bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence for the presence of a FAD pyrophosphatase and a FMN phosphohydrolase in yeast mitochondria: a possible role in flavin homeostasis
Authors: Pallotta Maria Luigia
Published: July 2011

Despite the crucial roles of flavin cofactors in metabolism, we know little about the enzymes responsible for the turnover of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and their subcellular localization. The mechanism by which mitochondria obtain their own flavin cofactors is an interesting point of investigation, because FMN and FAD are mainly located in mitochondria, where they act as redox cofactors of a number of dehydrogenases and oxidases that play a crucial function in both bioenergetics and cellular regulation. In this context, the capability of yeast mitochondria to metabolize externally added and endogenous FAD and FMN was investigated and use was made of purified and bioenergetically active mitochondria prepared starting from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell. To determine whether flavin metabolism can occur, the amounts of flavins in aliquots of neutralized perchloric extracts of both spheroplasts and mitochondria were measured by HPLC, and the competence of S. cerevisiae mitochondria to metabolize FAD and FMN was investigated both spectroscopically and via HPLC. FAD deadenylation and FMN dephosphorylation were studied with respect to dependence on substrate concentration, pH profile and inhibitor sensitivity. The existence of two novel mitochondrial FAD pyrophosphatase (diphosphatase) (EC 3.6.1.18) and FMN phosphohydrolase (EC 3.1.3.2) activities, which catalyse the reactions FAD + H2O → FMN + AMP and FMN + H2O → riboflavin + Pi respectively, is here shown by fractionation studies. Considering cytosolic riboflavin, FMN and FAD concentrations, as calculated by measuring both spheroplast and mitochondrial contents via HPLC, probably mitochondria play a major role in regulating the flavin pool in yeast and in relation to flavin homeostasis. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Construction of diploid zygotes by interallelic complementation of ade6 in Schizosaccharomyces japonicus
Authors: Furuya Kanji , Niki Hironori
Published: July 2011

The construction of diploid cells eases genetic analysis in haploid genetic systems because diploid cells allow for the characterization of essential genes. Here, we report the construction of diploid cells using ade6 point mutants that suppress each other via interallelic complementation in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus var japonicus (Sz. japonicus). We constructed an ade6‐domK mutant in addition to the previously described ade6‐domE. Phenotypes of both mutants exhibited adenine auxotrophy and red colonies. The mutations complemented the phenotypes in a mutually dependent manner. Diploid zygotes, in which the two mutations were introduced simultaneously into the same cells, were isolated by selecting for adenine independence. Such diploid cells are apparently larger in size than haploid cells, yet have a similar nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio, and thus the nuclear size control that has been reported in Sz. pombe is also present in Sz. japonicus. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Waiting for the next Shoe to Drop: The Experience of Parents of Children with Fanconi Anemia
Authors: Zierhut Heather A. , Bartels Dianne M.
Published: July 2011

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disease that generally affects children and results in bone marrow failure requiring blood or marrow transplantation for survival. A unique feature of the condition is the long, often many years, waiting period between genetic diagnosis and treatment. This qualitative study looked at the lived experience of parents confronting their child's diagnosis of FA. We aimed to describe factors which parents found helpful or detrimental during the waiting time period and to recommend strategies to support families who will have these experiences in the future. Categories that emerged were: parents’ emotional responses, thoughts about FA (which occurred daily for most parents), sources of stress, mechanisms of coping, family dynamics and responses that were supportive and non‐supportive. We found that most parents experience stress, uncertainty, and active surveillance throughout the course of the illness. Healthcare professionals, and especially physicians, were agents of both the most and least supportive experiences of parents. Parents described family centered team care as helpful throughout the illness and health professional education as a priority need.
Comparative efficacy of a recombinant feline interferon omega in refractory cases of calicivirus-positive cats with caudal stomatitis: A randomised, multi-centre, controlled, double-blind study in 39 cats
Authors: Hennet Philippe R. , Camy Guy A.L. , McGahie David M. , Albouy Maxime V.
Published: July 2011

Chronic caudal stomatitis with alveolar/buccal mucositis in calicivirus-positive cats is the most severe presentation of feline chronic gingivostomatitis. Refractory cases are helped by antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatments often including glucocorticoids. In order to evaluate the comparative efficacy of oromucosal administration of recombinant feline interferon omega (rFeIFN-ω) versus oral administration of glucocorticoids, a randomised, multi-centre, controlled, double-blind study was performed in 39 cats. The progression of behavioural, clinical and lesional scores was assessed over 90 days. Daily oromucosal treatment with 0.1 MU of rFeIFN-ω was associated with a significant improvement of clinical lesions (caudal stomatitis and alveolar/buccal mucositis) and a decrease of pain scores from D0 to D90. Although no such statistical improvement was noticed in the prednisolone group, there was, however, no significant difference between the two groups for most of the parameters, except pain at D60 and D90.
Effects of Dietary Protein Content on Renal Parameters in Normal Cats
Authors: Backlund Brianna , Zoran Debra L , Nabity Mary B , Norby Bo , Bauer John E
Published: July 2011

