bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TAKING THE PUZZLE OUT OF THE PURCHASING POWER PARITY PUZZLE: AN APPLICATION IN RESPECT OF SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: Mokoena Tm
Published: April 2007

This paper discusses two versions of the purchasing power parity puzzle. It presents the results of nonlinearity and nonstationarity tests in respect of the real exchange rates of the rand. It is found that the rand real exchange rate behaviour tends to be nonlinear and stationary in a majority of cases in the sample. This suggests that for the majority of the currencies in the sample, the real exchange rates of the rand are mean‐reverting, implying that the purchasing power parity relation holds in a nonlinear manner.
Can human cardiovascular regulation during exercise be learnt from feedback from arterial baroreceptors?
Authors: Herigstad Mari , Balanos George M. , Robbins Peter A.
Published: April 2007

During dynamic exercise, a large fall in systemic vascular resistance occurs. Arterial pressure (AP) is, however, maintained through a combination of central command and neural activity from muscle afferents that adjust the autonomic outflow to the circulation. How these signals are calibrated to provide accurate regulation of AP remains unclear. This study tests the hypothesis that the calibration can be ‘learnt’ through feedback from the arterial baroreceptors arising over multiple trials of exercise. Eight healthy subjects undertook three different protocols in random order. The test protocol consisted of 7 days' training, when subjects were exposed on 70 occasions to 4 min of exercise (50% of maximal oxygen uptake capacity) paired with neck suction (−40 mmHg) to mimic an excessive rise in AP at the carotid baroreceptors with exercise. Two control protocols involved training with either exercise or neck suction alone. No significant changes in mean AP, diastolic AP or heart rate during normal exercise were detected following training with any protocol. However, the rise in systolic AP with exercise was attenuated by an average of 7.3 ± 2.0 mmHg (mean ±s.e.m., P < 0.01) on the first and second days following training with the test protocol, but not with either control protocol (P < 0.05 for difference between protocols, ANOVA). In conclusion, this study failed to show that mean AP during normal exercise could be reduced through prior conditioning by overstimulation of the baroreceptors during exercise. However, a reduction in systolic AP was observed that suggests the presence of some plasticity within the autonomic response, consistent with our hypothesis.
Sonoporation Is an Efficient Tool for Intracellular Fluorescent Dextran Delivery and One-Step Double-Crossover Mutant Construction in
Fusobacterium nucleatum
Authors: Han Yiping W. , Ikegami Akihiko , Chung Peter , Zhang Lei , Deng Cheri X.
Published: April 2007

Studies of microorganisms are often hindered by a lack of effective genetic tools. One such example is
Fusobacterium nucleatum
, a gram-negative anaerobe associated with various human infections, including those causing periodontal disease and preterm birth. The first double-crossover allelic-exchange mutant in
F. nucleatum
was recently constructed using sonoporation, a novel ultrasound-mediated intracellular delivery method, demonstrating potential for bacterial gene transfection. To better unveil its mechanism, the current study examines the factors affecting the outcome of sonoporation. Delivery of Texas Red-conjugated dextran into
F. nucleatum
by sonoporation was at least twice as efficient as that by electroporation, and sonoporation was nonbactericidal, unlike electroporation. The delivery efficiency was affected by the acoustic pressure amplitude, the duty cycle, and the quantity of microbubbles used to initiate cavitation but not by the pulse repetition frequency of ultrasound application. To examine the involvement of homologous recombination in sonoporation-mediated mutant construction, the highly conserved
recA
gene, which carried most of the consensus residues, including the P loop, was identified in
F. nucleatum
, and a double-crossover
recA
mutant of
F. nucleatum
12230, US1610, was constructed by sonoporation. The mutant exhibited increased sensitivity to UV exposure compared with that of the wild type, indicating that the RecA function in
F. nucleatum
was conserved. Interestingly, US1610 was also sensitive to ultrasound treatment, suggesting the likely involvement of RecA in postsonoporation repair and survival. Since sonoporation has consistently generated one-step double-crossover mutants in
F. nucleatum
by use of intact suicide plasmids, this technology may be developed into an efficient tool for streamlining mutant construction in bacteria.
Detection and Transformation of Genome Segments That Differ within a Coastal Population of
Vibrio cholerae
Strains
Authors: Miller Michael C. , Keymer Daniel P. , Avelar Abigail , Boehm Alexandria B. , Schoolnik Gary K.
Published: April 2007

Vibrio cholerae
is an autochthonous member of diverse aquatic ecosystems around the globe. Collectively, the genomes of environmental
V. cholerae
strains comprise a large repository of encoded functions which can be acquired by individual
V. cholerae
lineages through uptake and recombination. To characterize the genomic diversity of environmental
V. cholerae
, we used comparative genome hybridization to study 41 environmental strains isolated from diverse habitats along the central California coast, a region free of endemic cholera. These data were used to classify genes of the epidemic
V. cholerae
O1 sequenced strain N16961 as conserved, variably present, or absent from the isolates. For the most part, absent genes were restricted to large mobile elements and have known functions in pathogenesis. Conversely, genes present in some, but not all, California isolates were in smaller contiguous clusters and were less likely to be near genes with functions in DNA mobility. Two such clusters of variable genes encoding different selectable metabolic phenotypes (mannose and diglucosamine utilization) were transformed into the genomes of environmental isolates by chitin-dependent competence, indicating that this mechanism of general genetic exchange is conserved among
V. cholerae
. The transformed DNA had an average size of 22.7 kbp, demonstrating that natural competence can mediate the movement of large chromosome fragments. Thus, whether variable genes arise through the acquisition of new sequences by horizontal gene transfer or by the loss of preexisting DNA though deletion, natural transformation provides a mechanism by which
V. cholerae
clones can gain access to the
V. cholerae
pan-genome.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
Strain GG Reduces Aflatoxin B
1
Transport, Metabolism, and Toxicity in Caco-2 Cells
Authors: Gratz S. , Wu Q. K. , El-Nezami H. , Juvonen R. O. , Mykkänen H. , Turner P. C.
Published: April 2007

