bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The DNA-damage effector checkpoint kinase 1 is essential for chromosome segregation and cytokinesis
Authors: Peddibhotla Sirisha , Lam Michael H. , Gonzalez-Rimbau Maria , Rosen Jeffrey M.
Published: March 2009

Defective genome maintenance mechanisms, involving DNA repair and cell-cycle checkpoint pathways, initiate genetic instability in many sporadic and hereditary cancers. The DNA damage effector Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) is a critical component of DNA replication, intra-S phase, and G
2
/M phase checkpoints and a recently reported mitotic spindle-assembly checkpoint. Here, we report for the first time that haploinsufficiency of Chk1 in mice resulted in multiple mitotic defects and enhanced binucleation. We observed that Aurora B, a critical cytokinetic regulator and a recently identified Chk1 substrate, was mislocalized in mitotic Chk1
+/−
mammary epithelia. Chk1 also exhibited distinct mitotic localization patterns and was active during unperturbed mitosis and cytokinesis in mammalian cells. Active Chk1 expression was not dependent on treatment with spindle poisons such as colcemid during mitosis and cytokinesis. Furthermore, two different complementary approaches demonstrated that abrogation of Chk1 in mitotic mammalian cells resulted in cytokinetic regression and binucleation, increased chromosome lagging and/or nondisjunction, and abnormal localization of Aurora B at late mitotic structures. Thus, Chk1 is a multifunctional kinase that serves as a nexus between the DNA damage response and the mitotic exit pathways during cell-cycle progression to prevent genomic instability and cancer.
Linking international agricultural research knowledge with action for sustainable development
Authors: Kristjanson Patti , Reid Robin S. , Dickson Nancy , Clark William C. , Romney Dannie , Puskur Ranjitha , MacMillan Susan , Grace Delia
Published: March 2009

We applied an innovation framework to sustainable livestock development research projects in Africa and Asia. The focus of these projects ranged from pastoral systems to poverty and ecosystems services mapping to market access by the poor to fodder and natural resource management to livestock parasite drug resistance. We found that these projects closed gaps between knowledge and action by combining different kinds of knowledge, learning, and boundary spanning approaches; by providing all partners with the same opportunities; and by building the capacity of all partners to innovate and communicate.
Identification of targets of the Wnt pathway destruction complex in addition to β-catenin
Authors: Kim Nam-Gyun , Xu Chong , Gumbiner Barry M.
Published: March 2009

The proteasomal degradation of β-catenin mediated by the glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) and destruction complex is the central step in the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. However, that there are branches of Wnt signaling pathways that do not depend on β-catenin/Tcf-mediated transcription activation has long been understood. In this study, we hypothesized that there are many more GSK3 and destruction complex-dependent proteolytic target proteins that mediate Wnt signaling in the cell. To test this hypothesis, we have developed and carried out a screen for such candidate proteins using an in vitro expression cloning technique and biochemical reconstitution of Wnt signaling in
Xenopus
egg cytoplasmic extracts. Forty-two proteins have been identified as potential candidates for GSK3-regulated phosphorylation, proteasomal degradation, or both, of which 12 are strong candidates for Wnt-pathway-regulated degradation. Some of them have been reported to interact with β-catenin and implicated in the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, and other targets identified include proteins with various cellular functions such as RNA processing, cytoskeletal dynamics, and cell metabolism. Thus, we propose that Wnt/GSK3/destruction complex signaling regulates multiple target proteins to control a broad range of cellular activities in addition to β-catenin-mediated transcription activation.
Induction and regulatory function of miR-9 in human monocytes and neutrophils exposed to proinflammatory signals
Authors: Bazzoni Flavia , Rossato Marzia , Fabbri Marco , Gaudiosi Daniele , Mirolo Massimiliano , Mori Laura , Tamassia Nicola , Mantovani Alberto , Cassatella Marco A. , Locati Massimo
Published: March 2009

Inflammation involves a coordinated, sequential, and self limiting sequence of events controlled by positive and negative regulatory mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs), an evolutionarily conserved class of endogenous 22-nucleotide noncoding RNAs, contribute to the regulation of inflammation by repressing gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. In this study, we characterize the profile of miRNAs induced by LPS in human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and monocytes. In particular, we identify miR-9 as the only miRNA (among 365 analyzed) up-regulated in both cell types after TLR4 activation. miR-9 is also induced by TLR2 and TLR7/8 agonists and by the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β, but not by IFNγ. Among the 3 different genes encoding miR-9 precursors in humans, we show that LPS selectively induces the transcription of miR-9–1 located in the CROC4 locus, in a MyD88- and NF-κB-dependent manner. In PMN and monocytes, LPS regulates NFKB1 at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels, and a conserved miR-9 seed sustained a miR-9-dependent inhibition of the NFKB1 transcript. Overall, these data suggest that TLR4-activated NF-κB rapidly increases the expression of miR-9 that operates a feedback control of the NF-κB-dependent responses by fine tuning the expression of a key member of the NF-κB family.
Antibodies specifically targeting a locally misfolded region of tumor associated EGFR
Authors: Garrett Thomas P. J. , Burgess Antony W. , Gan Hui K. , Luwor Rod B. , Cartwright Glenn , Walker Francesca , Orchard Suzanne G. , Clayton Andrew H. A. , Nice Edouard C. , Rothacker Julie , Catimel Bruno , Cavenee Webster K. , Old Lloyd J. , Stockert Elisabeth , Ritter Gerd , Adams Timothy E. , Hoyne Peter A. , Wittrup Dane , Chao Ginger , Cochran Jennifer R. , Luo Cindy , Lou Mezhen , Huyton Trevor , Xu Yibin , Fairlie W. Douglas , Yao Shenggen , Scott Andrew M. , Johns Terrance G.
Published: March 2009

