bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surface transient effects in ultralow‐energy Cs+ sputtering of Si
Authors: Chanbasha A. R. , Wee A. T. S.
Published: February 2007

This study examines the dependence of the sputter rate and the transient width (ztr) as a function of Cs+ primary ion energy (impact energy (Ep) = 320 eV, 500 eV and 1 keV) and incident angles between 0 and 70° . The instrument used was the ATOMIKA 4500 SIMS depth profiler and the sample was Si with ten delta layers of Si0.7 Ge0.3. We observed the narrowest transient widths of between 1.4 and 2.0 nm apparent depth. This was achieved at incident angles (θ) of 30–50° . An extended transient effect was observed when profiled at θ > 50° . Below this incident angle, the transient width is less than twice the penetration depth (ztr < 2Rnorm). At minimum ztr, ztr ≈ Rnorm. The detection sensitivity is best achieved at θ ≈ 30° for all energies investigated. The sputter rate is lowest at normal incidence, rising gradually to a maximum at θ ≈ 50–60° . This is similar to that observed with ultralow‐energy O2+ primary ion beams.1 At ultralow energies, reducing Ep does not have a significant effect in reducing ztr. We conclude that for Ep < 1 keV, the optimum condition to achieve minimum ztr while maintaining good sensitivity and high sputter rate is at θ ≈ 30° . Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experiences developing architectures for realizing thin‐client diagram editing tools
Authors: Grundy John , Hosking John , Cao Shuping , Zhao Denjin , Zhu Nianping , Tempero Ewan , Stoeckle Hermann
Published: February 2007

Diagram‐centric applications such as software design tools, project planning tools and business process modelling tools are usually ‘thick‐client’ applications running as stand‐alone desktop applications. There are several advantages to providing such design tools as Web‐based or even PDA‐ and mobile‐phone‐based applications. These include ease of access and upgrade, provision of collaborative work support and Web‐based integration with other applications. However, building such thin‐client diagram editing tools is very challenging. We have developed several thin‐client diagram editing applications realized as a set of plug‐in extensions to a meta‐tool for visual design environment development. In this paper, we discuss key user interaction and software architecture issues, illustrate examples of interacting with our thin‐client diagram editing tools, describe our design and implementation approaches, and present the results of several different evaluations of the resultant applications. Our experiences will be useful for those interested in developing their own thin‐client diagram editing architectures and applications. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ovarian cycle of the captive formosan gem‐faced civets (Paguma larvata taivana)
Authors: Liu Shyh‐Shyan , Fung Hang‐Poung , Liu Bing‐Tsan , Cheng Feng‐Pang
Published: February 2007

Formosan gem‐faced civets are classified to be endemic sub‐species of Paguma larvata in Taiwan. Little about their reproductive physiology has been reported. This study was designed to characterize the ovarian activity throughout the year and define ovarian cycle length and the lengths of its component phases. Serum samples were collected for enzyme immunoassay (progesterone and estradiol) from seven captive civets twice weekly for 1 year. Meanwhile, periodic changes in external genitalia (vulva swelling) and vaginal cytology were examined and recorded. Results showed estrous cycles exhibited two types: 18‐day (18.5±1.1, n=64) and 28‐day (27.6±1.0, n=28) as shown by progesterone and estradiol fluctuations and corresponding changes in vulva morphology and vaginal cytology. Both types showed a similar 7‐day follicular phase, peaking progesterone at Day 7. The 18‐day cycle type prevails in the spring and summer whereas the 28‐day cycle type is significant in the autumn. In summary, female gem‐faced civets are polyestrous (approximately 13 cycles/year), and non‐typical seasonal breeders, with follicular phase and two distinct durations of luteal phases (diestrus) cycling throughout the year, but the frequency of ovarian cycles was remarkably gradually decreased from September to February of next year. Zoo Biol 0:1–11, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The persistence and conservation of Borneo's mammals in lowland rain forests managed for timber: observations, overviews and opportunities
Authors: Meijaard E. , Sheil D.
Published: February 2007

Lowland rainforests on Borneo are being degraded and lost at an alarming rate. Studies on mammals report species responding in various ways to habitat changes that occur in commercial forestry concessions. Here we draw together information on the relationship between the ecological, evolutionary, and biogeographic characteristics of selected Bornean non‐volant mammals, and their response to timber harvesting and related impacts. Only a minority of species show markedly reduced densities after timber harvesting. Nonetheless there are many grounds for concern as various processes can, and often do, reduce the viability of wildlife populations. Our review of what we know, and of current understanding, helps predict mammalian dynamics and subsequent mammal‐induced ecosystem changes in logged forests. We identify groups of mammal species that, although largely unstudied, are unlikely to tolerate the impacts associated with timber harvesting. On a positive note we find and suggest many relatively simple and low‐cost ways in which concession management practices might be modified so as to improve the value of managed forests for wildlife conservation. Improving forest management can play a vital role in maintaining the rich biodiversity of Borneo's tropical rain forests.
Impact of volcanic activity on a plant‐pollinator module in an island ecosystem: the example of the association of Camellia japonica and Zosterops japonica
Authors: Abe Harue , Hasegawa Masami
Published: February 2007