This study evaluates the effect of dietary protein content on renal parameters in 23 healthy spayed female cats. The objective was to determine if cats eating diets high in protein will have higher serum urea nitrogen (UN) and creatinine values without a detectable change in kidney function, as assessed by urinalysis. A single random cross-over design was used. Cats were fed a standard maintenance diet for at least 1 month prior to the dietary trial. They were fed in two phases. For the first phase, cats were randomly assigned to receive either a high protein [HP = 46% metabolizable energy (ME)] or low protein (LP = 26% ME) diet. For the second phase, cats were fed whichever diet they were not fed during the phase I period. Blood and urine samples were collected at 2-week intervals for the duration of the study (10 weeks). UN, albumin, alanine aminotransferase and urine specific gravity were significantly higher, and creatinine and phosphorus were significantly lower ( P < 0.05) when cats were fed the HP diet as compared to when they were fed the LP diet, although none of the mean values were found to be outside of the corresponding reference interval. Dietary intake can result in clinically significant changes in UN and statistically significantly changes in several other biochemical analytes, although all analytes are likely to remain within normal reference intervals. Therefore, an accurate dietary history is necessary to help determine if renal parameters are being influenced by diet in a particular patient.
Targeting ATR and Chk1 kinases for cancer treatment: A new model for new (and old) drugs
Authors: Toledo Luis I. , Murga Matilde , Fernandez‐Capetillo Oscar
Published: July 2011

Trying to kill cancer cells by generating DNA damage is by no means a new idea. Radiotherapy and genotoxic drugs are routinely used in cancer therapy. More recent developments also explored the potential of targeting the DNA damage response (DDR) in order to increase the toxicity of radio‐ and chemo‐ therapy. Chk1 inhibitors have pioneered studies in this regard. Interestingly, early studies noted that Chk1 inhibitors were particularly toxic for p53‐deficient cells. The model proposed for this observation was that this effect was due to the simultaneous abrogation of the G2 (Chk1) and G1 (p53) checkpoints. We here challenge this view, and propose a model where the toxicity of Chk1 inhibitors is rather due to the fact that these compounds generate high loads of replicative stress (RS) during S‐phase, which are further boosted by the less restrictive S‐phase entry found in p53‐deficient cells. This new model implies that the particular toxicity of Chk1 inhibitors might not be restricted to p53‐deficient cells, but could be extended to other mutations that promote a promiscuous S‐phase entry. In addition, this rationale also implies that the same effect should also be observed for other molecules that target the RS‐response (RSR), such as inhibitors of the Chk1‐activating kinase ATR.
Mechanism of p27 upregulation induced by downregulation of cathepsin B and uPAR in glioma
Authors: Gopinath Sreelatha , Alapati Kiranmai , Malla Rama Rao , Gondi Christopher S. , Mohanam Sanjeeva , Dinh Dzung H. , Rao Jasti S.
Published: July 2011

Cathepsin B and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) are overexpressed in gliomas. Deregulation of the G1 phase cell cycle machinery is a common feature of cancers. p27Kip1 (p27) is one of the major cyclin‐CDK regulators in the G1 phase. uPAR and cathepsin B downregulation was recently shown to induce p27 expression through PI3K/Akt/FOXO3a signaling. Since uPAR and cathepsin B knockdown also decreased phosphorylation of ERK, we hypothesized that ERK also has a role to play in p27 induction. As induction of p27 is due to an increase in gene transcription, we investigated the roles of c‐Myc and E2F1 transcription factors which have been shown to potently affect p27 promoter activity. In the present study, shRNA against cathepsin B and uPAR as well as specific inhibitors, Wortmannin (10 μM) and U0126 (10 μM), were used to determine the roles of AKT and ERK signaling on p27 expression. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that downregulation of both p‐ERK and p‐AKT downstream of EGFR and β1 integrin are involved in the p27 upregulation. Cathepsin B and uPAR downregulation induced E2F1 and decreased phosphorylaion of pocket proteins and c‐Myc expression. CHIP analysis and luciferase expression studies confirmed the functional association of transcription factor E2F1 to the p27 promoter. Further, c‐Myc–Max interaction inhibitor studies showed an inverse pattern of c‐Myc and p27 expression. Also, cathepsin B and uPAR downregulation reduced tumor growth and increased p27 nuclear expression in vivo. In summary, cathepsin B and uPAR downregulation reduced p‐ERK levels and c‐Myc expression, increased expression of E2F1 and FOXO3a, decreased phosphorylation of pocket proteins and thus upregulated p27 expression in glioma cells.
The Origin of Patterning Systems in Bilateria—Insights from the Hox and ParaHox Genes in Acoelomorpha
Authors: Moreno Eduardo , Permanyer Jon , Martinez Pedro
Published: July 2011

