bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shotguns and SNPs: how fast and cheap sequencing is revolutionizing plant biology
Authors: Rounsley Steven D. , Last Robert L.
Published: March 2010

In 1998 Cereon Genomics LLC, a subsidiary of Monsanto Co., performed a shotgun sequencing of the Arabidopsis thaliana Landsberg erecta genome to a depth of twofold coverage using ‘classic’ Sanger sequencing. This sequence was assembled and aligned to the Columbia ecotype sequence produced by the Arabidopsis Genome Initiative. The analysis provided tens of thousands of high‐confidence predictions of polymorphisms between these two varieties of A. thaliana, and the predicted polymorphisms and Landsberg erecta sequence were subsequently made available to the not‐for‐profit research community by Monsanto. These data have been used for a wide variety of published studies, including map‐based gene identification from forward genetic screens, studies of recombination and organelle genetics, and gene expression studies. The combination of resequencing approaches with next‐generation sequencing technology has led to an increasing number of similar studies of genome‐wide genetic diversity in A. thaliana, including the 1001 genomes project (http://1001genomes.org). Similar approaches are becoming possible in any number of crop species as DNA sequencing costs plummet and throughput rapidly increases, promising to lay the groundwork for revolutionizing our understanding of the relationship between genotype and phenotype in plants.
The ubiquitin‐proteasome system regulates plant hormone signaling
Authors: Santner Aaron , Estelle Mark
Published: March 2010

Plants utilize the ubiquitin‐proteasome system (UPS) to modulate nearly every aspect of growth and development. Ubiquitin is covalently attached to target proteins through the action of three enzymes known as E1, E2, and E3. The ultimate outcome of this post‐translational modification depends on the nature of the ubiquitin linkage and the extent of polyubiquitination. In most cases, ubiquitination results in degradation of the target protein in the 26S proteasome. During the last 10 years it has become clear that the UPS plays a prominent regulatory role in hormone biology. E3 ubiquitin ligases in particular actively participate in hormone perception, de‐repression of hormone signaling pathways, degradation of hormone specific transcription factors, and regulation of hormone biosynthesis. It is certain that additional functions will be discovered as more of the nearly 1200 potential E3s in plants are elucidated.
Arabidopsis and primary photosynthetic metabolism – more than the icing on the cake
Authors: Stitt Mark , Lunn John , Usadel Björn
Published: March 2010

Historically speaking, Arabidopsis was not the plant of choice for investigating photosynthesis, with physiologists and biochemists favouring other species such as Chlorella, spinach and pea. However, its inherent advantages for forward genetics rapidly led to its adoption for photosynthesis research. In the last ten years, the availability of the Arabidopsis genome sequence – still the gold‐standard for plant genomes – and the rapid expansion of genetic and genomic resources have further increased its importance. Research in Arabidopsis has not only provided comprehensive information about the enzymes and other proteins involved in photosynthesis, but has also allowed transcriptional responses, protein levels and compartmentation to be analysed at a global level for the first time. Emerging technical and theoretical advances offer another leap forward in our understanding of post‐translational regulation and the control of metabolism. To illustrate the impact of Arabidopsis, we provide a historical review of research in primary photosynthetic metabolism, highlighting the role of Arabidopsis in elucidation of the pathway of photorespiration and the regulation of RubisCO, as well as elucidation of the pathways of starch turnover and studies of the significance of starch for plant growth.
A second‐order schedule of food reinforcement in rats to examine the role of CB1 receptors in the reinforcement‐enhancing effects of nicotine
Authors: Wing Victoria C. , Shoaib Mohammed
Published: March 2010

Nicotine is believed to enhance the motivational value of reinforcers. Although endogenous cannabinoids acting on CB1 receptors have been implicated in the motivational effects of nicotine, their role in the ‘reinforcement‐enhancing’ properties of nicotine is unknown. This study compared the effect of acute and chronic non‐contingent nicotine administration on responding for an unconditioned reinforcing stimulus (UCS) and a visual conditioned stimulus (CS) and the role of CB1 receptors was examined. Male hooded Lister rats were trained on a second‐order schedule [FI 15′ (FR5: S)] under which presentation of the CS (5s/5Hz light oscillation) was intermittently reinforced by the UCS (food). The rats were treated with daily saline or nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, subcutaneous [s.c.]) throughout the study. The effect of the acute nicotine challenge (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg, s.c.) and the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (0.1, 0.3 and 1 mg/kg, intraperitoneal [i.p.]) on responding for the CS and/or UCS was examined. The acute nicotine challenge increased responding for both the UCS and CS in the rats chronically treated with nicotine, an effect which was less robust in the nicotine‐naive rats. AM251 significantly reduced responding for the UCS and CS, and an interaction with the nicotine challenge was found. These data support and extend the hypothesis that nicotine can enhance the motivational value of reinforcing stimuli and suggest the increases in responding produced by nicotine involve CB1 receptors. Furthermore, this study highlights the utility of second‐order schedules of reinforcement for investigation of the neural circuits underlying the reinforcement‐enhancing effects of nicotine.
Second‐order schedules of nicotine reinforcement in rats: effect of AM251
Authors: Wing Victoria C. , Shoaib Mohammed
Published: March 2010

