bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Yersinia pestis YrbH is a multifunctional protein required for both 3‐deoxy‐d‐manno‐oct‐2‐ulosonic acid biosynthesis and biofilm formation
Authors: Tan Li , Darby Creg
Published: July 2006

Bubonic plague is transmitted by fleas whose feeding is blocked by a Yersinia pestis biofilm in the digestive tract. Y. pestis also block feeding of Caenorhabditis elegans by forming a biofilm on the nematode head, making the nematode an experimentally tractable surrogate for fleas to study plague transmission. Arabinose 5‐phosphate isomerase (API), encoded by Y. pestis yrbH, catalyses the conversion of ribulose 5‐phosphate into arabinose 5‐phosphate (A5P), the first committed step in the 3‐deoxy‐d‐manno‐oct‐2‐ulosonic acid (Kdo) biosynthesis pathway. Here we show that Y. pestis YrbH is a multifunctional protein required for both Kdo biosynthesis and biofilm formation on C. elegans. The YrbH protein contains four functional components: biofilm‐related region 1 (B1), a sugar isomerase domain (SIS), biofilm‐related region 2 (B2) and a cystathionine β‐synthase domain pair (CBS). B1, SIS and B2 are all required for API function, but any of the three is sufficient for a biofilm‐related function. The CBS domain appears to negatively regulate the biofilm‐related function.
Dying for Money
Authors: Fung K. K.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. A major cause of spiralling health‐care cost is aggressive treatment of major illnesses by health‐care providers The insured patient also demands such an expensive course of action because he pays only a small portion of the cost and is not given a more attractive alternative. If the patient is offered compensation to give up his de facto right to aggressive treatment, insurance premium can be reduced. Physician‐assisted death with benefit conversion is discussed as a means for such an exchange.
Henry George, Sun Yat‐sen and China: More Than Land Policy Was Involved
Authors: Trescott Paul B.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Sun Yat‐sen repeatedly acknowledged the influence of Henry George, and this influence went beyond details of land policy. Significant parts of George's work involved his extensive references to China his diagnoses of China's ills, his vision of a possible better economic order, and his strong attack on the Malthusian theory. These too influenced Sun.
Towards a Personal Knowledge of Economic History
Authors: Hill Lewis E. , von Ende Eleanor T.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Our intellectual heritage from the Polanyi Brother: Michael, the scientist‐philosopher, and karl, the economic historian, is explicated. Michael Polanyi's Post‐critical philosophy of personal Knowledge is explained and analyzed.

Michael Polanyi applied his philosophy to develop a powerful historical epistemology and methodology. The classic economic history. The Great Transformation, by Karl Polanyi is analyzed and interpreted as a prototypical example of a historical work which utilized and applied Michael Polanyi's historical epistemology and methodology. It is concluded that the Polanyi Brothers have developed a powerful historical epistemology and have applied their methodology to expand historical knowledge beyond the limits of the “new”economic history.
The Effects of Family Structure on Educational Attainment
Authors: Garasky Steven
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The attainment of a high school education is essential to the reduction of the probability of poverty and long term dependence on welfare. How six distinct family structures over four separate periods of childhood are related to the likelihood of graduating from high school are studied. The impact of family structure is found to vary by both the type of structure experienced and the age of the child when the experience occurred. The effect of a change in family structure is also found lo vary with the child's age. Support is provided as to the efficacy of some government programs such as Head Start.
South Korean Labor Market Discrimination Against Women—A Comment
Authors: Kwon Ik‐Whan G.
Published: July 2006

Abstract.

It is pointed out that in concentrating on the discrimination and low labor participation rates of highly educated married women, the social opportunity costs related to family stability and youth crime rates are not considered.
Can Labor‐capital Models Predict the Responses of Agrarian Societies to Development?Part II: Alternative Models
Authors: Smiley David H.
Published: July 2006

SUMMARY. Part II of this article presents a model that accords with the needs stated in Part I which appeared in the previous issue of this Journal. It noted that development efforts and economics have relied upon two‐factor, capital and labor neoclassical economic models. FAailures have occurred when they were applied to agrarian societies where the ownership of land rent dictates particular institutional forms that engender resistance to development. It was argued that there is need for a new three‐factor development theory which explicitly models land and its rent. Ideas of Smith, Ricardo, George and Samuelson‐were assembled as a basis for a computer simulation model that explores landed institutions and the land value flows resulting from different development strategies.
Henry George and the Shakers: Evolution of Communal Attitudes Towards Land Ownership
Authors: Murray John E.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The influence of Henry George on the Shakers has been misunderstood. The most prominent late nineteenth century Shaker elder was Frederick W. Evans, brother of George Henry Evans, the land reformer of the second quarter of the century. Similarities in the programs of G. H. Evans and Henry George have been recognized, but the two proposed different kinds of land reforms. Evans promoted quantitative restrictions on land ownership, while George was known for his advocacy of a single tax on land. The New York Shakers, as large land owners, successfully resisted early G. H. Evans type land reforms. Later, Shakers led by F. W. Evans embraced Henry George‐type policy proposals and supported George for mayor of New York City. E. W. Evans himself, however, conflated Henry George's proposals with those of his brother, never realizing the contradiction between the two, much less resolving it. The consequences of Shaker ambivalence toward their large landholdings persisted well into the twentieth century.
“Though Not an Irishman”
Authors: O'Donnell Edward T.
Published: July 2006