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is involved in stimulating the growth of many human tumors, but the success of therapeutic agents has been limited in part by interference from the EGFR on normal tissues. Previously, we reported an antibody (mab806) against a truncated form of EGFR found commonly in gliomas. Remarkably, it also recognizes full-length EGFR on tumor cells but not on normal cells. However, the mechanism for this activity was unclear. Crystallographic structures for Fab:EGFR
287–302
complexes of mAb806 (and a second, related antibody, mAb175) show that this peptide epitope adopts conformations similar to those found in the wtEGFR. However, in both conformations observed for wtEGFR, tethered and untethered, antibody binding would be prohibited by significant steric clashes with the CR1 domain. Thus, these antibodies must recognize a cryptic epitope in EGFR. Structurally, it appeared that breaking the disulfide bond preceding the epitope might allow the CR1 domain to open up sufficiently for antibody binding. The EGFR
C271A/C283A
mutant not only binds mAb806, but binds with 1:1 stoichiometry, which is significantly greater than wtEGFR binding. Although mAb806 and mAb175 decrease tumor growth in xenografts displaying mutant, overexpressed, or autocrine stimulated EGFR, neither antibody inhibits the in vitro growth of cells expressing wtEGFR. In contrast, mAb806 completely inhibits the ligand-associated stimulation of cells expressing EGFR
C271A/C283A
. Clearly, the binding of mAb806 and mAb175 to the wtEGFR requires the epitope to be exposed either during receptor activation, mutation, or overexpression. This mechanism suggests the possibility of generating antibodies to target other wild-type receptors on tumor cells.
Resistance to CCR5 inhibitors caused by sequence changes in the fusion peptide of HIV-1 gp41
Authors: Anastassopoulou Cleo G. , Ketas Thomas J. , Klasse Per Johan , Moore John P.
Published: March 2009

We have investigated the mechanism of resistance of a HIV type 1 (HIV-1) R5 primary isolate, D1/85.16, to the small molecule CCR5 inhibitor, vicriviroc (VVC). Unlike other viruses resistant to this class of compound, D1/85.16 lacks sequence changes in the V3 region of the gp120 surface glycoprotein. Inspection of
env
sequences from D1/85.16 compared with those derived from the parental, inhibitor-sensitive virus, CC1/85, revealed a cluster of 3 conservative changes in the fusion peptide (FP) of the gp41 transmembrane glycoprotein that tracked with the resistance phenotype. Studies with engineered Env-chimeric and point-substituted viruses confirmed that these 3 FP residues were substantially responsible for VVC resistance without altering coreceptor usage, as assessed in both peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the TZM-bl cell line. VVC resistance is manifested differently in the 2 cell types, and there are assay-dependent complexities to the dose-response curves for the engineered resistant viruses. To explain them, we created a model for resistance and generated theoretical VVC inhibition curves that closely mimic the experimental data for the resistant viruses. The basis for the model is the existence of distinct forms of CCR5, with varying affinities for small molecule CCR5 inhibitors that are presumed to be present in different proportions on different cell types, and are used selectively by resistant HIV-1 variants when ligated with an inhibitor. Together, the experimental results and theoretical model may help understand how HIV-1 uses CCR5 to enter target cells under various conditions.
Manipulability of comparative tests
Authors: Olszewski Wojciech , Sandroni Alvaro
Published: March 2009

Multiple self-proclaimed experts claim that they know the probabilities of future events. A tester does not know the odds of future events and she also does not know whether, among the multiple experts, there are some who do know the relevant probabilities. So the tester requires each expert to announce, before any data are observed, the probabilities of all future events. A test either rejects or does not reject each expert based on the observed data and the profile of the probabilities announced by the experts. We assume that the test controls for the type I error of rejecting the true probabilities. However, consider the case in which all experts are uninformed (i.e., they do not know anything about true probabilities). We show that they can still independently produce false forecasts that are likely to both pass the test, no matter how the data evolve in the future. Hence, the data may not suffice to effectively discredit uninformed, but strategic, experts.
Problem solving in musculoskeletal imaging
Authors: Koskinen Seppo
Published: March 2009