The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the motivational effects of nicotine and nicotine‐associated stimuli but the neural circuitry underlying tobacco addiction is not fully characterised. The present study aimed to establish a second‐order schedule of nicotine reinforcement to compare the role of the endocannabinoid system in nicotine‐ and cue‐maintained responding. The male rats were successfully trained to respond on a second‐order schedule [FR5 (FR5: S) or FI 10′ (FR3: S)] under which presentation of the CS (brief light oscillation) was intermittently reinforced by nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion). The relative contribution of nicotine and the CS towards responding was then compared. Nicotine and the CS were only able to independently maintain responding to similar level under the [FI 10′ (FR3: S)] schedule, which was subsequently employed to examine the effects of the selective CB1 receptor antagonist AM251. AM251 (0.1, 0.3 and 1 mg/kg, intraperitoneal [i.p.]) was used to examine the role of endocannabinoids in responding under the second‐order schedule and responding maintained by independent presentation of nicotine and the CS. Responding under the second‐order schedule was dose‐dependently attenuated by AM251, whereas responding for independent presentation of nicotine and the CS was not affected. The establishment of second‐order schedules of nicotine reinforcement in rodents highlighted the utility of such schedules for investigation of the neurobiology that underlies nicotine‐ and cue‐maintained behaviour. Additionally, the role of CB1 receptors in nicotine‐motivated behaviours was extended to those controlled under a second‐order schedule.
Extracellular vesicles are key intercellular mediators in the development of immune dysfunction to allergens in the airways
Authors: Shin T.‐S. , Kim J. H. , Kim Y.‐S. , Jeon S. G. , Zhu Z. , Gho Y. S. , Kim Y.‐K.
Published: March 2010

To cite this article: Shin T‐S, Kim JH, Kim Y‐S, Jeon SG, Zhu Z, Gho YS, Kim Y‐K. Extracellular vesicles are key intercellular mediators in the development of immune dysfunction to allergens in the airways. Allergy 2010; 65: 1256–1265.

Background:  Previous evidence indicates that inhalation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐containing with allergens induced mixed Th1 and Th17 cell responses in the airways. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometer‐sized spherical, lipid‐bilayered structures and are recently in the public eye as an intercellular communicator in immune responses.

Objective:  To evaluate the role of EVs secreted by LPS inhalation in the development of airway immune dysfunction in response to allergens.

Methods:  Extracellular vesicles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of BALB/c mice were isolated and characterized 24 h after applications to the airway of 10 μg of LPS for 3 days. To evaluate the role of LPS‐induced EVs on the development of airway immune dysfunction, in vivo and in vitro experiments were performed using the isolated LPS‐induced EVs.

Results:  The inhalation of LPS enhanced EVs release into the BAL fluid, when compared to the application of PBS. Airway sensitization with allergens and LPS‐induced EVs resulted in a mixed Th1 and Th17 cell responses, although that with allergens and PBS‐induced EVs induced immune tolerance. In addition, LPS‐induced EVs enhanced the production of Th1‐ and Th17‐polarizing cytokines (IL‐12p70 and IL‐6, respectively) by lung dendritic cells. Moreover, the immune responses induced by the LPS‐induced EVs were blocked by denaturation of the EV‐bearing proteins.

Conclusion:  These data suggest that EVs (especially, the protein components) secreted by LPS inhalation are a key intercellular communicator in the development of airway immune dysfunction to inhaled LPS‐containing allergens.
A clinical prospective comparison of anesthetics sensitivity and hemodynamic effect among patients with or without obstructive jaundice
Authors: YANG L.‐Q. , SONG J.‐C. , IRWIN M. G. , SONG J.‐G. , SUN Y.‐M. , YU W.‐F.
Published: March 2010

Background: To compare isoflurane anesthesia in patients with or without hyperbilirubinemia undergoing hepatobiliary surgery.

Methods: Forty‐two patients with obstructive jaundice and 40 control patients with normal liver function scheduled for hepatobiliary surgery under isoflurane anesthesia were studied. Anesthesia was induced with propofol (1.5–2 mg/kg) and remifentanil (2 μg/kg). After tracheal intubation, anesthesia was titrated using isoflurane in oxygen‐enriched air, adjusted to maintain a bispectral index (BIS) value of 46–54. Ephedrine, atropine and remifentanil were used to maintain hemodynamic parameters within 30% of the baseline. The mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), drug doses and the time taken to recover from anesthesia were recorded.