Abstract. One of the most important elements to the rise of Henry George to international prominence in the 1880s was his‐successful cultivation of a large Irish‐American following. This was no small accomplishment, given the fact that George was not Irish Catholic, but rather English‐American Protestant. Nonetheless, through his early interest in Ireland's troubles, marriage to Irish Catholic Annie McCloskey Fox, friendship with Patrick Ford and Michael Davitt, activism in the Irish Land League, travels through Ireland during the Land War as a correspondent for the Irish World, and linking the struggle of Irish peasants against economic injustice to a similar struggle of American workers, George developed an enormous Irish‐American following. This relationship accounted for much of the early sales of Progress and Poverty and subsequent lecture opportunities, as well as making him known widely throughout the British Isles. The culmination of this phenomenon was George's sensational run for mayor of New York City in 1886.
Herbert Davenport on the Single Tax: A Second Look
Authors: Gunning J. Patrick
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Despite a recent claim to the contrary, Herbert J. Davenport was firmly against the Henry George proposal to try to raise all public funds from a tax on land. This is evidenced by two papers he wrote on the subject. Davenport argued that the single tax on land would prompt the inefficient use of substitutes for land, that it would tend to destroy the base upon which the tax was levied, and that it would offend our sense of justice, or the equal treatment principle. The most important and effective of his arguments appears to be the first. It was, more specifically, that in the event of a land tax, individuals would economize on land. They would farm more intensively, they would construct higher buildings, and they would exploit potential underground living space. This paper describes Davenport's arguments and shows why they have been misinterpreted in the past as supporting Henry George's tax theory.
Henry George on Thomas Robert Malthus
Authors: Horner Jim
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The present era marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Henry George and the 200th anniversary of the publication of Thomas Robert Malthu's Essay in the Principles of Population. In observance of these historic dates, this paper examines George's critique of the work of Malthus and explores the ideological functions that both men served. George contended that Malthusian population theory served as a means of social control by supporting the landed class and strongly opposing ameliorative public policy. George, on the other hand, lashed out against the private ownership of land and advocated policies of equality and social justice.
The Problem of Modem Poverty
Authors: Siemens Robert
Published: July 2006

Abstract. This paper discusses the congruence between Hegel's and George's conception of the most pressing problem of modem life: increasing poverty alongside increasing wealth. It also presents Hegel's and George's solutions to the problem–emigration and the land tax, respectively. Secondly, the paper considers the generation of an urban rabble by modem society in terms of its destabilizing consequences for the relationships among the economy, language, and ethics. The conclusion addresses the insurmountable problem for Hegel's system—the effects of unjust land practices, which were repeated after European colonization of America—as diagnosed by Henry George.
Peace, Justice, and Economic Reform
Authors: Tideman Nicolaus
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Is justice necessary for peace? There can be no justice while people have unresolved grievances, but peace is more than the absence of strife. It is harmony. Justice is the principles of equality and evenhandedness that command and prohibit the use of force in resolving conflicts. Justice is not necessary for peace, but it does facilitate it. Conservative, majoritarian, egalitarian and contractarian efforts to specify justice all fail to respect persons in crucial ways and cannot be expected to lead to peace. The justice that leads to peace is classical liberalism, with its insistence that each person own himself or herself, augmented by the principle of equal rights to the opportunities provided by nature, as advanced by Henry George.
Economic Sociology Reformulated
Authors: Zafirovski Milan , Levine Barry B.
Published: July 2006

Abstract Previous theoretical and empirical research on economic sociology leaves much to be desired in terms of consistently defining the agenda and objectives of the discipline As a result, economic sociology often appears to lack a clearly defined mission and purpose This is epitomized by various failures to establish adequate epistemological relations of the proper realm of economic sociology with those of economics and sociology, and especially with the domain of rational choice theory This failure is compounded by a misplaced distinction between the subject matter of economic sociology and that of sociological economics, or socioeconomics And some recent works in the discipline (including the ambitious Handbook of Economic Sociology) have not helped to remedy this situation In this paper, we try to address this situation by suggesting some reformulations of the subject matter of economic sociology in relation to those of related disciplines In addition, we attempt to redefine the field of the sociology of the market which is seen as the focal specialty of economic sociology
Adolph Löwe's Political Economics: Instrumentalism as Enlightened Intervention
Authors: Rima Ingrid H
Published: July 2006

Abstract Adolph Lowe's work was dedicated chiefly to developing “political economics” as a foundation for economic theory and instrumental analysis to direct a politically free economy along the path of economic growth

