bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The military and militarization in the United States
Authors: Ben‐Ari Eyal
Published: December 2004

I examine three ethnographies of the U.S. military and of militarization in the contemporary United States. These phenomena have hitherto received little scholarly attention by anthropologists. After describing the contents of the three volumes, I suggest that their wider import for anthropology lies in their demonstration of the usefulness of the discipline's theories and analytical tools for analyzing the political economy of militarization and the unique character of an organization specializing in violence.
Nuclear technoaesthetics: Sensory politics from trinity to the virtual bomb in Los Alamos
Authors: Masco Joseph
Published: December 2004

In this article I investigate the politics of nuclear weapons production by examining how weapons scientists have experienced the exploding bomb at the level of sense perception through three experimental regimes: underground testing (1945–62), aboveground testing (1963–92), and stockpile stewardship (1995–2010). I argue that, for weapons scientists, a diminishing sensory experience of the exploding bomb has, over time, allowed nuclear weapon research to be increasingly depoliticized and normalized within the laboratory. The result is a post–Cold War nuclear project that assesses the atomic bomb not on its military potential as a weapon of mass destruction but, rather, on the aesthetic pleasure afforded by its computer simulations and material science.
Doing anthropology in sound
Authors: Feld Steven , Brenneis Donald
Published: December 2004

Sound has come to have a particular resonance in many disciplines over the past decade. Social theorists, historians, literary researchers, folklorists, and scholars in science and technology studies and visual, performative, and cultural studies provide a range of substantively rich accounts and epistemologically provocative models for how researchers can take sound seriously. This conversation explores general outlines of an anthropology of sound. Its main focus, however, is on the issues involved in using sound as a primary medium for ethnographic research.
“If she's a vegetable, we'll be her garden”: Embodiment, transcendence, and citations of competing cultural metaphors in the case of a dying child
Authors: Rouse Carolyn
Published: December 2004

In this article, I explore a struggle between parents and medical professionals to define the meaning and value of a critically ill child, Jasperlynn. I argue that the parents, who refused to sign a do‐not‐resuscitate (DNR) order, transformed the perceptions of the medical professionals by affiliating themselves with powerful moral signifiers. In particular, I explore the roles of embodiment and transcendence as they relate to the contest over the assignment of cultural metaphors defining Jasperlynn's life. I use the term embodiment‐by‐proxy to describe the ways in which the parents and the professionals each attempted to change the others' dispositions toward Jasperlynn, or to become what Thomas Csordas calls “specialists in cultural objectification.” Ultimately, the only weapon the parents had in their struggle to change the value and meaning of Jasperlynn's life was their newly acquired religious consciousness. Through the family's demonstration of their deep commitment to God and family, many professionals came to realize that the value of Jasperlynn's life lay in her relationship to her parents. In effect, the parents were able to transform medicine's object to include the family.
Gender and decision making in Balinese agriculture
Authors: Jha Nitish
Published: December 2004

To be analytically useful, the concept of the division of labor needs to take into account decision making as a gendered activity. Decision making is all‐important in the retinue of agricultural activities, but gender dynamics in various social units differentially affect the participation of women in it. In Bali, households and irrigation communities, called subak, each manage different aspects of rice cultivation. Distinct sets of factors account for the dissimilar participation of women and men in decision making in the two domains.
Oishinbo's Adventures in Eating: Food, Communication, and Culture in Japanese Comics
Authors: brau lorie
Published: December 2004

Culture in Japanese Comics

Millions of Japanese, including adults, read manga--comic books. Reproducing every popular genre from humor to horror, manga both entertain and educate their readers on subjects as varied as sports, corporate life, the literary classics, and sex. Japanese also learn about food and cooking from gurume (gourmet) or ryori (cooking) manga. One of the most popular is Oishinbo, serialized since 1983. Oishinbo's hero Yamaoka is a newspaper journalist with an unparalleled knowledge of food and a developed palate. Along with his female sidekick Kurita, who shares his culinary sensitivities, Yamaoka seeks dishes for an "ultimate menu" to bequeath to the future. In the process, the pair turns to food to solve a host of interpersonal and social problems, sometimes on an international political level. Oishinbo not only provides information about foreign and local cuisines and recipes, it also propounds an ideology regarding the relationship between food and human relations that contributes toward the construction of Japanese cultural identity.
Of Water and Chocolate
Authors: hellman mimi
Published: December 2004

Sipping a cup of chocolate while bathing in an elegantly decorated room might seem like the epitome of refined pleasure. In eighteenth-century Europe, however, both chocolate consumption and bathing were associated with danger as well as delight. Through a discussion of "The Bath," a 1774 print by the Swiss artist Sigmund Freudenberger, this essay considers how preoccupations with status, health, and sexuality shaped the meanings of two activities that were avidly cultivated as prestigious leisure pursuits and just as avidly contested as threats to the physiological and social order.
Feminists Versus Gallants: Manners and Morals in Enlightenment Britain
Authors: TAYLOR BARBARA
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT Mary Wollstonecraft is usually portrayed as an Enlightenment thinker. But in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) she denounced “modern philosophers” for purveying prejudicial images of women masked in a rhetoric of sexual compliment. This essay explores the relationship between Enlightenment attitudes to women and feminism in Britain, showing the gap that opened up between mainstream enlightened opinion (“modern gallantry”) and women's-rights egalitarianismin the 1790s.
Reduction of the incidence of polyspermic penetration into porcine oocytes by pretreatment of fresh spermatozoa with adenosine and a transient co-incubation of the gametes with caffeine
Authors: Funahashi Hiroaki , Romar Raquel
Published: December 2004