Problem Solving in Musculoskeletal Imaging. By W. B. Morrison & T. G. Sanders. Amsterdam: Mosby Elsevier, 2008. ISBN 978-0-323-04034-1. 775 pages, 700+ images. Price (hardback): USD 149
R u txting? Is the Use of Text Speak Hurting Your Literacy?
Authors: Drouin Michelle , Davis Claire
Published: March 2009

Recent negative media attention surrounding the use of text speak (shorthand abbreviations of words such as gr8 for “great”) and the potentially detrimental effects of text speak on literacy prompted this study of texting and literacy in 80 college students. Thirty-four text speak users and 46 nontext speak users were assessed on their proficiency and familiarity with text speak as well as their standardized literacy levels and misspellings of common text speak words. Results showed that while text speak users were more proficient with the vocabulary, both groups showed familiarity with text speak. More important, there were no significant differences between the two groups in standardized literacy scores or misspellings of common text speak words. Thus, our analyses showed that the use of text speak is not related to low literacy performance. Nonetheless, more than half of the college students in this sample, texters and nontexters alike, indicated that they thought text speak was hindering their ability to remember standard English. These conflicting findings are discussed within a framework of future directions for research.
Cognitive–linguistic deficit and speech intelligibility in chronic progressive multiple sclerosis
Authors: Mackenzie Catherine , Green Jan
Published: March 2009

Background: Multiple sclerosis is a disabling neurological disease with varied symptoms, including dysarthria and cognitive and linguistic impairments. Association between dysarthria and cognitive–linguistic deficit has not been explored in clinical multiple sclerosis studies.

Aims: In patients with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis, the study aimed to investigate the presence and nature of cognitive–linguistic deficit, the association between levels of cognitive–linguistic ability and speech intelligibility, and of both of these with functional disability and time since onset of multiple sclerosis symptoms.

Methods & Procedures: The Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia (ABCD) (Bayles and Tomoeda 1993), The Assessment of Intelligibility of Dysarthric Speech (AIDS) Sentence Intelligibility Task (Yorkston and Beukelman 1984), and the Modified Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index (MBADLI) (Shah 1998) were administered to 24 chronic progressive multiple sclerosis participants with dysarthria. A total of 24 non‐neurologically impaired participants, matched for gender, age and education, formed a control group.

Outcomes & Results: For multiple sclerosis participants, linear regression analysis showed a strong association between ABCD and AIDS (β = 0.89, p = 0.005), no association between ABCD and either MBADLI or time since onset, a strong association between AIDS and MBADLI (β = 0.60, p = 0.001), and a trend towards an association between AIDS and time since onset (β = −0.29, p = 0.08). Correlations between the four included ABCD construct scores and between these and the total ABCD score were significant (r>0.60, p<0.01). For each of the 15 included ABCD measures and for the four construct scores and the overall ABCD score, multiple sclerosis and control group performances were significantly different (p<0.01) and effect sizes were large (d>0.80).

Conclusions & Implications: The results revealed a strong association between dysarthria, as measured by connected speech intelligibility testing, and cognitive–linguistic deficit, in people with chronic progressive‐type multiple sclerosis. While some of the impairments that are associated with multiple sclerosis, including motor speech disorder, may influence performance on the ABCD, the data support the conclusion that marked cognitive–linguistic deficit is present in chronic progressive‐type multiple sclerosis patients with dysarthria. Deterioration was global, rather than being indicative of a construct specific deficit, and encompassed language, both expression and comprehension. Episodic memory and linguistic expression were especially affected. Speech and language therapists who work with dysarthric patients with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis should monitor cognitive–linguistic impairment. An awareness of this might influence assessment, intervention and management, including the information and advice given to patients and their relatives.
Determinants of “optimal” cadence during cycling
Authors: Ansley Les , Cangley Patrick
Published: March 2009

Cadence is one of the only variables cyclists can adjust to manage their performance and fatigue during an event. Not surprisingly, cadence has received a great deal of attention from the scientific community in an effort to identify the cadence that optimizes power output while minimizing the fatigue that is incurred. The literature appears to present conflicting results with little consensus as regards the optimal pedalling cadence. This is in large part due to the inconsistent definition of the term “optimal” cadence, which has been used to describe energetic cost, muscular stress, and perception of effort. The issue is further confounded by the workload‐dependent nature of the “optimal” cadence – that is, at higher power outputs, the optimized cadence is different from that at lower power outputs. Although the optimal cadence is different for energetic, muscular, and perceptual definitions, the curves that describe the effect of changes in cadence on these variables consistently exhibit a J‐shaped response. This suggests that there is an underlying principle that is common to each of the definitions. Indeed, it would appear that the response of both the cardio‐respiratory system (energetic cost) and the muscular system (muscular stress) is determined by the types of muscle motor units that are recruited during the exercise. Furthermore, although part of the response may be due to the inherent differences in the characteristics between the different motor units, the absolute contraction velocity relative to fibre type optimum may be of greater significance. Even when the power output is increased, the shape of the response curves to changes in cadence remains constant, although the nadir of the curve does shift to the right for increasing power outputs. We propose that the point at which the energetic vs. power and the muscular stress vs. power curves intercept is defined by the cadence at which the perceived effort is minimized (i.e. the preferred cadence). However, cadence fluctuations occur under field conditions that are unrelated to physiological factors and, therefore, the ability to identify an “optimal” cadence is limited to the laboratory environment and specific field conditions.
Wac: a new Augmin subunit required for chromosome alignment but not for acentrosomal microtubule assembly in female meiosis
Authors: Meireles Ana M. , Fisher Katherine H. , Colombié Nathalie , Wakefield James G. , Ohkura Hiroyuki
Published: March 2009