Hox and ParaHox genes constitute two families of developmental regulators that pattern the Anterior–Posterior body axis in all bilaterians. The members of these two groups of genes are usually arranged in genomic clusters and work in a coordinated fashion, both in space and in time. While the mechanistic aspects of their action are relatively well known, it is still unclear how these systems evolved. For instance, we still need a proper model of how the Hox and ParaHox clusters were assembled over time. This problem is due to the shortage of information on gene complements for many taxa (mainly basal metazoans) and the lack of a consensus phylogenetic model of animal relationships to which we can relate our new findings. Recently, several studies have shown that the Acoelomorpha most probably represent the first offshoot of the Bilateria. This finding has prompted us, and others, to study the Hox and ParaHox complements in these animals, as well as their activity during development. In this review, we analyze how the current knowledge of Hox and ParaHox genes in the Acoelomorpha is shaping our view of bilaterian evolution.
Hox Gene Clusters of Early Vertebrates: Do They Serve as Reliable Markers for Genome Evolution?
Authors: Kuraku Shigehiro
Published: July 2011

Hox genes, responsible for regional specification along the anteroposterior axis in embryogenesis, are found as clusters in most eumetazoan genomes sequenced to date. Invertebrates possess a single Hox gene cluster with some exceptions of secondary cluster breakages, while osteichthyans (bony vertebrates) have multiple Hox clusters. In tetrapods, four Hox clusters, derived from the so-called two-round whole genome duplications (2R-WGDs), are observed. Overall, the number of Hox gene clusters has been regarded as a reliable marker of ploidy levels in animal genomes. In fact, this scheme also fits the situations in teleost fishes that experienced an additional WGD. In this review, I focus on cyclostomes and cartilaginous fishes as lineages that would fill the gap between invertebrates and osteichthyans. A recent study highlighted a possible loss of the HoxC cluster in the galeomorph shark lineage, while other aspects of cartilaginous fish Hox clusters usually mark their conserved nature. In contrast, existing resources suggest that the cyclostomes exhibit a different mode of Hox cluster organization. For this group of species, whose genomes could have differently responded to the 2R-WGDs from jawed vertebrates, therefore the number of Hox clusters may not serve as a good indicator of their ploidy level.
16S rDNA-Based Phylogeny of Non-Symbiotic Bacteria of Entomopathogenic Nematodes from Infected Insect Cadavers
Authors: Razia M. , Karthik Raja R. , Padmanaban K. , Chellapandi P. , Sivaramakrishnan S.
Published: July 2011

Using 16S rDNA gene sequencing technique, three different species of non-symbiotic bacteria of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) (Steinernema sp. and Heterorhabditis sp.) were isolated and identified from infected insect cadavers (Galleria mellonella larvae) after 48-hour post infections. Sequence similarity analysis revealed that the strains SRK3, SRK4 and SRK5 belong to Ochrobactrum cytisi, Schineria larvae and Ochrobactrum anthropi, respectively. The isolates O. anthropi and S. larvae were found to be associated with Heterorhabditis indica strains BDU-17 and Yer-136, respectively, whereas O. cytisi was associated with Steinernema siamkayai strain BDU-87. Phenotypically, temporal EPN bacteria were fairly related to symbiotic EPN bacteria (Photorhabdus and Xenorhabdus genera). The strains SRK3 and SRK5 were phylogeographically similar to several non-symbionts and contaminated EPN bacteria isolated in Germany (LMG3311T) and China (X-14), while the strain SRK4 was identical to the isolates of S. larvae (L1/57, L1/58, L1/68 and L2/11) from Wohlfahrtia magnifica in Hungary. The result was further confirmed by RNA secondary structure and minimum energy calculations of aligned sequences. This study suggested that the non-symbionts of these nematodes are phylogeographically diverged in some extent due to phase variation. Therefore, these strains are not host-dependent, but environment-specific isolates.
Dietary fatty acid distribution modifies obesity risk linked to the rs9939609 polymorphism of the fat mass and obesity-associated gene in a Spanish case–control study of children
Authors: Moleres Adriana , Ochoa M. Carmen , Rendo-Urteaga Tara , Martínez-González M. Angel , Azcona San Julián M. Cristina , Martínez J. Alfredo , Marti Amelia
Published: July 2011

The rs9939609 polymorphism of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene has been widely associated with childhood obesity in several European cohorts. This association appears to be dependent on dietary macronutrients. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate whether dietary fatty acid intake distribution could interact with this FTO genetic variation and obesity in a Spanish case–control study of children and adolescents. A total of 354 Spanish children and adolescents aged 6–18 years (49 % males) were genotyped for the rs9939609 variant of the FTO gene. Anthropometric parameters were taken and energy intake was measured. We observed an interaction between the consumption of SFA (percentage of total energy) and PUFA:SFA ratio and obesity risk linked to the rs9939609 SNP of the FTO gene. In the study population of the present study, the risk allele carriers consuming more than 12·6 % SFA (of total energy) had an increased obesity risk compared with TT carriers. In a similar way, A allele carriers with an intake ratio lower than 0·43 PUFA:SFA presented a higher obesity risk than TT subjects. In summary, the present study reports for the first time the influence of dietary fatty acid distribution on the effect of the rs9939609 polymorphism of the FTO gene on children and adolescents' obesity risk.
DEFINING PURITANISM IN RESTORATION ENGLAND: RICHARD BAXTER AND OTHERS RESPOND TO A FRIENDLY DEBATE
Authors: WINSHIP MICHAEL P.
Published: July 2011