Results: Demographic data, duration and BIS values were similar in both groups. Anesthesia induction and maintenance were associated with more hemodynamic instability in the patients with jaundice and they received more ephedrine and atropine and less remifentanil and isoflurane (51.1±24.2 vs. 84.6±20.3 mg/min; P for all <0.05) than control patients. Despite less anesthetic use, the time to recovery and extubation was significantly longer than that in control.

Conclusion: Patients with obstructive jaundice have an increased sensitivity to isoflurane, more hypotension and bradycardia during anesthesia induction and maintenance and a prolonged recovery time compared with controls.
Acoustic Properties of Long Calls Given by Flanged Male Orang‐Utans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) Reflect Both Individual Identity and Context
Authors: Spillmann Brigitte , Dunkel Lynda P. , Van Noordwijk Maria A. , Amda Rahmalia N. A. , Lameira Adriano R. , Wich Serge A. , Van Schaik Carel P.
Published: March 2010

Long calls by flanged male Bornean orang‐utans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) serve as a long‐distance communication signal in this semi‐solitary species and allow individuals to adjust their ranging behavior. Long calls can be heard up to circa 1 km in dense rainforest. Only flanged males emit them, in various contexts: spontaneously (where no disturbances from the environment are perceived by human observers), when highly aroused by another male’s long call or a falling tree nearby, or right after having pushed over a dead tree themselves. In this study, acoustic analyses of orang‐utan long calls at Tuanan in Central Kalimantan not only confirm the discrimination of individual males by their long calls but also demonstrate the discrimination of context based on the long calls’ acoustic structure, which is further supported by the females’ ranging responses according to long call contexts. Females with dependent offspring move away from spontaneous long call sources but appear to ignore long calls elicited by disturbance. Hence, Bornean orang‐utan females perceive measurable differences in acoustic characteristics of long calls given in different contexts. These findings concur with vocal discrimination of contexts in other non‐human primates.
Warfare and children
Authors: Shann Frank
Published: March 2010

In 2007, 136 million children were born in the world, and 9.2 million died before they were 5 years old; 99.8% of these deaths were in developing countries, and 8.2 million were unnecessary. This is 23 000 unnecessary deaths every day. Approximately 0.2 million children die from the direct effects of war every year, and at least twice as many die from the indirect effects. However, most child deaths are caused by common childhood infections in communities that are not affected by war. In 2007, overseas development aid totalled only $104 billion, and world military expenditure totalled US$1339 billion. The 49 poorest countries in the world have a population of 1.3 billion; they spent only $27 per person on health in 2006, but the world spent $201 per person on military activity. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council account for 90% of weapons sales to developing countries, yet they are the very countries that have accepted responsibility for ensuring world security. Unfortunately, many governments in both rich and poor countries do not want to limit military spending – the vested interests that support military activity are too powerful. War is immensely harmful, but not primarily because of the horrible injuries, nor the large number of deaths it causes indirectly from infection, malnutrition, and social and political disruption. By far, the greatest harm comes from the diversion of huge amounts of money that could be used for beneficial development into harmful and destructive military activity.
Increased ratio of vascular endothelial growth factor to semaphorin3A is a negative prognostic factor in human meningiomas
Authors: Barresi Valeria , Tuccari Giovanni
Published: March 2010

Semaphorin3A (SEMA3A) is an anti‐angiogenic factor which is expressed in human meningiomas in association with low microvessel density (MVD). It competes with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for receptor neuropilin‐1 (NRP‐1). The ratio between VEGF and SEMA3A has been recently demonstrated to regulate neo‐angiogenesis, proliferation and progression of tumors. To clarify the involvement of these proteins in the above‐mentioned phenomena, we analyzed the immunohistochemical expression of SEMA3A, VEGF and NRP‐1 and their correlation with MVD in a series of 48 cases of meningioma with different histotype and histological grade. SEMA3A and VEGF expression was encountered in about half the cases, although at different levels. NRP‐1 staining was evidenced in the vessels within all but two tumors and in the neoplastic cells of 18/48 meningiomas. A negative significant correlation emerged between SEMA3A amount and MVD; on the other hand, high VEGF levels appeared to be significantly associated with high MVD. A high VEGF/SEMA3A was significantly associated with high histological grade, proliferation index and MVD as well as with a higher recurrence rate of the meningiomas. Present data suggest that the balance between the expression of the pro‐angiogenic factor VEGF and the anti‐angiogenic SEMA3A may be involved in the regulation of neo‐angiogenesis and proliferation in meningiomas, representing also a predictor of recurrences in these tumors. Further validation of our results may open the way for the use of drugs targeting not only VEGF, but also NRP‐1 and SEMA3A to prevent recurrences of meningiomas.
Intravesical Toll‐like receptor 7 agonist R‐837: Optimization of its formulation in an orthotopic mouse model of bladder cancer
Authors: Hayashi Tomoko , Crain Brian , Corr Maripat , Chan Michael , Cottam Howard B , Maj Roberto , Barberis Alcide , Leoni Lorenzo , Carson Dennis A
Published: March 2010

Objective:  To study the immune response caused by the intravesical administration of the immunomodulator R‐837 in various formulations and to estimate its therapeutic potential for bladder cancer.

