bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No way out but working? Income dynamics of young retirees in Korea
Authors: YANG YUNJEONG
Published: November 2010

Older people in Korea have a higher risk of poverty than younger adults, but the dynamics of income changes around the time of retirement have received little attention. This paper attempts to fill this gap by examining changes in the level and sources of income around the time of retirement, with retirement being defined as separation from one's main lifetime employment. It uses longitudinal data from the Korean Labour and Income Panel Study's Waves 1–9, and follows 580 younger retirees aged at least 50 years who retired during 1998–2005. The paper demonstrates that the prevalence of low income across the retirement transition was related to gender, previous career status and current working status. In particular, there was a noticeable increase in the prevalence of low income among permanent retirees compared to those who continued working in retirement. It also examines different factors associated with the individuals' economic wellbeing after retirement, and finds that working status in retirement is indeed the factor that most influences the probability of low-income entry among male retirees, while for women, the nature of co-residence with working household member(s) and household assets most mattered. From this, the paper concludes that being in paid work after retirement remains an important substitute for the immature old-age safety-net in Korea.
Promoting social inclusion? The impact of village services on the lives of older people living in rural England
Authors: DWYER PETER , HARDILL IRENE
Published: November 2010

Drawing on data from a qualitative study, this paper explores the impact of ‘village services’ on the lives of people aged 70 or more years living in rural England. Throughout the paper, the phrase ‘village services’ refers to six community-based services and activities provided to help meet the needs of older rural residents, namely lunch clubs, welfare rights information and advice services, befriending schemes and community warden support, in rural areas in three regions of England. It is argued that, in various ways, village services promote social inclusion by enhancing older rural residents' access to the resources, rights, goods and services that encourage social interaction and meaningful participation in community life. It is clear, however, that the overwhelming majority of users of village services are female, that older men are often reluctant to engage with the services on offer, and that the providers of village services need to find new and innovative ways of engaging with older men in rural areas. It is concluded that restricted revenue and capital resources means that the expansion of village services so that they may better meet the requirements of older rural men is unlikely.
Occurrence of pathogenicYersinia enterocoliticaandYersinia pseudotuberculosisin small wild rodents
Authors: BACKHANS A. , FELLSTRÖM C. , LAMBERTZ S. THISTED
Published: November 2010

Rodents are a potential source of pathogenicYersinia enterocoliticaandY. pseudotuberculosis. In order to study this, 190 rodents were captured and sampled on seven pig farms (n=110), five chicken farms (n=55) and six other locations (n=25) in Sweden. Pigs from three of the pig farms were also sampled (n=60). PathogenicY. enterocoliticawas detected by TaqMan PCR in about 5% of rodent samples and 18% of pig samples. Only rodents caught on pig farms tested positive for the pathogen.Y. enterocoliticabioserotype 4/O:3 strains isolated from the rodent and pig samples were compared by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and revealed a high degree of similarity, which was confirmed by random amplified polymorphic DNA.Y. pseudotuberculosiswas only detected in one rodent sample. Thus, rodents may be vectors for the transmission of pathogenicY. enterocoliticato pigs, acting as carriers rather than a reservoir, and should therefore remain an important issue in hygiene control measures on farms.
Observational study of the epidemiology and outcomes of vancomycin-resistantEnterococcusbacteraemia treated with newer antimicrobial agents
Authors: McKINNELL J. A. , PATEL M. , SHIRLEY R. M. , KUNZ D. F. , MOSER S. A. , BADDLEY J. W.
Published: November 2010

Vancomycin-resistantEnterococcusbloodstream infections (VRE-BSI) are a growing problem with few clinical trials to guide therapy. We conducted a retrospective study of management and predictors of mortality for VRE-BSI at a tertiary-care centre from January 2005 to August 2008. Univariate and multivariable analyses examined the relationship of patient characteristics and antibiotic therapy with 30-day all-cause mortality. Rates of VRE-BSI increased from 0·06 to 0·17 infections/1000 patient-days (P=0·03). For 235 patients, 30-day mortality was 34·9%. Patients were primarily treated with linezolid (44·2%) or daptomycin (36·5%). Factors associated with mortality were haemodialysis [odds ratio (OR) 3·2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·6–6·3,P=0·007], mechanical ventilation (OR 3·7, 95% CI 1·3–10·4,P=0·01), and malnutrition (OR 2·0, 95% CI 1·0–4·0,P=0·046). Use of linezolid, but not daptomycin (P=0·052) showed a trend towards an association with survival. In conclusion, VRE-BSI is a growing problem, associated with significant 30-day mortality. Multiple factors were associated with poor outcomes at our hospital.
Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) antibodies in bovine serum and bulk-milk samples
Authors: RYAN E. D. , KIRBY M. , COLLINS D. M. , SAYERS R. , MEE J. F. , CLEGG T.
Published: November 2010

Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) is a zoonotic disease of increasing public health importance. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of, and risk factors associated with, exposure to C. burnetii in cattle in the Republic of Ireland. Bulk-tank milk samples from 290 dairy herds and 1659 sera from 332 dairy and beef herds, randomly sampled, were tested by indirect ELISA to detect antibodies to C. burnetii. In total, 37·9% of bulk-milk sample herds and 1·8% of sera (from 6·9% of herds) were antibody positive. Of risk factors tested using logistic regression analysis, only large herd size (bulk-milk analysis) and dairy breed (serum analysis) significantly increased the odds of being positive for antibodies to C. burnetii. Herds with positive milk or serum samples were randomly distributed throughout the Republic of Ireland and no clustering was observed. The use of an ELISA to test bulk-milk samples collected by randomized stratified sampling is a cost-effective method by which national herd prevalence can be estimated by active surveillance.
Chikungunya epidemic-related mortality
Authors: MANIMUNDA S. P. , MAVALANKAR D. , BANDYOPADHYAY T. , SUGUNAN A. P.
Published: November 2010

Port Blair, the capital city of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the republic of India, witnessed an outbreak of chikungunya (CHIK) fever in 2006. Although no deaths attributable to CHIK fever were registered, thousands of people were affected. In view of evidence from other parts of the world indicating that CHIK fever does cause death we studied the mortality trend in Port Blair from 2002 to 2008 in order to verify if there was increased mortality during the CHIK fever epidemic. The expected number of monthly deaths in 2006 was calculated by multiplying the average monthly mortality rate from 2002 to 2008 (with the exception of 2006) with the monthly population in 2006. The results indicated that there was a significant increase in expected deaths during some months of 2006, which coincided with the peak in the CHIK fever epidemic in Port Blair.
Introduction: locating communities in the early modern Italian city
Authors: NEVOLA FABRIZIO
Published: November 2010

From late antiquity until the nineteenth century the Italian peninsula was made up of numerous states and city-states, governed as republics, or ruled by kings, dukes or popes. While diverse attempts were made to unify these disparate political entities through language and culture, or warfare and realpolitik, the dominant situation was one of intense rivalry and intermittent conflict. That uniquely Italian idea ofcampanilismo, or pride in one's own bell-tower, was borne of this continuous rivalry. It encapsulates an important concept, that local pride was inscribed in the physical fabric of the city, that a bell-tower could stand for a collective sense of one city's self-image and that this was expressed and calibrated in relation to neighbours, who were usually rivals. It is within this frame of references that much recent scholarship on urban image and identity has focused, teasing out the intentional distinctions that were drawn socio-politically and culturally, between the major centres of the peninsula. Such a process has significantly altered the view, dominant until quite recently, that style in art and architecture followed a single evolutionary route that passed from one place to another, as each lived a ‘golden age’ that defined a single ‘urban’ school – Siena, Venice, Florence, Rome, Bologna. In its place, a more nuanced view of how each centre fostered, reacted, responded and adopted innovation and change has come to the fore. In a generation of scholarship that followed Michael Baxandall's ground-breakingPainting and Experience, the idea that Renaissance Italians consciously fashioned urban images and identities has entered the mainstream. Scholars have put artworks and buildings back into close relation with the social contexts of their production and have asked how they worked in relation to their users and viewers.
Domestic space and identity: artisans, shopkeepers and traders in sixteenth-century Siena
Authors: HOHTI PAULA
Published: November 2010

Historians of early modern Italy have traditionally viewed the city's public spaces, such as streets, quarters, taverns and marketplaces, as the chief locations in which claims to identity were launched into the broader urban community. Recent studies on the domestic interior, however, have shown that the distinction between ‘public’ and ‘private’ in the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century urban space was much more complex. In this period, private urban houses became sites for an increasing range of social acitvities that varied from informal evening gatherings to large wedding banquets. Focusing on this ‘public’ dimension of the private urban house, this article explores how the middling classes of artisans and shopkeepers used the domestic space to construct identities and to facilitate social relations in sixteenth-century Siena. The aim is to show that in providing a setting for differing forms of economic and social activity, the urban home together with its objects and furnishings may have provided an increasingly important physical location for craftsmen, shop-owners and traders to negotaite individual and collective identities within the broader communities of the city.
Between the king and the pope: French cardinals in Rome (1495–1560)
Authors: BARDATI FLAMINIA
Published: November 2010

On account of their dual function as princes of the church and agents for the king of France, the French cardinals in Rome constitute a well-defined and self-contained community. They were governed by complex internal dynamics as well as by the need to present a unified front to the pope, in addition to the College of Cardinals and the citizenry of Rome. French cardinals present in Rome between 1490 and 1560 were mobile, as their physical presence in the city was not continuous: a number of them were stable residents in Rome, charged with diplomatic missions, while others only attended the conclaves. A special case is that of Jean du Bellay, who became fully integrated into the life of the city, established a literary salon open to artists and poets, and was involved in the study of Antiquities and the construction of a villa-garden complex, theHorti Bellayani.
The via Papalis in early cinquecento Rome: a contested space between Roman families and curials
Authors: CAFÀ VALERIA
Published: November 2010