To reduce the incidence of polyspermic penetration, the effects of transient exposure of washed fresh spermatozoa to caffeine in a brief co-culturein vitrofertilization (IVF) system were examined. A pretreatment effect of spermatozoa with adenosine was also examined. When 5 mmol caffeine/l was supplemented during periods of co-culture and additional culture periods until 8 h after insemination, a shortened co-incubation period of gametes (30 denuded oocytes in 100 μl modified Medium 199-suspended spermatozoa at 2.5 ×105sperm/ml) from 30 to 5 min increased the monospermy rate in total mature oocytes examined. The number of spermatozoa binding to the zona surface was significantly lower in oocytes co-cultured for 5 min (33.1 ± 2.2) than 8 h (207.6 ± 13.7). A limited exposure of gametes to 5 mmol caffeine/l only during a transient co-culture period for 5 or 30 min significantly reduced the mean number of sperm cells that penetrated into the oocyte. Transient exposure of spermatozoa to caffeine for only 5 min increased the percentage of capacitated cells but not acrosome-reacted cells, as compared with a whole exposure treatment. Furthermore, preincubation of spermatozoa with 10 μmol adenosine/l for 90 min increased both the incidence of capacitated cells and the monospermy rate and consequently decreased the number of sperm cells that penetrated into the oocyte. In conclusion, these results have demonstrated that a new transient co-incubation IVF system, in which denuded oocytes are co-cultured with spermatozoa in medium containing caffeine for 5 to 30 min and then continuing the culture in caffeine-free medium, will reduce the incidence of polyspermic penetration. Preincubation of fresh spermatozoa with adenosine before the transient co-incubation IVF can also improve the monospermy rate. Furthermore, asynchrony in the morphology of sperm nuclei in polyspermic oocytes was reduced by the pretreatment with adenosine and a brief exposure to caffeine.
The protein encoded by cancer/testis gene D40/AF15q14 is localized in spermatocytes, acrosomes of spermatids and ejaculated spermatozoa
Authors: Sasao Takumi , Itoh Naoki , Takano Hiroko , Watanabe Satoshi , Wei Gang , Tsukamoto Taiji , Kuzumaki Noboru , Takimoto Masato
Published: December 2004

We have previously identified and cloned a human gene, D40, that is preferentially expressed in testis among normal organs, while it is widely expressed in various human tumor cell lines and primary tumors derived from different organs. In this report, we have examined the expression and localization of this protein in human testis with an antibody specific to D40 protein. In Western analyses, the anti-D40 antibody recognized a major band with a molecular mass of 300 kDa and a minor band of 250 kDa. These bands were not observed in the testis lysates from patients with Sertoli-cell-only syndrome and with Kleinfelter syndrome, who lack germ cells of the testis, indicating that D40 protein is expressed in the germ cells of normal testis. Immunohistochemical studies have revealed that D40 protein is highly expressed in spermatocytes and in the pre-acrosome of round spermatids. In the acrosome, D40 protein expression is observed not inside but outside the acrosome membrane. This is consistent with the finding that the amino-acid sequence at the amino terminal of the D40 protein lacks a hydrophobic signal peptide that is required for proteins to translocate to the membrane. Expression of D40 protein is observed in the acrosome of ejaculated spermatozoa as well, although the level is low compared with that in the pre-acrosome of spermatids. These results suggest that D40 protein plays important roles in spermatogenesis, especially in the formation and maintenance of the acrosome.
Short photoperiod inhibition of growth in body mass and reproduction in ACI, BUF, and PVG inbred rats
Authors: Francisco Nicole R , Raymond Christen M , Heideman Paul D
Published: December 2004

Laboratory rats have been generally considered non-photoresponsive, but strains of laboratory rats have been found to be variable for this trait. Young males of both the Fischer (F344) and Brown Norway strains (BN) suppress reproductive development, food intake and body mass in short winter photoperiod (short days (SD); 8 h light:16 h darkness), and food restriction interacts with SD to enhance the effect of SD alone. Conversely, young male Harlan Sprague Dawley outbred rats, along with other outbred laboratory rats tested, have little or no response to SD except when unmasked by food restriction or other treatments, and have generally been considered nonphotoperiodic. In order to assess how widespread this trait might be among rat strains, and to test for uncoupling of reproductive and nonreproductive responses, we tested 3 additional inbred strains, including ACI, PVG and BUF rats, for photoresponsiveness and for unmasking of photoperiodic responses by food restriction. Young males of all three inbred strains exhibited photoresponsiveness in testis mass (5–20% lower in SD), seminal vesicle mass (20–50% lower in SD), and body mass (5–10% lower in SD). Food restriction also suppressed reproduction, but there was little or no interaction with the effects of photoperiod. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that laboratory rats are genetically variable for photoperiodism, and that photoresponsiveness may be widespread among inbred rat strains, as all five inbred strains tested have shown photoperiodic responses. The results are particularly important because standard research protocols may unknowingly manipulate this pathway in rats, causing unsuspected variability among or within studies.
Implantation mechanisms: insights from the sheep
Authors: Spencer Thomas E , Johnson Greg A , Bazer Fuller W , Burghardt Robert C
Published: December 2004