Methods:  Female C57BL/6 mice were intravesically treated with different formulations of R‐837, a Toll‐like receptor 7 agonist used for treating genital warts and skin malignancy. The tested formulation mixtures contained different ratios of lactic acid, a thermosensitive poloxamer polymer (Lutrol F127) and 2‐(hydroxypropyl)‐β‐cyclodextrin (HPβCD). Induction of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and keratinocyte‐derived chemokine (KC) was analyzed by Luminex microbeads assay. The therapeutic potential of intravesical administration of R‐837 was assessed in an orthotopic, syngeneic mouse model of bladder cancer using MB49 cells.

Results:  Intravesical administration of R‐837 in lactic acid alone induced systemic and bladder TNFα and KC in a dose‐dependent manner. Formulations including poloxamer decreased systemic absorption of R‐837 and significantly reduced systemic and local induction of KC. Addition of HPβCD in the poloxamer formulation particularly reversed levels of systemic and local levels of TNFα and KC. Histological examination showed that poloxamer‐HPβCD formulation allowed infiltration of mononuclear cells into urothelium and lamina propria. In studies using orthotopic mouse bladder cancer, the tumor loads in R‐837‐treated mice were significantly lower than those in vehicle‐treated or non‐treated mice.

Conclusion:  The optimized poloxamer‐HPβCD formulation of R‐837 shows therapeutic potential for bladder cancer while avoiding adverse side‐effects.
Towards a unification of unified theories of biodiversity
Authors: McGill Brian J.
Published: March 2010

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 627–642

A unified theory in science is a theory that shows a common underlying set of rules that regulate processes previously thought to be distinct. Unified theories have been important in physics including the unification of electricity and magnetism and the unification of the electromagnetic with the weak nuclear force. Surprisingly, ecology, specifically the subfields of biodiversity and macroecology, also possess not one but at least six unified theories. This is problematic as only one unified theory is desirable. Superficially, the six unified theories seem very different. However, I show that all six theories use the same three rules or assertions to describe a stochastic geometry of biodiversity. The three rules are: (1) intraspecifically individuals are clumped together; (2) interspecifically global or regional abundance varies according to a hollow curve distribution; and (3) interspecifically individuals are placed without regard to individuals of other species. These three rules appear sufficient to explain local species abundance distributions, species–area relationships, decay of similarity of distance and possibly other patterns of biodiversity. This provides a unification of the unified theories. I explore implications of this unified theory for future research.
Expanding the definition of hypothalamic obesity
Authors: Hochberg I. , Hochberg Z.
Published: March 2010

Hypothalamic obesity (HyOb) was first defined as the significant polyphagia and weight gain that occurs after extensive suprasellar operations for excision of hypothalamic tumours. However, polyphagia and weight gain complicate other disorders related to the hypothalamus, including those that cause structural damage to the hypothalamus like tumours, trauma, radiotherapy; genetic disorders such as Prader–Willi syndrome; side effects of psychotropic drugs; and mutations in several genes involved in hypothalamic satiety signalling. Moreover, ‘simple’ obesity is associated with polymorphisms in several genes involved in hypothalamic weight‐regulating pathways. Thus, understanding HyOb may enhance our understanding of ‘simple’ obesity. This review will claim that HyOb is a far wider phenomenon than hitherto understood by the narrow definition of post‐surgical weight gain. It will emphasize the similarity in clinical characteristics and therapeutic approaches for HyOb, as well as its mechanisms. HyOb, regardless of its aetiology, is a result of impairment in hypothalamic regulatory centres of body weight and energy expenditure. The pathophysiology includes loss of sensitivity to afferent peripheral humoral signals, such as, leptin on the one hand and dysfunctional afferent signals, on the other hand. The most important afferent signals deranged are energy regulation by the sympathetic nervous system and regulation of insulin secretion. Dys‐regulation of 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β‐HSD1) activity and melatonin may also have a role in the development of HyOb. The complexity of the syndrome requires simultaneous targeting of several mechanisms that are deranged in the HyOb patient. We review the studies evaluating possible treatment strategies, including sympathomimetics, somatostatin analogues, triiodothyronine, sibutramine, and surgery.
A Copula‐Based BRDF Model
Authors: Öztürk Aydın , Kurt Murat , Bilgili Ahmet
Published: March 2010

In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for modeling surface reflection. We focus on using a family of probability distributions called Archimedean copulas as BRDF models. The Archimedean representation has an attractive property in that the multivariate distributions are characterized by their marginal distributions through a single univariate function only. It is shown that the proposed model meets the reciprocity property of reflection. Based on measured BRDF data, we demonstrate that the proposed approach provides a good approximation to BRDF. Empirical comparisons are made with some classically used BRDF models.
668. ADLUMIA FUNGOSA
Authors: Hind Nicholas
Published: March 2010