Volcanic activity provides an indispensable opportunity to study the ecological responses of organisms to environmental devastation. We examined the reproductive success of Camellia trees to identify how volcanic activity affects the processes of leaf survival, flowering activity, fruit and seed production, pollinator abundance, pollinator visitation frequency, pollination rate, and fruit and seed maturation at different damage sites on Miyake‐jima, which experienced an eruption in the summer of 2000. Volcanic gases negatively affect leaf survival and reduce flowering activity in heavily damaged areas. Pollen transfer was sufficient to ensure that higher pollination rates (83%) occurred in heavily damaged areas than in less damaged areas (26–45%), but pollinator densities were lower in response to reduced flower resources. Fruit abortion rates were greater in heavily damaged sites (78%) than in less‐damaged sites (53–63%). Consequently, fruit‐set rates (16–29%) did not differ significantly among sites. Seed set rates tended to increase with increasing volcanic damage. The negative correlation between seed‐set rates and seed mass suggests that the decreased seed mass in severely damaged sites was attributable to the better pollination rates observed there. These results indicate that compensation mechanisms ensure better reproductive success at sites that are more strongly affected by volcanic activity.
Effects of sandblasting and salt spray on inland plants transplanted to coastal sand dunes
Authors: Ogura Akiko , Yura Hiroshi
Published: February 2007

A transplant experiment was conducted on a sandy beach to elucidate whether salt spray and sandblasting are the major factors inhibiting inland plants from becoming established on coastal sand dunes. Potted inland plants of Miscanthus sinensis and Imperata cylindrica var. koenigii were transplanted in two zones on the beach and in one area far inland from the beach. One zone on the beach (sea side) was located on a front dune that was occupied by native sand‐dune plants; the other zone (land side) was located behind the sand dunes, where grassland comprised both sand‐dune and inland species. To assess the condition of transplants, we measured changes in the canopy leaf area periodically at all sites. The final dry weight at each site was determined at the end of the experiment. Seasonal changes in sandblasting and salt spray intensities were evaluated periodically at the sites by measurement of the opaqueness of exposed transparent plastic sheets and the amount of sodium trapped in exposed filter papers, respectively. All transplants died in the sea‐side zone, where both salt spray and sandblasting were most frequent and intense. The final dry weight was greatest at the inland site, which lacked salt spray and sandblasting. Although salt spray was intense in the land‐side zone, the canopy leaf area decreased considerably only in seasons during which salt spray was accompanied by intense sandblasting. We concluded that sandblasting accompanied by salt spray is one of the main factors inhibiting the survival and growth of inland plants on coastal sand dunes.
Spatial distribution of turtle barnacles on the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas
Authors: Hayashi Ryota , Tsuji Kazuki
Published: February 2007

Distribution patterns of epibiotic barnacles on green sea turtles were investigated in waters neighboring Okinawa, Japan. A number of barnacle species were found to coexist on the turtles and were classified into three genera: Chelonibia, Platylepas and Stomatolepas. Attachment sites on the turtles varied among the barnacle species, suggesting that there is niche partitioning with respect to their microhabitat selection. Turtle bodies offer a “patchy” environment for barnacles, so we also analyzed coexistence patterns in the context of an aggregation model. Within each genus, individual barnacles showed a clumped distribution. The different genera do not have mutually exclusive distribution patterns, but instead occur on the same turtle to various degrees. However, when turtles were divided into two size classes, both the level of aggregation and the degree of interspecific overlap among the barnacles was significantly lower on large turtles. We suggest that obtaining basic information on turtle epibionts will shed light on the biology of wild turtles, which is still largely unknown.
Rare seed‐predating mammals determine seed fate of Canarium euphyllum, a large‐seeded tree species in a moist evergreen forest, Thailand
Authors: Kitamura Shumpei , Yumoto Takakazu , Poonswad Pilai , Suzuki Shunsuke , Wohandee Prawat
Published: February 2007

Natural seed deposition patterns and their effects on post‐dispersal seed fate are critical to tropical tree recruitment. The major dispersal agents of the large‐seeded tree Canarium euphyllum in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, are large frugivorous birds such as hornbills, which generated spatially heterogeneous seed deposition patterns because they regurgitated seeds at perching trees and conspecific and heterospecific feeding trees. We investigated the fate of seeds dispersed in this manner using seed removal experiments and automatic camera trapping. Seeds placed experimentally around conspecific feeding trees had higher removal rates than seeds placed elsewhere. These effects were likely mediated by two seed‐eating rodents, the Indochinese ground squirrel (Menetes berdmorei) and the giant long‐tailed rat (Leopoldamys sabanus). Consequently, the spatial patterns generated by hornbills had consequences for post‐dispersal seed fates, particularly whether or not the seeds were removed by rodents. Primary dispersal by hornbills does alter seed fate by altering the probability of rodent–seed interaction, but the ultimate impact of dispersal by hornbills will depend on how important rodent scatterhoarding is to seed germination and seedlings. Given that major seed dispersers of C. euphyllum are now absent or rare in degraded forests in tropical Asia, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the roles of scatterhoarding rodents in these altered habitats in this region.
Effects of Tai Chi exercises on self-efficacy and psychological health
Authors: Dechamps Arnaud , Lafont Lucile , Bourdel-Marchasson Isabelle
Published: February 2007