Implantation in all mammals involves shedding of the zona pellucida, followed by orientation, apposition, attachment and adhesion of the blastocyst to the endometrium. Endometrial invasion does not occur in domestic ruminants; thus, definitive implantation is achieved by adhesion of the mononuclear trophoblast cells to the endometrial lumenal epithelium (LE) and formation of syncytia by the fusion of trophoblast binucleate cells with the LE. This review highlights new information on mechanisms regulating the implantation cascade in sheep. The embryo enters the uterus on day 4 at the morula stage of development and then develops into a blastocyst by day 6. The blastocyst sheds the zona pellucida (day 8), elongates to a filamentous form (days 11–16), and adheres to the endometrial LE (day 16). Between days 14 and 16, the binucleate cells begin to differentiate in the trophoblast and subsequently migrate and fuse with the endometrial LE to form syncytia. Continuous exposure of the endometrium to progesterone in early pregnancy downregulates the progesterone receptors in the epithelia, a process which is associated with loss of the cell-surface mucin MUC1 and induction of several secreted adhesion proteins. Recurrent early pregnancy loss in the uterine gland knockout ewe model indicates that secretions of the endometrial epithelia have a physiologic role in blastocyst elongation and implantation. A number of endometrial proteins have been identified as potential regulators of blastocyst development and implantation in sheep, including glycosylated cell adhesion molecule 1 (GlyCAM-1), galectin-15, integrins and osteopontin. The epithelial derived secreted adhesion proteins (GlyCAM-1, galectin-15 and osteopontin) are expressed in a dynamic temporal and spatial manner and regulated by progesterone and/or interferon tau, which is the pregnancy recognition signal produced by the trophoblast during blastocyst elongation. The noninvasive and protracted nature of implantation in domestic animals provides valuable opportunities to investigate fundamental processes of implantation that are shared among all mammals. Understanding of the cellular and molecular signals that regulate uterine receptivity and implantation can be used to diagnose and identify causes of recurrent pregnancy loss and to improve pregnancy outcome in domestic animals and humans.
Deletion Polymorphism in Wheat Chromosome Regions With Contrasting Recombination Rates
Authors: Dvorak Jan , Yang Zu-Li , You Frank M , Luo Ming-Cheng
Published: December 2004

Polymorphism for deletions was investigated in 1027 lines of tetraploid and hexaploid wheat and 420 lines of wheat diploid ancestors. A total of 26 deletions originating during the evolution of polyploid wheat were discovered among 155 investigated loci. Wheat chromosomes were divided into a proximal, low-recombination interval containing 69 loci and a distal, high-recombination interval containing 86 loci. A total of 23 deletions involved loci in the distal, high-recombination interval and only 3 involved loci in the proximal, low-recombination interval. The rates of DNA loss differed by several orders of magnitude in the two intervals. The rate of diploidization of polyploid wheat by deletions was estimated and was shown to have proceeded faster in the distal, high-recombination interval than in the proximal, low-recombination interval.
Genome Scanning for Interspecific Differentiation Between Two Closely Related Oak Species [Quercus robur L. and Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl.]
Authors: Scotti-Saintagne Caroline , Mariette Stéphanie , Porth Ilga , Goicoechea Pablo G , Barreneche Teresa , Bodénès Catherine , Burg Kornel , Kremer Antoine
Published: December 2004

Interspecific differentiation values (GST) between two closely related oak species (Quercus petraea and Q. robur) were compiled across different studies with the aim to explore the distribution of differentiation at the genome level. The study was based on a total set of 389 markers (isozymes, AFLPs, SCARs, microsatellites, and SNPs) for which allelic frequencies were estimated in pairs of populations sampled throughout the sympatric distribution of the two species. The overall distribution of GST values followed an L-shaped curve with most markers exhibiting low species differentiation (GST < 0.01) and only a few loci reaching >10% levels. Twelve percent of the loci exhibited significant GST deviations to neutral expectations, suggesting that selection contributed to species divergence. Coding regions expressed higher differentiation than noncoding regions. Among the 389 markers, 158 could be mapped on the 12 linkage groups of the existing Q. robur genetic map. Outlier loci with large GST values were distributed over 9 linkage groups. One cluster of three outlier loci was found within 0.51 cM; but significant autocorrelation of GST was observed at distances <2 cM. The size and distribution of genomic regions involved in species divergence are discussed in reference to hitchhiking effects and disruptive selection.
Fine-Scale Genetic Structure and Gene Dispersal in Centaurea corymbosa (Asteraceae). II. Correlated Paternity Within and Among Sibships
Authors: Hardy Olivier J , González-Martínez Santiago C , Colas Bruno , Fréville Hélène , Mignot Agnès , Olivieri Isabelle
Published: December 2004