This paper argues that the public management inherent in instrumentalism is not likely to be acceptable in the U S or the U K, except in national economic emergency Yet, the formerly planned economies of central and eastern Europe, whose history is one of stringent control, may have a political preference for a Lowe type of instrumentalism to avoid the results of uncontrolled market processes

The reception accorded Lowe's political economics by economists, as members of a professional community, reflects their methodological preferences and policy views Those who are skeptical of the market clearing capability of the price mechanism, and explain capitalist development as an ongoing historical process, are more likely to be appreciative of instrumental analysis as a policy tool
The Heterodox Economics of “The Most Orthodox of Orthodox Economists”
Authors: Kern William S.
Published: July 2006

Abstract The prevailing view of Frank Knight is that he was a defender of neoclassical economics and the free market system While this view has validity, it tends to obscure the presence of significant heterodox elements in his thought Knight was, in fact, one of the most perceptive critics of economic orthodoxy and the market system The question thus arises as to how Knight could combine advocacy and criticism of the market system Knight reconciled the two by separating questions of policy from the evaluation of ideals. Thus while his criticism of the market system proceeded on the basis of regarding it as ideal, in contrast his judgments on policy were based upon comparisons of the available alternatives. Knight found the alternatives to the imperfect market order even less appealing
The American Pot and the Chinese Kettle: Joining Forces for Human Rights
Authors: Montgomery John D.
Published: July 2006

Abstract NO nation is a virtuoso when it comes to human rights performance In its representations to China, the United States takes stronger action against violations of “intellectual property” rights (in the form of CDs and trade marks) than against violations of freedom of speech and person For its part, China complains about economic inequality in the U.S., but justifies Tiananmen Square with the elusive claim that social harmony is a greater good than free speech.

Both sides believe they have a commitment to human rights Each has something to say to the other, but neither is listening very hard. This article suggests what they might listen for first, the legitimacy of claims of both sides in light of the emerging international consensus on human rights; second, the complaints that each side registers against the other on the basis of those claims, and finally, the likely influence each side can exercise on the other through international actions
The Political Implications of State Political Ideology: A Measure Tested
Authors: Medoff Marshall H.
Published: July 2006

Abstract Four different state political ideology measures are estimated and evaluated on the basis of their reliability and consisteny. The state political ideology measure accounting for constituency economic interest, legislator shirking, and political party loyalty is found to be the one with the most predictive power. Using this preferred ideology measure states were classified according to their political ideology along a conservative‐liberal continuum. The state rankings showed there are distinct regional differences in ideology. The Northeast and Pacific regions are very liberal, the South and Mountain regions are very conservative, and the Midwest region is relatively moderate. States in the Mountain region are found to be the most ideologically homogeneous, while the more heavily populated states tend to be more liberal. In addition, the United States citizens are found to have a moderately conservative political philosophy. Finally, the results suggest that a Democratic candidate would need to win Illinois, California, and Ohio plus all the liberal states to become President of the United States. The 1996 presidential note sustains the analysis herein.
A Tale of Two Tax Jurisdictions:
Authors: Galles Gary M. , Sexton Robert L.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT California's Proposition 13 and Massachusetts’Proposition 2½ attempted to shrink state and local tax burdens by reducing property taxes and limiting future tax growth. Both initially succeeded. However, following a brief lag, those governments made up lost revenues primarily through increased non‐tax fees and charges; within a decade, real per capita revenues and expenditures exceeded their pre‐tax revolt peaks. This development is consistent with the hypothesis that voter‐initiated limits on a subset of revenue sources, intended to reduce state and local tax burdens, succeed temporarily but are then undermined by expansions in other revenue sources.
The Firm, Money, and Economic Calculation
Authors: Lewin By Peter
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis paper examines the role of money and monetary calculation in the determination of the production structure of the economy.
Market‐hampering Land Speculation: Fiscal and Monetary Origins and Remedies
Authors: Foldvary Fred E.
Published: July 2006

Abstract Market‐hampering land speculation destabilizes and distorts development, and shifts income unjustly to landowners. Its fiscal origin is the lack of public collection of the site rent. The monetary origin is a centrally controlled money supply that injects excessive credit, fueling malinvestments in real estate. The remedies are both the public collection of land rent and a free market in money and banking, hence a money supply that responds flexibly to market demand while maintaining a stable unit of account. Rent collection option contracts could increase the scope of market‐enhancing land speculation that spreads and reduces risk.
Towards an Ontology of Intellectual Property:
Authors: Hare Clark
Published: July 2006

Abstract. Many world views and complicated laws within a society have evolved from simpler forms. In general, this process works well. However, on occasion the original basis, no matter how well it worked at inception, does not work well in later, more complex, or different societies. One such case is that of the current law of intellectual property, which does not seem to adapt well to the introduction of new technologies. This paper explores this problem and its causes, and then proposes some possible changes that might, with minimal disruption, minimize many of these difficulties in the future.
Francisco Pereira de Moura, (1925–1998)
Authors: Louclat Francisco
Published: July 2006

