bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy on a flat graphene surface
Authors: Xu Weigao , Ling Xi , Xiao Jiaqi , Dresselhaus Mildred S. , Kong Jing , Xu Hongxing , Liu Zhongfan , Zhang Jin
Published: May 2012

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an attractive analytical technique, which enables single-molecule sensitive detection and provides its special chemical fingerprints. During the past decades, researchers have made great efforts towards an ideal SERS substrate, mainly including pioneering works on the preparation of uniform metal nanostructure arrays by various nanoassembly and nanotailoring methods, which give better uniformity and reproducibility. Recently, nanoparticles coated with an inert shell were used to make the enhanced Raman signals cleaner. By depositing SERS-active metal nanoislands on an atomically flat graphene layer, here we designed a new kind of SERS substrate referred to as a graphene-mediated SERS (G-SERS) substrate. In the graphene/metal combined structure, the electromagnetic “hot” spots (which is the origin of a huge SERS enhancement) created by the gapped metal nanoislands through the localized surface plasmon resonance effect are supposed to pass through the monolayer graphene, resulting in an atomically flat hot surface for Raman enhancement. Signals from a G-SERS substrate were also demonstrated to have interesting advantages over normal SERS, in terms of cleaner vibrational information free from various metal-molecule interactions and being more stable against photo-induced damage, but with a comparable enhancement factor. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of a freestanding, transparent and flexible “G-SERS tape” (consisting of a polymer-layer-supported monolayer graphene with sandwiched metal nanoislands) to enable direct, real time and reliable detection of trace amounts of analytes in various systems, which imparts high efficiency and universality of analyses with G-SERS substrates.
Dr Lecter's Taste for ‘Goldberg’, or: The Horror of Bach in the Hannibal Franchise
Authors: Cenciarelli Carlo
Published: May 2012

The repeated use of the ‘Goldberg’ Variations in the Hannibal Lecter saga offers a route into the complexities of cinema's appropriation of Western art music. To an extent, the affiliation of Bach with a cannibalistic serial killer rehearses the notion of ‘classical music’ as socially and culturally other. Yet at the same time, from its first appearance in a memorable scene in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), the music is tied to the workings of a mass-media phenomenon. This becomes evident in the sequel, Hannibal (2001), where the ‘Goldberg’ Aria, used as title song, crossing in and out of the diegesis and mixed with sound effects, becomes part of the development of the character into a media franchise, of the romanticizing of his masculinity and the spectacularization of his violence. Thus, in the process of capitalizing on Lecter's success, the saga at once insists on classical music's otherness and blurs its difference from film music.
Bubbles, Tracks, Borders and Lines: Mapping Music and Urban Landscape
Authors: Cohen Sara
Published: May 2012

This article explores the relationship between music and material urban environments by drawing on ethnographic research with rock and hip-hop musicians. The first of its three sections introduces some of the musicians who participated in that research and the maps they drew to illustrate their music-making activities in the city. The second compares these hand-drawn maps and their various lines and patterns, and relates their differences to music genre and particular urban conditions. The final section of the article explores the broader implications of the maps for conceptualizing the relationship between music and material environments. It starts by considering notions of articulation and mediation and their usefulness for understanding relations between music and material urban environments. Focusing on the maps’ detailed lines and patterns, it then describes how music and music-making are mediated by material urban environments, a process involving the navigation of journeys and boundaries and the forging of multiple relations along the way.
Physical Education in the UK: disconnections and reconnections
Authors: Griggs Gerald , Ward Gavin
Published: May 2012

Within the UK, physical education finds itself, as a curriculum subject, in a contested space with felt pressures from competing discourses and policy areas. This paper contests that over time within this nexus, physical education has become disconnected in four specific ways: from the wider movement culture, from other curriculum subjects, within the curriculum between different age phases and between training and teacher needs. The paper discusses each of these disconnections and, importantly, offers suggestions about how reconnections might be found.
Bach, Beethoven, Bourdieu: ‘cultural capital' and the scholastic canon in England%s A‐level examinations
Authors: Legg Robert
Published: May 2012

This article applies Bourdieu%s notion of ‘cultural capital' to historical, documentary research which investigates the construction of a scholastic canon within England%s A‐level music examinations. A digest of the ways in which this canon evolved between 1951 and 1986 is presented in support of the idea that examiners' responses to emerging trends in historical musicology were characterised by a high level of caution. An analysis of the examiners' unreceptive approaches to avant‐garde works and to music written by women is employed not only to suggest an underlying conservatism within examiners' practice, but also to contend that this scholastic canon is part of a cycle of reproduction which serves to exclude certain groups of students from higher education. Effects of this cycle on social mobility are discussed both in relation to the historical period under investigation and in light of contemporary debates about the prescription of canonic works within secondary school curricula. The article%s conclusions challenge the ‘disinterestedness' of prescription within the curriculum and identify important factors which should be among the foremost considerations of those planning national programmes of study, both in music and beyond.
A root-finding algorithm for cubics
Authors: Northshield Sam
Published: May 2012