The probiotic
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
GG is able to bind the potent hepatocarcinogen aflatoxin B
1
(AFB
1
) and thus potentially restrict its rapid absorption from the intestine. In this study we investigated the potential of GG to reduce AFB
1
availability in vitro in Caco-2 cells adapted to express cytochrome P-450 (CYP) 3A4, such that both transport and toxicity could be assessed. Caco-2 cells were grown as confluent monolayers on transmembrane filters for 21 days prior to all studies. AFB
1
levels in culture medium were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. In CYP 3A4-induced monolayers, AFB
1
transport from the apical to the basolateral chamber was reduced from 11.1% ± 1.9% to 6.4% ± 2.5% (
P
= 0.019) and to 3.3% ± 1.8% (
P
= 0.002) within the first hour in monolayers coincubated with GG (1 × 10
10
and 5 × 10
10
CFU/ml, respectively). GG (1 × 10
10
and 5 × 10
10
CFU/ml) bound 40.1% ± 8.3% and 61.0% ± 6.0% of added AFB
1
after 1 h, respectively. AFB
1
caused significant reductions of 30.1% (
P
= 0.01), 49.4% (
P
= 0.004), and 64.4% (
P
< 0.001) in transepithelial resistance after 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. Coincubation with 1 × 10
10
CFU/ml GG after 24 h protected against AFB
1
-induced reductions in transepithelial resistance at both 24 h (
P
= 0.002) and 48 h (
P
= 0.04). DNA fragmentation was apparent in cells treated only with AFB
1
cells but not in cells coincubated with either 1 × 10
10
or 5 × 10
10
CFU/ml GG. GG reduced AFB
1
uptake and protected against both membrane and DNA damage in the Caco-2 model. These data are suggestive of a beneficial role of GG against dietary exposure to aflatoxin.
PfGCN5-Mediated Histone H3 Acetylation Plays a Key Role in Gene Expression in
Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Cui Long , Miao Jun , Furuya Tetsuya , Li Xinyi , Su Xin-zhuan , Cui Liwang
Published: April 2007

Histone acetylation, regulated by the opposing actions of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and deacetylases, is an important epigenetic mechanism in eukaryotic transcription. Although an acetyltransferase (PfGCN5) has been shown to preferentially acetylate histone H3 at K9 and K14 in
Plasmodium falciparum
, the scale of histone acetylation in the parasite genome and its role in transcriptional activation are essentially unknown. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and DNA microarray, we mapped the global distribution of PfGCN5, histone H3K9 acetylation (H3K9ac) and trimethylation (H3K9m3) in the
P. falciparum
genome. While the chromosomal distributions of H3K9ac and PfGCN5 were similar, they are radically different from that of H3K9m3. In addition, there was a positive, though weak correlation between relative occupancy of H3K9ac on individual genes and the levels of gene expression, which was inversely proportional to the distance of array elements from the putative translational start codons. In contrast, H3K9m3 was negatively correlated with gene expression. Furthermore, detailed mapping of H3K9ac for selected genes using ChIP and real-time PCR in three erythrocytic stages detected stage-specific peak H3K9ac enrichment at the putative transcriptional initiation sites, corresponding to stage-specific expression of these genes. These data are consistent with H3K9ac and H3K9m3 as epigenetic markers of active and silent genes, respectively. We also showed that treatment with a PfGCN5 inhibitor led to reduced promoter H3K9ac and gene expression. Collectively, these results suggest that PfGCN5 is recruited to the promoter regions of genes to mediate histone acetylation and activate gene expression in
P. falciparum
.
Regulation of the
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Quorum-Sensing Regulator VqsR
Authors: Li Luen-Luen , Malone Jane E. , Iglewski Barbara H.
Published: April 2007

Bacteria communicate with each other to regulate cell density-dependent gene expression via a quorum-sensing (QS) cascade. In
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, two known QS systems,
las
and
rhl
, control the expression of many factors that relate to virulence, pathogenicity, and biofilm development. Microarray studies of the
las
and
rhl
regulons led to our hypothesis that a complicated hierarchy in the QS regulon is composed of multiple transcriptional regulators. Here, we examined a QS-regulated gene,
vqsR
, which encodes a probable transcriptional regulator with a putative 20-bp operator sequence (
las
box) upstream. The transcriptional start site for
vqsR
was determined. The
vqsR
promoter was identified by examining a series of
vqsR
promoter-
lacZ
fusions. In addition, an
Escherichia coli
system where either LasR or RhlR protein was expressed from a plasmid indicated that the
las
system was the dominant regulator for
vqsR
. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) demonstrate that purified LasR protein binds directly to the
vqsR
promoter in the presence of 3O-C
12
-HSL. Point mutational analysis of the
vqsR las
box suggests that positions 3 and 18 in the
las
box are important for
vqsR
transcription, as assayed with a series of
vqsRp-lacZ
fusions. EMSA also shows that positions 3 and 18 are important for binding between the
vqsR
promoter and LasR. Our results demonstrate that the
las
system directly regulates
vqsR
, and certain nucleotides in the
las
box are crucial for LasR binding and activation of the
vqsR
promoter.
The NsrR Regulon of
Escherichia coli
K-12 Includes Genes Encoding the Hybrid Cluster Protein and the Periplasmic, Respiratory Nitrite Reductase
Authors: Filenko Nina , Spiro Stephen , Browning Douglas F. , Squire Derrick , Overton Tim W. , Cole Jeff , Constantinidou Chrystala
Published: April 2007