On the definitive return of the pope to Rome in 1420, following the so-called Avignonese captivity, the city underwent major modifications. The ‘romanam curiam sequentes’, the court and administration that followed the traditionally itinerant pope, settled in the city, leading to Rome's population doubling in the space of a few years. Furthermore, with the support of the pope, the members of the curia came to take possession of spaces, offices, roles and rituals that had previously been the reserve of the local Romans. This article considers the reaction of the community of the local nobility (here described summarily as Roman families) to the encroaching presence of the curia within the specific context of the development of the built form of the via Papalis. It is argued that the via Papalis, one of the most important and prestigious streets in Rome, became the theatre within which these two communities played out their conflict through the medium of built and ephemeral architecture.
Courtiers and musicians meet in the streets: the Florentine mascherata under Cosimo I
Authors: CANGUILHEM PHILIPPE
Published: November 2010

It is well known that the shift from canti carnascialeschi to mascherate, which took place in Florence during the first half of the sixteenth century, corresponds to parallel political changes from republic to duchy. The role of the new Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici in the transformation of Florentine street festivals must be appraised through his aim of establishing a courtly society in which the nobility were subjected to his control. In this article, this double process of change is observed through documents which show how the courtly mascherata can be viewed as a means by which courtiers sought to be identified as a homogeneous group by all Florentine citizens, looking at and listening to them from their windows.
Bibliography of urban history 2010
Authors: NOBLE MALCOLM
Published: November 2010

The present bibliography is a continuation of and a complement to those published in the Urban History Yearbook 1974–91 and Urban History from 1992. The arrangement and format closely follows that of previous years. The list of abbreviations identifies only those periodicals from which articles cited this year have been taken, though many other journals are also checked. There is an index of towns on p. 552
Bilingual education, metalinguistic awareness, and the understanding of an unknown language
Authors: TER KUILE HAGAR , VELDHUIS MICHIEL , VAN VEEN SUZANNE C. , WICHERTS JELTE M.
Published: November 2010

An increasing number of schools offer bilingual programs, where lessons are taught in more than one language. Several theories state that bilinguals have greater metalinguistic awareness than monolinguals. We investigated whether this greater metalinguistic awareness is also related to an increased ability to understand an unknown language. To measure metalinguistic awareness and the ability to understand text written in an unknown language, we designed the Indonesian Language Test (ILT). The ILT consists of items regarding a story in Indonesian. Dutch high school students from monolingual and bilingual classes were administered the ILT, a Dutch Language Test, an English Language Test, and a general intelligence test. The ILT showed promising psychometric properties. Bilingual students scored significantly higher on the ILT than monolingual students. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses showed (i) that ILT measures the ability to understand an unknown language, and (ii) that bilingual students score significantly higher than monolingual students on this ability. Both observations support the notion that bilingual education increases metalinguistic awareness and therefore the ability to understand an unknown language.
Morphophonemic transfer in English second language learners
Authors: PING SZE WEI , RICKARD LIOW SUSAN J.
Published: November 2010

Malay (Rumi) is alphabetic and has a transparent, agglutinative system of affixation. We manipulated language-specific junctural phonetics in Malay and English to investigate whether morphophonemic L1-knowledge influences L2-processing. A morpheme decision task, “Does this  sound like a mono- or bi-morphemic English word?”, was developed by crossing English Transitional Probability (high vs. low) with Malay Transitional Possibility (possible vs. impossible). The data for Malay-L1/English-L2 adults (N = 21) provide clear and reliable empirical evidence of L1-to-L2 morphophonemic transfer: Participants were more accurate at identifying transitional boundaries in English when they are also possible in Malay. Pedagogical implications are discussed.
Whose? L2-English speakers' possessive pronoun gender errors
Authors: ANTÓN-MÉNDEZ INÉS
Published: November 2010

This article reports the results of an experiment on production ofhis/herin English as a second language (L2) by proficient native speakers of Italian, Spanish, and Dutch. In Dutch and English, 3rd person singular possessive pronouns agree in gender with their antecedents, in Italian and Spanish possessives in general agree with the noun they accompany (possessum). However, while in Italian the 3rd person singular possessives overtly agree in gender with the possessums, in Spanish they lack overt morphological gender marking. Dutch speakers were found to make very few possessive gender errors in any condition, Spanish and Italian speakers, on the other hand, behaved like Dutch speakers when the possessum was inanimate, but made more errors when it was animate (e.g.,his mother). Thus, even proficient L2 speakers are susceptible to the influence of automatic processes that should apply in their first language alone. The pattern of results has implications for pronoun production and models of bilingual language production.
Development and use of English evaluative expressions in narratives of Chinese–English bilinguals
Authors: CHEN LIANG , YAN RUIXIA
Published: November 2010

This study compares the development and use of evaluative expressions in the English narratives elicited from 80 Chinese–English bilinguals and 80 American monolingual peers at four ages – five, eight, ten, and young adults – using the wordless picture book Frog, where are you? (Mayer, 1969). Results revealed both similarities and differences between monolingual and bilingual groups. On the one hand, regardless of bilingual status, there is a clear age-related growth in the development and use of evaluative expressions. On the other hand, bilingual children in our study differed from monolingual children in the quantity and quality of evaluative clauses used. The results are discussed with respect to linguistic and cultural differences between English and Chinese.
Attending to Translocal Identities: How Congolese Anglicans Talk about their Church
Authors: Wild-Wood Emma
Published: November 2010