Newton’s method applied to a quadratic polynomial converges rapidly to a root for almost all starting points and almost all coefficients. This can be understood in terms of an associative binary operation arising from

2
×
2

2\times 2

matrices. Here we develop an analogous theory based on

3
×
3

3\times 3

matrices which yields a two-variable generally convergent algorithm for cubics.
The transcription factor Flo8 mediates CO2sensing in the human fungal pathogenCandida albicans
Authors: Du Han , Guan Guobo , Xie Jing , Cottier Fabien , Sun Yuan , Jia Wei , Mühlschlegel Fritz A. , Huang Guanghua
Published: May 2012

Physiological levels of CO2have a profound impact on prominent biological attributes of the major fungal pathogen of humans, Candida albicans. Elevated CO2induces filamentous growth and promotes white-to-opaque switching. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of CO2sensing in C. albicans are insufficiently understood. Here we identify the transcription factor Flo8 as a key regulator of CO2-induced morphogenesis in C. albicans by screening a gene null mutant library. We show that Flo8 is required for CO2-induced white-to-opaque switching, as well as for filamentous growth. Ectopic expression of FLO8 hypersensitizes C. albicans cells to the elevated CO2levels. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CO2signaling in C. albicans involves two pathways: the already reported cAMP/protein kinase A and another major one that is unidentified. The two pathways converge on the transcription factor Flo8, which is the master regulator of CO2sensing in C. albicans and plays a critical role in regulation of white-to-opaque switching and filamentous growth. Our findings provide new insights into the understanding of CO2sensing in pathogenic fungi that have important implications for higher organisms.
H4K16 acetylation affects recombination and ncRNA transcription at rDNA inSaccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Cesarini Elisa , D'Alfonso Anna , Camilloni Giorgio
Published: May 2012

Transcription-associated recombination is an important process involved in several aspects of cell physiology. In the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, RNA polymerase II transcription–dependent recombination has been demonstrated among the repeated units. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms controlling this process at the chromatin level. On the basis of a small biased screening, we found that mutants of histone deacetylases and chromatin architectural proteins alter both the amount of Pol II–dependent noncoding transcripts and recombination products at rDNA in a coordinated manner. Of interest, chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses in these mutants revealed a corresponding variation of the histone H4 acetylation along the rDNA repeat, particularly at Lys-16. Here we provide evidence that a single, rapid, and reversible posttranslational modification—the acetylation of the H4K16 residue—is involved in the coordination of transcription and recombination at rDNA.
Chromatin remodeling by the SWI/SNF complex is essential for transcription mediated by the yeast cell wall integrity MAPK pathway
Authors: Sanz A. Belén , García Raúl , Rodríguez-Peña Jose Manuel , Díez-Muñiz Sonia , Nombela César , Peterson Craig L. , Arroyo Javier
Published: May 2012

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the transcriptional program triggered by cell wall stress is coordinated by Slt2/Mpk1, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) of the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway, and is mostly mediated by the transcription factor Rlm1. Here we show that the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex plays a critical role in orchestrating the transcriptional response regulated by Rlm1. swi/snf mutants show drastically reduced expression of cell wall stress–responsive genes and hypersensitivity to cell wall–interfering compounds. On stress, binding of RNA Pol II to the promoters of these genes depends on Rlm1, Slt2, and SWI/SNF. Rlm1 physically interacts with SWI/SNF to direct its association to target promoters. Finally, we observe nucleosome displacement at the CWI-responsive gene MLP1/KDX1, which relies on the SWI/SNF complex. Taken together, our results identify the SWI/SNF complex as a key element of the CWI MAPK pathway that mediates the chromatin remodeling necessary for adequate transcriptional response to cell wall stress.
Cancer drug pan-resistance: pumps, cancer stem cells, quiescence, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, blocked cell death pathways, persisters or what?
Authors: Borst Piet
Published: May 2012

Although chemotherapy of tumours has scored successes, drug resistance remains the major cause of death of cancer patients. Initial treatment often leaves residual disease, from which the tumour regrows. Eventually, most tumours become resistant to all available chemotherapy. I call this pan-resistance to distinguish it from multi-drug resistance, usually describing resistance caused by upregulation of drug transporters, such as P-glycoprotein. In this review, I discuss mechanisms proposed to explain both residual disease and pan-resistance. Although plausible explanations are at hand for residual disease, pan-resistance is still a mystery. My conclusion is that it is time for a major effort to solve this mystery using the new genetically modified mouse tumour models that produce real tumours resembling cancer in human patients.
Reassortants of pandemic influenza A virus H1N1/2009 and endemic porcine HxN2 viruses emerge in swine populations in Germany
Authors: Starick Elke , Lange Elke , Grund Christian , grosse Beilage Elisabeth , Döhring Stefanie , Maas Alexander , Noé Thomas , Beer Martin , Harder Timm C.
Published: May 2012