The fine-scale pattern of correlated paternity was characterized within a population of the narrow-endemic model plant species, Centaurea corymbosa, using microsatellites and natural progeny arrays. We used classical approaches to assess correlated mating within sibships and developed a new method based on pairwise kinship coefficients to assess correlated paternity within and among sibships in a spatio-temporal perspective. We also performed numerical simulations to assess the relative significance of different mechanisms promoting correlated paternity and to compare the statistical properties of different estimators of correlated paternity. Our new approach proved very informative to assess which factors contributed most to correlated paternity and presented good statistical properties. Within progeny arrays, we found that about one-fifth of offspring pairs were full-sibs. This level of correlated mating did not result from correlated pollen dispersal events (i.e., pollen codispersion) but rather from limited mate availability, the latter being due to limited pollen dispersal distances, the heterogeneity of pollen production among plants, phenological heterogeneity and, according to simulations, the self-incompatibility system. We point out the close connection between correlated paternity and the “TwoGener” approach recently developed to infer pollen dispersal and discuss the conditions to be met when applying the latter.
Controlling for the Effects of History and Nonequilibrium Conditions in Gene Flow Estimates in Northern Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) Populations
Authors: Austin James D , Lougheed Stephen C , Boag Peter T
Published: December 2004

Nonequilibrium conditions due to either allopatry followed by secondary contact or recent range expansion can confound measurements of gene flow among populations in previously glaciated regions. We determined the scale at which gene flow can be estimated among breeding aggregations of bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) at the northern limit of their range in Ontario, Canada, using seven highly polymorphic DNA microsatellite loci. We first identified breeding aggregations that likely share a common history, determined from the pattern of allelic richness, factorial correspondence analysis, and a previously published mtDNA phylogeography, and then tested for regional equilibrium by evaluating the association between pairwise FST and geographic distance. Regional breeding aggregations in eastern Ontario separated by <100 km were determined to be at or near equilibrium. High levels of gene flow were measured using traditional F-statistics and likelihood estimates of Nm. Similarly high levels of recent migration (past one to three generations) were estimated among the breeding aggregations using nonequilibrium methods. We also show that, in many cases, breeding aggregations separated by up to tens of kilometers are not genetically distinct enough to be considered separate genetic populations. These results have important implications both for the identification of independent “populations” and in assessing the effect of scale in detecting patterns of genetic equilibrium and gene flow.
Experimental Adaptation of Salmonella typhimurium to Mice
Authors: Nilsson Annika I , Kugelberg Elisabeth , Berg Otto G , Andersson Dan I
Published: December 2004

Experimental evolution is a powerful approach to study the dynamics and mechanisms of bacterial niche specialization. By serial passage in mice, we evolved 18 independent lineages of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 and examined the rate and extent of adaptation to a mainly reticuloendothelial host environment. Bacterial mutation rates and population sizes were varied by using wild-type and DNA repair-defective mutator (mutS) strains with normal and high mutation rates, respectively, and by varying the number of bacteria intraperitoneally injected into mice. After <200 generations of adaptation all lineages showed an increased fitness as measured by a faster growth rate in mice (selection coefficients 0.11–0.58). Using a generally applicable mathematical model we calculated the adaptive mutation rate for the wild-type bacterium to be >10−6/cell/generation, suggesting that the majority of adaptive mutations are not simple point mutations. For the mutator lineages, adaptation to mice was associated with a loss of fitness in secondary environments as seen by a reduced metabolic capability. During adaptation there was no indication that a high mutation rate was counterselected. These data show that S. typhimurium can rapidly and extensively increase its fitness in mice but this niche specialization is, at least in mutators, associated with a cost.
Evolutionary Expressed Sequence Tag Analysis of Drosophila Female Reproductive Tracts Identifies Genes Subjected to Positive Selection
Authors: Swanson Willie J , Wong Alex , Wolfner Mariana F , Aquadro Charles F
Published: December 2004

Genes whose products are involved in reproduction include some of the fastest-evolving genes found within the genomes of several organisms. Drosophila has long been used to study the function and evolutionary dynamics of genes thought to be involved in sperm competition and sexual conflict, two processes that have been hypothesized to drive the adaptive evolution of reproductive molecules. Several seminal fluid proteins (Acps) made in the Drosophila male reproductive tract show evidence of rapid adaptive evolution. To identify candidate genes in the female reproductive tract that may be involved in female–male interactions and that may thus have been subjected to adaptive evolution, we used an evolutionary bioinformatics approach to analyze sequences from a cDNA library that we have generated from Drosophila female reproductive tracts. We further demonstrate that several of these genes have been subjected to positive selection. Their expression in female reproductive tracts, presence of signal sequences/transmembrane domains, and rapid adaptive evolution indicate that they are prime candidates to encode female reproductive molecules that interact with rapidly evolving male Acps.
White Mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Are Defective in Phytoene SynthaseSequence data from this article have been deposited with the EMBL/GenBank Data Libraries under accession nos. AY604700, PSY (137c) cDNA; AY604701, PSY (137c) genomic DNA; AY604702, PSY (S1D2) genomic DNA; and AY604703, PDS (137c) cDNA.
Authors: McCarthy Sarah S , Kobayashi Marilyn C , Niyogi Krishna K
Published: December 2004