Abstract. The Portuguese economist Francisco Pereira de Moura passed away on April 4, 199B. During the late 1960s and well on into the 1970s, Moura gained international fame when he stood with the students against the repressive fascist regime in Portugal. After the fall of the dictatorship on April 25, 1974, he returned to Portugal's celebrated Superior Institute of Economic and Financial Sciences (ISEG) to carry on the work of curriculum reform. In the essay that follows he is remembered by one of his most distinguished students who now serves as a Professor of Economics at the ISEG.
George Raymond Geiger (1903‐1998): A Rich Life
Authors: Ryan Christopher K. , Ryan Helen B.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT George R. Geiger, professor of Philosophy at Antioch College for fifty years, died March 19, 1998. He was a founding member of the editorial council of the American Journal of Economics and Sociology (1941‐1998) and of the Antioch Review (1941‐1998). He was also an advisor to and consulting editor of the Humanist (1955–59). He was the son of the founder of the Henry George School of Social Science of New York City and John Dewey's last doctoral student at Columbia University. Early on in his career he took up his father's cause, that of land value taxation; later he took up a defense of the contributions of his mentor, Dewey, and became in his own words a “journalist of philosophy.”
Francis Bacon, John Rae, and the Economics of Competitiveness
Authors: Neill Robin
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT John Rae and the contemporary proponents of the economics of competitiveness assert that traditional treatments of economic growth, development, and trade have not taken into account the ability of technological progress to overcome diminishing returns to investment. Unlike the contemporary advocates of competitiveness, Rae did not fall into the trap of insisting that the costs of technical knowledge determine its productiveness.
Amenities and Fringe Benefits: Omitted Variable Bias
Authors: Graves Philip E. , Sexton Robert L. , Arthur Michelle M.
Published: July 2006

ABSTRACT If labor is fairly mobile, as it is in the United States, one would expect that households would move from less desirable areas toward more desirable areas until all areas are equally desirable. The way that areas become equally desirable is through the impact of movers on wages and rents (and possibly “endogenous” disamenities, such as congestion or pollution). That is, as people move to desirable areas, they will increase the demand for land (raising rents) and increase the supply of labor (lowering wages); in equilibrium, the wage and rent “compensation” for the niceness of an area reveals, in dollar terms, just how nice the area is. Blomquist, Berger, and Hoehn 1988 demonstrated the empirical importance of such amenity compensation in estimates of the “quality‐of‐life” in urban areas. However, those authors were unable to include fringe benefits, which are about 40 percent of explicit wage payments, in their wage compensation. This matters greatly as amenities are seen here to be even more important than previously thought and the regional implications are pronounced, with the West and Southeast looking “better” when fringe benefits are included and the East North Central and Northeast looking substantially “worse.”
On the Analytics of Wicksell: A Comment on Abiakpor
Authors: Aschheim Joseph , Tavlas George S.
Published: July 2006

Abstract

Three essential concepts of Wicksell's contributions are probed. (1) Wicksell's commingling of a barter economy with a money economy led to a logical pitfall in his cumulative‐process paradigm. (2) Wicksell sought to deduce a cumulative process involving price‐level movements from an economy without money and, therefore, without a general price level. (3) Wicksell's idealized pure credit system can be logically reconciled with his law of the demand for money creating its own supply.
Assessing the New Synthesis of Economics and Sociology
Authors: Krier Dan
Published: July 2006

Abstract In this essay, the emergence of the “New Synthesis” of economics and sociology is explored and analyzed in the context of the classical writings in economic sociology ("Old Synthesis"). The aim is not to provide an exhaustive survey, but rather a selective assessment that introduces readers to the most important questions, answers, and contributions of this emerging and important specialized literature. The essay seeks to i) translate faithfully the internal logic of this active specialty field into a language and problematic that can be appreciated by non‐specialists, ii) identify central assumptions and themes in the New Synthesis writings that seem particularly promising for the appreciation of contemporary economic happenings, and iii) indicate opportunities for the development of further theoretical richness by incorporating Old Synthesis approaches.
MECT1-MAML2 Fusion Transcript Defines a Favorable Subset of Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
Authors: Okabe Mitsukuni , Miyabe Satoru , Nagatsuka Hitoshi , Terada Akihiro , Hanai Nobuhiro , Yokoi Motoo , Shimozato Kazuo , Eimoto Tadaaki , Nakamura Shigeo , Nagai Noriyuki , Hasegawa Yasuhisa , Inagaki Hiroshi
Published: July 2006

Purpose: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common primary malignancy of the salivary gland. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma translocated gene 1-mastermind-like gene family (MECT1-MAML2) gene fusion was identified from a recurring t(11;19)(q21;p13) translocation, which is often the sole cytogenetic alteration in this disease. This fusion transcript has been frequently detected in mucoepidermoid carcinoma and shown to be involved in the transformation of epithelial cells. However, its clinicopathologic significance remains unclear.

