hanley Nick , Colombo Sergio , Kriström Bengt , Watson Fiona
Published: September 2008

In contingent valuation, despite the fact that many externalities manifest themselves as costs to some and benefits to others, most studies restrict willingness to pay to being non‐negative. In this paper, we investigate the impact of allowing for negative, zero and positive preferences for prospective changes in woodland cover in two UK national parks, the Lake District and the Trossachs. An extended spike model is used to accomplish this. The policy implications of not allowing for negative values in terms of aggregate benefits are also investigated, by comparing the extended spike model with a simple spike making use of only zero and positive bids, and a model which considers positive bids only. We find that ignoring negative values over‐states the aggregate benefits of a woodland planting project by up to 44%.
Are There Similar Sources of Environmental Concern? Comparing Industrialized Countries*
Authors: Marquart‐Pyatt Sandra T.
Published: September 2008

Objectives. Despite the emergence of environmental concern worldwide, the social forces underlying its expression are not well understood. This research extends previous cross‐national studies by employing multi‐item indicators of environmental concern in order to more accurately portray concern for the environment as a multifaceted concept and to determine whether the sources of environmental concern are similar among industrialized countries.

Methods. Survey data from the ISSP 2000 Environment data set are analyzed for 19 countries.

Results. The findings are threefold. First, there are some remarkably consistent influences on both measures of concern for the environment. Second, some differences remain, which are linked with measuring environmental concern. Third, these results suggest that models explaining environmental concerns appear to operate similarly in this sample of industrialized countries.

Conclusions. This investigation provides a baseline for future research to introduce additional cases and correlates to empirically test explanations regarding environmental concern's global reach.
Neoliberal Knowledge: The Decline of Technocracy and the Weakening of the Montreal Protocol*
Authors: DuPuis E. Melanie , Gareau Brian J.
Published: September 2008

Objective. The turn to participatory, stakeholder modes of governance has been accompanied by the legitimization of a new “particularist knowledge regime” emphasizing the knowledge claims made by private interests and local voices. It has also tended to de‐legitimize the ways of knowing that had characterized central state governance, namely, state expertise based on general welfare analytics such as cost‐benefit analysis. This turn away from state expertise, what we call the “anti‐technocratic consensus,” while stemming from democratic motivations, may actually make environmental governance less democratic.

Method. We examine the problems that arise from the abandonment of general welfare economic analytics and technical expertise—the anti‐technocratic consensus—through a specific case study: the recent handling of “critical use exemptions” to the ban on methyl bromide under the Montreal Protocol, a treaty that mandates the elimination of methyl bromide in order to protect the ozone layer. We show that decisionmakers specifically rejected general welfare analytics as a basis of regulatory action in favor of a particularist form of analytics based on measuring market disruption.

Results. This case illustrate how the de‐legitimization of technical expertise can weaken the effectiveness of an environmental agreement in meeting its regulatory mandate. Critics have often criticized technical expertise as supporting the economic status quo. However, in the case of methyl bromide and the Montreal Protocol, technical experts using general welfare analytics represented a challenge to U.S. regulatory officials who supported industrial interests and their request for significant exemptions to the ban.

Conclusion. The legitimization of a particularist knowledge regime opens up policy making to domination by private interests playing the stakeholder game. Stakeholder input and particularist knowledges are important to democratic decision making. However, technical expertise, despite all its weaknesses, is a form of knowledge that remains necessary to the protection of the environment and public health.
Biofilm lifestyle of Candida: a mini review
Authors: Seneviratne CJ , Jin L , Samaranayake LP
Published: September 2008

Candida is the major fungal pathogen of humans causing a variety of afflictions ranging from superficial mucosal diseases to deep seated mycoses. Biofilm formation is a major virulence factor in the pathogenicity of Candida, and Candida biofilms are difficult to eradicate especially because of their very high antifungal resistance. Consequently, research into the pathogenicity of Candida has focused on the prevention and management of biofilm development, their architecture, and antifungal resistance. Although studies have shed some light, molecular mechanisms that govern biofilm formation and pathogenicity still await full clarification. This review outlines the key features of what is currently known of Candida biofilm development, regulation and antifungal resistance and, their proteomics.
Financial Conflicts Facing Late‐Life Remarried Alzheimer’s Disease Caregivers*
Authors: Sherman Carey Wexler , Bauer Jean W.
Published: September 2008