Carotenoids play an integral and essential role in photosynthesis and photoprotection in plants and algae. A collection of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutants lacking carotenoids was characterized for pigment and tocopherol (vitamin E) composition, growth phenotypes under different light conditions, and the molecular basis of their mutant phenotype. The carotenoid-less mutants, or “white” mutants, were also deficient in chlorophylls but had approximately twice the tocopherol content of the wild type. White mutants grew in the dark but were unable to survive in the light, even under very low light conditions on acetate-containing medium. Genetic crosses and recombination tests revealed that all individual white mutants in the collection are alleles of a single gene, lts1, and the white phenotype was closely linked to a marker located in the phytoene synthase gene. DNA sequencing of the phytoene synthase gene from each of the mutants revealed nonsense, missense, frameshift, and splice site mutations. Transformation with a wild-type copy of the phytoene synthase gene was able to complement the lts1-210 mutation. Together, these results show that all the white mutants examined in this work are affected in the phytoene synthase gene.
Additivity and trans-acting Effects on Gene Expression in Male Drosophila simulans
Authors: Wayne M L , Pan Y-J , Nuzhdin S V , McIntyre L M
Published: December 2004

Understanding how genetic variation is maintained begins with a comprehensive description of what types of genetic variation exist, the extent and magnitude of the variation, and patterns discernable in that variation. However, such studies have focused primarily on DNA sequence data and have ignored genetic variation at other hierarchical levels of genetic information. Microarray technology permits an examination of genetic variation at the level of mRNA abundance. Utilizing a round-robin design, we present a quantitative description of variation in mRNA abundance in terms of GCA (general combining ability or additive variance). We test whether genes significant for GCA are randomly distributed across chromosomes and use a nonparametric approach to demonstrate that the magnitude of the variation is not random for GCA. We find that there is a paucity of genes significant for GCA on the X relative to the autosomes. The overall magnitude of the effects for GCA on the X tends to be lower than that on the autosomes and is contributed by rare alleles of larger effect. Due to male hemizygosity, GCA for X-linked phenotypes must be due to trans-acting factors, while GCA for autosomal phenotypes may be due to cis- or trans-acting factors. The contrast in the amount of variation between the X and the autosomes suggests that both cis and trans factors contribute to variation for expression in D. simulans with the preponderance of effects being trans. This nonrandom patterning of genetic variation in gene expression data with respect to chromosomal context may be due to hemizygosity in the male.
Dissection of Floral Pollination Syndromes in Petunia
Authors: Stuurman Jeroen , Hoballah Maria Elena , Broger Larissa , Moore James , Basten Christopher , Kuhlemeier Cris
Published: December 2004

Animal-mediated pollination is essential in the reproductive biology of many flowering plants and tends to be associated with pollination syndromes, sets of floral traits that are adapted to particular groups of pollinators. The complexity and functional convergence of various traits within pollination syndromes are outstanding examples of biological adaptation, raising questions about their mechanisms and origins. In the genus Petunia, complex pollination syndromes are found for nocturnal hawkmoths (P. axillaris) and diurnal bees (P. integrifolia), with characteristic differences in petal color, corolla shape, reproductive organ morphology, nectar quantity, nectar quality, and fragrance. We dissected the Petunia syndromes into their most important phenotypic and genetic components. They appear to include several distinct differences, such as cell-growth and cell-division patterns in the basal third of the petals, elongation of the ventral stamens, nectar secretion and nectar sugar metabolism, and enzymatic differentiation in the phenylpropanoid pathway. In backcross-inbred lines of species-derived chromosome segments in a transposon tagging strain of P. hybrida, one to five quantitative trait loci were identified for each syndrome component. Two loci for stamen elongation and nectar volume were confirmed in introgression lines and showed large allelic differences. The combined data provide a framework for a detailed understanding of floral syndromes from their developmental and molecular basis to their impact on animal behavior. With its molecular genetic tools, this Petunia system provides a novel venue for a pattern of adaptive radiation that is among the most characteristic of flowering plants.
A Complex Interaction of Imprinted and Maternal-Effect Genes Modifies Sex Determination in Odd Sex (Ods) Mice
Authors: Poirier Christophe , Qin Yangjun , Adams Carolyn P , Anaya Yanett , Singer Jonathan B , Hill Annie E , Lander Eric S , Nadeau Joseph H , Bishop Colin E
Published: December 2004

The transgenic insertional mouse mutation Odd Sex (Ods) represents a model for the long-range regulation of Sox9. The mutation causes complete female-to-male sex reversal by inducing a male-specific expression pattern of Sox9 in XX Ods/+ embryonic gonads. We previously described an A/J strain-specific suppressor of Ods termed Odsm1A. Here we show that phenotypic sex depends on a complex interaction between the suppressor and the transgene. Suppression can be achieved only if the transgene is transmitted paternally. In addition, the suppressor itself exhibits a maternal effect, suggesting that it may act on chromatin in the early embryo.
Combining Mathematical Models and Statistical Methods to Understand and Predict the Dynamics of Antibiotic-Sensitive Mutants in a Population of Resistant Bacteria During Experimental Evolution
Authors: De Gelder Leen , Ponciano José M , Abdo Zaid , Joyce Paul , Forney Larry J , Top Eva M
Published: December 2004