The incursion of the human pandemic influenza A virus H1N1 (2009) (H1N1 pdm) into pig populations and its ongoing co-circulation with endemic swine influenza viruses (SIVs) has yielded distinct human–porcine reassortant virus lineages. The haemagglutinin (HA) gene of H1N1 pdm was detected in 41 influenza virus-positive samples from seven swine herds in north-west Germany in 2011. Eight of these samples yielded virus that carried SIV-derived neuraminidase N2 of three different porcine lineages in an H1N1 pdm backbone. The HA sequences of these viruses clustered in two distinct groups and were distinguishable from human and other porcine H1 pdm by a unique set of eight non-synonymous mutations. In contrast to the human population, where H1N1 pdm replaced seasonal H1N1, this virus seems to co-circulate and interact more intensely with endemic SIV lineages, giving rise to reassortants with as-yet-unknown biological properties and undetermined risks for public health.
Identification of a novel NLS of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) VP19C and its nuclear localization is required for efficient production of HSV-1
Authors: Li You , Zhao Lei , Wang Shuai , Xing Junji , Zheng Chunfu
Published: May 2012

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) triplex is a complex of three protein subunits, consisting of two copies of VP23 and one copy of VP19C. Here, we identified a non-classical NLS of VP19C between aa 50 and 61, and the nuclear import of VP19C was mediated by RanGTP and importin β1-, but not importin α5-, dependent pathway. Additionally, recombinant virus harbouring this NLS mutation (NLSm) replicates less efficiently as wild-type. These data strongly suggested that the nuclear import of VP19C is required for efficient HSV-1 production.
Extracellular matrix constituents interfere with Newcastle disease virus spread in solid tissue and diminish its potential oncolytic activity
Authors: Yaacov Barak , Lazar Itay , Tayeb Shay , Frank Sivan , Izhar Uzi , Lotem Michal , Perlman Riki , Ben-Yehuda Dina , Zakay-Rones Zichria , Panet Amos
Published: May 2012

Advanced melanoma cells, characterized by resistance to chemotherapy, have been shown to be highly sensitive to oncolysis by Newcastle disease virus (NDV). In the present study, we investigated the capacity of NDV to specifically infect and spread into solid tissues of human melanoma and lung carcinoma, in vivo and ex vivo. For this purpose a new model of SCID-beige mice implanted with human melanoma was developed. Surprisingly, the replication competent NDV-MTH and the attenuated, single-cycle replication NDV-HUJ strains, demonstrated a similar oncolytic activity in the melanoma-implanted mice. Further, ex vivo analysis, using organ cultures derived from the melanoma tissues indicated a limited spread of the two NDV strains in the tissue. Extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules, notably heparin sulfate and collagen, were found to limit viral spread in the tissue. This observation was validated with yet another solid tumour of human lung carcinoma. Taken together, the results indicate that the ECM acts as a barrier to virus spread within solid tumour tissues and that this restriction must be overcome to achieve effective oncolysis with NDV.
Distribution, clinicopathologic features and survival of breast cancer subtypes in Southern China
Authors: Xue Cong , Wang Xi , Peng Roujun , Shi Yanxia , Qin Tao , Liu Donggen , Teng Xiaoyu , Wang Shusen , Zhang Li , Yuan Zhongyu
Published: May 2012

Breast cancer research and treatment by different subtypes is an inevitable trend. We investigated the clinicopathologic features and outcomes of different breast cancer subtypes in Southern China. A total of 5809 patients with invasive ductal carcinomas were identified. Immunohistochemical (IHC) markers for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), Her2/neu, and Ki‐67 proliferation index were used to classify cases into five molecular subtypes. Clinicopathologic characteristics and survival rates were analyzed retrospectively. Of all patients, 31.1% were luminal A subtype, 30.4% luminal B (high Ki‐67), 13.1% luminal B (Her2/neu+), 9.0% Her2/neu and 16.5% triple negative subtype. Luminal B (high Ki‐67) presented primarily in premenopausal patients with the lowest average age (43.0 years). Her2/neu positive tumors were more closely associated with aggressive features including increased tumor size, positive lymph node status and lymphvascular invasion (LVI). Triple negative subtype was characterized by poorer histologic grade. Her2/neu positive cases had presented the worst 5‐year disease‐free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Multivariate analyses of OS and DFS suggested that there were different negative prognostic factors for the five subtypes. The benefit of the cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5‐fluorouracil (5FU) (CMF) regimen was equal to that of anthracycline‐based and Taxane‐based regimens for patients with luminal A subtype and triple negative subtype, but inferior to anthracycline‐based and Taxane‐based regimens for those with two luminal B subtypes and Her2/neu subtype. The prognostic significance of traditional markers may differ among subtypes. This study revealed the distinct clinicopathologic characteristics, systemic therapy benefits, prognostic factors and survival rate among different breast cancer subtypes.
Experimentally induced psoriatic lesion associates with interleukin (IL)-6 in mast cells and appearance of dermal cells expressing IL-33 and IL-6 receptor
Authors: Suttle M-M , Nilsson G , Snellman E , Harvima I T
Published: May 2012