Around 1670, a group of moderate Restoration puritans published extended explanations of their movement at a particularly tense and pregnant time, when the recently erected, unstable barriers between the institutional Church of England and puritanism were under extreme pressure. Their efforts are important and revealing for their analyses of Restoration puritanism's contemporary situation and its historical roots. These publications, however, have received little scholarly attention. Restoration scholars tend to use the term ‘puritan’ in a static even perfunctory way that bears little resemblance to the self-conscious, fluid approach of historians of earlier puritanism. This usage also bears little resemblance to how Restoration puritans understood themselves. A close examination of these treatises helps to locate Restoration puritanism as the latest evolution of a century-old movement and helps to evaluate and refine the analytical frameworks within which historians attempt to make sense of that movement.
THE GENTRY, THE COMMONS, AND THE POLITICS OF COMMON RIGHT IN ENFIELD, c. 1558 – c. 1603
Authors: CLARK MATTHEW
Published: July 2011

This article explores the uses made of common land in late sixteenth-century England by members of the landowning elite, focusing in particular on those who held manorial lordship. Other studies have focused on landlords’ efforts to enclose the commons, a process identified by some as a key element in the transition to capitalist farming. By contrast, this study shows that landlords made commercial use of common land, using it, for example, as a site on which to build new cottages or by putting large number of animals out to graze. As such, it suggests that the development of commercial farming and the exercise of common right were not mutually exclusive. Based on the evidence of equity court material relating to the Middlesex parish of Enfield, the article sheds light on the nature of relations between landlords and tenants and the strategies both groups adopted in their efforts to exploit and defend communal resources. When the two groups came into conflict, landlords had significant resources at their disposal with which to overcome opposition. Relations were, however, more complicated than this might imply. The politics of common right produced complex alliances based on shifting alignments of interest, and could unite or divide local society along both vertical and horizontal lines.
INTOXICANTS AND SOCIETY IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND
Authors: WITHINGTON PHIL
Published: July 2011

The article considers the rapid increase in the English market for alcohol and tobacco in the 1620s and the set of concurrent influences shaping their consumption. It suggests that intoxicants were not merely a source of solace for ‘the poor’ or the lubricant of traditional community, as historians often imply. Rather, the growth in the market for beer, wine, and tobacco was driven by those affluent social groups regarded as the legitimate governors of the English commonwealth. For men of a certain disposition and means, the consumption of intoxicants became a legitimate – indeed valorized and artful – aspect of their social identity: an identity encapsulated by the Renaissance concept of ‘wit’. These new styles of drinking were also implicated in the proliferation (in theory and practice) of ‘societies’ and ‘companies’, by which contemporaries meant voluntary and purposeful association. These arguments are made by unpacking the economic, social, and cultural contexts informing the humorous dialogueWine, beere, ale and tobacco. Contending for superiority. What follows demonstrates that the ostensibly frivolous subject of male drinking casts new light on the nature of early modern social change, in particular the nature of the ‘civilizing process’.
COMMONWEALTH: THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND CONCEPTUAL CONTEXTS OF AN EARLY MODERN KEYWORD
Authors:   EARLY MODERN RESEARCH GROUP
Published: July 2011

The article explores ‘commonwealth’ both as a term and a conceptual field across the early modern period, with a particular focus on the Anglophone world. The shifts of usage of ‘commonwealth’ are explored, from a term used to describe the polity, to one used to describe a particular, republican form of polity, through to its eclipse in the eighteenth century by other terms such as ‘nation’ and ‘state’. But the article also investigates the variety of usages during any one time, especially at moments of crisis, and the network of related terms that constituted ‘commonwealth’. That investigation requires, it is argued, not just a textual approach but one that embraces social custom and practice, as well as the study of literary and visual forms through which the keyword ‘commonwealth’ was constructed. The article emphasizes the importance of social context to language; the forms, metaphors and images used to describe and depict the polity; and to show how linguistic change could occur through the transmutation of elements of the conceptual field that endowed the keyword with its meaning.
RATIONAL DISSENT, ENLIGHTENMENT, AND ABOLITION OF THE BRITISH SLAVE TRADE
Authors: PAGE ANTHONY
Published: July 2011

Following British abolition of the slave trade in 1807, the origins and nature of popular abolitionism have been much debated among historians. Traditionally, religion was seen as the driving force, with an emphasis on the role of Quakers and evangelicals, whilst in the twentieth century social historians began to stress the importance of economic and social change. This article revises both interpretations by helping to recover and analyse the abolitionism of enlightened Rational Dissenters. Legal inequality and their ‘rational piety’ encouraged heterodox Dissenters to become active in a wide range of reformist causes. Owing to evangelical dominance in the nineteenth century, however, the role of Rational Dissenters was marginalized in histories of abolitionism. Recovering Rational Dissenting abolitionism underlines the importance of religion in the campaign against the slave trade. Since Rational Dissent was to a large extent a religion of the commercial classes, this article also sheds light on the hotly debated relationship between capitalism and abolition.
GREAT BRITAIN, THE UNITED STATES, AND CONSULTATION OVER USE OF THE ATOMIC BOMB, 1950–1954
Authors: JONES MATTHEW
Published: July 2011