Temporarily discontinuing the use of antibiotics has been proposed as a means to eliminate resistant bacteria by allowing sensitive clones to sweep through the population. In this study, we monitored a tetracycline-sensitive subpopulation that emerged during experimental evolution of E. coli K12 MG1655 carrying the multiresistance plasmid pB10 in the absence of antibiotics. The fraction of tetracycline-sensitive mutants increased slowly over 500 generations from 0.1 to 7%, and loss of resistance could be attributed to a recombination event that caused deletion of the tet operon. To help understand the population dynamics of these mutants, three mathematical models were developed that took into consideration recurrent mutations, increased host fitness (selection), or a combination of both mechanisms (full model). The data were best explained by the full model, which estimated a high mutation frequency (λ = 3.11 × 10−5) and a significant but small selection coefficient (σ = 0.007). This study emphasized the combined use of experimental data, mathematical models, and statistical methods to better understand and predict the dynamics of evolving bacterial populations, more specifically the possible consequences of discontinuing the use of antibiotics.
Towards improved clinical characterization of Leber congenital amaurosis: Neurological and systemic findings
Authors: Fazzi Elisa , Signorini Sabrina G. , Uggetti Carla , Bianchi Paolo Emilio , Lanners Josée , Lanzi Giovanni
Published: December 2004

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is the most severe form of inherited retinal dystrophy that presents in infancy. LCA is both clinically and genetically heterogeneous. The aim of our study was to clarify the clinical aspects of LCA and to contribute to improved characterization of the disorder. We studied 40 children affected by LCA (mean age at first observation: 19 months, range: 8–50 months), who underwent a comprehensive evaluation that included: neurophthalmological evaluation, electroretinogram (ERG), and visual evoked potentials (VEPs), general and neurological examinations, developmental assessment using scales for visually impaired children, neuroradiological examinations, hepatic and renal function and metabolic investigations, brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs), EEG, and hand radiographs. Analyses of known LCA genes are ongoing. The subjects are still being followed up at 6‐/12‐month intervals. All the subjects fulfilled De Laey's criteria for LCA. The neurological examination was abnormal in 31 cases (hypotonia, ataxia with/without associated cerebellar signs). Cognitive development was normal in 24 cases, borderline in five, and subnormal in 11. Mild and nonspecific alterations on MRI were present in seven cases, and “molar tooth” sign in four; all the others had a normal neuroradiological picture. Among the subjects presenting with neurological signs, a subgroup (13 patients) emerged that was characterized by systemic (skin, kidney, liver) involvement. Our data confirm that LCA is a heterogeneous entity that can present as an isolated ocular manifestation, or in association with neurological and systemic abnormalities and support the need for a multidisciplinary approach to this entity and for genotype–phenotype studies. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Severe, neonatal‐onset OTC deficiency in twin sisters with a de novo balanced reciprocal translocation t(X;5)(p21.1;q11)
Authors: Zenker Martin , Wermuth Bendicht , Trautmann Udo , Knerr Ina , Kraus Cornelia , Rauch Anita , Reis André
Published: December 2004

OTC deficiency, the most common urea cycle defect, is transmitted as a partially dominant X‐linked trait. The most severe form of the disease, however, is usually restricted to males. We report on monozygotic female twins with severe neonatal‐onset OTC deficiency and a de novo balanced reciprocal translocation t(X;5)(p21.1;q11). Disruption of the OTC gene on the derivative X‐chromosome was confirmed by FISH analysis. Consistent inactivation of the normal X could be demonstrated by RGB staining. Manifestation of X‐linked recessive disorders in females due to a balanced reciprocal X‐autosome translocation has previously been described in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and several other disorders but not in OTC deficiency. This report emphasizes the importance of chromosome analysis in any female manifesting severe OTC deficiency. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Carbimazole embryopathy: An emerging phenotype
Authors: Foulds Nicola , Walpole Ian , Elmslie Frances , Mansour Sahar
Published: December 2004

Concerns about the safety of carbimazole in pregnancy were raised in 1985 [Milham (1985): Teratology 32:321]. Since this time many reports of children believed to have been affected by carbimazole in utero have appeared in the medical literature. Initial reports were of an increased incidence of scalp defects in the infants of treated mothers, but many other anomalies have now been described. Choanal atresia, gastrointestinal anomalies‐particularly esophageal atresia, athelia/hypothelia, developmental delay, hearing loss, and dysmorphic facial features have all been reported. The phenotype associated with exposure to carbimazole appears to be rare but specific with distinctive facial features. We report on two new cases of carbimazole embryopathy with strikingly similar facial features. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Serotonin 5‐HT1B receptor gene and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Chinese Han subjects
Authors: Li Jun , Wang Yufeng , Zhou Rulun , Zhang Haobo , Yang Li , Wang Bing , Khan Sajjad , Faraone Stephen V.
Published: December 2004