Experimental Design: Seventy-one cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma and 51 cases of nonmucoepidermoid carcinoma salivary gland tumors (including 26 Warthin tumor cases) were retrospectively analyzed. RNA was extracted from archival materials: histologic paraffin specimens in all cases and cytologic specimens in 10 mucoepidermoid carcinoma cases. The MECT1-MAML2 fusion transcript was detected by a reverse transcription-PCR assay, which can be applied to both histologic and cytologic specimens. The presence of the fusion transcript was correlated with relevant clinicopathologic and survival data of the mucoepidermoid carcinoma patients.

Results: The MECT1-MAML2 fusion transcript was detected in 27 of the 71 (38%) mucoepidermoid carcinoma cases but not in any case of nonmucoepidermoid carcinoma tumors. The reverse transcription-PCR results showed no difference between histologic and cytologic specimens. Detection of the MECT1-MAML2 fusion transcript was associated with a less advanced clinical stage and a low-grade tumor histology. The presence of the transcript was associated with longer disease-free and overall survivals on univariate analysis and emerged as an independent prognostic factor for longer overall survival on multivariate analysis.

Conclusions: The MECT1-MAML2 fusion transcript may be specific to mucoepidermoid carcinoma and associated with a distinct mucoepidermoid carcinoma subset that exhibits favorable clinicopathologic features and an indolent clinical course.
Roles of nonhomologous end-joining pathways in surviving topoisomerase II–mediated DNA damage
Authors: Malik Mobeen , Nitiss Karin C. , Enriquez-Rios Vanessa , Nitiss John L.
Published: July 2006

Topoisomerase II is a target for clinically active anticancer drugs. Drugs targeting these enzymes act by preventing the religation of enzyme-DNA covalent complexes leading to protein-DNA adducts that include single- and double-strand breaks. In mammalian cells, nonhomologous repair pathways are critical for repairing topoisomerase II–mediated DNA damage. Because topoisomerase II–targeting agents, such as etoposide, can also induce chromosomal translocations that can lead to secondary malignancies, understanding nonhomologous repair of topoisomerase II–mediated DNA damage may help to define strategies that limit this critical side effect on an important class of anticancer agents. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model eukaryote, we have determined the contribution of genes required for nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) for repairing DNA damage arising from treatment with topoisomerase II poisons, such as etoposide and 4′-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (mAMSA). To increase cellular sensitivity to topoisomerase II poisons, we overexpressed either wild-type or drug-hypersensitive alleles of yeast topoisomerase II. Using this approach, we found that yku70 (hdf1), yku80 (hdf2), and other genes required for NHEJ were important for cell survival following exposure to etoposide. The clearest increase in sensitivity was observed with cells overexpressing an etoposide-hypersensitive allele of TOP2 (Ser740Trp). Hypersensitivity was also seen in some end-joining defective mutants exposed to the intercalating agent mAMSA, although the increase in sensitivity was less pronounced. To confirm that the increase in sensitivity was not solely due to the elevated expression of TOP2 or due to specific effects of the drug-hypersensitive TOP2 alleles, we also found that deletion of genes required for NHEJ increased the sensitivity of rad52 deletions to both etoposide and mAMSA. Taken together, these results show a clear role for NHEJ in the repair of DNA damage induced by topoisomerase II–targeting agents and suggest that this pathway may participate in translocations generated by drugs, such as etoposide. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(6):1405–14]
β-Escin inhibits colonic aberrant crypt foci formation in rats and regulates the cell cycle growth by inducing p21waf1/cip1 in colon cancer cells
Authors: Patlolla Jagan M.R. , Raju Jayadev , Swamy Malisetty V. , Rao Chinthalapally V.
Published: July 2006

Extracts of Aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut) seed have been used in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency, edema, and hemorrhoids. Most of the beneficial effects of horse chestnut are attributed to its principal component β-escin or aescin. Recent studies suggest that β-escin may possess anti-inflammatory, anti-hyaluronidase, and anti-histamine properties. We have evaluated the chemopreventive efficacy of dietary β-escin on azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACF). In addition, we analyzed the cell growth inhibitory effects and the induction of apoptosis in HT-29 human colon cancer cell line. To evaluate the inhibitory properties of β-escin on colonic ACF, 7-week-old male F344 rats were fed experimental diets containing 0%, 0.025%, or 0.05% β-escin. After 1 week, the rats received s.c. injections of azoxymethane (15 mg/kg body weight, once weekly for 2 weeks) or an equal volume of normal saline (vehicle). Rats were continued on respective experimental diets and sacrificed 8 weeks after the azoxymethane treatment. Colons were evaluated histopathologically for ACF. Administration of dietary 0.025% and 0.05% β-escin significantly suppressed total colonic ACF formation up to ∼40% (P < 0.001) and ∼50% (P < 0.0001), respectively, when compared with control diet group. Importantly, rats fed β-escin showed dose-dependent inhibition (∼49% to 65%, P < 0.0001) of foci containing four or more aberrant crypts. To understand the growth inhibitory effects, HT-29 human colon carcinoma cell lines were treated with various concentrations of β-escin and analyzed by flow cytometry for apoptosis and cell cycle progression. β-Escin treatment in HT-29 cells induced growth arrest at the G1-S phase, which was associated with the induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1, and this correlated with reduced phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein. Results also indicate that β-escin inhibited growth of colon cancer cells with either wild-type or mutant p53. This novel feature of β-escin, a triterpene saponin, may be a useful candidate agent for colon cancer chemoprevention and treatment. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(6):1459–66]
Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate inhibits the endothelin axis and downstream signaling pathways in ovarian carcinoma
Authors: Spinella Francesca , Rosanò Laura , Di Castro Valeriana , Decandia Samantha , Albini Adriana , Nicotra Maria Rita , Natali Pier Giorgio , Bagnato Anna
Published: July 2006

The polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the principal mediator of the green tea, has been known to possess antitumor effect. The endothelin A receptor (ETAR)/endothelin-1 (ET-1) axis is overexpressed in ovarian carcinoma representing a novel therapeutic target. In this study, we examined the green tea and EGCG effects on two ovarian carcinoma cell lines, HEY and OVCA 433. EGCG inhibited ovarian cancer cell growth and induced apoptosis that was associated with a decrease in Bcl-XL expression and activation of caspase-3. Treatment with green tea or EGCG inhibited ETAR and ET-1 expression and reduced the basal and ET-1-induced cell proliferation and invasion. The EGCG-induced inhibitory effects were associated with a decrease of ETAR-dependent activation of the p42/p44 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway. Remarkably, EGCG treatment resulted in a lowering of basal and ET-1-induced angiogenesis and invasiveness mediators, such as vascular endothelial growth factor and tumor proteinase activation. Finally, in HEY ovarian carcinoma xenografts, tumor growth was significantly inhibited by oral administration of green tea. This effect was associated with a reduction in ET-1, ETAR, and vascular endothelial growth factor expression, microvessel density, and proliferation index. These results provide a novel insight into the mechanism by which EGCG, affecting multiple ETAR-dependent pathways, may inhibit ovarian carcinoma growth, suggesting that EGCG may be useful in preventing and treating ovarian carcinoma in which ETAR activation by ET-1 plays a critical role in tumor growth and progression. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(6):1483–92]
Synergistic induction of apoptosis in human leukemia T cells by the Akt inhibitor perifosine and etoposide through activation of intrinsic and Fas-mediated extrinsic cell death pathways
Authors: Nyåkern Maria , Cappellini Alessandra , Mantovani Irina , Martelli Alberto M.
Published: July 2006

Perifosine is an Akt inhibitor displaying strong antineoplastic effects in human tumor cell lines and is currently being tested in phase II clinical trials for treatment of major human cancers. Several recent studies showed the apoptotic effect of perifosine alone or in combination with other anticancer agents. However, this is the first study describing the effects of combining perifosine with the commonly used chemotherapy drug etoposide in cultured human Jurkat T-leukemia cells. Low concentrations of perifosine (5 μmol/L) induced cell death in a synergistic fashion with etoposide if used simultaneously or immediately following exposure to etoposide (posttreatment). The increase in cell death seems to be due to an inactivation of the Akt survival pathway, where treated cells showed a complete dephosphorylation of Akt. Moreover, combined drug-induced Akt deactivation was associated with a parallel decrease in phosphorylation of FoxO1 transcription factor and in expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-xL. Furthermore, the increase in cell death was associated with a specific activation of the caspase-dependent Fas death receptor pathway. These findings might be useful when designing clinical trials where chemotherapy is combined with perifosine for a potential broad use against hematologic malignancies in which the Akt survival pathway is frequently activated. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(6):1559–70]
Dominant-Negative Lox-1 Blocks Homodimerization of Wild-Type Lox-1–Induced Cell Proliferation Through Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase 1/2 Activation
Authors: Tanigawa Hiroyuki , Miura Shin-ichiro , Matsuo Yoshino , Fujino Masahiro , Sawamura Tatsuya , Saku Keijiro
Published: July 2006

C-type lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) receptor-1 (Lox-1) belongs to the same family as natural killer cell receptors Ly49A and CD94 and functionally undergoes dimerization. Although Lys
262
and Lys
263
in the C terminus of bovine (b)Lox-1 play an important role in the uptake of Ox-LDL, mutation of these residues has not been suggested to be a potential source of the dominant-negative property. We hypothesize that dominant-negative human (h)Lox-1 forms a heterodimer with Lox-1–wild-type (WT) and blocks Lox-1–WT–induced cell signaling. Based on the use of molecular imaging techniques with laser scanning confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation in an hLox-1–expressing Chinese hamster ovary cell system, homodimerization of hLox-1–WT was localized in the cell membrane, and Ox-LDL activated extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 without the translocation of hLox-1-WT. Lys
266
and Lys
267
of hLox-1, corresponding with Lys
262
and Lys
263
of bLox-1, were mutated (hLox1-K266A/K267A), and the mutant receptor inhibited hLox-1–WT–induced thymidine incorporation and ERK1/2 activation. Although Ox-LDL binds to the dominant-negative mutant receptor and is taken up by cytoplasm, ERK1/2 activation was blocked by heterodimerization with the mutant receptor and hLox-1–WT in the cell membrane. In addition, in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells, which express hLox-1–WT, we confirmed that the activation of ERK1/2 and [
3
H]-thymidine incorporation was caused by the addition of Ox-LDL, and these actions were blocked by hLox1-K266A/K267A. In conclusion, the present findings constitute the first evidence that strategies aimed at blocking cell-proliferative pathways at the receptor level could be useful for impairing Lox-1–induced cell proliferation.
A Study of Predictable Patterns for Seasonal Forecasting of New Zealand Rainfall
Authors: Zheng Xiaogu , Frederiksen Carsten S.
Published: July 2006