The subject of when nuclear weapons might have to be employed by the United States during the early Cold War period was the setting for a prolonged and uneasy dialogue within the Anglo-American relationship. While British governments pressed for a formal agreement that there should be prior consultation before the atomic bomb was ever used, the Americans were determined to retain the freedom to take this crucial decision alone. This article explores the debates that ensued and the tensions that were created by this issue, between the meetings of Attlee and Truman in December 1950 and the Indochina crisis of 1954, and highlights the contrasting geopolitical positions of Britain and the United States as they sought to reconcile their views. For the British, playing host to a clutch of important US airbases, the risk of early nuclear devastation in any outbreak of general war was a paramount consideration. Although impatient with British caution, the Americans recognized an overriding need for allied support in general war giving British views the capacity to exercise a restraining influence.
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON SLAVERY AND EMANCIPATION IN THE BRITISH CARIBBEAN
Authors: PETLEY CHRISTER
Published: July 2011

New approaches to British imperial history and the rise of Atlantic history have had a strong influence on historians specializing in the history of the British-colonized Caribbean during the era of slavery. Caribbean scholars have always stressed the importance of transatlantic and colonial connections, but these new perspectives have encouraged historians to rethink the ways that Caribbean colonies and the imperial metropole shaped one another and to reconsider the place of the Caribbean region within wider Atlantic and global contexts. Attention to transatlantic links has become especially important in new work on abolition and emancipation. Scholars have also focused more of their attention on white colonizing elites, looking in particular at colonial identities and at strategies of control. Meanwhile, recent calls for pan-Caribbean approaches to the history of the region are congruent with pleas for more detailed and nuanced understandings of the development of slave and post-slave societies, focusing on specifically Caribbean themes while setting these in their wider imperial, Atlantic, and global contexts.
A standardized morphological terminology and descriptive scheme forLepraria(Stereocaulaceae)
Authors: LENDEMER James C.
Published: July 2011

A standardized morphological terminology and descriptive scheme for the sterile asexually reproducing genusLeprarias. lat. is presented. The contribution includes observations on development and ontogeny of morphological structures and is extensively illustrated with scanning electron and light micrographs.Leprariahas long been considered to be devoid of morphological characters, however the results of extensive micro- and macro-morphological studies strongly refute this hypothesis. The morphological structures of the thallus are defined and described based on their varying degrees of complexity. Thalline morphological variability in the group is categorized into two major types that are further subdivided into six subtypes. Each subtype is described and an artifical key to the subtypes is provided.
Phylogenetic relations of European shrubby taxa of the genusUsnea
Authors: SAAG Lauri , TÕRRA Tiiu , SAAG Andres , DEL-PRADO Ruth , RANDLANE Tiina
Published: July 2011

This study focuses on EuropeanUsneaspecies with sorediate shrubby thalli, with the aim to evaluate the morphological and chemical separation of species in the light of molecular data. Twenty-twoUsneaspecies, including widely distributed taxa such asU. diplotypus, U. fulvoreagens, U. glabrescens, U. lapponica, U. subfloridana, U. substerilisandU. wasmuthii, were included in the study using Bayesian and maximum parsimony analyses of nuclear ITS and beta-tubulin sequences. The analyses showed that: 1) most taxa that are morphologically well delimited are also distinct by means of molecular characters, 2) shrubby taxa in the sectionUsneathat are difficult to determine by traditional characters form a group of closely related but still genetically distinct entities, exceptU. diplotypusandU. substeriliswhich appear to be polyphyletic. The branch lengths differed largely between two parts of the ITS tree (sectionsUsneaandCeratinae).Usnea intermediais proposed as the sexually reproducing counterpart for the sorediateU. lapponica. Additionally, some new chemotypes ofUsneaspecies were determined.
Tremella macrobasidiata (Basidiomycota, Tremellales), a new lichenicolous fungus from the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: ZAMORA Juan Carlos , PÉREZ-ORTEGA Sergio , RICO Víctor J.
Published: July 2011

Tremella macrobasidiata is a proposed new species for a lichenicolous heterobasidomycete strictly parasitizing the hymenium of Lecanora chlarotera. It is reported from Spain, and is characterized by large and particularly variable basidia, rather large basidiospores and the production of asteroconidia, forming brownish to dark green galls in the specific host apothecia. The presence of asteroconidia is discussed. Comparisons with closely related lichenicolous Tremella species are also provided.
A new isidiate species ofHemitheciumTrevis. (Ascomycota,Graphidaceae) from India
Authors: UPRETI Dalip K. , DUBEY Urvashi , NAYAKA Sanjeeva
Published: July 2011

Hemithecium isidiatumfrom the Eastern Himalayas is described as new to science. It is the first isidiate species in the genusHemitheciumand is otherwise characterized by hyaline muriform ascospores and the presence of salazinic acid.
Validating two survey methods for identifying cases of autism spectrum disorder among adults in the community
Authors: Brugha T. S. , McManus S. , Smith J. , Scott F. J. , Meltzer H. , Purdon S. , Berney T. , Tantam D. , Robinson J. , Radley J. , Bankart J.
Published: July 2011

Background

There are no tested methods for conducting epidemiological studies of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in adult general population samples. We tested the validity of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule module-4 (ADOS-4) and the 20-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-20).