Abstract: This qualitative study explores financial conflicts faced by late‐life remarried wives providing care for their husbands with Alzheimer’s disease. Interviews with 9 women identified intergenerational secrets and tensions regarding financial and inheritance decisions. Participants’ remarried spouse status, underlying family boundary ambiguities, and changing realities brought on by the onset of Alzheimer’s disease all appear to contribute to intergenerational tension over financial decisions. Findings suggest that remarried older couples with chronic health issues may be at additional financial and psychological risk, especially in the caregiving role. Future research, intervention, and policy should anticipate and address the special needs of remarried and stepfamily members to support their efforts to successfully manage the health and caregiving concerns associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Semi‐nested PCR analysis of unknown tags on serial analysis of gene expression
Authors: Xu Wang‐Jie , Li Qiao‐Li , Yao Chen‐Jiang , Wang Zhao‐Xia , Zhao Yang‐Xing , Qiao Zhong‐Dong
Published: September 2008

Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) is a powerful technique for studying gene expression at the genome level. However, short SAGE tags limit the further study of related data. In this study, in order to identify a gene, we developed a semi‐nested PCR‐based method called the two‐step analysis of unknown SAGE tags (TSAT‐PCR) to generate longer 3′‐end cDNA fragments from unknown SAGE tags. In the procedure, a modified lock‐docking oligo(dT) with two degenerate nucleotide positions at the 3′‐end was used as a reverse primer to synthesize cDNAs. Afterwards, the full‐length cDNAs were amplified by PCR based on 5′‐RACE and 3′‐RACE. The amplified cDNAs were then used for the subsequent two‐step PCR of the TSAT‐PCR process. The first‐step PCR was carried out at an appropriately low annealing temperature; a SAGE tag‐specific primer was used as the sense primer, and an 18 bp sequence (universal primer I) located at the 5′‐reverse primer end was used as the antisense primer. After 15–20 PCR cycles, the 3′‐end cDNA fragments containing the tag could be enriched, and the PCR products could be used as templates for the second‐step PCR to obtain the specific products. The second‐step PCR was performed with a SAGE tag‐specific primer and a 22‐bp sequence (universal primer II) upstream of universal primer I at the 5′‐reverse primer with a high annealing temperature. With our innovative TSAT‐PCR method, we could easily obtain specific PCR products covering SAGE from those transcripts, especially low‐abundance transcripts. It can be used as a method to identify genes expressed in different cell types.
Junction ribonuclease activity specified in RNases HII/2
Authors: Ohtani Naoto , Tomita Masaru , Itaya Mitsuhiro
Published: September 2008

Junction ribonuclease (JRNase) recognizes the transition from RNA to DNA of an RNA–DNA/DNA hybrid, such as an Okazaki fragment, and cleaves it, leaving a mono‐ribonucleotide at the 5′ terminus of the RNA–DNA junction. Although this JRNase activity was originally reported in calf RNase H2, some other RNases H have recently been suggested to possess it. This paper shows that these enzymes can also cleave an RNA–DNA/RNA heteroduplex in a manner similar to the RNA–DNA/DNA substrate. The cleavage site of the RNA–DNA/RNA substrate corresponds to the RNA/RNA duplex region, indicating that the cleavage activity cannot be categorized as RNase H activity, which specifically cleaves an RNA strand of an RNA/DNA hybrid. Examination of several RNases H with respect to JRNase activity suggested that the activity is only found in RNase HII orthologs. Therefore, RNases HIII, which are RNase HII paralogs, are distinguished from RNases HII by the absence of JRNase activity. Whether a substrate can be targeted by JRNase activity would depend only on whether or not an RNA–DNA junction consisting of one ribonucleotide and one deoxyribonucleotide is included in the duplex. In addition, although the activity has been reported not to occur on completely single‐stranded RNA–DNA, it can recognize a single‐stranded RNA–DNA junction if a double‐stranded region is located adjacent to the junction.
Substrate Availability May Be More Important than Aquatic Insect Abundance in the Distribution of Riparian Orb‐web Spiders in the Tropics
Authors: Chan Eric K. W. , Zhang Yixin , Dudgeon David
Published: September 2008