This review offers an update of the psychological effects of Tai Chi Chuan (TC) among different populations. A computerized literature research from 1990 to June 2006 was carried out. Studies were selected when they assessed the mental and psychological effects of TC practice among various populations. Data from 14 studies for a total of 829 subjects, age range from 12 to 96 years, were considered here. There were eight randomized controlled trials and six quasi-experimental or case control studies in this review. The intensity of TC varied from 30 min twice a week over a 5-week period to 1 h every day over an 8-week period. TC was characterized as a kind of light-to-moderate exercise and was found to enhance overall psychological well-being and to improve self-efficacy and mood. TC benefits appeared to be more tangible for adults and healthy older adults or those becoming frail. However, TC did not appear to be more efficient than exercises of the same intensity. Extensive and qualitative studies are needed to quantify the effects of the volume of practice, expert modeling, gender differences, and the age-related learning process on efficacy cognitions and mood in clinical and nonclinical contexts.
Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors: Potential for Transition State Analogs and Mechanism‐Based Inactivators Targeted at Sterol Methyltransferase
Authors: Song Zhihong , Nes W. David
Published: February 2007

Sterol biosynthesis inhibitors (SBIs), discovered in the late 1960s and subsequently used commercially to treat ergosterol‐dependent fungal diseases, represent a unique drug class targeted at an enzyme in a biosynthetic pathway. To date, few drugs have been commercialized as enzyme inhibitors; yet, prescription of SBIs has emerged as the gold standard for some cases of non‐life‐threatening antifungal chemotherapy and in crop protection. SBIs are not designed for their structural resemblance to the sterol molecule; they nonetheless can engender a curative effect by interfering with sterol production and homeostasis in the pathogenic organism. The increased use of SBIs in recent years, particularly the azole antifungals, has resulted in the development of resistance to those drugs, necessitating additional work to further our understanding of antifungal resistance and to explore opportunities to develop new enzyme inhibitors and uncover new enzyme targets that can regulate carbon flux in the post‐lanosterol/cycloartenol pathway. This article reports general considerations for enzyme mechanism and active‐site probes using inhibitors of the C‐methylation reaction, including a potential new class of antifungal/antiparasitic agents of phytosterol synthesis tailored as mechanism‐based inactivators. These steroid‐based compounds prepared with different sterol side chain functionalities are designed to reversibly or irreversibly impair the sterol methyltransferase, an enzyme expressed in pathogenic microbes and plants but not in the human host. The salient aspects of these and related topics directed toward the enzyme recognition of sterol structure, and the inhibitory properties and catalytic competence of a series of specifically modified substrate analogs that affect sterol methyltransferase action are discussed.
Fatty acid composition of habitual omnivore and vegetarian diets
Authors: Mann Neil , Pirotta Yvonne , O'Connell Stella , Li Duo , Kelly Fiona , Sinclair Andy
Published: February 2007

High‐fat diets are implicated in the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and obesity. Large intakes of saturated and trans FA, together with low levels of PUFA, particularly long‐chain (LC) omega‐3 (n−3) PUFA, appear to have the greatest impact on the development of CVD. A high n−6∶n−3 PUFA ratio is also considered a marker of elevated risk of CVD, though little accurate data on dietary intake is available. A new Australian food composition database that reports FA in foods to two decimal places was used to assess intakes of FA in four habitual dietary groups. Analysis using the database found correlations between the dietary intakes of LC n−3 PUFA and the plasma phospholipid LC n−3 PUFA concentrations of omnivore and vegetarian subjects. High meat‐eaters (HME), who consumed large amounts of food generally, had significantly higher LC n−3 PUFA intakes (0.29 g/d) than moderate meat‐eaters (MME) (0.14 g/d), whose intakes in turn were significantly higher than those of ovolacto‐vegetarians or vegans (both 0.01 g/d). The saturated FA intake of MME subjects (typical of adult male Australians) was not different from ovolacto‐vegetarian intakes, whereas n−6∶n−3 intake ratios in vegetarians were significantly higher than in omnivores. Thus, accurate dietary and plasma FA analyses suggest that regular moderate consumption of meat and fish maintains a plasma FA profile possibly more conducive to good health.
The hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype is a predictor of elevated levels of small, dense LDL cholesterol
Authors: Gazi Irene F. , Filippatos Theodosios D. , Tsimihodimos Vasilis , Saougos Vasilios G. , Liberopoulos Evangelos N. , Mikhailidis Dimitri P. , Tselepis Alexandros D. , Elisaf Moses
Published: February 2007

The hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) phenotype (hypertriglyceridemia and increased waist circumference) has been proposed as an inexpensive tool to monitor individuals with the atherogenic metabolic triad, hyperinsulinemia, hyperapobetalipoproteinemia, and increased levels of small, dense LDL (sdLDL) particles. We assessed the association of the HTGW phenotype with the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) and the atherogenic metabolic triad in inhabitants (n=260) of northwestern Greece attending the Outpatient Lipid Clinic of the University Hospital of loannina. The LDL subfractions were assessed using the Lipoprint LDL System. HTGW (+) individuals had a more adverse lipid and lipoprotein profile compared with HTGW (−) individuals. Moreover, HTGW (+) subjects had elevated levels of sdLDL‐C, as well as decreased mean and peak LDL particle size compared with HTGW (−) subjects. To our knowledge, this is the first report documenting the sdLDL‐C abnormality in HTGW (+) subjects. Among men (n=105), 52.3% of the MetSyn (+) individuals and 66.7% of the HTGW (+) individuals had the metabolic triad. Among women (n=155), the corresponding percentages were 42.3% and 50.0%. Only 22.2% and 10.6% of the Metsyn (−) subjects (men and women, respectively) and 19.6% and 15.2% of the HTGW (−) subjects (men and women, respectively) had the atherogenic metabolic triad. In conclusion, the HTGW (+) phenotype is associated with a hostile lipid profile that includes higher levels of sdLDL‐C and decreased LDL particle size. The HTGW phenotype, compared with the MetSyn criteria, can provide an easy and inexpensive tool to monitor patients characterized by an adverse lipid and lipoprotein profile.
Diminished macrophage cholesterol removal rate by the altered HDL metabolism in the Nagase analbuminemic rat
Authors: Catanozi Sergio , Rocha Jussara C. , Passarelli Marisa , Mesquita Carlos H. , Suguiama Vivian Y. , Guzzo Maria L. , Filho Antônio dos Santos , Quintao Eder C. R. , Nakandakare Edna R.
Published: February 2007

Dyslipoproteinemia of the Nagase analbuminemic rat (NAR) is characterized by elevated concentrations of VLDL and LDL attributed to increased rates of liver lipoprotein synthesis. Increased lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in NAR HDL has been attributed to high plasma LCAT activity. We show here that, as compared with Sprague‐Dawley rats (SDR), NAR plasma triacylglycerol (TAG), total cholesterol (TC), HDL TAG, protein, total phospholipids (PL), LPC, and PS are increased. These alterations rendered the NAR HDL particle more susceptible to the activity of the enzyme hepatic lipoprotein lipase (HL), which otherwise was unaltered in our study. Fractional catabolic rates in blood of the autologous 125I‐apoHDL (median and lower quartile values), were, respectively, 0.231 and 1.645 (n=10) in NAR as compared with 0.140 and 0.109 (n=10) in SDR (P=0.012), corresponding to synthesis rates of HDL protein of 89.8±33.7 mg/d in NAR and 17.4±6.5 mg/d in SDR (P=0.0122). Furthermore, Swiss mouse macrophage free‐cholesterol (FC) efflux rates, measured as the percent [14C]‐cholesterol efflux/6 h, were 8.2±2.3 (n=9) in NAR HDL and 11.2±3.2 (n=10) in SDR HDL (P=0.03). Therefore, in NAR the modification of the HDL composition slows down the cell FC efflux rate, and together with the increased rate of plasma HDL metabolism influences the reverse cholesterol transport system.
Insulin‐status‐dependent modulation of FoF1‐ATPase activity in rat liver mitochondria
Authors: Patel Samir P. , Katyare Surendra S.
Published: February 2007

Early and late effects of alloxan diabetes and insulin treatment on mitochondrial membrane structure and function were evaluated by studying the kinetic properties of mitochondrial membrane marker enzyme FoF1‐ATPase and its modulation by membrane lipid/phospholipid composition and membrane fluidity. Under all experimental conditions the enzyme displayed three kinetically distinguishable components. In 1wk‐old diabetic animals the enzyme activity was unchanged; however, Km and Vmax of component I increased and Km of component II decreased. Insulin treatment resulted in lowering of Km and Vmax of components II and III. One‐mon diabetic state resulted in decreased enzyme activity, whereas insulin treatment caused hyperstimulation. Km of components I and II decreased together with decreased Vmax of all the components. Insulin treatment restored the Km and Vmax values. In late‐stage diabetes the catalytic efficiency of components I and II increased; insulin treatment had drastic adverse effect. Binding pattern of ATP was unchanged under all experimental conditions. Diabetic state resulted in progressive decrease in energy of activation in the low temperature range (EL). Insulin treatment lowered the energy of activation in the high temperature range (EH) without correcting the EL values. The phase transition temperatures increased in diabetic state and were not corrected by insulin treatment. Long‐term diabetes lowered the total phospholipid content and elevated the cholesterol content; insulin treatment had partial restorative effect. The membrane fluidity decreased in general in diabetic condition and was not corrected by insulin treatment at late stage. Regression analysis studies suggest that specific phospholipid classes and/or their ratios may play a role in modulation of the enzyme activity.
Gene expression of stearoyl‐ACP desaturase and Δ12 fatty acid desaturase 2 is modulated during seed development of flax (Linum usitatissimum)
Authors: Fofana Bourlaye , Cloutier Sylvie , Duguid Scott , Ching Jacqueline , Rampitsch Chris
Published: February 2007