In the perennial discussions about Anglican identity some voices predominate more than others.L’Eglise Anglicane du Congois a small province with a modest voice in the Anglican Communion. This article looks at Congolese Anglican identity as articulated by its members and examines the way in which the formation of that identity emerges from local concerns as well as wider networks. It uses interviews with members to focus on the majority appreciation of ‘order’, as expressed in governance and ritual, and recent shifts in the discourses surrounding ‘order’ to engage with changes in the country. The article borrows the terms ‘translocal’ and ‘transnational’ from the social sciences to explore the overlapping relational identities that emerge and the multi-directional dynamics of Congolese Anglicans. It suggests that this approach may have wider implications for understanding Anglicanism.
MaizeGDB , maize genetics cooperation and the ~2500MB B73 genome generated tsunami
Authors: Schaeffer Mary , Gardiner Jack , Harper Elisabeth , Andorf Carson , Campbell Darwin , Cannon Ethalinda , Sen Taner , Lawrence Carolyn
Published: November 2010

Advances in sequencing technology have made it possible to sequence the 2500 MB B73 maize genome, both cheaply and in a relatively short time. Nearly simultaneously, other sequencing-based data are on the leading edge of a data tsunami: sequenced differences (currently >300,000 SNP for >1000 inbred lines and related species) and gene expression data. The MaizeGDB team integrates access to these datasets after considerable cooperation among both data users and suppliers, and typically while the data are being generated. In this way, data suppliers have resources in place to format data ready for integration with MaizeGDB. And, we learn what details, including links to other resources, are needed to support our user community and what interface development is required. An interesting result is that we inadvertently serve as outreach for the data suppliers, explaining the caveats and expected availabilities of data not yet at MaizeGDB. Contact with users is at conferences, by online tutorials, personal visits, or by surveys from the Maize Executive Genetics Committee addressed to all persons listed in MaizeGDB as a Cooperator.
Protective role of air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) of yam family in myocardial ischemic reperfusion injury
Authors: Vasanthi Hannah Rachel , Mukherjee Subhendu , Ray Diptarka , Pandian Jayachandran Karuppiah Shanmugasundara , Lekli Istvan , Das Dipak Kumar
Published: November 2010

Cardioprotective activity of tubers ofDioscorea bulbiferais mediated by inhibition of cardiomyocyte necrosis and apoptosis as evidenced by the ventricular function and the pro and antiapoptotic protein expression.
A novel amino acid supplementation strategy based on a stoichiometric model to enhance human IL‐2 (interleukin‐2) expression in high‐cell‐density Escherichia coli cultures
Authors: Sarkandy Shahin Yegane , Khalilzadeh Rasoul , Shojaosadati Seyed Abbas , Sadeghizadeh Majid , Farnoud Amir Mohammad , Babaeipour Valiollah , Maghsoudi Amir
Published: November 2010

A novel amino acid supplementation strategy was developed for enhancing the production of IL‐2 (interleukin‐2; as a model protein) by recombinant Escherichia coli BL21 (pET21a‐hil2) in fed‐batch high‐cell‐density cultures. The amino acids most needed and their amounts were determined using a stoichiometric model, and full factorial design experiments were conducted to determine the effects of single amino acids and amino acid mixtures on production. One of the most effective amino acid mixtures was found to be leucine, aspartic acid and glycine. This amino acid mixture was utilized for the production of IL‐2 in batch and fed‐batch fermentations. The amount of IL‐2 produced increased from 403 to 722 mg/l and from 5.15 × 103 to 8.08 × 103 mg/l in batch and fed‐batch cultures respectively. The results also revealed that the above amino acid mixture specifically increases IL‐2 concentration in the cells.
Relationship between protein structural fluctuations and rebinding dynamics in ferric haem nitrosyls
Authors: Hunt Neil T. , Greetham Gregory M. , Towrie Michael , Parker Anthony W. , Tucker Nicholas P.
Published: November 2010

The interaction of nitric oxide (NO) with haem proteins is widespread in biology. In the current paper, we present the first ultrafast 2D-IR (two-dimensional infrared) spectroscopic analysis of haem nitrosylation, which has been combined with time-resolved IR pump–probe studies to investigate the relationship between equilibrium vibrational dynamics of the haem environment and ligand rebinding behaviour following photolysis of NO from the Fe(III)–NO site. Studies of two haem proteins, Mb (myoglobin) and Cc (cytochrome c), which play different physiological roles, reveal marked contrasts in the ultrafast fluctuations of the protein pockets containing the haem, showing that the Mb pocket is somewhat more flexible than that of Cc. This correlates strongly with slower observed photolysis rebinding kinetics of Mb–NO compared with Cc–NO, and indicates a direct link between ultrafast fluctuations and biological functionality. Furthermore, this indicates the validity of linear response theories in relation to protein ligand binding. Finally, 2D-IR shows that Cc–NO displays two distinct structural sub-sites at room temperature that do not exchange on the timescales accessible via the NO vibrational lifetime.
Conditional expression of the FTO gene product in rat INS-1 cells reveals its rapid turnover and a role in the profile of glucose-induced insulin secretion
Authors: Russell Mark A. , Morgan Noel G.
Published: November 2010