A recently developed variance decomposition approach is applied to study the causes of the predictability of New Zealand seasonal mean rainfall. In terms of predictability, the Southern Oscillation is identified as being the most important cause of variability for both the winter and summer New Zealand rainfall, especially for the North Island. Indian Ocean sea surface temperature variability and the Southern Hemisphere annular mode are the second most important causes of variability for winter and summer rainfall, respectively.

Based on this study, a statistical prediction scheme has been developed. May Niño-3 (5°N–5°S, 150°–90°W) SSTs and March–May (MAM) central Indian Ocean SSTs are identified as being the most important predictors for the winter rainfall, while September–November (SON) Niño-3 SSTs, November local New Zealand SSTs, and the SON Southern Hemisphere annular mode index are the most important predictors for the summer rainfall. The predictive skill, in term of the percentage explained variance for the verification period (1993–2000) is nearly 20%, which is considerably higher than that achieved previously.
The β-Silicon Effect. II. Substituent Effects on the Solvolysis of 1-Aryl-2-(aryldimethylsilyl)ethyl 3,5-Dinitrobenzoates
Authors: Fujio Mizue , Umezaki Yuzo , Alam Md Ashadul , Kikukawa Kiyoshi , Fujiyama Ryoji , Tsuno Yuho
Published: July 2006

Solvolysis rates of 2-(dimethylphenylsilyl)-1-(Y-phenyl)ethyl 3,5-dinitrobenzoates were determined conductimetrically in 60% (v/v) aqueous ethanol. In order to clarify the nature of the β-Si participation quantitatively, the effects of α-aryl substituents on the rates were analyzed by means of the Yukawa–Tsuno Eq. The α-aryl (Y)-substituent effect at 25 °C was correlated with r 1.0 and ρ = −3.0, which is significantly reduced compared with that of −5.45 for the non-silylated 1-arylethyl system. There is a linear relationship between logkY/kH of silylated and non-silylated substrates: log(kY/kH)Si = 0.52log(kY/kH)non-Si. This is the same form as the extended Brønsted relationship. The Brønsted coefficient α = 0.52 appeared to be consistent with the neighboring silyl-participation in the silyl-bridged transition state.
Stability of Complexes of Phenylacetylides and Benzyl Alkoxides with Methanol in the Gas Phase. Acid–Base Correlation in the Ionic Hydrogen-Bond Strength
Authors: Mustanir  , Matsuoka Mio , Mishima Masaaki , Koch Heinz
Published: July 2006

The thermodynamic stabilities of methanol-bound phenylacetylides and benzyl alkoxides were determined using a FT-ICR mass spectrometer. The complexation energies between anions and methanol were evaluated from the thermochemical cycle. The complexation energy decreases linearly with increasing acidity of the conjugate acid of an anion, giving slopes of 0.54 and 0.61 for phenylacetylide– and benzyl alkoxide–methanol complexes, respectively. These results show that the linear relationship between the complexation energy and acid–base energetics appears to be a general property in the anion–neutral molecule complexes, but the magnitude of the slope of the linear relationships is not simply related to the structure of the hydrogen-bonded complexes.
A Computational Approach to the Reconstruction of Surface Geometry from Early Temple Superstructures
Authors: Datta Sambit , Beynon David
Published: July 2006

Recovering the control or implicit geometry underlying temple architecture requires bringing together fragments of evidence from field measurements, relating these to mathematical and geometric descriptions in canonical texts and proposing “best-fit” constructive models. While scholars in the field have traditionally used manual methods, the innovative application of niche computational techniques can help extend the study of artefact geometry. This paper demonstrates the application of a hybrid computational approach to the problem of recovering the surface geometry of early temple superstructures. The approach combines field measurements of temples, close-range architectural photogrammetry, rule-based generation and parametric modelling. The computing of surface geometry comprises a rule-based global model governing the overall form of the superstructure, several local models for individual motifs using photogrammetry and an intermediate geometry model that combines the two. To explain the technique and the different models, the paper examines an illustrative example of surface geometry reconstruction based on studies undertaken on a tenth century stone superstructure from western India. The example demonstrates that a combination of computational methods yields sophisticated models of the constructive geometry underlying temple form and that these digital artefacts can form the basis for in depth comparative analysis of temples, arising out of similar techniques, spread over geography, culture and time.
Estimated Net Costs of P.L. 480 Food Aid with Three Alternative U. S. Farm Programs
Authors: Mayer Leo V.
Published: July 2006