Serotonin is an endogenous neurotransmitter that regulates aggressive and impulsive behavior and may be involved in the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 5‐HT1B knockout mice display hyperactivity, increased exploratory activity and aggression, reduced anxiety, increased vulnerability to cocaine self‐administration, and elevated alcohol consumption. Many of these same behaviors are seen in patients with ADHD. Prior studies reported excess transmission of the 861G allele of 5‐HT1B to ADHD offspring. We used the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) and haplotype analysis to investigate the A‐161T and G861C polymorphisms in the 5‐HT1B receptor gene in ADHD trios from the Chinese Han population. We found no association with ADHD but did find a tendency for excess transmission of the 861G allele (χ2 = 3.766, P = 0.052) and the G/A haplotype (χ2 = 2.925, df = 1, P = 0.087), and under‐transmission of C/A haplotype (χ2 = 3.707, df = 1, P = 0.054) to offspring with inattentive ADHD. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Toward an alternative notion of information systems ontologies: Information engineering as a hermeneutic enterprise
Authors: Fonseca Frederico T. , Martin James E.
Published: December 2004

In this paper we discuss the construction of information systems ontologies. We summarize and discuss Barry Smith's review (2003a) of the field in the paper, “Ontology.” In that essay Smith concludes with a plea for ontologies that reflect the categories of current scientific theories because they represent our best knowledge of the world. In this context, we develop an argument for a hermeneutic approach to ontologies—one compatible with the orientation introduced into information science by Winograd and Flores (1986) and later developed by many others. To do this, we argue that the literature in the philosophy and history of science supports a hermeneutic interpretation of the nature and growth of science. This, given Smith's argument, shows the relevance of hermeneutics to the creation of information system ontologies. The problems associated with understanding and creating information systems ontologies are addressed fruitfully only if one begins by acknowledging that databases are mechanisms for communication involving judgments and interpretations by intelligent and knowledgeable users. The main contributions of this paper are our conclusions that (a) information system ontologies should take into consideration a perspective of the philosophy and history of science, and (b) hermeneutics as construed by Gadamer (1975, 1979) constitutes a place from which we can understand the tasks of information ontologists and database users.
Article impact calculated over arbitrary periods
Authors: Frandsen Tove Faber , Rousseau Ronald
Published: December 2004

In this paper we address the various formulations of impact of articles, usually groups of articles as gauged by citations that these articles receive over a certain period of time. The journal impact factor, as published by ISI (Philadelphia, PA), is the best‐known example of a formulation of impact of journals (considered as a set of articles) but many others have been defined in the literature. Impact factors have varying publication and citation periods and the chosen length of these periods enables, e.g., a distinction between synchronous and diachronous impact factors. It is shown how an impact factor for the general case can be defined. Two alternatives for a general impact factor are proposed, depending on whether different publication years are seen as a whole, and hence treating each one of them differently, or by operating with citation periods of identical length but allowing each publication period different starting points.
A Density Functional Study on a Biomimetic Non‐Heme Iron Catalyst: Insights into Alkane Hydroxylation by a Formally HOFeVO Oxidant
Authors: Bassan Arianna , Blomberg Margareta R. A. , Siegbahn Per E. M. , Que Lawrence
Published: December 2004

The reactivity of [HO(tpa)FeVO] (TPA=tris(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine), derived from OO bond heterolysis of its [H2O(tpa)FeIIIOOH] precursor, was explored by means of hybrid density functional theory. The mechanism for alkane hydroxylation by the high‐valent iron–oxo species invoked as an intermediate in Fe(tpa)/H2O2 catalysis was investigated. Hydroxylation of methane and propane by HOFeVO was studied by following the rebound mechanism associated with the heme center of cytochrome P450, and it is demonstrated that this species is capable of stereospecific alkane hydroxylation. The mechanism proposed for alkane hydroxylation by HOFeVO accounts for the experimentally observed incorporation of solvent water into the products. An investigation of the possible hydroxylation of acetonitrile (i.e., the solvent used in the experiments) shows that the activation energy for hydrogen‐atom abstraction by HOFeVO is rather high and, in fact, rather similar to that of methane, despite the similarity of the HCH2CN bond strength to that of the secondary CH bond in propane. This result indicates that the kinetics of hydrogen‐atom abstraction are strongly affected by the cyano group and rationalizes the lack of experimental evidence for solvent hydroxylation in competition with that of substrates such as cyclohexane.
Efficient Synthesis of Thioesters and Amides from Aldehydes by Using an Intermolecular Radical Reaction in Water
Authors: Nambu Hisanori , Hata Kayoko , Matsugi Masato , Kita Yasuyuki
Published: December 2004

The combination of the water‐soluble radical initiator, 2,2′‐azobis[2‐(2‐imidazolin‐2‐yl)propane] dihydrochloride (VA‐044) and the surfactant, cetyltrimethyl‐ammonium bromide (CTAB), was found to be the most suitable condition for the effective and direct synthesis of useful active thioesters (pentafluorophenyl thioesters) in water. In addition, the direct amidation of aldehydes was achieved by the addition of the amines to the thioesterification reaction mixture in water.
Erstes technisches Verfahren mit ionischen Flüssigkeiten
Authors: Maase Matthias
Published: December 2004