Adlumia fungosa (Aiton) Greene ex Britton, Sterns & Poggenb., (Papaveraceae: Fumarioideae: Corydaleae) is described and illustrated, and its cultivation and propagation discussed. The position of Adlumia within the family and tribe is discussed and a key to its separation from the only other climbing genus, Dactylicapnos, is provided. The true insertion point of the inflorescences is commented on. One hypothesis is put forward for the outgrowths on the underside of the upper rachis sections, petiolules, and midribs of the pinnules in assisting the cirrhose portions of the leaves to grip their support. The derivation of the generic name is commented on, and the correct etymology noted. A synopsis of Adlumia is provided.
669. LONICERA MACRANTHA
Authors: Rushforth Keith
Published: March 2010

A robust climbing honeysuckle, Lonicera macrantha (D. Don) Spreng., is described and illustrated from material collected in northern Vietnam. The temperate flora of northern Vietnam is discussed.
The Role of Britain in the Berlin Airlift
Authors: PEPLOW EMMA
Published: March 2010

Since the opening of the Foreign Office archives covering the post‐Second World War period, historians have argued that the British government played a strong and decisive role in the Berlin blockade. Determined to stay in Berlin in defiance of the Soviets, the British government acted decisively to initiate the airlift and thereafter wielded significant influence over western policy due to their close relationship with the Americans and their own contribution to the airlift itself. This article will demonstrate, however, that this interpretation fails to take into consideration both British economic weakness and the attitudes of British officials in Germany who organized and supervised the airlift. Whilst the British did indeed have a strong commitment to defending Berlin, they were less confident than their American allies about the success of the airlift and more concerned about the adverse effect the blockade would have on German resilience. Analysis of British policy at this level reveals significant differences between British and American attitudes in Berlin, and shows that the British had less influence over policy than has been previously suggested.
Association of Genetic Variants, Ethnicity and Preterm Birth with Amniotic Fluid Cytokine Concentrations
Authors: Menon Ramkumar , Fortunato Stephen J. , Velez Edwards Digna R. , Williams Scott M.
Published: March 2010

We examined the association of 166 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cytokines and cytokine related genes with cytokine concentrations (IL‐1β, IL‐8, and IL‐10) in the amniotic fluid (AF). These cytokines have been associated with spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) and their genetic regulation may play a role in disease risk. These associations were studied in both PTB and term births in African Americans and Caucasians; maternal and fetal genotypes were studied separately. Analyses modeled genotype, pregnancy status, and marker by pregnancy status (case/control) interaction with cytokine concentration as outcome. Our results indicate that AF cytokines (IL‐1β and IL‐10) were associated with interactions between pregnancy status and both maternal and fetal SNPs, with the most significant interactions being observed for African Americans with IL‐1β concentration (maternal at IL1RAP rs1024941 p < 10−3, fetal IL1RAP rs3773953 p < 10−3). AF IL‐10 concentrations also showed evidence for association with SNPs in both ethnicities with the most significant interaction in Caucasian maternal samples (IL10 rs1800896 p < 10−3). Our data indicate that the genetic regulation of cytokine concentrations in PTB likely differs by ethnicity. AF cytokine concentrations were associated with interactions between genotype and PTB in African Americans, but less so in Caucasians.
Birch (Betula spp.) leaves adsorb and re‐release volatiles specific to neighbouring plants – a mechanism for associational herbivore resistance?
Authors: Himanen Sari J. , Blande James D. , Klemola Tero , Pulkkinen Juha , Heijari Juha , Holopainen Jarmo K.
Published: March 2010

Commentary p 564
Influence of whey peptides on the surface activity of κ‐casein and β‐lactoglobulin A
Authors: HAQUE ZAHUR U , BOHOUA GUICHARD L , WILLIAMS J BYRON , BENJY MIKEL W
Published: March 2010

Whey protein hydrolysate (WPH) was fractionated by reverse‐phase chromatography to obtain fractions of varying surface‐hydrophobicities. A model oil–water interface (MI) was pre‐coated with the WPH or fractions thereof. Contact angle (θ) of sessile drops of κ‐casein (κ‐CN) or β‐lactoglobulin A (β‐LGA) were measured on the MI. Pre‐coating of MI with un‐fractionated WPH decreased θ, that is, increased surface activity, of both κ‐CN (35–8.3°) and β‐LGA (38–21.3°). Conversely, pre‐coating of MI with the fractions significantly increased θ of both proteins as a function of hydrophobicity. Data provide insight into variability of whey protein functionality in food applications.
Molecular and cellular characterization of Neuregulin‐1 type IV isoforms
Authors: Shamir Alon , Buonanno Andres
Published: March 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 113, 1163–1176.