Exports under P.L. 480 programs have become an established part of total demand for U.S. form output. Prices charged for commodities have varied with changing supply and demand conditions, but more recently terms of trade are being shifted in favor of the U.S. These changed terms of trade come at the same time the U.S. government is incurring increased costs for land diversion programs. This article reports research which simultaneously analyzes the two government programs, land diversion and P.L. 480 demand expansion, and provides estimates of the net cost per unit for specific commodities with three alternative land retirement programs.
Michigan Food Stamp Program: A Partial Analysis of Performance
Authors: Nelson Paul E.
Published: July 2006

Models were developed and applied to explain the sources of flow of participants into the Michigan Food Stamp Program and to determine if the program influenced participants in their choice of store for purchasing food with their stamps. Subsidiary questions considered were the determination of the contribution to total sales tax receipts of participating counties which might be attributed to purchases where payments were made with food stamps and the extent to which the food stamp program might have determined where participants purchased their groceries.
Distributed Lag Models of Cotton Acreage Response: A Further Result
Authors: Tomek William G.
Published: July 2006

The sensitivity of empirical results to changes in model specification is illustrated for a geometric‐form distributed lag model of cotton acreage response. One plausible specification gives a distributed lag response of acreage to price. Another logical, and perhaps more reasonable, specification indicates no distributed lag response.
Returns and Risks of Expanding Pennsylvania Dairy Farms with Different Levels of Equity
Authors: Hinman H. R. , Hutton R. F.
Published: July 2006

An accepted theory of farm firm behavior was incorporated into an abstract computerized simulation model to evaluate the returns and risks involved to Pennsylvania dairy farm firms expanding at different levels of equity. In addition, management efficiency was treated as a parameter to test for interaction of the policies and situations with this characteristic. The base of the analysis was a dairy farm situation having crop yields and production levels approximating that of an efficient Central Pennsylvania farm. The variations and trends in yield, production, and price were intended to approximate those experienced by Pennsylvania farmers during the previous ten years. Under the given environmental and economic assumptions, the results of this study strongly indicated that the payoff for taking the risk of thinning equity below present conventional levels during farm expansion is quite high in most situations.
Economic Growth and Agriculture: An Evaluation of the Compensation Principle
Authors: Pasour E. C.
Published: July 2006

The feasibility of a program to insure farmers against losses due to economic growth is explored. Adjustment problems in agriculture are similar to those of other sectors. The feasibility of a general compensation policy to insure farmers against losses due to economic progress is questioned on practical and theoretical grounds.
On Appraising Environmental Institutions
Authors: Seagraves J. A.
Published: July 2006

Changing relative prices and conditions of profitability lie behind many demands for new institutions. The emerging nature of environmental disequilibria suggests that allocative effects of alternative institutions can be studied before the difficult question of income distribution. “Externalities” are viewed as joint products, one of which is not priced.
Labor Productivity in Apple Harvesting
Authors: Cuskaden Charles M.
Published: July 2006

Selected worker characteristics and grower management practices were analyzed by OLS regression to determine their relationship to the productivity of workers hand harvesting apples. Growers should be able to shorten harvest time by selecting workers with characteristics related to higher productivity and by using management practices associated with faster picking.
Extension Education in Bargaining among Midwest Livestock and Grain Producers
Authors: Guither Harold D.
Published: July 2006

Midwest grain and livestock producers show substantial interest and support for bargaining to improve prices received, but they are less willing to participate in control of volume and orderly marketing efforts to make bargaining effective. However, agricultural bargaining offers an opportunity for creative educational efforts among these producers.
Summing Components of Real Capital Gains
Authors: Huff H. B. , MacAulay T. G.
Published: July 2006

The rationale for using homogenous categories of assets for estimating capital gains in agriculture has not been fully recognized. Data from two recent studies illustrate the sizeable discrepancies between summing regional versus national aggregate capital gains estimates. In addition, information is generated about regional disparities in distribution of capital gains.
The Generalized Power Production Function
Authors: De Janvry Alain
Published: July 2006

The generalized power production function includes as special cases the Cobb‐Douglas, the Transcendental, and the Cobb‐Douglas with variable returns to scale. It can be estimated by ordinary least squares without simultaneous equation bias under the behavioral assumption of maximization of expected profits.
Economics of Technical Change in Wheat Production in the Indian Punjab
Authors: Sidhu Surjit S.
Published: July 2006

A quantitative assessment of the “green revolution” associated with Mexican varieties of wheat in the Indian Punjab is attempted as alternative to the usual impressionistic assessments. Results indicate that the technical change has been cost‐saving and has not been strongly biased in either a labor‐saving or a capital‐saving direction. Wheat production experienced a favorable cost curve shift on the order of about 16 percent. Input demands per acre increased by about 25 percent. Increased capitalized land values lead to inferences about income distribution and constitute a source for reinvestments designed to maintain the momentum of the “green revolution.”