Common polymorphisms within the FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated) gene correlate with increased BMI (body mass index) and a rising risk of Type 2 diabetes. FTO is highly expressed in the brain but has also been detected in peripheral tissues, including the endocrine pancreas, although its function there is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of FTO protein in pancreatic β-cells using a conditional expression system developed in INS-1 cells. INS-1 cells were stably transfected with FTO–HA (haemagluttinin) incorporated under the control of a tetracycline-inducible promoter. Induction of FTO protein resulted in localization of the tagged protein to the nucleus. The level of FTO–HA protein achieved in transfected cells was tightly regulated, and experiments with selective inhibitors revealed that FTO–HA is rapidly degraded via the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. The nuclear localization was not altered by proteasome inhibitors, although following treatment with PYR-41, an inhibitor of ubiquitination, some of the protein adopted a perinuclear localization. Unexpectedly, modestly increased expression of FTO–HA selectively enhanced the first phase of insulin secretion when INS-1 monolayers or pseudoislets were stimulated with 20 mM glucose, whereas the second phase remained unchanged. The mechanism responsible for the potentiation of glucose-induced insulin secretion is unclear; however, further experiments revealed that it did not involve an increase in insulin biosynthesis or any changes in STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) expression. Taken together, these results suggest that the FTO protein may play a hitherto unrecognized role in the control of first-phase insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells.
The Lifespan of Time Intervals in Reference Memory
Authors: Gamache Pierre-Luc , Grondin Simon
Published: November 2010

To further explore how memory influences time judgments, we conducted two experiments on the lifespan of temporal representations in memory. Penney et al (2000, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance26 1770 – 1787) reported that the perceived duration of auditorily and visually marked intervals differs only when both marker-type intervals are compared directly. This finding can be explained by a ‘memory-mixing’ process, whereby the memory trace of previous intervals influences the perception of upcoming ones, which are then added to the memory content. In the experiments discussed here, we manipulated the mixing mode of auditory/visual signal presentations. In experiment 1, signals from the same modality were either grouped by blocks or randomised within blocks. The results showed that the auditory/visual difference decreased but remained present when modalities were grouped by blocks. In experiment 2, we used a line-segmentation task. The results showed that, after a training block was performed in one modality, the perceived duration of signals from the other modality was distorted for at least 30 trials and that the magnitude of the difference decreased as the block went on. The results of both experiments highlight the influence of memory on time judgments, providing empirical support to, and quantitative portrayal of, the memory-mixing process.
Diet and reproduction in the white-spotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari from Queensland, Australia and the Penghu Islands, Taiwan
Authors: Schluessel V. , Bennett M. B. , Collin S. P.
Published: November 2010

Aetobatus narinari, a circumglobal batoid, is subjected to increasing fishing pressures, especially throughout South-east Asia. However, its management and protection is complicated by the lack of relevant life history information. It appears to be a late-maturing, long-lived stingray with a size-at-maturity of ∼130 and >150 cm in ventral disc width for males and females respectively. Like other myliobatids, A. narinari is a matrotrophic viviparous species exhibiting lipid histotrophy as indicated by trophonemata. Only the left ovary and uterus are functional. The presence of mature sperm in the testes, collecting ducts, epididymis and ductus deferens coincided with the estimated time of parturition and mating. Catches indicated an unbiased sex ratio. Aetobatus narinari is a hard-prey specialist that feeds mainly on gastropods, molluscs and hermit crabs (Diogenidae). Molluscs comprised numerically and gravimetrically the most important prey group (Index of Relative Importance (IRI): 85.9% in Australia, 99.9% in Taiwan) and were observed in 83.3% and 100% of stomachs containing food from Australia and Taiwan respectively. Minor dietary shifts from a gastropod–crustacean to a more gastropod–bivalve based diet occurred as body size increased. This study provides vital biological data for the effective management and conservation of A. narinari.
A novel application of radionuclides for dating sediment cores from sandy, anthropogenically disturbed estuaries
Authors: Van Eaton Alexa R. , Zimmerman Andrew R. , Jaeger John M. , Brenner Mark , Kenney William F. , Schmid Jeffrey R.
Published: November 2010