Mast cells are involved in the development of psoriatic lesion, but it is not known how mast cells are activated or whether mast cell cytokines are expressed during the lesion development. In this study, the Köbner reaction was induced in uninvolved psoriatic skin of 18 patients using the tape-stripping technique, and a sequence of biopsies was collected at 0 days, 2 h and 3 days or at 0 days, 1 day and 7 days for histochemical analysis. Eight patients developed the Köbner reaction verified at the follow-up visit 2–2·5 weeks later. No significant differences were observed in total tryptase+ mast cells, psoriasis area and severity index and age/sex. Instead, the percentage of tryptase+ mast cells showing interleukin (IL)-6 immunoreactivity was significantly higher in biopsies from Köbner-positive patients than in those from Köbner-negative patients. IL-33 is a known inducer of IL-6 in mast cells, and the number of IL-33+ cells increased significantly in Köbner-positive dermal skin at days 3–7. The number of dermal cells with IL-6 receptor (IL-6R, CD126) also increased in Köbner-positive skin at days 3–7. Unexpectedly, the number of IL-6R+ cells was even higher in Köbner-negative skin at days 3–7. In the chronic plaque of 10 other psoriatic patients, the numbers of IL-6+ mast cells and dermal cells showing IL-6R were higher than those in the non-lesional skin. In conclusion, the positive Köbner reaction is associated with IL-6 in mast cells and appearance of IL-6R+ and IL-33+ dermal cells. This suggests that a previously unrecognized vicious circle may develop in the early psoriatic lesion.
F8 gene dosage defects in atypical patients with severe haemophilia A
Authors: VENCESLÁ A. , BAENA M. , GARRIDO R. P. , NÚÑEZ R. , VELASCO F. , ROSELL J. , VILLAR A. , JIMÉNEZ‐YUSTE V. , BAIGET M. , TIZZANO E. F.
Published: May 2012

Summary.  We performed molecular analysis of the factor 8 gene (F8) in 272 unrelated Spanish patients with haemophilia A (HA) and detected a mutation by routine analysis in 267 of them (98.1%). No mutation was detected in the remaining five patients despite clinical and laboratory confirmation of HA. The aim is to describe the molecular alterations in F8 discovered by gene dosage methodologies in three of these patients. For methodology, F8 sequencing, intragenic marker analysis, multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification and quantitative real time‐PCR were followed. One patient had Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY) and a large deletion spanning exons 1–12 masked by the other F8 allele; the second patient showed a large duplication spanning exons 2–10 and the third patient revealed a non‐contiguous double duplication of exons 14 and 23–25. The remaining two patients had mild HA and dosage results were normal. The application of gene dosage methods is useful to define haemophilic patients in whom mutations are not detected using other routine methods. Nevertheless, in a small percentage of patients (<1%), no molecular pathology can be identified after testing several genetic methodologies.
Germline transformation of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L., using the piggyBac transposable element
Authors: Martins S. , Naish N. , Walker A. S. , Morrison N. I. , Scaife S. , Fu G. , Dafa'alla T. , Alphey L.
Published: May 2012

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, is one of the most economically important agricultural pests. The larvae of this moth cause damage by feeding on the foliage of cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and rapeseed. Control generally comprises chemical treatment; however, the diamondback moth is renowned for rapid development of resistance to pesticides. Other methods, such as biological control, have not been able to provide adequate protection. Germline transformation of pest insects has become available in recent years as an enabling technology for new genetics‐based control methods, such as the Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal (RIDL®). In the present study, we report the first transformation of the diamondback moth, using the piggyBac transposable element, by embryo microinjection. In generating transgenic strains using four different constructs, the function of three regulatory sequences in this moth was demonstrated in driving expression of fluorescent proteins. The transformation rates achieved, 0.48–0.68%, are relatively low compared with those described in other Lepidoptera, but not prohibitive, and are likely to increase with experience. We anticipate that germline transformation of the diamondback moth will permit the development of RIDL strains for use against this pest and facilitate the wider use of this species as a model organism for basic studies.
Wound debridement potential of glycosidases of the wound‐healing maggot, Lucilia sericata
Authors: TELFORD G. , BROWN A. P. , RICH A. , ENGLISH J. S. C. , PRITCHARD D. I.
Published: May 2012

The wound‐healing maggot, Lucilia sericata Meigen (Diptera: Calliphoridae), degrades extracellular matrix components by releasing enzymes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the glycosylation profiles of wound slough/eschar from chronic venous leg ulcers and the complementary presence of glycosidase activities in first‐instar excretions/secretions (ES1) and to define their specificities. The predominant carbohydrate moieties present in wound slough/eschar were determined by probing one‐dimensional Western blots with conjugated lectins of known specificities. The presence of specific glycosidase activities in ES1 was determined using chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates. The removal of carbohydrate moieties from slough/eschar proteins by glycosidases in ES1 was determined by two‐dimensional electrophoresis and Emerald 300 glycoprotein staining. α‐d‐glucosyl, α‐d‐mannosyl and N‐acetlyglucosamine residues were detected on slough/eschar‐derived proteins. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the treatment of slough/eschar with ES1 significantly reduced uptake of the carbohydrate‐specific stain. Subsequently, α‐d‐glucosidase, α‐d‐mannosidase and N‐acetylglucosaminidase activities were identified in ES1. Specific chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates and gel filtration chromatography showed that these activities result from distinct enzymes. These activities were mirrored in the removal of α‐d‐glucosyl, α‐d‐mannosyl and N‐acetylglucosamine residues from proteins of slough/eschar from maggot‐treated wounds. These data suggest that maggot glycosidases remove sugars from slough/eschar proteins. This may contribute to debridement, which is ultimately accomplished by a suite of biochemically distinct enzymes present in ES1.
Population studies of native grass‐endophyte symbioses provide clues for the roles of host jumps and hybridization in driving their evolution
Authors: CRAVEN K. D.
Published: May 2012