Spiders that are abundant along streams may depend on energy subsidies across land–water ecotones, but the effects of season and habitat structure on this trophic linkage remain poorly understood in the tropics. We carried out surveys and a manipulative experiment to investigate the effects of season and substrate availability on the distribution of riparian orb‐web spiders in Hong Kong, southern China. In the surveys, spider abundance, prey, substrate use, and web orientation were recorded. The experiment involved installation of in‐stream artificial substrates (ropes and bamboo poles) to increase substrate availability for web attachment. We found no seasonal difference in web abundance, but seasonal differences were observed for the prey on webs: aquatic insects (mostly Ephemeroptera and chironomid midges) contributed 69 percent of total prey collected during the wet season, but only 38 percent during the dry season. Most webs (50–80%) were < 0.5 m above the water and 45–51 percent of them tended to be orientated horizontally to the water surface and supported by overhanging vegetation and boulders. The addition of artificial substrates resulted in a 23–34 percent increase in the number of webs at the four treatment sites compared to controls, indicating that availability of web‐building substrates is a critical determinant of the spider distribution. Our results suggest that riparian zones are potential ‘hotspots' of food availability for spiders, and that the aquatic insect subsidy allows this habitat to support increased densities of spiders when the constraint of substrate availability is relaxed.
Feathered dinosaurs from China and the evolution of major avian characters
Authors: XU Xing
Published: September 2008

Recent discoveries of feathered dinosaurs from Early Cretaceous deposits in Liaoning, China, have not only lent strongest support for the dinosaurian hypothesis of bird origins, but have also provided much‐needed information about the origins of feathers and avian flight. Preliminary analysis of character evolution suggests that the major avian osteological characters were acquired during the early evolution of maniraptoran dinosaurs. The available evidence also suggests that the first feathers with a filamentous morphology probably evolved in basal coelurosaurs and pennaceous feathers (including those with aerodynamic features) were developed in non‐avian maniraptorans, indicating that feathers evolved before the origin of birds and their flight. An evolutionary model is proposed here to describe the major stages of feather evolution, a process characterized by a combination of both transformational and innovative modifications. This model is different from some recent developmental models, which suggest that feathers are evolutionary novelties without a homologous relationship to reptilian scales. Although non‐avian theropods are traditionally regarded as distinctly cursorial animals, recent discoveries suggest that the closest relatives of birds might be arboreal theropods. Many bird features, such as the furcula and pennaceous feathers, evolved in a terrestrial context, whereas others, such as some pedal modifications, may have evolved in an arboreal context. Consequently, arboreality may have also contributed to the origin of avian flight.
The Jehol Biota (Lower Cretaceous, China): new discoveries and future prospects
Authors: BARRETT Paul M. , HILTON Jason M.
Published: September 2008

Continuing work on the paleontology and sedimentology of the Jehol Group (Lower Cretaceous, China) is yielding numerous new insights into the evolution of many Mesozoic plant and animal clades. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered regarding Jehol paleoenvironments, paleobiology and paleobiogeography. All of this information will be crucial in providing a detailed reconstruction of this extinct ecosystem.
Using economic instruments to overcome obstacles to in situ conservation of biodiversity
Authors: McNEELY Jeffrey A.
Published: September 2008