Reliable sedimentation histories are difficult to obtain in sandy or anthropogenically impacted coastal systems with disturbed sediment profiles and low initial radionuclide activities. This study addresses the problem using radionuclides in sediment cores from Naples Bay estuary, Florida, USA. Non-steady sedimentation and nuclide scavenging processes are shown to limit application of traditional radiometric dating models in this system. Whole-core inventories of excess 210Pb activity (210Pbxs) varied from 21 to 96 dpm cm–2 among sites, and initial sediment 210Pbxs activities were low, decreasing non-uniformly with depth in most cores. Activities of three radioisotopes used for sediment dating (226Ra, 210Pb, and 137Cs) were compared with grain size and organic matter (OM) distributions to assess the factors that influence accumulation of radionuclides. Regression analysis indicated that radionuclide activities were more strongly correlated with OM content than with grain size parameters, and a novel OM-normalisation procedure was developed to correct for preferential nuclide associations. Normalised 210Pbxs profiles provide evidence for shifts in sedimentation rates and episodic erosion events in regions of the estuary where anthropogenic disturbance is known to have occurred. Our results emphasise the need to consider radionuclide scavenging by OM in sandy coastal sediments when establishing sedimentation histories.
Craig Thompson: The method to cancer's madness
Authors: Sedwick Caitlin
Published: November 2010

Thompson studies the metabolic requirements of dividing immune and cancer cells.
PIASy-dependent SUMOylation regulates DNA topoisomerase IIα activity
Authors: Ryu Hyunju , Furuta Maiko , Kirkpatrick Donald , Gygi Steven P. , Azuma Yoshiaki
Published: November 2010

DNA topoisomerase IIα (TopoIIα) is an essential chromosome-associated enzyme with activity implicated in the resolution of tangled DNA at centromeres before anaphase onset. However, the regulatory mechanism of TopoIIα activity is not understood. Here, we show that PIASy-mediated small ubiquitin-like modifier 2/3 (SUMO2/3) modification of TopoIIα strongly inhibits TopoIIα decatenation activity. Using mass spectrometry and biochemical analysis, we demonstrate that TopoIIα is SUMOylated at lysine 660 (Lys660), a residue located in the DNA gate domain, where both DNA cleavage and religation take place. Remarkably, loss of SUMOylation on Lys660 eliminates SUMOylation-dependent inhibition of TopoIIα, which indicates that Lys660 SUMOylation is critical for PIASy-mediated inhibition of TopoIIα activity. Together, our findings provide evidence for the regulation of TopoIIα activity on mitotic chromosomes by SUMOylation. Therefore, we propose a novel mechanism for regulation of centromeric DNA catenation during mitosis by PIASy-mediated SUMOylation of TopoIIα.
Phosphorylation of a membrane curvature–sensing motif switches function of the HOPS subunit Vps41 in membrane tethering
Authors: Cabrera Margarita , Langemeyer Lars , Mari Muriel , Rethmeier Ralf , Orban Ioan , Perz Angela , Bröcker Cornelia , Griffith Janice , Klose Daniel , Steinhoff Heinz-Jürgen , Reggiori Fulvio , Engelbrecht-Vandré Siegfried , Ungermann Christian
Published: November 2010

Tethering factors are organelle-specific multisubunit protein complexes that identify, along with Rab guanosine triphosphatases, transport vesicles and trigger their SNARE-mediated fusion of specific transport vesicles with the target membranes. Little is known about how tethering factors discriminate between different trafficking pathways, which may converge at the same organelle. In this paper, we describe a phosphorylation-based switch mechanism, which allows the homotypic vacuole fusion protein sorting effector subunit Vps41 to operate in two distinct fusion events, namely endosome–vacuole and AP-3 vesicle–vacuole fusion. Vps41 contains an amphipathic lipid-packing sensor (ALPS) motif, which recognizes highly curved membranes. At endosomes, this motif is inserted into the lipid bilayer and masks the binding motif for the δ subunit of the AP-3 complex, Apl5, without affecting the Vps41 function in endosome–vacuole fusion. At the much less curved vacuole, the ALPS motif becomes available for phosphorylation by the resident casein kinase Yck3. As a result, the Apl5-binding site is exposed and allows AP-3 vesicles to bind to Vps41, followed by specific fusion with the vacuolar membrane. This multifunctional tethering factor thus discriminates between trafficking routes by switching from a curvature-sensing to a coat recognition mode upon phosphorylation.
Mitotic spindle disassembly occurs via distinct subprocesses driven by the anaphase-promoting complex, Aurora B kinase, and kinesin-8
Authors: Woodruff Jeffrey B. , Drubin David G. , Barnes Georjana
Published: November 2010

The mitotic spindle is a complex and dynamic structure. Although much has been learned about how spindles assemble and mediate chromosome segregation, how spindles rapidly and irreversibly disassemble during telophase is less clear. We used synthetic lethal screens in budding yeast to identify mutants defective in spindle disassembly. Real-time, live cell imaging analysis of spindle disassembly was performed on nine mutants defective in this process. Results of this analysis suggest that spindle disassembly is achieved by mechanistically distinct but functionally overlapping subprocesses: disengagement of the spindle halves, arrest of spindle elongation, and initiation of interpolar microtubule depolymerization. These subprocesses are largely governed by the anaphase-promoting complex, Aurora B kinase, and kinesin-8. Combinatorial inhibition of these subprocesses yielded cells with hyperstable spindle remnants and dramatic defects in cell cycle progression, establishing that rapid spindle disassembly is crucial for cell proliferation.
Cytoskeletal mechanics of proplatelet maturation and platelet release
Authors: Thon Jonathan N. , Montalvo Alejandro , Patel-Hett Sunita , Devine Matthew T. , Richardson Jennifer L. , Ehrlicher Allen , Larson Mark K. , Hoffmeister Karin , Hartwig John H. , Italiano Joseph E.
Published: November 2010