Successful pathogens must be able to protect themselves against reactive nitrogen species generated either as part of host defense mechanisms or as products of their own metabolism. The regulatory protein NsrR (a member of the Rrf2 family of transcription factors) plays key roles in this stress response. Microarray analysis revealed that NsrR represses nine operons encoding 20 genes in
Escherichia coli
MG1655, including the
hmpA
,
ytfE
, and
ygbA
genes that were previously shown to be regulated by NsrR. Novel NsrR targets revealed by this study include
hcp-hcr
(which were predicted in a recent bioinformatic study to be NsrR regulated) and the well-studied
nrfA
promoter that directs the expression of the periplasmic respiratory nitrite reductase. Conversely, transcription from the
ydbC
promoter is strongly activated by NsrR. Regulation of the
nrf
operon by NsrR is consistent with the ability of the periplasmic nitrite reductase to reduce nitric oxide and hence protect against reactive nitrogen species. Gel retardation assays were used to show that both FNR and NarL bind to the
hcp
promoter. The expression of
hcp
and the contiguous gene
hcr
is not induced by hydroxylamine. As
hmpA
and
ytfE
encode a nitric oxide reductase and a mechanism to repair iron-sulfur centers damaged by nitric oxide, the demonstration that
hcp-hcr
,
hmpA
, and
ytfE
are the three transcripts most tightly regulated by NsrR highlights the possibility that the hybrid cluster protein, HCP, might also be part of a defense mechanism against reactive nitrogen stress.
Comparative Genome Analysis of Four Magnetotactic Bacteria Reveals a Complex Set of Group-Specific Genes Implicated in Magnetosome Biomineralization and Function
Authors: Richter Michael , Kube Michael , Bazylinski Dennis A. , Lombardot Thierry , Glöckner Frank Oliver , Reinhardt Richard , Schüler Dirk
Published: April 2007

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are a heterogeneous group of aquatic prokaryotes with a unique intracellular organelle, the magnetosome, which orients the cell along magnetic field lines. Magnetotaxis is a complex phenotype, which depends on the coordinate synthesis of magnetosomes and the ability to swim and orient along the direction caused by the interaction with the Earth's magnetic field. Although a number of putative magnetotaxis genes were recently identified within a conserved genomic magnetosome island (MAI) of several MTB, their functions have remained mostly unknown, and it was speculated that additional genes located outside the MAI might be involved in magnetosome formation and magnetotaxis. In order to identify genes specifically associated with the magnetotactic phenotype, we conducted comparisons between four sequenced magnetotactic
Alphaproteobacteria
including the nearly complete genome of
Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense
strain MSR-1, the complete genome of
Magnetospirillum magneticum
strain AMB-1, the complete genome of the magnetic coccus MC-1, and the comparative-ready preliminary genome assembly of
Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum
strain MS-1 against an in-house database comprising 426 complete bacterial and archaeal genome sequences. A magnetobacterial core genome of about 891 genes was found shared by all four MTB. In addition to a set of approximately 152 genus-specific genes shared by the three
Magnetospirillum
strains, we identified 28 genes as group specific, i.e., which occur in all four analyzed MTB but exhibit no (MTB-specific genes) or only remote (MTB-related genes) similarity to any genes from nonmagnetotactic organisms and which besides various novel genes include nearly all
mam
and
mms
genes previously shown to control magnetosome formation. The MTB-specific and MTB-related genes to a large extent display synteny, partially encode previously unrecognized magnetosome membrane proteins, and are either located within (18 genes) or outside (10 genes) the MAI of
M. gryphiswaldense
. These genes, which represent less than 1% of the 4,268 open reading frames of the MSR-1 genome, as yet are mostly of unknown functions but are likely to be specifically involved in magnetotaxis and, thus, represent prime targets for future experimental analysis.
Genes, Enzymes, and Regulation of
para
-Cresol Metabolism in
Geobacter metallireducens
Authors: Peters Franziska , Heintz Dimitri , Johannes Jörg , van Dorsselaer Alain , Boll Matthias
Published: April 2007

In aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria, the degradation of
para
-cresol (
p
-cresol) involves the initial hydroxylation to
p
-hydroxybenzyl alcohol by water catalyzed by the soluble, periplasmatic flavocytochrome
p
-cresol methylhydroxylase (PCMH; α
2
β
2
composition). In denitrifying bacteria the further metabolism proceeds via oxidation to
p
-hydroxybenzoate, the formation of
p
-hydroxybenzoyl-coenzyme A (CoA), and the subsequent dehydroxylation of the latter to benzoyl-CoA by reduction. In contrast, the strictly anaerobic
Desulfobacterium cetonicum
degrades
p
-cresol by addition to fumarate, yielding
p
-hydroxybenzylsuccinate. In this work, in vitro enzyme activity measurements revealed that the obligately anaerobic
Geobacter metallireducens
uses the
p
-cresol degradation pathway of denitrifying bacteria. Surprisingly, PCMH, which is supposed to catalyze both
p
-cresol hydroxylation and
p
-hydroxybenzyl alcohol oxidation to the corresponding aldehyde, was located in the membrane fraction. The α subunit of the enzyme was present in two isoforms, suggesting an αα′β
2
composition. We propose that the unusual asymmetric architecture and the membrane association of PCMH might be important for alternative electron transfer routes to either cytochrome
c
(in the case of
p
-cresol oxidation) or to menaquinone (in the case of
p
-hydroxybenzyl alcohol oxidation). Unusual properties of further enzymes of
p
-cresol metabolism,
p
-hydroxybenzoate-CoA ligase, and
p
-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA reductase were identified and are discussed. A proteomic approach identified a gene cluster comprising most of the putative structural genes for enzymes involved in
p
-cresol metabolism (
pcm
genes). Reverse transcription-PCR studies revealed a different regulation of transcription of
pcm
genes and the corresponding enzyme activities, suggesting the presence of posttranscriptional regulatory elements.
Multiple Controls Regulate the Expression of
mobE
, an HNH Homing Endonuclease Gene Embedded within a Ribonucleotide Reductase Gene of Phage Aeh1
Authors: Gibb Ewan A. , Edgell David R.
Published: April 2007

Mobile genetic elements have the potential to influence the expression of genes surrounding their insertion site upon invasion of a genome. Here, we examine the transcriptional organization of a ribonucleotide reductase operon (
nrd
) that has been invaded by an HNH family homing endonuclease,
mobE
. In
Aeromonas hydrophila
phage Aeh1,
mobE
has inserted into the large-subunit gene (
nrdA
) of aerobic ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), splitting it into two smaller genes,
nrdA-a
and
nrdA-b
. This gene organization differs from that in phages T4, T6, RB2, RB3, RB15, and LZ7, where
mobE
is inserted in the
nrdA-nrdB
intergenic region. We present evidence that the expression of Aeh1
mobE
is regulated by transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and translational controls. An Aeh1-specific late promoter drives expression of
mobE
, but strikingly the
mobE
transcript is processed internally at an RNase E-like site. We also identified a putative stem-loop structure upstream of
mobE
that sequesters the
mobE
ribosome binding site, presumably acting to down regulate MobE translation. Moreover, our transcriptional analyses indicate that the surrounding
nrd
genes of phage Aeh1 are expressed by a different strategy than are the corresponding phage T4 genes and that transcriptional readthrough is the only mechanism by which the promoterless Aeh1
nrdB
gene is expressed. We suggest that the occurrence of multiple layers of control to limit the expression of
mobE
to late in the Aeh1 infection cycle is an adaptation of Aeh1 to reduce any effects on expression of the surrounding
nrd
genes early in phage infection when RNR function is critical.
Role of
Escherichia coli
DNA Polymerase I in Conferring Viability upon the
dnaN159
Mutant Strain
Authors: Maul Robert W. , Sanders Laurie H. , Lim James B. , Benitez Rosemary , Sutton Mark D.
Published: April 2007

The
Escherichia coli dnaN159
allele encodes a mutant form of the β-sliding clamp (β159) that is impaired for interaction with the replicative DNA polymerase (Pol), Pol III. In addition, strains bearing the
dnaN159
allele require functional Pol I for viability. We have utilized a combination of genetic and biochemical approaches to characterize the role(s) played by Pol I in the
dnaN159
strain. Our findings indicate that elevated levels of Pol I partially suppress the temperature-sensitive growth phenotype of the
dnaN159
strain. In addition, we demonstrate that the β clamp stimulates the processivity of Pol I in vitro and that β159 is impaired for this activity. The reduced ability of β159 to stimulate Pol I in vitro correlates with our finding that single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) gap repair is impaired in the
dnaN159
strain. Taken together, these results suggest that (i) the β clamp-Pol I interaction may be important for proper Pol I function in vivo and (ii) in the absence of Pol I, ssDNA gaps may persist in the
dnaN159
strain, leading to lethality of the
dnaN159
Δ
polA
strain.
Effects of erythrocyte flexibility on microvascular perfusion and oxygenation during acute anemia
Authors: Cabrales Pedro
Published: April 2007