The bipolar spindle forms without centrosomes naturally in female meiosis and by experimental manipulation in mitosis. Augmin is a recently discovered protein complex required for centrosome-independent microtubule generation within the spindle in Drosophila melanogaster cultured cells. Five subunits of Augmin have been identified so far, but neither their organization within the complex nor their role in developing organisms is known. In this study, we report a new Augmin subunit, wee Augmin component (Wac). Wac directly interacts with another Augmin subunit, Dgt2, via its coiled-coil domain. Wac depletion in cultured cells, especially without functional centrosomes, causes severe defects in spindle assembly. We found that a wac deletion mutant is viable but female sterile and shows only a mild impact on somatic mitosis. Unexpectedly, mutant female meiosis showed robust microtubule assembly of the acentrosomal spindle but frequent chromosome misalignment. For the first time, this study establishes the role of an Augmin subunit in developing organisms and provides an insight into the architecture of the complex.
TopHat: discovering splice junctions with RNA-Seq
Authors: Trapnell Cole , Pachter Lior , Salzberg Steven L.
Published: March 2009

Motivation: A new protocol for sequencing the messenger RNA in a cell, known as RNA-Seq, generates millions of short sequence fragments in a single run. These fragments, or ‘reads’, can be used to measure levels of gene expression and to identify novel splice variants of genes. However, current software for aligning RNA-Seq data to a genome relies on known splice junctions and cannot identify novel ones. TopHat is an efficient read-mapping algorithm designed to align reads from an RNA-Seq experiment to a reference genome without relying on known splice sites.

Results: We mapped the RNA-Seq reads from a recent mammalian RNA-Seq experiment and recovered more than 72% of the splice junctions reported by the annotation-based software from that study, along with nearly 20 000 previously unreported junctions. The TopHat pipeline is much faster than previous systems, mapping nearly 2.2 million reads per CPU hour, which is sufficient to process an entire RNA-Seq experiment in less than a day on a standard desktop computer. We describe several challenges unique to ab initio splice site discovery from RNA-Seq reads that will require further algorithm development.

Availability: TopHat is free, open-source software available from http://tophat.cbcb.umd.edu

Contact:  cole@cs.umd.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Long‐term left ventricular reverse remodelling with cardiac resynchronization therapy: results from the CARE‐HF trial
Authors: Ghio Stefano , Freemantle Nick , Scelsi Laura , Serio Alessandra , Magrini Giulia , Pasotti Michele , Shankar Aparna , Cleland John G.F. , Tavazzi Luigi
Published: March 2009

Aims

The aim of the present study was to assess the long‐term effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on the reverse remodelling of the left ventricle (LV).

Methods and results

The effects of CRT compared with controls on LV dimensions and function were assessed at 3, 9, and 18 months and at the end of study (average 29 months) in 735 (90%) patients with adequate echocardiographic examinations, randomized in the CARE‐HF trial. Echocardiographic recordings were submitted to a core laboratory to ensure consistent quantitative analysis. LV volume decreased and ejection fraction increased substantially in the CRT group by 3 months and improved further at each assessment when compared with the control group. Effects were less marked in patients with ischaemic heart disease and those with right ventricular dysfunction, but not in patients with a restrictive LV filling pattern. The extent of reverse remodelling at 18 months showed a modest relationship with baseline interventricular mechanical delay (IVMD).

Conclusion

CRT induces sustained LV reverse remodelling with the most marked effects occurring within the first 3–9 months. The extent of remodelling in response to CRT is related to the aetiology of heart failure and, to a lesser extent, to the IVMD.
Non‐radioisotope method for diagnosing photosensitive genodermatoses and a new marker for xeroderma pigmentosum variant
Authors: HASHIMOTO Satoru , EGAWA Kiyofumi , IHN Hironobu , TATEISHI Satoshi
Published: March 2009

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by photo‐induced deterioration of the skin, which often leads to the early development of skin cancers. To diagnose patients with XP and the related disorder Cockayne syndrome (CS), our laboratory has established a simple autoradiographic method that examines three cellular markers of DNA repair: unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS), recovery of RNA synthesis (RRS) and recovery of replicative DNA synthesis (RDS). However, it is very laborious to measure the three markers using tritiated thymidine or uridine; therefore, we developed a non‐isotope method for diagnosing XP and CS. Fibroblasts from the patient were labeled with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) instead of tritiated thymidine to measure UDS and RDS, or were labeled with bromouridine (BrU) instead of tritiated uridine to measure RRS. Incorporated BrdU or BrU could be detected using the immunofluorescence method. Moreover, we discovered a new useful marker for XP variant based on checkpoint activity. The non‐radioisotope method and the new marker described here comprise an easy way to diagnose XP and CS.
Venous insufficiency in patients with necrobiosis lipoidica
Authors: NAKAJIMA Takeshi , TANEMURA Atsushi , INUI Shigeki , KATAYAMA Ichiro
Published: March 2009