Method

Randomly sampled adults aged ⩾16 years were interviewed throughout England in a general population multi-phase survey. The AQ-20 was self-completed by 7353 adults in phase 1. A random subset completed phase 2, ADOS-4 assessments (n=618); the probability of selection increased with AQ-20 score. In phase 3, informant-based Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) and Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R) developmental assessments were completed (n=56). Phase 1 and 2 data were presented as vignettes to six experienced clinicians (working in pairs). The probability of respondents having an ASD was compared across the three survey phases.

Results

There was moderate agreement between clinical consensus diagnoses and ADOS-4. A range of ADOS-4 caseness thresholds was identified by clinicians: 5+ to 13+ with greatest area under the curve (AUC) at 5+ (0.88). Modelling of the presence of ASD using 56 DISCO assessments suggested an ADOS-4 threshold in the range of 10+ to 13+ with the highest AUC at ADOS 10+ to 11+ (0.93–0.94). At ADOS 10+, the sensitivity was 1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59–1.0] and the specificity 0.86 (95% CI 0.72–0.94). The AQ-20 was only a weak predictor of ADOS-4 cases.

Conclusions

Clinically recommended ADOS-4 thresholds are also recommended for community cases: 7+ for subthreshold and 10+ for definite cases. Further work on adult population screening methods is needed.
Sub-chronic impact of cannabinoids in street cannabis on cognition, psychotic-like symptoms and psychological well-being
Authors: Morgan C. J. A. , Gardener C. , Schafer G. , Swan S. , Demarchi C. , Freeman T. P. , Warrington P. , Rupasinghe I. , Ramoutar A. , Tan N. , Wingham G. , Lewis S. , Curran H. V.
Published: July 2011

Background

Cannabis varies considerably in levels of its two major constituent cannabinoids – (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Recently, we found evidence that those who smoked cannabis containing detectable levels of CBD had fewer psychotic-like symptoms than those whose cannabis had no CBD. The present study aimed, first, to replicate those findings and, second, to determine whether protective effects of CBD may extend to other harms of cannabis, such as memory impairment and reduced psychological well-being.

Method

A total of 120 current cannabis smokers, 66 daily users and 54 recreational users were classified into groups according to whether analysis of their hair revealed the presence or absence of CBD and high versus low levels of THC. All were assessed on measures of psychosis-like symptoms, memory (prose recall; source memory) and depression/anxiety.

Results

Lower psychosis-like symptoms were found in those whose hair had CBD compared with those without. However, this was seen only in recreational users, who had higher levels of THC in their hair. Higher THC levels in hair were associated with increased depression and anxiety. Prose recall and source memory were poorer in daily users with high THC levels in hair while recognition memory was better in individuals with CBD present in hair.

Conclusions

CBD attenuates the psychotic-like effects of cannabis over time in recreational users. Higher THC negatively impacts on memory and psychological well-being. These findings raise concerns for the harms stemming from use of varieties such as ‘skunk’ (sensimillia), which lack any CBD but currently dominate the supply of cannabis in many countries.
Functional anatomy of autobiographical memory recall deficits in depression
Authors: Young K. D. , Erickson K. , Nugent A. C. , Fromm S. J. , Mallinger A. G. , Furey M. L. , Drevets W. C.
Published: July 2011

Background

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with deficits in recalling specific autobiographical memories (AMs). Extensive research has examined the functional anatomical correlates of AM in healthy humans, but no studies have examined the neurophysiological underpinnings of AM deficits in MDD. The goal of the present study was to examine the differences in the hemodynamic response between patients with MDD and controls while they engage in AM recall.

Method

Participants (12 unmedicated MDD patients; 14 controls) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while recalling AMs in response to positive, negative and neutral cue words. The hemodynamic response during memory recall versus performing subtraction problems was compared between MDD patients and controls. Additionally, a parametric linear analysis examined which regions correlated with increasing arousal ratings.

Results

Behavioral results showed that relative to controls, the patients with MDD had fewer specific (p=0.013), positive (p=0.030), highly arousing (p=0.036) and recent (p=0.020) AMs, and more categorical (p<0.001) AMs. The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response in the parahippocampus and hippocampus was higher for memory recall versus subtraction in controls and lower in those with MDD. Activity in the anterior insula was lower for specific AM recall versus subtraction, with the magnitude of the decrement greater in MDD patients. Activity in the anterior cingulate cortex was positively correlated with arousal ratings in controls but not in patients with MDD.