Responses to exchange transfusion using red blood cells (RBCs) with normal and reduced flexibility were studied in the hamster window chamber model during acute moderate isovolemic hemodilution to determine the role of RBC membrane stiffness in microvascular perfusion and tissue oxygenation. Erythrocyte stiffness was increased by 30-min incubation in 0.02% glutaraldehyde solution, and unreacted glutaraldehyde was completely removed. Filtration pressure through 5-μm pore size filters was used to quantify stiffness of the RBCs. Anemic conditions were induced by two isovolemic hemodilution steps using 6% 70-kDa dextran to a hematocrit (Hct) of 18% (moderate hemodilution). The protocol continued with an exchange transfusion to reduce native RBCs to 75% of baseline (11% Hct) with either fresh RBCs (RBC group) or reduced-flexibility RBCs (GRBC group) suspended in 5% albumin at 18% Hct; a plasma expander (6% 70-kDa dextran; Dex70 group) was used as control. Systemic parameters, microvascular perfusion, capillary perfusion [functional capillary density (FCD)], and oxygen levels across the microvascular network were measured by noninvasive methods. RBC deformability for GRBCs was significantly decreased compared with RBCs and moderate hemodilution conditions. The GRBC group had a greater mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) than the RBC and Dex70 groups. FCD was substantially higher for RBC (0.81 ± 0.07 of baseline) vs. GRBC (0.32 ± 0.10 of baseline) and Dex70 (0.38 ± 0.10 of baseline) groups. Microvascular tissue Po2was significantly lower for Dex70 and GRBC vs. RBC groups and the moderate hemodilution condition. Results were attributed to decreased oxygen uploading in the lungs and obstruction of tissue capillaries by rigidified RBCs, indicating that the effects impairing RBC flexibility are magnified at the microvascular level, where perfusion and oxygenation may define transfusion outcome.
Estrogen receptor-α regulates pulmonary alveolar loss and regeneration in female mice: morphometric and gene expression studies
Authors: Massaro Donald , Clerch Linda Biadasz , Massaro Gloria DeCarlo
Published: April 2007

Pulmonary alveoli, especially in females, are estrogen-responsive structures: ovariectomy in wild-type (WT) adult mice results in alveolar loss, and estradiol replacement induces alveolar regeneration. Furthermore, estrogen receptor (ER)-α and ER-β are required for the developmental formation of a full complement of alveoli in female mice. We now show ovariectomy resulted in alveolar loss in adult ER-β−/−mice but not in adult ER-α−/−mice. Estradiol treatment of ovariectomized ER-β−/−mice induced alveolar regeneration. In ovariectomized WT mice, estradiol treatment resulted, within 1 h, in RNA-level gene expression supportive of processes needed to form an alveolar septum, e.g., cell replication, angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodeling, and guided cell motion. Among these processes, protein expression supporting angiogenesis and cell replication was elevated 1 and 3 h, respectively, after estradiol treatment; similar findings were not present in either mutant. We conclude: 1) loss of signaling via ER-β is not required for postovariectomy-induced alveolar loss or estradiol-induced regeneration; this indicates ER-α is key for estrogen-related alveolar loss and regeneration in adult female mice; 2) taken together with prior work showing that developmental formation of a full complement of alveoli requires ER-α and ER-β, the present findings indicate the developmental and regenerative formation of alveoli are regulated differently, i.e., signaling for alveolar regeneration is not merely a recapitulation of signaling for developmental alveologenesis; and 3) the timing of estradiol-induced gene expression in lung supportive of processes required to form a septum differs between ovariectomized WT and ER-β−/−mice.
Nongenetic Model of Type 2 Diabetes: A Comparative Study
Authors: Islam Md. Shahidul , Choi Haymie
Published: April 2007

Seven-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into six groups (LFC, LFD, HFC, HFD30, HFD40, HFD50) to determine whether animals receiving a low-fat (LF) diet plus nicotinamide-streptozotocin (NA-STZ) injection or animals receiving a high-fat (HF) diet plus STZ injection provide a better model of type 2 diabetes. After 2 weeks of feeding, diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of NA (230 mg/kg BW) and STZ (65 mg/kg BW) in LFD, and STZ 30, 40, 50 mg/kg BW to HFD30, HFD40, HFD50 groups, respectively. Fasting blood glucose at 48–72 h and nonfasting blood glucose at 1 week after STZ injection were >200 and >600 mg/dl, respectively, in HFD40 and HFD50 groups while no significant difference was observed among other groups. Serum insulin concentration was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in LFD, HFC, HFD30, and HFD40 groups compared to LFC and HFD50 groups. One animal died and other animals of the HFD50 group were in a critical condition. Serum lipid and liver glycogen were increased in HFD groups compared to other groups. The results of this study suggest that the HF diet-fed, 40-mg/kg BW STZ-injected SD rat is better than the LF diet-fed NA-STZ-injected rat as an animal model of human type 2 diabetes.
Restraint in Order to Feed: Justifying a Lawful Policy for the UK
Authors: Gabe Simon , Sayers Gwen
Published: April 2007

In the UK, restraining medical patients in order to provide care is widely considered to be outmoded and difficult to justify. The prevailing clinical intuition that restraining patients is generally wrong (even when restraint is essential in order to provide artificial nutrition and hydration) has prompted us to develop a policy that is compatible with common law, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Human Rights Act 1998. The nature and scope of the problem are illustrated with clinical cases. These, in turn, serve to demonstrate the tension that arises between article 2, article 3 and article 8 rights, when incompetent patients are restrained in order to feed.
Practice of the Statutory Disciplinary System for Health Care Psychologists in The Netherlands
Authors: Hubben  , van der Wal  , Bosma J.M. Cuperus , Hout
Published: April 2007

A statutory disciplinary system for health care psychologists in the Netherlands was introduced in 1998. To provide an indication of the contribution of this system to monitoring the quality of health care psychology all complaints dealt with in the period 1999-2002 were studied. Questionnaires were sent to all 388 members of the disciplinary boards (response 89%) and 43 practicing lawyers (response 65%). The regional disciplinary boards dealt with 68 complaints about health care psychologists. A sanction was imposed 16 times (25%), mainly for sexual intimacies or a sexual relationship, violation of professional secrecy or incorrect statement or reporting. The statutory disciplinary system appears to be an important corrective instrument for serious forms of professional misconduct for health care psychologists.
The Revolution of Evolution
Authors: Eaton Heather
Published: April 2007