The pretibial area is the most frequently affected site in necrobiosis lipoidica (NL), but proposed mechanisms of NL cannot fully explain this high frequency. Although a few case reports indicate NL patients are complicated with venous insufficiency, no accurate assessment of the relationship between these two conditions has been performed. By using color Doppler ultrasonographic screening of four NL patients for venous insufficiency, we detected venous insufficiency in at least one leg of each patient. NL lesions were observed on all legs with venous insufficiency, and laboratory examination findings revealed that all the patients had hypercholesterolemia. The skin lesions did not respond satisfactorily to 6‐month use of anticholesterolemic medication and elastic stockings. However, these results indicate that both hyperlipidemia and venous reflux, in addition to other pathogenic factors, can trigger tissue damage in the lower legs and lead to the onset of NL.
Carcinogenicity of acetaldehyde in alcoholic beverages: risk assessment outside ethanol metabolism
Authors: Lachenmeier Dirk W. , Kanteres Fotis , Rehm Jürgen
Published: March 2009

Aims In addition to being produced in ethanol metabolism, acetaldehyde occurs naturally in alcoholic beverages. Limited epidemiological evidence points to acetaldehyde as an independent risk factor for cancer during alcohol consumption, in addition to the effects of ethanol. This study aims to estimate human exposure to acetaldehyde from alcoholic beverages and provide a quantitative risk assessment.

Methods The human dietary intake of acetaldehyde via alcoholic beverages was estimated based on World Health Organization (WHO) consumption data and literature on the acetaldehyde contents of different beverage groups (beer, wine, spirits and unrecorded alcohol). The risk assessment was conducted using the European Food Safety Authority's margin of exposure (MOE) approach with benchmark doses obtained from dose–response modelling of animal experiments. Life‐time cancer risk was calculated using the T25 dose descriptor.

Results The average exposure to acetaldehyde from alcoholic beverages was estimated at 0.112 mg/kg body weight/day. The MOE was calculated to be 498, and the life‐time cancer risk at 7.6 in 10 000. Higher risk may exist for people exposed to high acetaldehyde contaminations, as we have found in certain unrecorded alcohol beverages in Guatemala and Russia, for which we have demonstrated possible exposure scenarios, with risks in the range of 1 in 1000.

Conclusions The life‐time cancer risks for acetaldehyde from alcoholic beverages greatly exceed the usual limits for cancer risks from the environment set between 1 : 10 000 and 1 : 1 000 000. Alcohol consumption has thus been identified as a direct source of acetaldehyde exposure, which in conjunction with other sources (food flavourings, tobacco) results in a magnitude of risk requiring intervention. An initial public health measure could be to reduce the acetaldehyde content in alcoholic beverages as low as technologically possible, and to restrict its use as a food flavour additive.
Seasonal cycles of assortative mating and reproductive behaviour in polymorphic populations ofHarmonia axyridisin China
Authors: SU WANG , MICHAUD J. P. , RUNZHI ZHANG , FAN ZHANG , SHUANG LIU
Published: March 2009

Abstract1. We observed native populations ofHarmonia axyridis(Pallas) around Beijing, China, over 2 years and performed choice and no‐choice mating tests between melanic and succinic (non‐melanic) beetles in the laboratory.

2. Succinic phenotypes outnumbered melanics by 5:1 in autumn, but melanics became equally abundant in spring, supporting previous inferences that melanism is advantageous in winter, but costly in summer.

3. FemaleH. axyridisexpressed mate preference overtly, by rejecting less‐preferred phenotypes, and cryptically, by retaining their eggs for longer periods after matings with less‐preferred males, ostensibly to replace their sperm.

4. Succinic pairs formed more quickly in the spring generation, and melanic pairs in the autumn, and the time to copula was affected by both male and female phenotype. The strength of mate preference was contingent on female phenotype, suggesting melanic alleles had pleiotropic effects.

5. Whereas pair formation was under female control, the duration of copula was under male control and lasted longer in the autumn generation than in the spring. Copulations in the choice test tended to be shorter between similar phenotypes, suggesting that males invested more in dissimilar females when alternative mates were available.

6. Although spring and autumn generations were raised under identical conditions, significant contrasts were observed in their reproductive behaviour.