The leading direct cause of the loss of biodiversity is habitat alteration and disruption. If we are to address this cause directly, we need to find ways of changing the behavior of rural people. Experience has shown that this is done most effectively through the use of economic instruments, ranging from taxes that discourage over‐exploitation, to direct payments for conservation activities carried out by rural land‐owners or those occupying the land. In many parts of the world, governments provide incentives such as tax breaks to private land‐owners. Other countries recognize specific use rights on particular parts of the land, enabling the land‐owners to earn appropriate benefits. Since many protected areas have resident human populations, it is especially important that they be encouraged to contribute to the objectives of the protected area, and economic incentives offer an important way of doing so; they might, for example, be given employment in the protected area or in associated tourism activities. Direct payments to farmers for conserving watersheds is becoming increasingly popular, in both developed and developing countries. Improved conservation will require both removing perverse subsidies and developing a wide range of approaches for rewarding land‐owners for biodiversity conservation activities.
Comparative immunology
Authors: COOPER Edwin L.
Published: September 2008

As a discipline, comparative immunology enhances zoology and has gained wide acceptance in the biological sciences. It is an offshoot of the parent field, immunology, and is an amalgam of immunology and zoology. All animals from protozoans to humans have solved the threat of extinction by having evolved an immune‐defense strategy that ensures the capacity to react against foreign, non‐self microorganisms and cancers that disturb the homeostatic self. Invertebrate‐type innate immune responses evolved first and they characterize the metazoans. These rapid natural responses act immediately and are often essential for the occurrence of slower, more specific, adaptive vertebrate‐type immune responses. As components of the innate immune system, there is an emphasis on several major steps in the evolutionary process: (i) recognition; (ii) the phagocytic cell; and (iii) the natural killer cell. When vertebrates evolved, beginning with fish, thymus‐controlled T cells first appeared, as did bone marrow‐derived B cells (first found in amphibians with long bones). These were the precursors of the plasma cells that synthesize and secrete antibodies. Confirming the concept of self/non‐self, invertebrates possess natural, non‐adaptive, innate, non‐clonal, non‐anticipatory immune responses, whereas vertebrates possess adaptive, acquired, clonal, and anticipatory responses. This symposium concerns: (i) aspects of the immune spectrum in representative groups; (ii) specific findings (in particular models; e.g. earthworms); (iii) clues as to the possible biomedical application of relevant molecules derived from animals, notably invertebrates; and (iv) some views on the more practical applications of understanding immune systems of invertebrates and ectotherms, and their possible role in survival.
The case for mandatory inclusion of ethics within the zoological sciences curriculum
Authors: BUCKERIDGE John S.
Published: September 2008

Traditionally, undergraduate science curricula include little or no “ethics,” either as theory or practice. However, zoologists are currently enjoying considerable media exposure: some of it positive (as in conservation practice), but more often negative (pertaining to issues such as the use of animals for testing of drugs, and genetic engineering). More than ever before, zoologists are being asked to make value judgments, and many of these involve moral assessment; if we accept that zoologists (along with other scientists) are professionals, then we must accept that they are responsible for any decisions they make, and it then follows that they are accountable, which can have serious ramifications in cases of malpractice. Ethics involves the application of morality in a professional setting. In light of this, teaching ethics is mandatory in degree programs such as engineering and medicine. This paper contends that a key output of zoological education is the undergraduate who is cognizant of the ethical framework and constructs within which he/she must function. The paper concludes with comment on the nature and style of delivery of ethics education.
Understanding Overbidding: Using the Neural Circuitry of Reward to Design Economic Auctions
Authors: Delgado Mauricio R. , Schotter Andrew , Ozbay Erkut Y. , Phelps Elizabeth A.
Published: September 2008

We take advantage of our knowledge of the neural circuitry of reward to investigate a puzzling economic phenomenon: Why do people overbid in auctions? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we observed that the social competition inherent in an auction results in a more pronounced blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) response to loss in the striatum, with greater overbidding correlated with the magnitude of this response. Leveraging these neuroimaging results, we design a behavioral experiment that demonstrates that framing an experimental auction to emphasize loss increases overbidding. These results highlight a role for the contemplation of loss in understanding the tendency to bid “too high.” Current economic theories suggest overbidding may result from either “joy of winning” or risk aversion. By combining neuroeconomic and behavioral economic techniques, we find that another factor, namely loss contemplation in a social context, may mediate overbidding in auctions.
Magnetic Source Separation in Earth's Outer Core
Authors: Hoffman Kenneth A. , Singer Brad S.
Published: September 2008