Megakaryocytes generate platelets by remodeling their cytoplasm into long proplatelet extensions, which serve as assembly lines for platelet production. Although the mechanics of proplatelet elongation have been studied, the terminal steps of proplatelet maturation and platelet release remain poorly understood. To elucidate this process, released proplatelets were isolated, and their conversion into individual platelets was assessed. This enabled us to (a) define and quantify the different stages in platelet maturation, (b) identify a new intermediate stage in platelet production, the preplatelet, (c) delineate the cytoskeletal mechanics involved in preplatelet/proplatelet interconversion, and (d) model proplatelet fission and platelet release. Preplatelets are anucleate discoid particles 2–10 µm across that have the capacity to convert reversibly into elongated proplatelets by twisting microtubule-based forces that can be visualized in proplatelets expressing GFP–β1-tubulin. The release of platelets from the ends of proplatelets occurs at an increasing rate in time during culture, as larger proplatelets undergo successive fission, and is potentiated by shear.
Plk1 negatively regulates Cep55 recruitment to the midbody to ensure orderly abscission
Authors: Bastos Ricardo Nunes , Barr Francis A.
Published: November 2010

Cytokinesis requires a membrane-remodeling and fission event termed abscission that occurs after chromosome segregation, cleavage furrow formation, and contraction have completed. In this study, we show how abscission factor recruitment is controlled by the Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1). At the metaphase–anaphase transition, Plk1 initiates cleavage furrow formation and is then progressively degraded during mitotic exit. During this period, Plk1 phosphorylates the abscission factor Cep55 in trans and prevents its untimely recruitment to the anaphase spindle. A Plk1 phosphorylation site mutant of Cep55 is prematurely recruited to the anaphase spindle and fails to support abscission. Endogenous Cep55 behaves similarly after Plk1 inhibition by the drugs BI2536 or GW842862. Only once Plk1 is degraded can Cep55 target to the midbody and promote abscission. Blocking Plk1 degradation leads to elevated levels of Plk1 at the midbody and the failure of Cep55 recruitment. Thus, Plk1 activity negatively regulates Cep55 to ensure orderly abscission factor recruitment and ensures that this occurs only once cell contraction has completed.
Platelet precursors display bipolar behavior
Authors: Schwertz Hansjörg , Weyrich Andrew S.
Published: November 2010

In this issue, Thon et al. (2010. J. Cell Biol. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201006102) demonstrate that newly released platelets exhibit bipolar behavior, shifting back and forth between round cells and multibodied proplatelets (Thon et al., 2010). The authors define this intermediate as a preplatelet and, in doing so, shed new insight into the terminal steps of platelet maturation.
Generic Hecke algebras for monomial groups
Authors: Alhaddad S. , Douglass J.
Published: November 2010

In this paper we define a two-variable, generic Hecke algebra,H\mathcal H, for each complex reflection groupG(b,1,n)G(b,1,n). The algebraH\mathcal Hspecializes to the group algebra ofG(b,1,n)G(b,1,n)and also to an endomorphism algebra of a representation ofGLn⁡(Fq)\operatorname {GL}_n(\mathbb F_q)induced from a solvable subgroup. We construct Kazhdan-Lusztig “RR-polynomials” forH\mathcal {H}and show that they may be used to define a partial order onG(b,1,n)G(b,1,n). Using a generalization of Deodhar’s notion of distinguished subexpressions we give a closed formula for theRR-polynomials. After passing to a one-variable quotient of the ring of scalars, we construct Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials forH\mathcal Hthat reduce to the usual Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials for the symmetric group whenb=1b=1.
The Joy of a Career in Cell Biology
Authors: Werb Zena
Published: November 2010

Science is a career where you do what you love everyday. Our science is built on the shoulders of those who came before us, and in turn we provide shoulders for our students and colleagues to build upon. Of course, seeing the seeds of ideas that we plant bear fruit as interesting science is why I love being a scientist. Looking back it also has been a particularly gratifying challenge to mentor members of the younger generation in building their careers.
Finding a Niche
Authors: Bezanilla Magdalena
Published: November 2010

Although I always knew I wanted to be a scientist, I didn't know I would become a cell biologist. Events in life that you would never have predicted can greatly impact your career trajectory. I have learned to let those events take me in new directions. Following a desire to investigate an understudied area of cell biology, I have found a niche. In this area, my lab is poised to contribute significantly toward understanding the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying polarized plant cell growth.
A Fascination with Sugars
Authors: Kornfeld Stuart
Published: November 2010