Numerous genetic studies associated the Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) Icelandic haplotype (HAPice), and its single nucleotide polymorphism SNP8NRG243177 [T/T], with schizophrenia. Because SNP8NRG243177 [T/T] has characteristics of a functional polymorphism that maps close to NRG1 type IV coding sequences, our initial goal was to map precisely the human type IV transcription initiation site. We determined that the initiation site is 23 bp upstream of the previously reported type IV exon, and that no other transcripts map to the SNP8NRG243177 region. Because NRG1 type IV transcripts are specific to human, we isolated full‐length NRG1 type IV cDNAs from human hippocampi and expressed them in non‐neural cells and dissociated rat hippocampal neurons to study protein expression, processing and function. Using an antiserum we generated against the NRG1 type IV‐specific N‐terminus, we found that the protein is targeted to the cell surface where PKC activation promotes its cleavage and release of the extracellular domain. Conditioned medium derived from type IV expressing cells stimulates ErbB receptor phosphorylation, as well as downstream Akt and Erk signaling, demonstrating that NRG1 type IV possesses biological activity similar to other releasable NRG1 isoforms. To study the subcellular targeting of distinct isoforms, neurons were transfected with the Ig‐domain‐containing NRG1 types I and IV, or the cysteine‐rich domain type III isoform. Three dimensional confocal images from transfected neurons indicate that, whereas all isoforms are expressed on somato‐dendritic membranes, only the type III‐cysteine‐rich domain isoform is detectable in distal axons. These results suggest that NRG1 type IV expression levels associated with SNP8NRG243177 [T/T] can selectively modify signaling of NRG1 released from somato‐dendritic compartments, in contrast to the type III NRG1 that is also associated with axons.
Youth‐friendly reproductive health services in Jordan from the perspective of the youth: a descriptive qualitative study
Authors: Khalaf Inaam , Moghli Fathieh Abu , Froelicher Erika Sivarajan
Published: March 2010

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 321–331
 
Youth‐friendly reproductive health services in Jordan from the perspective of the youth: a descriptive qualitative study

Purpose:  This study aims at describing the needs for reproductive health services among Jordanian youth, identifying problems youth encounter when using reproductive health services, and identifying youths’ perceptions of the characteristics of youth‐friendly reproductive health services.

Methods:  A qualitative study using focus groups was conducted on a convenience sample of 60 young men (n = 33) and women (n = 27) (age 12–18 years) selected from the three regions of Jordan. The focus groups were audio taped, and content analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results:  The results revealed that the participants’ knowledge about aspects of reproductive health was limited or inadequate. The participants indicated their need for reproductive health information and quality services. The major barriers to using reproductive health services were unpleasant facilities, unprofessional conduct and ill‐informed professionals. Youth expressed many ideas about how services could be improved to be more ‘youth friendly’.

Conclusions:  The findings of this study can be useful to health services planners and healthcare providers to improve services and start youth‐friendly reproductive health services in Jordan and to develop educational programmes that may improve healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes and advance their interpersonal skills for working with youth.
Individual and organizational risk factors of work‐related violence in the Danish elder care
Authors: Sharipova M. , Hogh A. , Borg V.
Published: March 2010

Scand J Caring Sci; 2010; 24; 332–340
 
Individual and organizational risk factors of work‐related violence in the Danish elder care

Aim:  The aim of this study was to explore individual and organizational risk factors of exposure to violence in the Elder Care Sector.

Methods:  A questionnaire study conducted among 8134 health‐care workers in the elder care in 36 municipalities was carried out between October 2004 and May 2005. Participation in the study was voluntary and data were treated confidentially.

Results:  Individual factors such as low age and seniority seemed to increase the risk of violence. Type of institution (nursing homes), occupation (health care assistants), shift‐work, evening or night work, frequent physical contact with clients, higher emotional demands, a lower level of involvement at the workplace, lower leadership quality, and more role conflicts increased the risk of work‐related violence. On the other hand, the study also demonstrated that the least violence was found at workplaces with high leadership quality, no role conflicts and high involvement in the workplace.

Study strengths and limitations:  The strengths of the study are that it is a large representative study consisting of Danish elder care workers in 36 municipalities and has a high response rate. A limitation is that the study is cross‐sectional making it impossible to decide the direction of causal relationships.

Conclusion:  The results of the study indicate that there is a possibility of reducing the prevalence of violence towards care‐workers in the elder care if policies and resources to improve the working environment are implemented.
Assessing common(s) arguments for an equal per capita allocation
Authors: STARKEY RICHARD
Published: March 2010

Emissions rights are commodities and many hold that these commodities (or alternatively the revenue from their auction) should be allocated to (adult) individuals on an equal per capita basis. Proponents of this equal per capita allocation (EPCA) often argue for it on the grounds that the atmosphere or greenhouse gas emissions sinks are a ‘commons’. But how can we assess the strength of these ‘commons arguments’ for EPCA? As most of those making such arguments do not have a background in academic philosophy, their arguments are not grounded in the philosophical literature on justice – a literature that seeks to provide a specification and justification of what constitutes a fair distribution of resources within society. This paper therefore seeks to set out clearly the various commons arguments for EPCA and to assess what, if any, support can be found for them within the justice literature. To make the various commons arguments as clear as possible, and to make analysis of these arguments as straightforward as possible, they are set out formally, that is, as premises followed by a conclusion. The conclusion of the analysis is that there is little support within the justice literature for these commons arguments for EPCA.
Comparing Methods of Racial and Ethnic Disparities Measurement across Different Settings of Mental Health Care
Authors: Lê Cook Benjamin , McGuire Thomas G. , Lock Kari , Zaslavsky Alan M.
Published: March 2010

Introduction. The ability to track improvement against racial/ethnic disparities in mental health care is hindered by the varying methods and disparity definitions used in previous research.