Flax's recent popularity in human and animal foods is mostly due to its desirable FA composition. Flax is an excellent source of omega‐3 FA, which have been shown to have many health benefits. To date, little is known about the genetic and environmental factors that control the FA composition of flax seeds. To elucidate some of the important genetic components, reverse transcriptase (RT)‐PCR and real‐time PCR were used to determine the expression profiles of two key FA biosynthetic genes during seed development. Plants of flax cultivar AC McDuff were grown under field conditions, and RNA was extracted from ovaries and developing bolls collected from 2 d after anthesis (DAA) to maturity. Desaturation enzymes stearoyl‐ACP desaturase (SAD) and Δ12 FA desaturase 2 (FAD2) were both expressed in ovaries, and their expression was differentially modulated throughout seed development. SAD was most highly expressed in ovaries. Its expression quickly decreased until 4 DAA; this was followed by a slight peak at 8 DAA, only to return to relatively low levels of expression in maturing bolls, ranging from 2.1% to 4.5% relative to the level observed in ovaries. FAD2 expression displayed a different temporal pattern. While expression of FAD2 did decrease in the early stages of seed development, expression increased starting at 8 DAA, peaking at 16 DAA, when it was 158% relative to the level observed in ovaries. FAD2, which desaturates oleic acid (18∶1 cisΔ9) into linoleic acid (18∶2 cisΔ9, 12), is therefore controlled at the transcription level. To relate enzyme expression with FA profile, GC was performed on the same subsamples used for RT‐PCR and real‐time PCR, and proportions of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids were determined for the same developmental stages. Although FAD2 expression increased from 8 to 16 DAA, relative changes in linoleic acid (18∶2 cis Δ9, 12) were not observed. However, linolenic acid (ALA; α‐18∶3; 18∶3 cisΔ9, 12, 15) levels increased steadily, meaning that linoleic acid (18∶2 cisΔ9, 12) is a transient substrate converted by FAD3 as quickly as it is produced by FAD2. Phenotypes are the result of genotypes, environment, and the interaction of the two. To evaluate the environmental impact on the production of FA in flax, FA profiles were assessed in a total of four environments (two locations, two years). Warm and dry environmental conditions resulted in lower levels of PUFA 18∶2 cisΔ9, 12 and 18∶3 cisΔ9, 12, 15, and higher levels of 18∶1 cisΔ9. FAD2 expression and/or activity may therefore be affected by the environment.
Lipid class and fatty acid composition of the boreal soft coral Gersemia rubiformis
Authors: Imbs Andrey B. , Demina Olga A. , Demidkova Darja A.
Published: February 2007

Total lipid, phospholipid, and FA composition and distribution of FA between polar lipids (PL) and neutral lipids (NL) were investigated in the boreal soft coral Gersemia rubiformis from the Bering Sea. The total lipids were mostly hydrocarbons and waxes (33.7%) and PL (33.1%). The content of monoalkyldiacylglycerols (9.7%) exceeded the content of TAG (6.7%). PC and PE constituted 31.4% and 25.6% of total phospholipids, respectively. Principal FA were 16∶0, 16∶1n−7, 18∶0, 18∶1n−9, 18∶1n−7, 20∶1n−7, 20∶4n−6, 20∶4n−3, 20∶5n−3 22∶5n−3, 22∶6n−3, 24∶5n−6, and 24∶6n−3. Most n−6 PUFA (52% of total FA) were associated with the PL fraction; this was especially true for arachidonic and tetracosapentaenoic acids. The NL were enriched with mono‐, di‐, trienoic, and n−3 PUFA. The variation in EPA levels in both NL and PL suggests an origin of this acid from lipids of diatoms consumed by the corals.
The analysis of lipids via HPLC with a charged aerosol detector
Authors: Moreau Robert A.
Published: February 2007

Because most lipid extracts are a mixture of saturated and unsaturated molecules, the most successful strategies for the quantitative analysis of lipids have involved the use of so‐called “mass” or universal detectors such as flame ionization detectors and evaporative light scattering detectors. Recently a new type of HPLC “mass” detector, a charge aerosol detector (CAD), was developed and is now commercially available. This detection method involves nebulizing the HPLC column effluent, evaporating the solvents charging the aerosol particles, and measuring the current from the charged aerosol flux. In the present study, the CAD was evaluated with several normal phase and reverse phase HPLC methods commonly used for the quantitative analysis of lipid classes and lipid molecular species. The CAD detected common lipids such as triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, glycolipids, phospholipids, and sterols. Lower molecular weight lipids such as free FA had smaller peak areas (50–80% lower). FAME were not detected by the CAD, probably because they were completely evaporated and did not form aerosol particles. The minimum limits of detection of the CAD with lipids varied with different mobile phase solvents. Using solvent systems that were predominantly hexane, the minimum limits of detection of triacylglycerols, cholesterol esters, and free sterols were about 1 ng per injection and the mass‐to‐peak area ratio was nearly linear from the range of about 1 ng to about 20 mg per injection. Three other solvents commonly used for HPLC lipid analysis (methanol, isopropanol, and acetonitrile) caused higher levels of background noise and higher minimum limits of detection. These experiments indicate that the CAD has the potential to become a valuable tool for the quantitative HPLC analysis of lipids. Long‐term studies are needed to evaluate full instrument performance.
Rumenic Acid Significantly Reduces Plasma Levels of LDL and Small Dense LDL Cholesterol in Hamsters Fed a Cholesterol‐ and Lipid‐Enriched Semi‐Purified Diet
Authors: LeDoux Martial , Laloux Laurent , Fontaine Jean‐Jacques , Carpentier Yvon A. , Chardigny Jean‐Michel , Sébédio Jean‐Louis
Published: February 2007