7. Two alternative hypotheses are advanced to explain why gender‐specific reproductive behaviours might vary between generations: maternally‐mediated epigenetic factors that influence the expression of genes in progeny as a function of maternal environment, and linkage disequilibria among alleles that cycle in frequency seasonally as a function of assortative mating.
Larval food stress differentially affects flight morphology in male and female speckled woods (Pararge aegeria)
Authors: PELLEGROMS BORIS , VAN DONGEN STEFAN , VAN DYCK HANS , LENS LUC
Published: March 2009

Abstract 1. Adaptive plasticity in flight morphology can be of great importance for organisms, in order to deal with changing environments. When different demands are imposed to this morphology, different responses to environmental changes can be expected.

2. The aim of this study is to examine whether males and females of Pararge aegeria, which show different flight behaviours, respond differently to larval food stress.

3. In a food‐stress experiment, larvae of 35 families were reared on host plants subjected to a drought‐stress treatment with three groups: a control group, a low‐stress group and a high‐stress group.

4. Individuals from stress treatments significantly differed in wing morphology; they had lower wing loadings, and stressed females tended to have more pointed wings than females of the control group.

5. The difference in phenotypic response to food stress between both sexes may indicate that males and females benefit from different changes in morphology. In females, an increase in dispersal capacity may entail fitness benefits, whereas male morphology is mainly shaped by mate‐location strategy.
Morphological development and nutritive value of herbage in five temperate grass species during primary growth: analysis of time dynamics
Authors: Čop J. , Lavrenčič A. , Košmelj K.
Published: March 2009

In a 2‐year field experiment, morphological development and measures of the nutritive value of herbage for livestock during primary growth in Meadow foxtail, Tall oatgrass, Cocksfoot, Perennial ryegrass and Yorkshire fog were investigated. All measured variables were affected significantly by both species and sampling date, and their interaction (P < 0·001), in the period of primary growth. Changes with time in mean stage weight for Meadow foxtail and Cocksfoot were different from the other species due to their indeterminate growth habits. Mean stage weight of Tall oatgrass and Yorkshire fog increased more rapidly than that of Perennial ryegrass with time. Changes in mean stage weight with time were described by linear, parabolic and sigmoid relationships. Crude protein (CP) concentration of herbage was higher for Cocksfoot and Meadow foxtail than for Perennial ryegrass. A parabolic relationship of CP concentration with time was typical for all the species. Concentrations of neutral‐detergent fibre (NDF) and acid‐detergent fibre (ADF) in herbage of the species differed most during the mid‐period of primary growth. Their increases with time showed curvilinear (sigmoid and parabolic) relationships. Perennial ryegrass had lower concentrations of both NDF and ADF in herbage than the other species. Differences between thein vitrodry matter (DM) digestibility among the grasses increased in mid‐ and late periods of primary growth. Perennial ryegrass had higher values forin vitroDM digestibility but the difference from other species was small in the early period of primary growth and from cocksfoot in the late period of primary growth.In vitroDM digestibility showed, in most cases, a sigmoid and, in others, a linear decrease with time. Principal component analysis showed that perennial ryegrass and meadow foxtail were the most distinctive of the species in characteristics relating to morphological development and the nutritive value of herbage to livestock.
Hepatitis B‐related hepatocellular carcinoma: epidemiological characteristics and disease burden
Authors: Nguyen V. T. T. , Law M. G. , Dore G. J.
Published: March 2009

Summary.  Worldwide, 350 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) who are at greater risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with uninfected people. The relative risks of HCC among people infected with HBV ranges from 5 to 49 in case–control studies and from 7 to 98 in cohort studies. More than 50% of HCC cases worldwide and 70–80% of HCC cases in highly HBV endemic regions are attributable to HBV. Incidence of HCC (per 100 000 person/year) among people with chronic HBV infection ranges from 400 to 800 in male and from 120 to 180 in female. Factors associated with increased risk of HCC include demographic characteristics (male sex and older age), lifestyles (heavy alcohol consumption and smoking), viral factors (genotype C, D F, high level of HBV DNA, core/precore mutation) and clinical factors (cirrhosis, elevated alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)). HBV‐related HCC has extremely poor prognosis with median survival less than 16 months. Survival rates of HBV‐related HCC ranged from 36% to 67% after 1 year and from 15% to 26% after 5 year of diagnosis. Older age, liver function impairment, vascular invasion, tumour aggressiveness and elevated AFP are associated with HCC survival. Global burden of HBV‐related liver disease is still a major challenge for public health in the 21st century. While decreases in incidence of HBV infection have been observed in birth cohorts following the introduction of universal infant HBV vaccination programme, HBV‐related HCC incidence in is projected to increase for at least two decades because of the high prevalence of chronic HBV infection and prolonged latency to HCC development. To reduce HBV‐related HCC continued expansion of universal infant HBV vaccination is required along with antiviral therapy targeted to those individuals at highest risk of HCC. Broad public health strategies should include routine testing to identify chronic HBV infection, improved health infrastructures including human resource to provide diagnosis and treatment assessment.
A genetic approach for finding small RNAs regulators of genes of interest identifies RybC as regulating the DpiA/DpiB two‐component system
Authors: Mandin Pierre , Gottesman Susan
Published: March 2009