This article argues that evolution is of particular importance to those working on religious responses to the ecological crisis, despite public opposition to evolution in some quarters. To take evolution seriously, the article maintains, effects a fundamental revolution in reference points for those working in religion. The article presents the basic tenets of evolution, with a brief discussion of creationism and Intelligent Design theory. A second section discusses how attending to evolution changes the manner in which the ecological crisis is interpreted and understood. A final section explores hazards arising from, and contributions of religious responses to, the ecological crisis in the light of the revolution of evolution.
A Reassessment of the Masoretic and Septuagint Versions of the Jeroboam Narratives in 1 Kings/3 Kingdoms 11-14
Authors: Sweeney Marvin
Published: April 2007

This paper takes up the debate concerning the interrelationships between the accounts of Jeroboam's reign in the Masoretic text of 1 Kgs 11-14, the Septuagint text of 3 Kgdms 11-14, and the so-called alternative account of 3 Kgdms 12:24a-z. A careful literary and translationational study of each account demonstrates the interpretative character of both the Septuagint and alternative accounts. The rearranged order of the alternative account, the efforts to characterize the major figures of the narrative, and the introduction of new characters point to the midrashic character of the alternative account.
Antiochos III. und Artaxerxes: Der Fremdherrscher als Wohltäter
Authors: Gauger Jörg-Dieter
Published: April 2007

After Cyrus, there were specifically two foreign rulers over Palestine to which close and positive relationships towards the Jews were ascribed: Antiochus III (Ant. 12.138-153) and, according to Ezra 7:12ff, Artaxerxes (which one cannot be identified). However, the literary "letters" attributed to them are most likely Jewish fictions/falsifications from the 1st century B.C.E. or later. Darius' letter to Gadatas should also be considered as fictitious, since the parallel with Ezra 7:12 does not hold, and there are good reasons to question the authenticity of the "records" of Ezra 4-6.
The Interpretation of Song of Songs in 4 Ezra
Authors: Stone Michael
Published: April 2007

The article deals with a passage of 4 Ezra that might well be an allegorical exegesis of Song of Songs. The usual allegory sees the bridegroom as God and the bride as Israel. 4 Ezra is contemporary with Rabbi Aqiba's statements on the allegory of Song of Songs, and is further evidence for the existence of allegorical interpretation. Yet it witnesses a different tradition of allegorical exegesis to the one usually found. This conclusion is compared with various views on Song of Songs and its interpretation.
Inscribed in the Book of the Living: Gospel of Truth and Jewish Christology
Authors: Wolfson Elliot
Published: April 2007

In this study, I shall argue that the Gospel of Truth preserves an archaic Jewish/Christian theologoumenon that provides an alternative account of the incarnation to the version in the prologue to the Gospel of John. It is reasonable to presume a common matrix—most likely related to Jewish Wisdom speculation—for the two accounts. Careful analysis of the text, moreover, sheds light on the spot where the tributaries of Jewish and Christian esotericism converged and diverged. By heeding this site we may contribute in a modest way to the question regarding the intricate relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism in Late Antiquity.
Religiosity and Desistance From Drug Use
Authors: Chu Doris C.
Published: April 2007

Recent research acknowledges an inverse relationship between religiosity and crime (though some claim it is a modest one), but no desistance theories to date include religiosity in their model to help explain desistance from drug use. A better understanding of how religiosity is related to the initiation of and desistance from drug use can lead to more effective preventive and rehabilitative interventions. Data derived from Wave 5 to Wave 7 of the National Youth Survey are employed to test whether religiosity exerts an effect on initiation of and desistance from drug use. The findings suggest religious behavior has a direct effect on individuals' desistance from marijuana and hard-drug use. On the other hand, religious salience has a significant deterrent effect only on the onset of drug use; it does not have a significant effect on individuals' desistance from drugs. Policy implications are discussed, and future research suggestions are offered.
Towards a Dialectic Perspective on Formalization in Interorganizational Relationships: How Alliance Managers Capitalize on the Duality Inherent in Contracts, Rules and Procedures
Authors: Vlaar Paul W. L. , Van Den Bosch Frans A. J. , Volberda Henk W.
Published: April 2007

The mainstream literature on contracts, rules and procedures presumes that formalization is directed at coordination and control, and that its influence on performance is contingent upon firm, transaction and contextual characteristics. In response to recent calls for inquiries into dialectics in interorganizational relationships, and in an effort to provide managerial choice with a more prominent position in research on formalization, a complementary perspective is here being developed. We propose a framework in which formalization is presented as a duality, involving trade-offs between its functions and dysfunctions, and eventuating in dialectic tensions with which managers have to cope. In line with this, we argue that researchers should not only be preoccupied with assessing the `rightness' of governance solutions, but also with the trade-offs and tensions associated with them. Our framework is illustrated by a case study of an alliance between a major European financial services firm and one of the world's leading retailers. The alliance managers in this particular relationship attempted to reduce or capitalize on the tensions associated with formalization by: (1) adopting a semi-structure, in which outcomes were formalized, but behaviour was not; (2) justifying formalization through referring to factors that were beyond their control, and; (3) alternating their emphasis on different requirements by each of the partner firms. The article shows that a dialectic perspective on formalization in interorganizational relationships offers a promising complement to the mainstream literature.
Three-dimensional Nanohydroxyapatite/Chitosan Scaffolds as Potential Tissue Engineered Periodontal Tissue
Authors: Zhang Yu-Feng , Cheng Xiang-Rong , Yun Chen  , Bin Shi  , Chen Xiao-Hui , Xu Dong-Xuan , Jin Ke
Published: April 2007