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) consist of a series of positional and geometrical isomers of linoleic acid. CLA have been reported to beneficially affect cardiovascular risk factors in animal models. In order to assess the role of individual CLA isomers on lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, 30 hamsters were fed for 12 weeks an hyperlipidic diet containing pure cis‐9,trans‐11 CLA (c9,t11) or pure trans‐10, cis‐12 CLA (t10,c12) isomers given alone or as a mixture. Plasma total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower in the c9,t11 CLA isomer fed hamsters relative to the Control group, with the most substantially effect on LDL cholesterol (−56%; P < 0.05). Plasma triacylglycerol concentrations did not differ significantly regarding those two groups. Plasma cholesterol parameters showed a tendency to decrease in the t10,c12 CLA isomer and CLA mixture fed hamsters compared with the Control group, but differences were not significant. For the first time, the atherogenic fraction of small dense LDL was investigated. Plasma small dense LDL cholesterol concentration was lower in the c9,t11 CLA relative to Control, while the t10,c12 and CLA mixture groups showed only a non significant tendency to decrease. Taken together, these data indicate that feeding rumenic acid (c9,t11 CLA) may beneficially affect lipoprotein profile in hamster fed a cholesterol‐ and lipid‐enriched semi‐purified diet, when t10,c12 CLA isomer or CLA mixture would be less active.
Rab cascades and tethering factors in the endomembrane system
Authors: Markgraf Daniel F. , Peplowska Karolina , Ungermann Christian
Published: February 2007

Rab GTPases are key proteins that determine organelle identity and operate at the center of fusion reactions. Like Ras, they act as switches that are connected to a diverse network of tethering factors, exchange factors and GTPase activating proteins. Recent studies suggest that Rabs are linked to each other via their effectors, thus coordinating protein transport in the endomembrane system. Within this review, we will focus on selected examples that highlight these issues.
Slit3 regulates cell motility through Rac/Cdc42 activation in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated macrophages
Authors: Tanno Toshihiko , Fujiwara Ayumi , Sakaguchi Kunihiko , Tanaka Katsuhiro , Takenaka Shigeo , Tsuyama Shingo
Published: February 2007

Three slit genes,slit1toslit3, have been cloned to date. Slit1 and slit2 act as chemorepellent factors for axon guidance. Slit3 is involved in the formation of the diaphragm and kidney during embryogenesis. However, its molecular function remains unclear. We found that slit3 expression was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐stimulation in macrophages and that it was localized in the mitochondria and along the plasma membrane. Silencing of slit3 expression by RNA interference reduced cell motility and Rac/Cdc42 activation. These results suggest that slit3 functions as an intracellular signaling molecule for cell motility as part of the LPS‐induced signaling cascade.
Escherichia coli AspP activity is enhanced by macromolecular crowding and by both glucose‐1,6‐bisphosphate and nucleotide‐sugars
Authors: Morán-Zorzano María Teresa , Viale Alejandro Miguel , Muñoz Francisco José , Alonso-Casajús Nora , Eydallín Gustavo Gabriel , Zugasti Beatriz , Baroja-Fernández Edurne , Pozueta-Romero Javier
Published: February 2007

Escherichia coli ADP‐sugar pyrophosphatase (AspP) is a “Nudix” hydrolase that catalyzes the hydrolytic breakdown of ADP‐glucose linked to glycogen biosynthesis. Moderate increases of AspP activity in the cell are accompanied by significant reductions of the glycogen content. In vitro analyses showed that AspP activity is strongly enhanced by macromolecular crowding and by both glucose‐1,6‐bisphosphate and nucleotide‐sugars, providing a first set of indicative evidences that AspP is a highly regulated enzyme. To our knowledge, AspP is the sole bacterial enzyme described to date which is activated by both G1,6P2 and nucleotide‐sugars.
In vitro synthesis, tetramerization and single channel characterization of virus‐encoded potassium channel Kcv
Authors: Shim Ji Wook , Yang Mingming , Gu Li-Qun
Published: February 2007

Chlorella virus‐encoded membrane protein Kcv represents a new class of potassium channel. This 94‐amino acids miniature K+ channel consists of two trans‐membrane α‐helix domains intermediated by a pore domain that contains a highly conserved K+ selectivity filter. Therefore, as an archetypal K+ channel, the study of Kcv may yield valuable insights into the structure–function relationships underlying this important class of ion channel. Here, we report a series of new properties of Kcv. We first verified Kcv can be synthesized in vitro. By co‐synthesis and assembly of wild‐type and the tagged version of Kcv, we were able to demonstrate a tetrameric stoichiometry, a molecular structure adopted by all known K+ channels. Most notably, the tetrameric Kcv complex retains its functional integrity in SDS (strong detergent)‐containing solutions, a useful feature that allows for direct purification of protein from polyacrylamide gel. Once purified, the tetramer can form single potassium‐selective ion channels in a lipid bilayer with functions consistent to the heterologously expressed Kcv. These finding suggest that the synthetic Kcv can serve as a model of virus‐encoded K+ channels; and its newly identified properties can be applied to the future study on structure‐determined mechanisms such as K+ channel functional stoichiometry.
Record of a Palaeogene syn-collisional extension in the north Aegean region: evidence from the Kemer micaschists (NW Turkey)
Authors: BECCALETTO LAURENT , BONEV NIKOLAY , BOSCH DELPHINE , BRUGUIER OLIVIER
Published: February 2007