Fungal endophytes in the genera Epichloë and Neotyphodium, collectively termed the epichloae, have fascinated biologists for decades. These intriguing fungi, also referred to as ‘class 1 or clavicipitaceous endophytes’, spend the large majority, or even their entire life cycle, within the tissues of their cool‐season grass hosts without eliciting any symptoms of infection. While all epichloae reside within the intercellular spaces of aboveground vegetative grass tissues, the species at the symbiotic extreme are known as Neotyphodium, and the intimacy of their interaction extends to the reproductive (flowering) stage. At this point, fungal filaments (hyphae) nondestructively invade the developing ovaries of their host and are incorporated into perfectly viable, healthy seeds. Thus, these endophytes live solely within the tissues of their host plants and are transmitted maternally from generation to generation. A second life history characteristic of interest is that while all Epichloë and some Neotyphodium species are haploid, a great many of the strictly seed‐transmitted Neotyphodium spp. are interspecific hybrids. This phenomenon may be critical for the success of these symbioses over longer spans of evolutionary time and will be discussed in greater detail below. A third characteristic, and one of the primary reasons these grass endophytes have received so much attention over the last three decades, is the strong mutualistic nature these relationships often exhibit. In exchange for photosynthetically derived carbon, the endophytes protect their cool‐season grass hosts from grazing herbivores and a variety of abiotic stresses. It has been hypothesized that these three biological phenomena are related (Schardl & Craven 2003), perhaps with the former two driving the third, and it is here that the recent article in Molecular Ecology entitled ‘Genetic diversity in epichloid endophytes of Hordelymus europaeus suggests repeated host jumps and interspecific hybridizations’, by Oberhofer & Leuchtmann (2012), provides critical clues to linking these traits together. While the large majority of studies have focused on documenting the ever‐increasing list of mutualistic qualities attributed to these fungi, very few have taken an exhaustive population‐level approach to document plant and endophyte genotypes within a naturally occurring system (Faeth et al. 2010; Jani et al. 2010; Tintjer & Rudgers 2006). Such information is crucial to more fully elucidate the factors shaping grass‐endophyte symbioses and those often driving these relationships to mutualistic extremes.
Crossing the divide: gene flow produces intergeneric hybrid in feral transgenic creeping bentgrass population
Authors: ZAPIOLA MARÍA L. , MALLORY‐SMITH CAROL A.
Published: May 2012

Gene flow is the most frequently expressed public concern related to the deregulation of transgenic events (Snow 2002; Ellstrand 2003). However, assessing the potential for transgene escape is complex because it depends on the opportunities for unintended gene flow, and establishment and persistence of the transgene in the environment (Warwick et al. 2008). Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.), a turfgrass species widely used on golf courses, has been genetically engineered to be resistant to glyphosate, a nonselective herbicide. Outcrossing species, such as creeping bentgrass (CB), which have several compatible species, have greater chances for gene escape and spontaneous hybridization (i.e. natural, unassisted sexual reproduction between taxa in the field), which challenges transgene containment. Several authors have emphasized the need for evidence of spontaneous hybridization to infer the potential for gene flow (Armstrong et al. 2005). Here we report that a transgenic intergeneric hybrid has been produced as result of spontaneous hybridization of a feral‐regulated transgenic pollen receptor (CB) and a nontransgenic pollen donor (rabbitfoot grass, RF, Polypogon monspeliensis (L.) Desf.). We identified an off‐type transgenic seedling and confirmed it to be CB × RF intergeneric hybrid. This first report of a transgenic intergeneric hybrid produced in situ with a regulated transgenic event demonstrates the importance of considering all possible avenues for transgene spread at the landscape level before planting a regulated transgenic crop in the field. Spontaneous hybridization adds a level of complexity to transgene monitoring, containment, mitigation and remediation programmes.
AFLP genome scans suggest divergent selection on colour patterning in allopatric colour morphs of a cichlid fish
Authors: MATTERSDORFER KARIN , KOBLMÜLLER STEPHAN , SEFC KRISTINA M.
Published: May 2012