The development of suitable three-dimensional scaffold for the maintenance of cellular viability and differentiation is critical for applications in periodontal tissue engineering. In this work, different ratios of porous nanohydroxyapatite/chitosan (HA/chitosan) scaffolds are prepared through a freeze-drying process. These scaffolds are evaluated in vitro by the analysis of microscopic structure, porosity, and cytocompatibility. The expression of type I collagen and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity are detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Human periodontal ligament cells (HPLCs) transfected with enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) are seeded onto the scaffolds, and then these scaffolds are implanted subcutaneously into athymic mice. The results indicated that the porosity and pore diameter of the HA/chitosan scaffolds are lower than those of pure chitosan scaffold. The HA/chitosan scaffold containing 1% HA exhibited better cytocompatibility than the pure chitosan scaffold. The expression of type I collagen and ALP are up-regulated in 1% HA/chitosan scaffold. After implanted in vivo, EGFP-transfected HPLCs not only proliferate but also recruit surrounding tissue to grow in the scaffold. The degradation of the scaffold significantly decreased in the presence of HA. This study demonstrated the potential of HA/ chitosan scaffold as a good substrate candidate in periodontal tissue engineering
Differences in Moral Judgment Between Nursing Students and Qualified Nurses
Authors: Kim Yong-Soon , Park Jin-Hee , Han Sung-Suk
Published: April 2007

This longitudinal study examined how nursing students' moral judgment changes after they become qualified nurses working in a hospital environment. The sample used was a group of 80 nursing students attending a university in Suwon, Korea, between 2001 and 2003. By using a Korean version of the Judgment About Nursing Decisions questionnaire, an instrument used in nursing care research, moral judgment scores based on Ketefian's six nursing dilemmas were determined. The results were as follows: (1) the qualified nurses had significantly higher idealistic moral judgment scores than the nursing students; (2) the qualified nurses showed significantly higher realistic moral judgment scores than the nursing students; and (3) when comparing idealistic and realistic moral judgment scores, both the qualified nurses and the nursing students had higher scores for idealistic moral judgment. Further study is recommended to examine changes in moral judgment.
The `Little Extra' That Alleviates Suffering
Authors: Arman Maria , Rehnsfeldt Arne
Published: April 2007

Nursing, or caring science, is mainly concerned with developing knowledge of what constitutes ideal, good health care for patients as whole persons, and how to achieve this. The aim of this study was to find clinical empirical indications of good ethical care and to investigate the substance of ideal nursing care in praxis. A hermeneutic method was employed in this clinical study, assuming the theoretical perspective of caritative caring and ethics of the understanding of life. The data consisted of two Socratic dialogues: one with nurses and one with nursing students, and interviews with two former patients. The empirical data are first described from a phenomenological approach. Observations of caregivers offering `the little extra' were taken to confirm that patients were `being seen', not from the perspective of an ideal nursing model, but from that of interaction as a fellow human being. The study provides clinical evidence that, as an ontological response to suffering, 'symbolic acts' such as giving the `little extra' may work to bridge gaps in human interaction. The fact that `little things' have the power to preserve dignity and make patients feel they are valued offers hope. Witnessing benevolent acts also paves the way for both patients and caregivers to increase their understanding of life.
Intrasubject Medication Adherence Patterns
Authors: Russell Cynthia L. , Conn Vicki S. , Ashbaugh Catherine , Madsen Richard , Hayes Karen , Ross Gilbert
Published: April 2007

The purpose of this prospective descriptive study was to explore the patterns of intrasubject (between medication) adherence of two similarly timed, twice-daily medications using the Medication Event Management System® electronic monitoring cap. Medication adherence was measured for 6 months using electronic monitoring in 25 adult renal-transplant recipients. Data were available from 7,119 electronic medication events. Results indicated that two twice-daily medications scheduled to be taken simultaneously were taken within 5 min of each other 77% of the time and within 10 min, 92% of the time. When only the first scheduled dose of the day was examined, the results are 79% and 95%, respectively. These findings are important to researchers and clinicians who must evaluate medication adherence in transplant recipients while balancing cost and subject burden. This study provides empirical support for monitoring a single immunosuppressive medication electronically to estimate medication adherence with double or triple immunosuppressive drug therapy.
A Family's Beliefs About Cancer, Dying, and Death in the End of Life
Authors: James Inger , Andershed Birgitta , Ternestedt Britt-Marie
Published: April 2007

The purpose of this case study was to describe the beliefs over time of a Swedish family and individual family members about cancer and death and how these beliefs affected their daily lives. Data were collected over 10 months using interviews, conversations, and diary notations. The beliefs were aggregated into eight main beliefs and four themes: Cancer is a deadly threat/death is a liberator, death can be held at bay/death can be lived near, dying is done alone/dying should not be done alone, and life has an end/life is endless. These beliefs appear to oscillate between seemingly contrasting poles. Some beliefs were shared by all family members, whereas others were described by only one or more members of the family. The complexity of daily life in families experiencing life-shortening illness underscores the need of individualized nursing care with openness to difference and collaboration as guiding principles.
Institutional Placement of Persons With Dementia
Authors: Coehlo Deborah Padgett , Hooker Karen , Bowman Sally
Published: April 2007