In NW Turkey, the medium-grade Kemer micaschists of the Biga Peninsula record NE-directed extension related to ductile to brittle–ductile shearing during the Palaeogene period: a lower limit for their exhumation is given by the Late Maastrichtian age of the HP–LT metamorphism of a similar nearby area (Çamlıca micaschists); an upper limit is given by the Early Eocene intrusion age of the post-kinematic Karabiga granitoid, dated as 52.7 ± 1.9 Ma using the U–Pb LA–ICP–MS method on xenotime. Correlations with the northeasterly Rhodope region and integration into the geodynamic regional frame indicate that the Kemer micaschists experienced an extensional deformation connected to a collisional context in latest Cretaceous–early Tertiary times. The Kemer micaschists therefore represent a new area (the first in Turkey), which suffered synorogenic extension in the north Aegean domain at the very beginning of Tertiary times.
ETIENNE DUMONT, THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION, AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Authors: WHATMORE RICHARD
Published: February 2007

Etienne Dumont became famous in the early nineteenth century for taking Jeremy Bentham's incoherent manuscripts and editing them into readable books which he translated into French. This article focuses on Dumont's earlier life, and specifically his Genevan background, to explain his work for Mirabeau in the first years of the French Revolution and his ultimate sense of the importance of Bentham's system of legislation. The article explains why Dumont's Genevan origins caused him to promote reforms in France intended to establish domestic stability and international peace. Dumont believed that states across Europe needed to combine free government with moral reform, in order to stifle the growth of democracy. The extent of the danger posed by popular government to modern societies was, in Dumont's view, the major lesson of the French Revolution. An alternative reform project to democracy was necessary, but one that did not entail a return to monarchical or aristocratic despotism. The characteristics of Dumont's planned reform became clear by adopting a comparative perspective on events in France. In developing a comparative perspective, Dumont argued that the history of Britain since 1688 needed to be in the foreground. He was perplexed by the French rejection of Britain's political and constitutional model, and explained many major developments at Paris in 1789 by reference to what he considered to be this peculiar fact. After the Terror, Dumont lost his faith in experiments in constitution building as a means of securing the independence of free states like Geneva. Bentham's great achievement was to have provided an alternative system of legislation that would transform national character gradually, making reform politics compatible with domestic and international peace. For Dumont, Bentham established a bulwark against the enthusiasm and democratic excess, and this was the key to utilitarianism as a moral reform project.
THE BRITISH STATE AND THE ANGLO-FRENCH WARS OVER ANTIQUITIES, 1798–1858
Authors: HOOCK HOLGER
Published: February 2007

This article seeks to contribute to a revisionist account of the role of the British state and the nation in building the British Museum's early antique collections. Traditionally, there has been a perception that, in contrast especially to France, the British national collections of antiquities were formed primarily by private individuals donating objects, while the state looked on with indifference, or, at best, occasionally bought antiquities on the cheap from enterprising travellers or diplomats. Yet, the scale and quality of the British Museum's collections owe much to the power and reach of the British military and imperial state. The harnessing of political, diplomatic, and military resources to archaeological work, the dovetailing of private and public efforts, and a strong element of international, especially Anglo-French, competition added up to a substantial programme of public patronage. This is easily ignored by approaches that only consider (continental European) ideal types of public patronage, such as Napoleon's Egyptian Commission on the Sciences and Arts. The article sketches the chronological and geographical unfolding of state-supported archaeological activities around the Mediterranean and the Near East, and considers the connections between archaeology and diplomacy, the different modes of collection building, and the origins of debates about preservation and spoliation.
THE POLITICAL USES OF SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH HISTORY IN BOURBON RESTORATION FRANCE
Authors: CUBITT GEOFFREY
Published: February 2007

For French political commentators and polemicists of the Bourbon Restoration period (1814–30), England's history of revolution and of royalist restoration between 1640 and 1688 offered striking and suggestive similarities to the trajectory of France's own political experience since 1789. Elaborated not just in the historical writings of men like Villemain, Guizot, and Carrel, but in a host of political speeches and pamphlets and other forms of ephemeral literature, allusions to Stuart and Cromwellian history carried a potent charge in debates and polemics over France's own political prospects. Drawing on statements by politicians and writers as diverse as François-René de Chateaubriand, Louis de Bonald, and Benjamin Constant, this article explores the meanings that were read into the comparison or juxtaposition of French and English histories, the ways in which these meanings were argued and contested, and the political uses to which they were put, both by critics and by supporters of the Restoration regime. If references to the Stuarts, to Cromwell, or to 1688 were sometimes politically opportunistic, they also sometimes reflected an aspiration to comprehend France's political destiny by relating its present position to broader frameworks of historical understanding – a point which the later parts of the article seek to develop by scrutinizing the ways in which French and English histories are connected in specific writings by Augustin Thierry, Guizot, and Chateaubriand.
CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH TONNA AND THE MOBILIZATION OF TORY WOMEN IN EARLY VICTORIAN ENGLAND
Authors: GLEADLE KATHRYN
Published: February 2007