Conclusions

We replicated previous findings of fewer specific and more categorical AMs in patients with MDD versus controls. We found differential activity in medial temporal and prefrontal lobe structures involved in AM retrieval between MDD patients and controls as they engaged in AM recall. These neurophysiological deficits may underlie AM recall impairments seen in MDD.
MATERNAL OBESITY AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN THE FETUS: MECHANISMS UNDERLYING EARLY LIFE SHIFTS IN SKELETAL MUSCLE METABOLISM
Authors: BOYLE KRISTEN E , FRIEDMAN JACOB E
Published: July 2011

The most common maternal risk factor associated with neonatal complications during delivery is obesity. Although gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) occurs in 5–10% of the pregnant population, obesity, by virtue of its prevalence, far outpaces GDM as the most important underlying risk factor for increased fetal adiposity. The mechanisms underlying maternal insulin resistance may play an important role in the diversion of excess fuels to the fetus. Maternal adipose depots increase in early pregnancy, followed by increased adipose tissue lipolysis and subsequent hyperlipidaemia, which mainly corresponds to increased triglyceride levels (TG). A positive correlation between maternal TG and infant body weight or fat mass has been found in both GDM and non-GDM obese women. Increased oxidative stress, altered adipokines, and inflammatory cytokines have also been found in obese pregnant women, suggesting an adverse metabolic outcome even in normoglycemic conditions.
The evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness in children with beta-thalassaemia major
Authors: Dogan Mustafa , Citak Elvan Caglar
Published: July 2011

Background

Cardiovascular complications and vascular changes are common in patients with beta-thalassaemia major. The aim of this study is to investigate the common carotid artery intima-media thickness in children.

Methods

The study population was consisted of 33 thalassaemic children (22 boys and 11 girls, with a median age of 8 years) and 30 healthy children for control (12 girls and 18 boys, with a median age of 8 years) who were matched for age and gender. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness of the children was measured.

Results

The patients’ age at diagnosis ranged from 0.25 to 2 years, with a median of 0.6 months. Their disease duration ranged from 4 to 13.75 years, with a median of 6.5 years. The patients’ median common carotid artery intima-media thickness was significantly higher than controls – that is, 0.87 versus 0.74, with a p-value less than 0.005. The mean common carotid artery intima-media thickness value was positively correlated with disease duration (r = 0.535), with a p-value less than 0.01 and ferritin level (r = 0.501), with a p-value less than 0.01.

Conclusion

Owing to the nature of the disease, patients with beta-thalassaemia major should be considered to have an increased risk of early vascular alteration and atherosclerosis. For this reason, common carotid artery intima-media thickness measurement can be recommended as a non-invasive and early diagnostic method.
Bayezid's Cage: A Re-examination of a Venerable Academic Controversy
Authors: MILWRIGHT MARCUS , BABOULA EVANTHIA
Published: July 2011

This article discusses a story that has enjoyed a long life in scholarly literature, drama, and the visual arts: the alleged caging of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I Yildirim (r. 1389–1402) by the Central Asian conqueror, Temür (r. 1370–1405). Attention is focused on the evolution of scholarly discourse on the existence (or otherwise) of the cage. The period from the late seventeenth to the first half of the twentieth century is looked at in particular detail. The debate around the captivity of Bayezid is only fully understood when it is located within a larger historical framework, namely the changing political relationships between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the nineteenth century.
“Touched a nation's heart”: Sir E. Denison Ross and Alexander Csoma de Kőrös
Authors: GALAMBOS IMRE
Published: July 2011

The papers of Sir Edward Denison Ross (1871–1940) at the Archives of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) include a series of letters from Hungary, which thank him for his contribution in bringing the world's attention to Alexander Csoma de Kőrös (1784–1842). Some of these letters were produced collectively by learned societies and signed by dozens of male and female members, but many were also written by ordinary people expressing their admiration for Csoma, the scholar who had walked most of the way from Transylvania to India in search of the roots of the Hungarian language and people. This lively response was a result of a lecture that Ross delivered on 5 January 1910 at the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta which became a sensation in Hungary in a matter of weeks. This article therefore looks at the phenomenon of how Ross's purely academic research, to use Albert von Le Coq's words, “touched a nation's heart” and earned him a celebrity status in Csoma's homeland. It is particularly interesting to uncover the motives behind this great publicity and show how it was orchestrated by two young Hungarians in Calcutta for not entirely unselfish purposes.
A Mongol Princess Makinghajj: The Biography of El Qutlugh Daughter of Abagha Ilkhan (r. 1265–82)
Authors: BRACK YONI
Published: July 2011

This study examines in detail the biographical entry of an Ilkhanid (the Mongol state centred in Iran) princess, El Qutlugh Khatun daughter of Abagha Ilkhan (r. 1265–82), in the biographical dictionaries of the Mamluk author Khalīl ibn Aybeg al-Ṣafadī (d. 1363). Al-Ṣafadī‘s biography of the lady provides a rare glance into the life of women of the Mongol royal household during the transitional period which followed the Ilkhanid conversion to Islam. It sheds light on issues such as the relations between the Mamluks and the Ilkhans in light of the latter's conversion to Islam and the influence of the process of Islamization on traditional Mongolian gender related practices. This paper also discusses the motivation of the Mamluk author in including El Qutlugh's unusual story in his biographical dictionaries showing how his choices might have been influenced not only by his own interests but also by what appealed to his readers.
Morphological and molecular characterization of underutilized medicinal wild ginger (Zingiber barbatum Wall.) from Myanmar
Authors: Wicaksana Noladhi , Gilani Syed Abdullah , Ahmad Dawood , Kikuchi Akira , Watanabe Kazuo N.
Published: July 2011