Genome scan‐based tests for selection are directly applicable to natural populations to study the genetic and evolutionary mechanisms behind phenotypic differentiation. We conducted AFLP genome scans in three distinct geographic colour morphs of the cichlid fish Tropheus moorii to assess whether the extant, allopatric colour pattern differentiation can be explained by drift and to identify markers mapping to genomic regions possibly involved in colour patterning. The tested morphs occupy adjacent shore sections in southern Lake Tanganyika and are separated from each other by major habitat barriers. The genome scans revealed significant genetic structure between morphs, but a very low proportion of loci fixed for alternative AFLP alleles in different morphs. This high level of polymorphism within morphs suggested that colour pattern differentiation did not result exclusively from neutral processes. Outlier detection methods identified six loci with excess differentiation in the comparison between a bluish and a yellow‐blotch morph and five different outlier loci in comparisons of each of these morphs with a red morph. As population expansions and the genetic structure of Tropheus make the outlier approach prone to false‐positive signals of selection, we examined the correlation between outlier locus alleles and colour phenotypes in a genetic and phenotypic cline between two morphs. Distributions of allele frequencies at one outlier locus were indeed consistent with linkage to a colour locus. Despite the challenges posed by population structure and demography, our results encourage the cautious application of genome scans to studies of divergent selection in subdivided and recently expanded populations.
Quantitative proteomic analysis of intracytoplasmic membrane development in Rhodobacter sphaeroides
Authors: Jackson Philip J. , Lewis Hilary J. , Tucker Jaimey D. , Hunter C. Neil , Dickman Mark J.
Published: May 2012

The purple phototrophic bacteria elaborate a specialized intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM) system for the conversion of solar energy to ATP. Previous radiolabelling and ultrastructural experiments have shown that ICM assembly in Rhodobacter sphaeroides is initiated at indentations of the cytoplasmic membrane, termed UPB. Here, we report proteomic analyses of precursor (UPB) and mature (ICM) fractions. Qualitative data identified 387 proteins, only 43 of which were found in the ICM, reflecting its specialized role within the cell, the conversion of light into chemical energy; 236 proteins were found in the significantly more complex UPB proteome. Metabolic labelling was used to quantify the relative distribution of 173 proteins between the UPB and ICM fractions. Quantification reveals new information on assembly of the RC‐LH1‐PufX, ATP synthase and NAD(P)H transhydrogenase complexes, as well as showing that the UPB is enriched in enzymes for lipid, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, tetrapyrrole biosynthesis and proteins representing a wide range of other metabolic and biosynthetic functions. Proteins involved in light harvesting, photochemistry, electron transport and ATP synthesis are all enriched in ICM, consistent with the spatial proximity of energy capturing and transducing functions. These data provide further support to the developmental precursor–product relationship between UPB and ICM.
Disruption of gallbladder smooth muscle function is an early feature in the development of cholesterol gallstone disease
Authors: Lavoie B. , Nausch B. , Zane E. A. , Leonard M. R. , Balemba O. B. , Bartoo A. C. , Wilcox R. , Nelson M. T. , Carey M. C. , Mawe G. M.
Published: May 2012

Background  Decreased gallbladder smooth muscle (GBSM) contractility is a hallmark of cholesterol gallstone disease, but the interrelationship between lithogenicity, biliary stasis, and inflammation are poorly understood. We studied a mouse model of gallstone disease to evaluate the development of GBSM dysfunction relative to changes in bile composition and the onset of sterile cholecystitis.

Methods  BALB/cJ mice were fed a lithogenic diet for up to 8 weeks, and tension generated by gallbladder muscle strips was measured. Smooth muscle Ca2+ transients were imaged in intact gallbladder.

Key Results  Lipid composition of bile was altered lithogenically as early as 1 week, with increased hydrophobicity and cholesterol saturation indexes; however, inflammation was not detectable until the fourth week. Agonist‐induced contractility was reduced from weeks 2 through 8. GBSM normally exhibits rhythmic synchronized Ca2+ flashes, and their frequency is increased by carbachol (3 μm). After 1 week, lithogenic diet‐fed mice exhibited disrupted Ca2+ flash activity, manifesting as clustered flashes, asynchronous flashes, or prolonged quiescent periods. These changes could lead to a depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores, which are required for agonist‐induced contraction, and diminished basal tone of the organ. Responsiveness of Ca2+ transients to carbachol was reduced in mice on the lithogenic diet, particularly after 4–8 weeks, concomitant with appearance of mucosal inflammatory changes.

Conclusions & Inferences  These observations demonstrate that GBSM dysfunction is an early event in the progression of cholesterol gallstone disease and that it precedes mucosal inflammation.
Tapping natural variation at functional level reveals allele specific molecular characteristics of potato invertase Pain‐1
Authors: DRAFFEHN ASTRID M. , DUREK PAWEL , NUNES‐NESI ADRIANO , STICH BENJAMIN , FERNIE ALISDAIR R. , GEBHARDT CHRISTIANE
Published: May 2012