In Escherichia coli, the largest class of small regulatory RNAs binds to the RNA chaperone Hfq and regulates the stability and/or translation of specific mRNAs. While recent studies have shown that some mRNAs could be subject to post‐transcriptional regulation by sRNAs (e.g. mRNAs found by co‐immunoprecipitation with Hfq), no method has yet been described to identify small RNAs that regulate them. We developed a method to easily make translational fusions of genes of interest to the lacZ reporter gene, under the control of a PBAD‐inducible promoter. A multicopy plasmid library of the E. coli genome can then be used to screen for small RNAs that affect the activity of the fusion. This screening method was first applied to the dpiB gene from the dpiBA operon, which encodes a two‐component signal transduction system involved in the SOS response to β‐lactams. One small RNA, RybC, was found to negatively regulate the expression of dpiB. Using mutants in the dpiB–lacZ fusion and compensatory mutations in the RybC sRNA, we demonstrate that RybC directly base pairs with the dpiBA mRNA.
Counter point bar deposits: lithofacies and reservoir significance in the meandering modern Peace River and ancient McMurray Formation, Alberta, Canada
Authors: SMITH DERALD G. , HUBBARD STEPHEN M. , LECKIE DALE A. , FUSTIC MILOVAN
Published: March 2009

Counter point bar deposits in the meandering Peace River, North‐central Alberta, Wood Buffalo National Park, are distinct from point bar deposits in terms of morphology, lithofacies and reservoir potential for fluids. Previously referred to as the distal‐most parts of point bars, point bar tails and concave bank‐bench deposits, counter point bar deposits have concave morphological scroll patterns rather than convex as with point bars. The Peace is a large river (bankfull discharge 11 700 m3 sec−1, width 375 to 700 m, depth 15 m, gradient 0·00004 or 4 cm km−1) in which counter point bar deposits are dominated by silt (80% to 90%), which contrasts with sand‐dominant (90% to 100%) point bar deposits. Beginning at the meander inflection (transition from convex to concave), counter point bar deposit stratigraphy thickens as a wedge‐like architecture in the distal direction until the deposit is nearly as thick as the point bar deposits. The low permeability silt‐dominant lithofacies in counter point bar deposits will limit reservoir extent and movement of fluids in both modern and ancient subsurface fluvial deposits. In the exploration and extraction of bitumen and heavy oil in subsurface fluvial rocks, identification and mapping of reservoir potential of point bar deposits and counter point bar deposits is now possible in the fluvial‐dominated tidal estuarine Lower Cretaceous Middle McMurray Formation, North‐east Alberta. Recent geophysical advances have facilitated imaging of some ancient buried point bar deposits and counter point bar deposits which, on the basis of morphological shape of sedimentary bodies observed from seismic amplitude, can be interpreted and mapped as depositional elements or blocks that contain associated sandstone or siltstone dominant lithofacies, respectively. As counter point bar deposits exhibit poor permeability and thus limit reservoir potential for water, natural gas, light crude, heavy oil and bitumen, counter point bar deposits should be avoided in resource developments. Geophysical imaging, interpretation and mapping of point bar deposit and counter point bar deposit elements provide new opportunities to improve recovery of bitumen and heavy oil and reduce development costs in subsurface cyclic steam stimulation and steam‐assisted gravity drainage projects by not drilling into counter point bar deposits.
Hepatitis B virus blood screening: impact of nucleic amplification technology testing implementation on identifying hepatitis B surface antigen non‐reactive window period and chronic infections
Authors: Iudicone P. , Miceli M. , Palange M. , Agresti A. , Gallo A. , Isacchi G. , Girolami E. , Pierelli L. , Mannella E.
Published: March 2009

Background  Despite improvements in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) test sensitivity, post‐transfusion hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection still occurs because HBsAg is undetectable during the early window phase (WP) of the infection, in the convalescence core window phase of the infection, or in serologically silent chronic hepatitis or in mutant forms of HBV. HBV‐DNA screening using high sensitivity nucleic amplification technology (NAT) assays has recently been introduced to reduce the residual risk of transmission of HBV by transfusion of blood components.

Materials  Over 1 year 75 063 donations were individually screened for HBV‐DNA by the Ultrio Procleix assay on the Tigris platform. The donations were collected in the Latium region, an area of the central Italy, and they accounted for the 40% of the total blood units collected in this area per year. The initial reactive samples were re‐tested and confirmed by the discriminatory HBV assay. Additional HBV serological markers were also performed. Suspected WP infections were followed‐up to monitor the development of the immune response. All HBV‐DNA‐positive donors were called back to check up their infectious status.

Results  The results of testing the 75 063 donations are: 33 donations HBsAg positive, 31 out of them HBV‐DNA‐positive and two HBV‐DNA negative; 22 donations HBsAg‐negative but HBV‐DNA positive with low viral load. Six of the 22 were found to be consistently HBV‐DNA reactive whereas the remaining 16 donations showed inconsistent results on multiple NAT retesting. One WP infection was confirmed by the follow‐up of the donor for 3 months following the index blood donation.