Data. Nationally representative sample of whites, blacks, and Latinos from the 2002 to 2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Dependent variables are total, outpatient, and prescription drug mental health care expenditure.

Methods. Rank‐ and propensity score‐based methods concordant with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) definition of health care disparities were compared with commonly used disparities methods. To implement the IOM definition, we modeled expenditures using a two‐part GLM, adjusted distributions of need variables, and predicted expenditures for each racial/ethnic group.

Findings. Racial/ethnic disparities were significant for all expenditure measures. Disparity estimates from the IOM‐concordant methods were similar to one another but greater than a method using the residual effect of race/ethnicity. Black–white and Latino–white disparities were found for any expenditure in each category and Latino–white disparities were significant in expenditure conditional on use.

Conclusions. Findings of disparities in access among blacks and disparities in access and expenditures after initiation among Latinos suggest the need for continued policy efforts targeting disparities reduction. In these data, the propensity score‐based method and the rank‐and‐replace method were precise and adequate methods of implementing the IOM definition of disparity.
Case‐Mix Adjustment and the Comparison of Community Health Center Performance on Patient Experience Measures
Authors: Johnson M. Laura , Rodriguez Hector P. , Solorio M. Rosa
Published: March 2010

Objective. To assess the effect of case‐mix adjustment on community health center (CHC) performance on patient experience measures.

Data Sources. A Medicaid‐managed care plan in Washington State collected patient survey data from 33 CHCs over three fiscal quarters during 2007–2008. The survey included three composite patient experience measures (6‐month reports) and two overall ratings of care. The analytic sample includes 2,247 adult patients and 2,859 adults reporting for child patients.

Study Design. We compared the relative importance of patient case‐mix adjusters by calculating each adjuster's predictive power and variability across CHCs. We then evaluated the impact of case‐mix adjustment on the relative ranking of CHCs.

Principal Findings. Important case‐mix adjusters included adult self‐reported health status or parent‐reported child health status, adult age, and educational attainment. The effects of case‐mix adjustment on patient reports and ratings were different in the adult and child samples. Adjusting for race/ethnicity and language had a greater impact on parent reports than adult reports, but it impacted ratings similarly across the samples. The impact of adjustment on composites and ratings was modest, but it affected the relative ranking of CHCs.

Conclusions. To ensure equitable comparison of CHC performance on patient experience measures, reports and ratings should be adjusted for adult self‐reported health status or parent‐reported child health status, adult age, education, race/ethnicity, and survey language. Because of the differential impact of case‐mix adjusters for child and adult surveys, initiatives should consider measuring and reporting adult and child scores separately.
EDITORIAL
Authors: Summers RJ
Published: March 2010

G protein‐coupled receptors are the largest group of membrane proteins and are the targets for approximately 30% of drugs currently used therapeutically. These 7‐transmembrane‐spanning proteins continue to provide new opportunities to develop therapeutics based on emerging knowledge of their structure, signalling properties and interactions with other proteins. This themed issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology contains a series of papers that cover these issues and identify approaches that may determine future directions. Many of these papers contain material that was presented at the 5th International Molecular Pharmacology of G Protein‐Coupled Receptors meeting held in Sydney Australia in late 2008.
Activation of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase is essential for mitochondrial membrane potential change and apoptosis induced by doxycycline in melanoma cells
Authors: Shieh Jiunn‐Min , Huang Tur‐Fu , Hung Chi‐Feng , Chou Kuan‐Hsien , Tsai Yih‐Jeng , Wu Wen‐Bin
Published: March 2010

Background and purpose:  Tetracyclines were recently found to induce tumour cell death, but the early processes involved in this cytotoxic effect remain unclear.

Experimental approach:  Viability of human and mouse melanoma cells was determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Kinase/protein/caspase activation was measured by Western blotting and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.