Biochemical, molecular and genetic studies emphasize the role of the potato vacuolar invertase Pain‐1 in the accumulation of reducing sugars in potato tubers upon cold storage, and thereby its influence on the quality of potato chips and French fries. Previous studies showed that natural Pain‐1 cDNA alleles were associated with better chip quality and higher tuber starch content. In this study, we focused on the functional characterization of these alleles. A genotype‐dependent transient increase of total Pain‐1 transcript levels in cold‐stored tubers of six different genotypes as well as allele‐specific expression patterns were detected. 3D modelling revealed putative structural differences between allelic Pain‐1 proteins at the molecule's surface and at the substrate binding site. Furthermore, the yeast SUC2 mutant was complemented with Pain‐1 cDNA alleles and enzymatic parameters of the heterologous expressed proteins were measured at 30 and 4 °C. Significant differences between the alleles were detected. The observed functional differences between Pain‐1 alleles did not permit final conclusions on the mechanism of their association with tuber quality traits. Our results show that natural allelic variation at the functional level is present in potato, and that the heterozygous genetic background influences the manifestation of this variation.
Epidemiology of dermatophytosis in junior combat and non‐combat sports participants
Authors: Döğen Aylin , Gümral Ramazan , Öksüz Zehra , Kaplan Engin , Serin Mehmet Sami , İlkit Macit
Published: May 2012

Participation in competitive sports is popular and widely encouraged worldwide. Herein, we investigated 252 male and 67 female sports players, aged 16.4 ± 1.3 years, active in 15 different types of combat (n = 143) and non‐combat (n = 176) sports. Of the 319 participants in this study, 11 (3.5%) players, including six wrestlers, four football players and one handball player, all of whom were men, harboured dermatophytic fungi. Briefly, Trichophyton tonsurans was present in three athletes, who were scalp carriers of the fungus. Furthermore, T. rubrum (4), T. interdigitale (3) and Arthroderma simii (1) were recovered from eight participants with tinea inguinalis (4), tinea pedis (2) or both (1). One patient was a trunk carrier of concomitant tinea pedis. All dermatophytic fungi were identified using both direction sequence of the rDNA regions spanning the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) and 5.8 rRNA gene. Although sports‐active individuals are active and sweat more, we observed a low prevalence of dermatophytosis, both in combat (5.2%) and non‐combat sports participants (3.4%) (P > 0.05). However, dermatophyte infections require more attention and appropriate management to eradicate the infection and to prevent possible outbreaks. This study also documents the first case of zoophilic A. simii in Turkey.
Northern Territory Emergency Response: Criticism, support and redesign
Authors: Evans Brendon W.
Published: May 2012

The recent Federal Government Report and Media release, Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory: Report on Consultations and its claim of ‘widespread Indigenous Support’ has brought the topic of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (the Intervention) back into the public mind. This article provides a synthesis of four years of debate around the Northern Territory Emergency Response, at a time when the program is nearing the end of its time frame. It outlines the main arguments supporting the Intervention, the central criticisms and the government's response to these evaluations, with the aim of providing a primer or summary for health professionals to the discussion around this important public issue.
Trade‐off between local access and safety considerations in childbirth: Rural Tasmanian women's perspectives
Authors: Hoang Ha , Le Quynh
Published: May 2012

Objectives:  This study investigates: (i) Tasmanian rural women's preferences for different models of intrapartum care; (ii) their preferences for travel time to safe delivery; and (iii) factors which influence these preferences.

Design:  Mixed‐methods study using a survey questionnaire and semistructured interviews was adopted. A questionnaire explored women's preferences for different models of care and preferred travel time. Interviews were conducted to validate the survey results and provide insightful information on their preferences on the models of care. Women who have had rural childbirth experiences from six Tasmanian rural communities were invited to participate in the study.

Results:  Two hundred and ten women completed the questionnaire with a response rate of 35%. Twenty‐two follow‐up interviews were conducted. The survey found that women preferred to give birth in a hospital setting to homebirth despite having to travel for two hours. Midwifery‐led care with one hour travel time was the second preferred model of care. Women were willing to travel to access the regional hospital but within limit. Their preferences suggest that women have to trade‐off between local access and safety considerations. The interviews validate the survey results. Three main themes emerged from the interview data namely (i) safety; (ii) distance from hospital; and (iii) type of delivery. Their preferences were associated with their maternal care experiences in the past.

Conclusion:  In order to achieve the maternity services that are woman centred and respond to the needs and preferences of women, the service design and provision should take into account these women's preferences.
Mental health and well‐being in resident mine workers: Out of the fly‐in fly‐out box
Authors: Mclean Kristy N.
Published: May 2012

Objective:  To explore psychosocial issues perceived to impact the mental health and well‐being of resident (non‐fly‐in fly‐out) mine workers at a local mine in regional Queensland.

Design:  A descriptive qualitative study using semistructured interviews.

Setting:  The research was conducted on‐site at an open‐cut coal mine in regional Queensland.

Participants:  Ten miners (nine men) currently employed in workshop, production or supervisory roles.

Main outcome measures:  Self‐reported issues affecting psychological well‐being.

Results:  Participants' occupation and the surrounding context appeared to have both positive and negative influences on their well‐being. Overall findings could be grouped into four key themes: (i) the importance of relationships; (ii) the impact of lifestyle; (iii) work characteristics; and (iv) mental health attitudes. While not without strains on mental health, in general, participants reported that their current situation was superior to their previous mining jobs. This was attributed to close relationships among locally recruited workers, respect for management practices and rosters that allowed adequate sleep recovery and family time between shifts.