Zingiber barbatum Wall. (family Zingiberaceae), is an underutilized medicinal plant and commonly known as ‘Meik tha-lin’ in Myanmar where it is used in the indigenous system of medicine. In the present study, 19 accessions of Z. barbatum from five provinces in Myanmar have been utilized to characterize and assess genetic diversity. Twenty-nine morphological characters were noted, including growth habit, leaf, pseudo-stem and rhizome characters. Fifteen primer sets of P450-based analogue (PBA) markers were used to reveal molecular characteristics. Of the 29 morphological characters, 22 showed a high degree of variation within wild ginger accessions, whereas 20 of these characters contributed significantly to morphological variation. Eleven amplified primer sets gave a total of 175 bands and exhibited 92.15% polymorphism across Z. barbatum accessions. Based on morphological characters and PBA markers, 19 accessions can be divided into two morphotype groups with comparatively higher genetic diversity. This information can be applied in future crop improvement, proper conservation and better use of this underutilized medicinal species.
Feminism and rational choice theory
Authors: Driscoll Amanda , Krook Mona Lena
Published: July 2011

Feminism and rational choice theory have both been hailed as approaches with the potential to revolutionize political science. Apart from a few exceptions, however, work utilizing these two perspectives rarely overlaps. This article reviews their main contributions and explores the potential for a combined approach. It argues that a synthesis of feminism and rational choice theory would involve attending to questions of gender, strategy, institutions, power, and change. The contours and benefits of this approach are illustrated with reference to one particular area of research: the adoption of electoral gender quotas. Despite a current lack of engagement across approaches, this example illustrates that the tools of feminist and rational choice analysis may be brought together in productive ways to ask and answer theoretically and substantively important questions in political science.
Multiple‐stage deglacial retreat of the southern Greenland Ice Sheet linked with Irminger Current warm water transport
Authors: Knutz Paul C. , Sicre Marie‐Alexandrine , Ebbesen Hanne , Christiansen Sarah , Kuijpers Antoon
Published: July 2011

There is limited knowledge pertaining to the history of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) during the last glacial‐interglacial transition as it retreated from the continental margins to an inland position. Here we use multiproxy data, including ice‐rafted debris (IRD); planktonic isotopes; alkenone temperatures; and tephra geochemistry from the northern Labrador Sea, off southwest Greenland, to investigate the deglacial response of the GIS and evaluate its implications for the North Atlantic deglacial development. The results imply that the southern GIS retreated in three successive stages: (1) early deglaciation of the East Greenland margins, by tephra‐rich IRD that embrace Heinrich Event 1; (2) progressive retreat during Allerød culminating in major meltwater releases (δ18O depletion of 1.2‰) at the Allerød–Younger Dryas transition (12.8–13.0 kyr B.P.); and (3) a final stage of glacial recession during the early Holocene (∼9–11 kyr B.P.). Rather than indicating local temperatures of ambient surface water, the alkenones likely were transported to the core site by the Irminger Current. We attribute the timing of GIS retreat to the incursion of warm intermediate waters along the base of grounded glaciers and below floating ice shelves on the continental margin. The results lend support to the view that GIS meltwater presented a forcing factor for the Younger Dryas cooling.
Planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotope analysis by ion microprobe technique suggests warm tropical sea surface temperatures during the Early Paleogene
Authors: Kozdon Reinhard , Kelly D. Clay , Kita Noriko T. , Fournelle John H. , Valley John W.
Published: July 2011

Cool tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are reported for warm Paleogene greenhouse climates based on the δ18O of planktonic foraminiferal tests. These results are difficult to reconcile with models of greenhouse gas–forced climate. It has been suggested that this “cool tropics paradox” arises from postdepositional alteration of foraminiferal calcite, yielding erroneously high δ18O values. Recrystallization of foraminiferal tests is cryptic and difficult to quantify, and the compilation of robust δ18O records from moderately altered material remains challenging. Scanning electron microscopy of planktonic foraminiferal chamber‐wall cross sections reveals that the basal area of muricae, pustular outgrowths on the chamber walls of species belonging to the genus Morozovella, contain no mural pores and may be less susceptible to postdepositional alteration. We analyzed the δ18O in muricae bases of morozovellids from the central Pacific (Ocean Drilling Program Site 865) by ion microprobe using 10 μm pits with an analytical reproducibility of ±0.34‰ (2 standard deviations). In situ measurements of δ18O in these domains yield consistently lower values than those published for conventional multispecimen analyses. Assuming that the original δ18O is largely preserved in the basal areas of muricae, this new δ18O record indicates Early Paleogene (∼49–56 Ma) tropical SSTs in the central Pacific were 4°–8°C higher than inferred from the previously published δ18O record and that SSTs reached at least ∼33°C during the Paleocene‐Eocene thermal maximum. This study demonstrates the utility of ion microprobe analysis for generating more reliable paleoclimate records from moderately altered foraminiferal tests preserved in deep‐sea sediments.