We present evidence that the source of Earth's axial dipole field is largely independent from the sources responsible for the rest of the geomagnetic field, the so-called nonaxial dipole (NAD) field. Support for this claim comes from correlations between the structure of the historic field and the behavior of the paleomagnetic field recorded in precisely dated lavas at those times when the axial dipole was especially weak or nearly absent. It is argued that a "stratification" of magnetic sources exists in the fluid core such that the axial dipole is the only observed field component that is nearly immune from the influence exerted by the lowermost mantle. It follows that subsequent work on spherical harmonic-based field descriptions may now incorporate an understanding of a dichotomy of spatial-temporal dynamo processes.
Antigen Recognition by Variable Lymphocyte Receptors
Authors: Han Byung Woo , Herrin Brantley R. , Cooper Max D. , Wilson Ian A.
Published: September 2008

Variable lymphocyte receptors (VLRs) rather than antibodies play the primary role in recognition of antigens in the adaptive immune system of jawless vertebrates. Combinatorial assembly of leucine-rich repeat (LRR) gene segments achieves the required repertoire for antigen recognition. We have determined a crystal structure for a VLR-antigen complex, VLR RBC36 in complex with the H-antigen trisaccharide from human blood type O erythrocytes, at 1.67 angstrom resolution. RBC36 binds the H-trisaccharide on the concave surface of the LRR modules of the solenoid structure where three key hydrophilic residues, multiple van der Waals interactions, and the highly variable insert of the carboxyl-terminal LRR module determine antigen recognition and specificity. The concave surface assembled from the most highly variable regions of the LRRs, along with diversity in the sequence and length of the highly variable insert, can account for the recognition of diverse antigens by VLRs.
Therapeutic Activity of an Anti-Idiotypic Antibody-Derived Killer Peptide against Influenza A Virus Experimental Infection
Authors: Conti Giorgio , Magliani Walter , Conti Stefania , Nencioni Lucia , Sgarbanti Rossella , Palamara Anna Teresa , Polonelli Luciano
Published: September 2008

The in vitro and in vivo activities of a killer decapeptide (KP) against influenza A virus is described, and the mechanisms of action are suggested. KP represents the functional internal image of a yeast killer toxin that proved to exert antimicrobial and anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) activities. Treatment with KP demonstrated a significant inhibitory activity on the replication of two strains of influenza A virus in different cell lines, as evaluated by hemagglutination, hemadsorption, and plaque assays. The complete inhibition of virus particle production and a marked reduction of the synthesis of viral proteins (membrane protein and hemagglutinin, in particular) were observed at a KP concentration of 4 μg/ml. Moreover, KP administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 100 μg/mice once a day for 10 days to influenza A/NWS/33 (H1N1) virus-infected mice improved the survival of the animals by 40% and significantly decreased the viral titers in their lungs. Overall, KP appears to be the first anti-idiotypic antibody-derived peptide that displays inhibitory activity and that has a potential therapeutic effect against pathogenic microorganisms, HIV-1, and influenza A virus by different mechanisms of action.
Cytotoxic-T-Lymphocyte-Associated Antigen 4 Blockade Abrogates Protection by Regulatory T Cells in a Mouse Model of Microbially Induced Innate Immune-Driven Colitis
Authors: Watanabe Koichiro , Rao Varada P. , Poutahidis Theofilos , Rickman Barry H. , Ohtani Masahiro , Xu Shilu , Rogers Arlin B. , Ge Zhongming , Horwitz Bruce H. , Fujioka Toshio , Erdman Susan E. , Fox James G.
Published: September 2008

Cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) expressed at high levels by CD4+CD25+CD45RBlowregulatory T cells (Treg) is essential to their homeostatic and immunoregulatory functions. However, its relevance to anti-inflammatory roles of Treg in the context of colitogenic innate immune response during pathogenic bacterial infections has not been examined. We showed earlier in Rag2-deficient 129/SvEv mice that Treg cells are capable of suppressing colitis and colon cancer triggered byHelicobacter hepaticus, a widespread murine enterohepatic pathogen. Using this model, we now examined the effects of antibody blockade of CTLA-4 on Treg function during innate immune inflammatory response. Consistent with our previous findings, we found that a single adoptive transfer of Treg cells prior to infection prevented colitis development despite persistentH. hepaticusinfection in recipient mice. However, when infected mice were injected with anti-CTLA-4 antibody along with Treg cell transfer, they developed a severe acute colitis with poor body condition that was not observed in Rag2−/−mice without Treg cell transfer. Despite high numbers of Foxp3+Treg cells, evident by immunohistochemical analyses in situ, the CTLA-4 antibody-treated mice had severely inflamed colonic mucosa and increased rather than decreased expression levels of cytokines gamma interferon and interleukin-2. These findings indicate that antibody blockade of CTLA-4 clearly abrogates Treg cell ability to suppress innate immune-driven colitis and suggest that Treg cell CTLA-4 cognate interactions may be necessary to maintain homeostasis among cells of innate immunity.
Nutritional assessment: its role in the provision of nutritional support
Authors: Marshall W J
Published: September 2008

Generalised undernutrition is common in hospital patients and in the community. It is frequently unrecognised and is associated with a range of adverse consequences that contribute to increased morbidity and mortality. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends that all individuals engaging with healthcare or admitted to residential homes in the community should be screened for undernutrition. Laboratory investigations have little place in the diagnosis of undernutrition: this is primarily a clinical process. In particular, the measurement of serum albumin concentration, though widely promulgated in the past as an index of nutritional status, is worthless for this purpose. Laboratory investigations are, however, of importance: to diagnose specific nutritional deficiencies (eg, of trace elements) and to monitor the provision of nutritional support, to detect metabolic complications and to assess its adequacy (for which the measurement of serum prealbumin concentrations, particularly in conjunction with measurements of C-reactive protein, may be of value).
Improving the evidence base in palliative medicine: a moral imperative
Authors: Keeley P W
Published: September 2008

The difficulties of undertaking good quality effectiveness research in palliative medicine are well documented. Much of the ethical literature in this area focuses on the vulnerability of the palliative care population. It is clear that a wider ethical approach will need to be used to justify research in the terminally ill. Some themes of ethical thought are underutilised in considering the ethics of palliative care research. Three arguments to justify the need for effectiveness research in palliative care should be highlighted: (1) there is evidence of an untapped altruism amongst the population of palliative care patients who would be keen to be involved in such research; (2) traditional Aristotelean and Thomistic virtue ethics would point to the need to gain knowledge in and of itself, but especially in palliative medicine for the benefit of patients: virtue also accrues in the acquisition of a stock of research experience which in turn makes further research feasible; (3) most compellingly, justice would dictate that palliative treatments are effective, that futile or useless treatments are avoided and that patients are not party to “n of 1” trials by default. The current state of the evidence base of effectiveness in palliative care leads us to the uncomfortable position where patients are in precisely the position of being unwitting participants in “n of 1” clinical trials by default, without their explicit consent.
“I don’t like that, it’s tricking people too much…”: acute informed consent to participation in a trial of thrombolysis for stroke
Authors: Mangset M , Førde R , Nessa J , Berge E , Wyller T Bruun
Published: September 2008

Background:

Informed consent is regarded as a contract between autonomous and equal parties and requires the elements of information disclosure, understanding, voluntariness and consent. The validity of informed consent for critically ill patients has been questioned. Little is known about how these patients experience the process of consent.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to explore critically ill patients’ experience with the principle of informed consent in a clinical trial and their ability to give valid informed consent.

Design:

11 stroke patients who had been informed about thrombolytic treatment and had been through the process of deciding whether or not to participate in a thrombolysis trial went through repeated qualitative semistructured interviews.