Conclusions:  This study is the first to examine mental health and well‐being in non‐fly‐in fly‐out mining populations. It suggests that while some issues appear inherent in the mining occupation, personal and organisational support can help workers have a more positive workplace experience. Further work looking at more extensive comparisons over various mining contexts will greatly assist in the development of programs and support structures for rural and regional mine workers.
Food scarcity, not economic constraint limits consumption in a rural Aboriginal community
Authors: Scelza Brooke A.
Published: May 2012

Objective:  To determine whether food scarcity or economic constraint is more strongly associated with purchasing patterns in a rural Aboriginal community.

Design:  Store receipts were collected to determine money spent in the community shop across a four‐month period from January to April 2006. Variability in expenditures is then studied using measures of food scarcity (days since shop loading) and economic constraint (days since payday).

Setting:  Parnngurr Outstation in the Western Desert of Australia.

Main outcome measures:  Daily gross and per‐household gross expenditures at the community shop.

Results:  There is a significant association between food scarcity and money spent in the shop (−42.89, confidence interval −62.62 to −23.18, P < 0.001). There is no association between economic constraint and money spent in the shop.

Conclusion:  In rural and remote communities, reliable access to food is critical to food security. Circumstantial constraints such as seasonal flooding and political insecurity can augment food access problems and put Aboriginal people at risk of malnutrition and other dietary harms.
In the wake of the 2009 Gippsland fires: Young adults' perceptions of post‐disaster social supports
Authors: Forbes Rouve Jan , Jones Rebecca , Reupert Andrea
Published: May 2012

Objective:  To explore young (18–27 years) rural adults' experience of both formal and informal social support networks post‐bushfire. To inform delivery of social support services for young adults post‐bushfire.

Design:  Qualitative: semi‐structured, face‐to‐face interviews with transcripts analysed using thematic content analysis.

Setting:  Gippsland 2009 flame‐impacted regions: Boolarra and Central Gippsland Black Saturday fire complexes.

Participants:  Ten bushfire impacted young adults (18–27 years): six female and four male.

Results:  The central theme was the importance of acknowledgement and validation of participants' experience as autonomous individuals. Participants' experience of social supports and networks as either helpful or unhelpful depended on the degree to which the supports delivered enhanced sense of acknowledgement, entitlement, affiliation, informational links, engagement in the recovery process and amelioration of displacement in relation to family, friends, community and environment.

Conclusion:  Participants believed that how an individual, community or service provider framed loss had a significant impact on entitlement and how needs were met. Importantly, how society, policy and service providers framed young adults as either adult or adolescent impacts on how their needs were met. This study highlights the need to resituate how loss is viewed and the need for policy and service providers to address the existing nomenclature mismatch and framing of loss so that young adults are not excluded from supports essential to recovery.
Celebrating another decade of progress in rural health: What is the current state of play?
Authors: Humphreys John S. , Gregory Gordon
Published: May 2012

The Australian Journal of Rural Health is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary. Following a review of the first decade of rural health published by the authors in 2002, this article outlines and reviews the range of policies that have impacted upon rural health in Australia since then. During the past decade there has been a raft of new policies and programs designed to bring about improved rural health outcomes, and some progress has been made. However, a number of significant barriers to overcoming the rural‐urban health differential remain. Special consideration will continue to be needed to rural affairs generally and to health system reform and rural health in particular.
α‐lipoic acid inhibits high glucose‐induced apoptosis in HIT‐T15 cells
Authors: Yang Yi , Wang Weiping , Liu Yinan , Guo Ting , Chen Ping , Ma Kangtao , Zhou Chunyan
Published: May 2012

High blood glucose plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetes. α‐lipoic acid (LA) has been used to prevent and treat diabetes, and is thought to act by increasing insulin sensitivity in many tissues. However, whether LA also has a cytoprotective effect on pancreatic islet beta cells remains unclear. In this study, we assessed whether LA could inhibit apoptosis in beta cells exposed to high glucose concentrations. HIT‐T15 pancreatic beta cells were treated with 30 mmol/L glucose in the presence or absence of 0.5 mmol/L LA for 8 days. LA significantly reduced the numbers of apoptotic HIT‐T15 cells and inhibited the cell overgrowth normally induced by high glucose treatment. Additionally, LA inhibited insulin expression and secretion in HIT‐T15 cells induced by high glucose. Further study demonstrated that LA upregulated Pdx1 and Bcl2 gene expression, reduced Bax gene expression, and promoted phosphorylation of Akt in HIT‐T15 cells treated with high glucose. Intriguingly, knockdown of Pdx1 expression partially offset the anti‐apoptotic effect of LA. However, inhibition of Akt by PI3K/AKT antagonist LY294002 only slightly reversed the anti‐apoptosis effect of LA and mildly decreased the gene expression level of Pdx1 (P > 0.05). Moreover, LA only slightly attenuated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and augmented mitochondrial membrane potential. Therefore, our data suggest that α‐lipoic acid can effectively attenuate high glucose‐induced HIT‐T15 cell apoptosis probably by increasing Pdx1 expression. These findings provide a new interpretation on the role of LA in the treatment of diabetes.