Ionische Flüssigkeiten sind neuartige Materialien mit einem Eigenschaftsprofil, das bislang nicht zur Verfügung stand [1]. Das BASIL™‐Verfahren der BASF, das seit 2002 routinemäßig in der Produktion von Alkoxyphenylphosphinen eingesetzt wird, ist das erste Beispiel, bei dem ionische Flüssigkeiten gezielt in einem technischen Prozess genutzt werden.
Welcher Kunststoff ist es?
Authors: Banser Deike
Published: December 2004

Welcher Kunststoff, der mit Hilfe der kationischen Polymerisation dargestellt wird, lässt Playmobil®‐Liebhaberherzen höher schlagen?
Ephrin signaling in vivo: Look both ways
Authors: Davy Alice , Soriano Philippe
Published: December 2004

Eph receptors and ephrins have captured the interest of the developmental biology community in recent years for their pleiotropic functions during embryogenesis. Loss‐of‐function studies using various animal models have demonstrated the involvement of Ephs and ephrins in many aspects of embryogenesis including segmentation, neural crest cells migration, angiogenesis, and axon guidance. An essential property of this signaling pathway is the ability of both Ephs and ephrins to behave as receptors or ligands and their consequent cell autonomous and nonautonomous mode of action. While many reports did not discriminate between Eph autonomous signaling (forward) and ephrin autonomous signaling (reverse), recent genetic and in vivo studies have shown that both forward and reverse signaling play important roles during embryogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 232:1–10, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
T‐box genes and heart development: Putting the “T” in heart
Authors: Plageman Timothy F. , Yutzey Katherine E.
Published: December 2004

Members of the T‐box gene family (Tbx) are essential for normal heart development, and mutations in human TBX genes cause congenital cardiovascular malformations. T‐box genes have been implicated in early cardiac lineage determination, chamber specification, valvuloseptal development, and diversification of the specialized conduction system in vertebrate embryos. These genes include Tbx1, Tbx2, Tbx3, Tbx5, Tbx18, and Tbx20, all of which exhibit complex temporal spatial regulation in developing cardiac structures. Less is known about T‐box genes in invertebrate heart development, but multiple T‐box genes are expressed in Drosophila cardiac lineages. The molecular hierarchies and developmental processes controlled by T‐box genes in the heart are the focus of this review. Developmental Dynamics 232:11–20, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitative evaluation of morpholino‐mediated protein knockdown of GFP, MSX1, and PAX7 during tail regeneration in Ambystoma mexicanum
Authors: Schnapp Esther , Tamaka Elly M.
Published: December 2004

Vertebrate regeneration is a fascinating but poorly understood biological phenomena. Urodele amphibians such as Ambystoma mexicanum (the axolotl) can functionally regenerate complex body structures such as the limb and tail, including the spinal cord, throughout life. So far, molecular studies on regeneration have been limited due to the paucity of tools for knocking‐down gene and protein function. In this article, we quantitatively assessed the ability of morpholinos to specifically down‐regulate protein expression in both cultured urodele cells and in vivo. We focused on the down‐regulation of green fluorescent protein and two axolotl proteins, MSX1 and PAX7. Our data show that the expression of these proteins can be efficiently reduced by morpholinos. MSX1 has been hypothesized to be involved in muscle dedifferentiation based on experiments using cultured myotubes. Our studies in in vivo muscle fibers so far have shown no influence of overexpressing or down‐regulating MSX1 on the dedifferentiation process. Developmental Dynamics 232:162–170, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Clearance of apoptotic cells is not impaired in mouse embryos deficient in class A scavenger receptor types I and II (CD204)
Authors: Komohara Yoshihiro , Terasaki Yasuhiro , Kaikita Koichi , Suzuki Hiroshi , Kodama Tatsuhiko , Takeya Motohiro
Published: December 2004

Elimination of apoptotic cells is an important mechanism to maintain proper embryonal morphogenesis. The class A scavenger receptor type I, II (CD204), one of the major receptors expressed on macrophages, is a receptor actively involved in recognition and ingestion of apoptotic cells. To clarify the role of CD204 in embryonic morphogenesis, we performed immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopic studies using CD204‐deficient mouse embryos. In control mice, almost all macrophages expressed CD204 from embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5). Phagocytes engulfing dead cells in the E13.5 interdigit region showed strong expression of CD204, indicating that CD204 was actively involved in apoptotic cell clearance. However, CD204 is not essential for the embryonic clearance of apoptotic cells, because CD204‐deficient embryos developed normally without any retardation in footplate remodeling. Up‐regulation of CD36 in CD204‐deficient fetal macrophages suggested that CD36 substitutes for CD204 function. We also found that mesenchymal cells frequently engulfed apoptotic cells especially in early embryonal stages. These data suggest that CD204 is partially but not essentially involved in apoptotic cell clearance in embryogenesis. During early embryonal development, mesenchymal cells, rather than macrophages, play a major role in apoptotic cell clearance. Developmental Dynamics 232:64–74, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.