Results:

None of the patients had any clear understanding of the purpose of the trial. Neither did they understand the principles of randomisation and voluntariness. Reasons for giving or not giving consent were trust, conceptions of benefits and risks and altruism. Several patients found it immoral to involve patients in the consent procedure and argued that this was the doctors’ responsibility. Others argued that it is a duty to question patients and perceived it as a sign of being treated with respect and dignity. A majority of the patients found the consent process vague and ambiguous.

Conclusions:

The results indicate that the principle of informed consent from critically ill patients cannot be seen as a contract between equal and autonomous parties. Further studies are needed to explore critically ill patients’ experiences with the process of informed consent.
Personality disorder and competence to refuse treatment
Authors: Winburn E , Mullen R
Published: September 2008

The traditional view that having a personality disorder, unlike other mental disorders, is not usually reason enough to consider a person incompetent to make healthcare decisions is challenged. The example of a case in which a woman was treated for a physical disorder without her consent illustrates that personality disorder can render a person incompetent to refuse essential treatment, particularly because it can affect the doctor–patient relationship within which consent is given.
Telesurgery: an ethical appraisal
Authors: van Wynsberghe A , Gastmans C
Published: September 2008

The aim of this article is to provide a preliminary ethical evaluation of the effect of telesurgery (long distance, remote surgery) on patient care. In order to accomplish this task we give a broad description of the state of the art in telesurgery and analyse it using Joan Tronto’s articulation of care as a structured process. This structure illuminates the significance of the patient-physician relationship as the buttress for establishing and preserving practices of care in the healthcare context, with the ultimate goal of safeguarding patient dignity. The process of care combined with the moral aim of medicine—to fulfil the good of the patient—provides the ethical foundation for assessing telesurgery. By exploring various telesurgical scenarios we may assess its potential role in augmenting or diminishing patient care within the frame of the patient-physician relationship. The significance of conducting this evaluation lies in the fact that the practice of telesurgery may very shortly become routine and an evaluation has not yet been attempted.
Hybrid vigour as indicated by early growth characteristics of Populus deltoides, P. nigra, and P. × euramericana
Authors: Cain Nancy P. , Ormrod Douglas P.
Published: September 2008

The early growth of two hybrid Populus × euramericana (Dode) Guinier clones and a species clone each of P. deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh, and P. nigra L. in controlled environments was studied in terms of growth of organs, partitioning of dry weight among parts, and growth analysis parameters. The hybrid clones grew more vigorously compared with the species clones with regard to most of the parameters measured. From 7 weeks after planting onward, the hybrid clones had greater plant dry weight, leaf dry weight, leaf area, and root dry weight than did the species clones. The hybrids developed a larger root system and greater leaf area per unit weight earlier than did the species clones. The greater leaf area was associated with lower specific leaf area. At all times the hybrid clones had significantly greater relative growth rates which were associated with early differences in unit leaf rate and later differences in leaf area ratio among the clones.
Pseudotransverse divisions and intrusive elongation of fusiform initials in the storeyed cambium of Tilia
Authors: Zagórska-Marek B.
Published: September 2008

The inclination, shape, and disappearance of individual fusiform initials were studied in the storeyed cambium of Tilia. Changes in inclination were accomplished through oriented cell-end shifting and pseudotransverse divisions combined with intrusive elongation. Rapid reorientation was associated with an increase in both radial and pseudotransverse anticlinal divisions, resulting in an overproduction of daughter cells; surplus cells were eliminated, creating space for the intrusive elongation of adjoining initials. The storeyed pattern was both disrupted and restored as a consequence of pseudotransverse divisions and intrusive elongation. Abnormally elongated cell ends shortened to the level of the storey border. Movement between storeys occurred as a result of intrusive elongation of one cell end in association with either pseudotransverse division or a gradual shortening of the opposite end. The combined findings of fluctuations in cell inclination, movement between storeys, and continual disturbance and restoration of the storeyed pattern indicate that developmental changes in the storeyed cambium are much more dynamic than previously suspected.
The life history, developmental morphology, and taxonomy of Lautitia danica gen. nov., comb. nov.
Authors: Schatz Scott
Published: September 2008