We now recognize that a large number of membrane and soluble proteins contain covalently linked oligosaccharides that exhibit a vast array of structures and participate in a wide variety of biological processes. Nowhere is this better illustrated than the mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) recognition system that mediates the trafficking of newly synthesized acid hydrolases to lysosomes in higher eukaryotes. The Asn-linked high-mannose oligosaccharides of these hydrolases facilitate folding of the nascent proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum via interaction with lectin-type chaperones and after phosphorylation in the Golgi, function as ligands for binding to Man-6-P receptors, a critical step in their transport to lysosomes. Failure to synthesize the Man-6-P recognition marker results in a serious lysosomal storage disease, one of a growing number of genetic conditions, termed congenital disorders of glycosylation, that result from faulty glycan biosynthesis.
The Future of Golgi Research
Authors: Rothman James E.
Published: November 2010

This essay looks backward on the past three decades of research toward understanding the mechanism of macromolecular traffic through and within the Golgi apparatus with an eye to the future. I also explain why I feel the Golgi should continue to hold the attention of molecular cell biologists.
An ABC Transporter and a Cytochrome P450 of Nectria haematococca MPVI Are Virulence Factors on Pea and Are the Major Tolerance Mechanisms to the Phytoalexin Pisatin
Authors: Coleman Jeffrey J. , White Gerard J. , Rodriguez-Carres Marianela , VanEtten Hans D.
Published: November 2010

The fungal plant pathogen Nectria haematococca MPVI produces a cytochrome P450 that is responsible for detoxifying the phytoalexin pisatin, produced as a defense mechanism by its host, garden pea. In this study, we demonstrate that this fungus also produces a specific ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, NhABC1, that enhances its tolerance to pisatin. In addition, although both mechanisms individually contribute to the tolerance of pisatin and act as host-specific virulence factors, mutations in both genes render the fungus even more sensitive to pisatin and essentially nonpathogenic on pea. NhABC1 is rapidly induced after treatment with pisatin in vitro and during infection of pea plants. Furthermore, NhABC1 was able to confer tolerance to the phytoalexin rishitin, produced by potato. NhABC1 appears to be orthologous to GpABC1 of the potato pathogen Gibberella pulicaris and, along with MoABC1 from Magnaporthe oryzae, resides in a phylogenetically related clade enriched with ABC transorters involved in virulence. We propose that NhABC1 and the cytochrome P450 may function in a sequential manner in which the energy expense from pisatin efflux by NhABC1 releases the repression of the cytochrome P450, ultimately allowing pisatin tolerance by two mechanisms. These results demonstrate that a successful pathogen has evolved multiple mechanisms to overcome these plant antimicrobial compounds.
Occurrence and Yield Effects of Wheat Infected with Triticum mosaic virus in Kansas
Authors: Seifers Dallas L. , Martin T. J. , Fellers John P.
Published: November 2010

Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) infects wheat (Triticum aestivum) in the Great Plains region of the United States. This study determined the occurrence of TriMV at three locations over 3 years and yield effects of wheat mechanically infected with TriMV. Wheat infection with TriMV, Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), and the High Plains virus (HPV) was verified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Both wheat singly infected with TriMV and doubly infected with TriMV and WSMV occurred at three, two, and one locations in 2007, 2008, and 2009, respectively. Wheat singly infected with HPV occurred at one and two locations in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Wheat doubly infected with WSMV and HPV occurred at one location in 2008 and 2009. Infection with TriMV declined at two locations each year and, at the third location, it increased the second year and was not detected the third year. WSMV infection increased, except for a decline the third year at one location. In contrast to 3.0% infection of wheat with TriMV and WSMV at one location, 85% of the wheat 1.6 km from that site was infected with TriMV and WSMV in 2009. Infection of wheat with TriMV caused significant yield and volume weight reductions in Danby, RonL, and Jagalene but not KS96HW10-3 wheat.
Plant Age Affects Root Infection and Development of Foliar Symptoms of Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome
Authors: Gongora-Canul C. C. , Leandro L. F. S.
Published: November 2010

Soybean sudden death syndrome is characterized by root rot followed by the development of foliar symptoms. However, it is not known how time of infection affects disease severity. Soybean plants were inoculated at 0, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after planting (DAP) by drenching potting media with conidia of Fusarium virguliforme, then incubating in growth chambers at 17°C for 7 days followed by 24°C for 31 days. Root rot and severity of foliar symptoms were assessed 18 and 38 days after inoculation (DAI). Root rot developed on plants inoculated at all ages but plants inoculated at seed stage (0 DAP) had the highest (P < 0.01) root rot severity (>90%). At 38 DAI, foliar symptoms were severe (>80%) on plants inoculated at 0 DAP but did not develop on plants inoculated at all other ages. Xylem colonization by F. virguliforme was more frequent in plants inoculated at 0 DAP than on plants inoculated at later stages. The results of this study suggest that soybean roots become less susceptible to xylem colonization and the subsequent development of foliar symptoms as plants mature. Therefore, practices aimed at protecting seed and seedling roots from infection may improve soybean sudden death management.