Conclusions  In the donor population of the Latium region, NAT screening has revealed a higher than expected number of donors who were HBsAg non‐reactive but HBV‐DNA‐positive with three donors showing HBV‐DNA as the only marker of infection. The adoption of genome screening has increased the safety of the blood supply and has also contributed to the protection of donor health by identifying either WP or clinically silent infections.
We all Appreciate the Same Animals: Cross‐Cultural Comparison of Human Aesthetic Preferences for Snake Species in Papua New Guinea and Europe
Authors: Marešová Jana , Antonín Krása , Frynta Daniel
Published: March 2009

We examined the aesthetic perception of animal species in two culturally contrasting societies. Students from the Czech Republic and villagers from Papua New Guinea were asked to rank photographs of the python and boa species according to the perceived beauty of the depicted snake. The ranking of the species in Europe and Papua tightly correlated in spite of ethnic differences that were significant in the case of six species. This result suggesting basic similarity in animal beauty perception between two distant ethnic groups is not only a partial argument for perceptual unity of humankind. This cross‐cultural congruence may be important for conservation policies as humans may be predetermined to appreciate and thus support some species more than others.
Social relationships influencing positive perceived health among Thai older persons: A secondary data analysis using the National Elderly Survey
Authors: Thanakwang Kattika
Published: March 2009

This study examined the associations between social relationships and positive perceived health among Thai older persons. The data were taken from the 2002 National Elderly Survey in Thailand. The sample of this study included 24 664 elders aged ≥ 60 years. Multiple logistic regression models were employed in this secondary analysis of the national database. The findings revealed that friendship networks, informational and emotional support, and social engagements are positively associated with good perceived health. In addition, for individual pathways, the more that elders engage with regular exercise, prepare for healthy aging, and enjoy psychological well‐being, the better they perceive their health to be. There was strong evidence that friendship interactions, social support, and healthy behaviors have a significant association with perceived good health. Health‐care professionals should target the promotion of friendship networks, social support, and health‐promoting behaviors, especially focusing on the oldest old, uneducated, poor, and elders with a disability.
Climate change impacts on investment in crop sowing machinery*
Authors: Kingwell Ross , Farré Imma
Published: March 2009

A model of investment in crop sowing machinery is applied to wheat production under current and projected climatic conditions at several locations in south‐western Australia. The model includes yield responses to time of sowing at each location given current and projected climatic conditions. These yield relationships are based on wheat growth simulation modelling that in turn draws on data from a down‐scaled global circulation model. Wheat price distributions and cost of production data at each location, in combination with the time of sowing yield relationships are used to determine a farmer's optimal investment in crop sowing work rate under each climate regime. The key finding is that the impacts of climate change on profit distributions are often marked, yet mostly modest changes in investment in work rate form part of the profit‐maximising response to climate change. The investment response at high versus low rainfall locations mostly involves increases and decreases in work rates, respectively. However, changes to investment in work rate within a broadly similar rainfall region are not always uniform. The impacts of climate change on investments in work rate at a particular location are shown to require knowledge of several factors, especially how climate change alters the pattern of yield response to the time of sowing at that location.
The Long‐run Determinants of Australian Income Inequality*
Authors: GASTON NOEL , RAJAGURU GULASEKARAN
Published: March 2009

Recent interest has been stimulated by the growth of income inequality in most developed countries during the 1980s and 1990s. However, considerable uncertainty still exists as to which factors have been the most important causes of this development. This article uses a measure of income inequality derived from taxation statistics and a recently proposed method for testing long‐run Granger non‐causality to examine the key determinants of Australia's inequality for the years 1970–2001. In line with popular concern, we find that globalisation and technological progress – defined as the global flow of information – has increased income inequality. In contrast, improved terms of trade have been equity‐enhancing. Of the institutional determinants, de‐unionisation has had an adverse effect on income inequality, whereas higher minimum wages have reduced it.
Is Education Prejudiced by Country‐Risk?
Authors: SEQUEIRA TIAGO NEVES , FERRAZ NUNO
Published: March 2009

We consider country‐risk as a determinant of education growth in a panel of countries. Applying cross‐country dynamic panel data estimations, we show that among the different levels of education, the secondary is the most affected, followed by the tertiary. When different single measures of risk are considered one by one, the tertiary education is affected by more types of risk than any other level of education. This contributes to the literature on the educational production function, as it adds a robust determinant of that function and indicates that politicians should endeavour to decrease country‐risk to enhance education.
Institutions and Trade: Competitors or Complements in Economic Development?*
Authors: BHATTACHARYYA SAMBIT , DOWRICK STEVE , GOLLEY JANE
Published: March 2009

This article contributes to the debate over the empirical relationship between trade openness and economic development. Unlike previous studies which treat trade openness and institutions as competitors in economic development, we find evidence that they are in fact complements. We also find that in order for a country to benefit from trade, its institutional quality has to be above a certain threshold level. These results are suggestive of an important complementary role for trade openness and institutions in economic development.