The decision to place an individual with dementia in an institutional care facility is often one of the most difficult judgments made in families. The purpose of this study was to determine the key variables that affect the occurrence and timing of institutional placement for families caring for an individual with dementia. The results of this study indicated that the most salient variables affecting the occurrence and timing of institutional placement for persons with dementia were the caregivers' depression scores and the care recipients' behavior change scores over time. These results indicate the need to screen for behavior change in the person with dementia and symptoms of depression in the caregivers to help families predict the need for institutional placement.
Left—Right Positions of Political Parties in Switzerland
Authors: Hug Simon , Schulz Tobias
Published: April 2007

As theoretical models of policy processes have become more ambitious, scholars have been relying more and more frequently on the policy positions of the relevant actors. Different methods are feasible in deriving these policy positions, but few have been applied to the Swiss parties. In this article, we offer estimates of policy positions for the Swiss political parties using various methods. Our main goal is to assess changes over time of these positions. On comparing the estimates obtained by the various methods, we offer insights on which estimates are preferable and in what contexts. Given the particular characteristics of the Swiss political system, namely a federal country with a non-parliamentary system of government, we also assess the degree to which the Swiss federal parties are unified.
Symbolizing crime control
Authors: Newburn Tim , Jones Trevor
Published: April 2007

The term Zero Tolerance has become a familiar feature of the crime control landscape. In recent times it has been deployed regularly by politicians, police managers, policy-makers and the media. Though it has been used in connection with a number of different policy initiatives, Zero Tolerance is most closely associated with policing and, in particular, with a set of policing strategies adopted by the New York Police Department in the 1990s. This article explores the origins of this most potent of crime control symbols, and examines how it has subsequently been developed, deployed and disseminated. It concludes with an examination of how and why policy actors deploy symbolically powerful terms in the context of contemporary crime politics in the USA and UK.
IFNγ differentially controls the development of idiopathic pneumonia syndrome and GVHD of the gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Burman Angela C. , Banovic Tatjana , Kuns Rachel D. , Clouston Andrew D. , Stanley Amanda C. , Morris Edward S. , Rowe Vanessa , Bofinger Helen , Skoczylas Renae , Raffelt Neil , Fahy Olivier , McColl Shaun R. , Engwerda Christian R. , McDonald Kelli P. A. , Hill Geoffrey R.
Published: April 2007

Although proinflammatory cytokines are key mediators of tissue damage during graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), IFNγ has previously been attributed with both protective and pathogenic effects. We have resolved this paradox by using wild-type (wt), IFNγ−/−, and IFNγR−/− mice as donors or recipients in well-described models of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). We show that donor-derived IFNγ augments acute GVHD via direct effects on (1) the donor T cell to promote T helper 1 (Th1) differentiation and (2) the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to augment inflammatory cytokine generation. However, these detrimental effects are overwhelmed by a protective role of IFNγ in preventing the development of idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS). This is the result of direct effects on pulmonary parenchyma to prevent donor cell migration and expansion within the lung. Thus, IFNγ is the key cytokine differentially controlling the development of IPS and gastrointestinal GVHD after allogeneic SCT.
Self-association and BiP dissociation are not sufficient for activation of the ER stress sensor Ire1
Authors: Oikawa Daisuke , Kimata Yukio , Kohno Kenji
Published: April 2007

Ire1 is a type I transmembrane protein located on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Upon ER stress, Ire1 releases the ER chaperone BiP and self-associates. This activates Ire1 and triggers the unfolded protein response in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We isolated and characterized an Ire1 luminal domain mutant lacking both the N-terminal and the juxtamembrane loosely folded subregions. Although this `core' mutant was able to self-associate and failed to bind BiP even under nonstressed conditions, its activation was still dependent on ER stress. Furthermore, although substitution of Pro for Ser103 (S103P) in the luminal domain of full-length Ire1 caused neither BiP dissociation nor a change in self-association, the substitution in combination with the core mutation resulted in constitutive activation. This phenotype of the S103P mutation required a cluster of positively charged amino acid residues (Arg or Lys) located close to the mutation site in the Ire1 sequence. These observations indicate that in addition to BiP dissociation and self-association of Ire1, another unknown change on the luminal side is crucial for Ire1 activation.
Reconstruction of surface velocity field using wavelet transformation and boundary-element method
Authors: Ko B
Published: April 2007

This paper shows the application of discrete wavelet transformation (DWT) to inverse acoustics for reconstructing the surface velocity of a noise source. This approach uses the boundary-element analysis based on the measured sound pressure at a set of field points, the Helmholtz integral equations, and wavelet transformation to reconstruct the normal surface velocity field. The reconstructed velocity field can be diverged due to the small measurement errors in the case of nearfield acoustic holography using an inverse boundary-element method. In order to bypass the instability in the inverse problem, the reconstruction process should include some form of regularization for enhancing the resolution of source images. The usual method of regularization has been the truncation of wave vectors associated with small singular values, although the order of an optimal truncation is difficult to determine. In this paper, a DWT is applied to reduce the computation time for inverse acoustics and to enhance the reconstructed surface velocity field. The computational speed-up is achieved, with solution time being reduced to 14.3 per cent.