Sublittoral collection of fungal-infected Chondrus crispus over a 2-year period has allowed for a taxonomic reappraisal of the loculoascomycete Didymosphaeria danica (Berlese) Wilson et Knoyle, an obligate parasite on the reproductive regions of host plants. A new genus, Lautitia, is proposed with Lautitia danica comb. nov. as the type species. Lautitia danica has restricted Pleospora-type centrum development; possesses septate pseudoparaphyses and hyaline, asymmetrically two-celled ascospores; and is placed in the Phaeosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales. In addition, the life history of Lautitia danica is clarified.
Low-temperature acclimation of net photosynthesis in the crustaceous lichen Caloplaca trachyphylla
Authors: Coxson D. S. , Kershaw K. A.
Published: September 2008

The seasonal net photosynthetic and respiratory response matrix is presented for Caloplaca trachyphylla (Tuck.) A. Zahlbr. at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 °C, under 0, 300, 600, 900, and 1200 μE m−2 s−1 illumination, over a full range of thallus hydration, in January, May, and July. The maximum rates of net photosynthesis recorded during the summer period, at 14–21 °C, under 1200 μE m−2 s−1 illumination are ca. 3.0 mg CO2 h−1 g−1. They are interpreted in terms of the thallus temperatures documented during early-morning dew events and during sporadic thunderstorm activity. During winter, net photosynthetic rates at 7 °C increase significantly from the summer rates of ca. 2.0 mg CO2 h−1 g−1 to ca. 3.2 mg CO2 h−1 g−1. This low-temperature photosynthetic-capacity change is shown to be temperature acclimation and it is suggested that the mechanism involves a change in the affinity constant (Km) of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase. This acclimatory response can be readily induced, or reversed in winter, by air-dry storage at an appropriately high or low ambient temperature. In midsummer, however, comparable storage conditions fail to elicit an acclimatory response. The significance of low-temperature photosynthetic acclimation in C. trachyphylla is discussed in relation to winter snowmelt sequences during chinook conditions in Alberta.
Differences in the seed protein composition of genus Arachis
Authors: Basha Sheikh M. , Pancholy Sunil K.
Published: September 2008

Seed proteins from various Arachis species were extracted and fractionated by gel filtration on a Sephacryl S-300 column. Comparison of the protein profiles revealed the presence of wide variations in their protein composition. Major differences were observed in the amounts of methionine-rich proteins, arachin, and the high molecular weight proteins among the various species. Additionally, differences in the total amino acid composition (histidine, threonine, proline, glycine, cystine, valine, methionine, and tyrosine) were also detected. The defatted meals of the nonnodulating line contained the lowest amount (36%) of protein, while the other species ranged between 49 and 57%. Leucine aminopeptidase and acid phosphatase activities were highest in Arachis villosulicarpa and lowest in Arachis monticola.
Light microscope observations of susceptible, host resistant, and nonhost resistant interactions of alfalfa with Phytophthora megasperma
Authors: Miller Sally A. , Maxwell Douglas P.
Published: September 2008

Susceptibility and host resistance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to Phytophthora megasperma Drechs. f. sp. medicaginis (Pmm), an alfalfa pathogen, and nonhost resistance to P. megasperma f. sp. glycinea (Pmg), a pathogen of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) but not alfalfa, were compared by light microscopy. Zoospores of Pmm and Pmg were attracted to and became encysted upon roots of Pmm-resistant and Pmm-susceptible alfalfa seedlings within 60 min after inoculation. Cysts germinated and grew toward the roots, and penetration was usually intercellular. The extent of colonization by Pmm and Pmg was similar in all cases at 2 h after inoculation, but at 12 and 24 h colonization was much more extensive in the susceptible interaction than in the host resistant or nonhost resistant interactions. In both the host resistant and nonhost resistant interactions, root cells in contact with hyphae were plasmolyzed and (or) necrotic. Although numerous similarities exist between host resistance to Pmm and nonhost resistance to Pmg in alfalfa seedlings, nonhost resistance is apparently triggered more rapidly and (or) is more effective than host resistance in this system.