Key results:  Human and mouse melanoma cells were treated with doxycycline or minocycline but only doxycycline was cytotoxic. This cell death (apoptosis) in A2058 cells involved activation of caspase‐3, ‐7 and ‐9 and contributed to inhibition, by doxycycline, of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and migration of these cells. Doxycycline induced intra‐cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, apoptosis signal‐regulated kinase 1 (ASK1), c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation at an early stage of treatment and induced mitochondrial cytochrome c release into cytosol and ΔΨm change during apoptosis. The JNK inhibitor/small interference RNA inhibited doxycycline‐induced JNK activation, ΔΨm change and apoptosis, but did not affect ASK1 activation, suggesting a role of ASK1 for JNK activation in melanoma cell apoptosis. Two ROS scavengers reduced doxycycline‐induced JNK and caspase activation, and apoptosis. Taken together, the results suggest the involvement of a ROS‐ASK1‐JNK pathway in doxycycline‐induced melanoma cell apoptosis.

Conclusions and implications:  We have shown a promising cytotoxic effect of doxycycline on melanoma cells, have identified ROS and ASK1 as the possible initiators and have demonstrated that JNK activation is necessary for doxycycline‐induced melanoma cell apoptosis.
Trajectories of Multiculturalism in Germany, the Netherlands and Canada: In Search of Common Patterns
Authors: Winter Elke
Published: March 2010

In the mid-1990s, Canadian scholarship introduced an important distinction between historically incorporated national minorities and ethnic groups emerging from recent immigration. While the former may be accommodated through federal or multinational arrangements, multiculturalism has come to describe a normative framework of immigrant integration. The distinction between these analytically different types of movements is crucial for Taylor's and Kymlicka's influential theories, but the relations between different types of national and ethnic struggles for rights and recognition have remained unexplored in much of the subsequent scholarly literature. This article starts from a theoretical position where different types of diversity are viewed as highly interdependent in practice. Tracing the trajectories of multiculturalism in three different countries, the article aims to identify common patterns of how changing relations between traditionally incorporated groups affect public perceptions of and state responses to more recent immigration-induced diversity. More specifically, it asks the following question: to what extent does the absence (in Germany), discontinuation (in the Netherlands) and exacerbation (in Canada) of claims on ethnocultural grounds by traditionally incorporated groups influence the willingness of the national majority/ies to grant multicultural rights to immigrants?
Taking the Conservation Biology Perspective to Secondary School Classrooms
Authors: WYNER YAEL , DESALLE ROB
Published: March 2010

Abstract:  The influence of conservation biology can be enhanced greatly if it reaches beyond undergraduate biology to students at the middle and high school levels. If a conservation perspective were taught in secondary schools, students who are not interested in biology could be influenced to pursue careers or live lifestyles that would reduce the negative impact of humans on the world. We use what we call the ecology‐disrupted approach to transform the topics of conservation biology research into environmental‐issue and ecology topics, the major themes of secondary school courses in environmental science. In this model, students learn about the importance and complexity of normal ecological processes by studying what goes wrong when people disrupt them (environmental issues). Many studies published in Conservation Biology are related in some way to the ecological principles being taught in secondary schools. Describing research in conservation biology in the language of ecology curricula in secondary schools can help bring these science stories to the classroom and give them a context in which they can be understood by students. Without this context in the curriculum, a science story can devolve into just another environmental issue that has no immediate effect on the daily lives of students. Nevertheless, if the research is placed in the context of larger ecological processes that are being taught, students can gain a better understanding of ecology and a better understanding of their effect on the world.
Site‐Occupancy Distribution Modeling to Correct Population‐Trend Estimates Derived from Opportunistic Observations
Authors: KÉRY MARC , ROYLE J. ANDREW , SCHMID HANS , SCHAUB MICHAEL , VOLET BERNARD , HÄFLIGER GUIDO , ZBINDEN NIKLAUS
Published: March 2010

Abstract:  Species’ assessments must frequently be derived from opportunistic observations made by volunteers (i.e., citizen scientists). Interpretation of the resulting data to estimate population trends is plagued with problems, including teasing apart genuine population trends from variations in observation effort. We devised a way to correct for annual variation in effort when estimating trends in occupancy (species distribution) from faunal or floral databases of opportunistic observations. First, for all surveyed sites, detection histories (i.e., strings of detection–nondetection records) are generated. Within‐season replicate surveys provide information on the detectability of an occupied site. Detectability directly represents observation effort; hence, estimating detectablity means correcting for observation effort. Second, site‐occupancy models are applied directly to the detection‐history data set (i.e., without aggregation by site and year) to estimate detectability and species distribution (occupancy, i.e., the true proportion of sites where a species occurs). Site‐occupancy models also provide unbiased estimators of components of distributional change (i.e., colonization and extinction rates). We illustrate our method with data from a large citizen‐science project in Switzerland in which field ornithologists record opportunistic observations. We analyzed data collected on four species: the widespread Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) and Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) and the scarce Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis) and Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Our method requires that all observed species are recorded. Detectability was <1 and varied over the years. Simulations suggested some robustness, but we advocate recording complete species lists (checklists), rather than recording individual records of single species. The representation of observation effort with its effect on detectability provides a solution to the problem of differences in effort encountered when extracting trend information from haphazard observations. We expect our method is widely applicable for global biodiversity monitoring and modeling of species distributions.