This article addresses the historiographical neglect of tory women in the early Victorian period. The existence of a vibrant culture of female conservative letters, combined with the widespread participation of women in ultra-Protestant pressure-group politics, is suggestive of the neglected contribution women made to the revival of grass-roots toryism during these years. In particular, it is suggested that a consideration of the distinctive features of premillenarian Evangelicalism enables a more discriminating approach to the impact of Evangelicalism upon contemporary women. By focusing upon the career of the prominent premillenarian Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna, and her editorship of the Christian Lady's Magazine, it is argued that contemporary attitudes towards ‘female politicians’ were far more flexible, variable, and contingent than is frequently assumed. The associational activities with which many premillenarians were involved, combined with their attention to Old Testament models of publicly active women and the sense of urgency that distinguished their theology, frequently led its adherents to problematize and critique existing formulations of women's roles.
‘THE MAN WITH THE POWDER PUFF’ IN INTERWAR LONDON
Authors: HOULBROOK MATT
Published: February 2007

This article explores the historically specific use of cosmetic commodities as evidence in prosecutions for importuning in interwar London. Taking as its point of departure the story of ‘the man with the powder puff’ told in the journal John Bull in 1925, it moves to consider the discrete but intersecting histories within which cosmetics came to function as a material sign of deviant masculinity, illicit sexuality, and de facto criminality. The process through which a powder puff could be deployed as evidence in court depended upon a particular understanding of sexual difference. It was embedded in the emergence of a vibrant consumer beauty culture in the 1920s. It took shape within the operational practices of the Metropolitan Police, particularly the explosive politics of law enforcement after the First World War. It emerged, finally, in response to profound anxieties about the war's disruptive impact on British culture. In understanding the story of ‘the man with the powder puff’, I argue, we might more fully understand the cultural landscape of post-First World War Britain.
SOUTHERN IRISH NATIONALISM AS A HISTORICAL PROBLEM
Authors: REGAN JOHN M.
Published: February 2007

To what extent has the recent war in Northern Ireland influenced Irish historiography? Examining the nomenclature, periodization, and the use of democracy and state legitimization as interpretative tools in the historicization of the Irish Civil War (1922–3), the influence of a southern nationalist ideology is apparent. A dominating southern nationalist interest represented the revolutionary political elite's realpolitik after 1920, though its pan-nationalist rhetoric obscured this. Ignoring southern nationalism as a cogent influence has led to the misrepresentation of nationalism as ethnically homogeneous in twentieth-century Ireland. Once this is identified, historiographical and methodological problems are illuminated, which may be demonstrated in historians' work on the revolutionary period (c. 1912–23). Following the northern crisis's emergence in the late 1960s, the Republic's Irish governments required a revised public history that could reconcile the state's violent and revolutionary origins with its counterinsurgency against militarist-republicanism. At the same time many historians adopted constitutional, later democratic, state formation narratives for the south at the expense of historical precision. This facilitated a broader state-centred and statist historiography, mirroring the Republic's desire to re-orientate its nationalism away from irredentism, toward the conscious accommodation of partition. Reconciliation of southern nationalist identities with its state represents a singular political achievement, as well as a concomitant historiographical problem.
REASSESSING THE RADICALS
Authors: COOPER TIM
Published: February 2007

The precisianist strain: disciplinary religion and antinomian backlash in puritanism to 1638. By Theodore Dwight Bozeman. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004. Pp. xv+349. ISBN 0-8078-2850-5. $49.95.

Making heretics: militant Protestantism and free grace in Massachusetts, 1636–1641. By Michael P. Winship. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002. Pp. xv+322. ISBN 0-691-08943-4. $33.95.

Blown by the spirit: puritanism and the emergence of an antinomian underground in pre-civil-war England. By David R. Como. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2004. Pp. ix+513. ISBN 0-8047-4443-2. $70.00.

The English radical imagination: culture, religion, and revolution, 1630–1660. By Nicholas McDowell. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2003. Pp. 219. ISBN 0-19-926051-6. £49.00.

There has only been one historical monograph on the English antinomians and that was published in 1951. They are long overdue for reassessment. Fortunately, that task is well underway. Taken together, three recent books – cumulatively amounting to well over one thousand pages of text – advance our understanding in substantial and significant ways. Of course, the antinomians have not been absent from the historiography over the last five decades. Their involvement in the ‘antinomian controversy’ that wracked the early New England colony during the mid-1630s has been well-worked ground, whilst they are much too colourful a feature of the mid-seventeenth-century English ferment and upheaval to be overlooked. But they have, more often than not, been background figures, tangential characters in a bigger story. By contrast, in these works, they are in the foreground, with an elaborate and illuminating background within which to understand them in fresh and important ways. The result is a welcome reappraisal that is helpful, insightful, and comprehensive.
Boron application affects seed yield and seed quality of sugar beets
Authors: DORDAS C. , APOSTOLIDES G. E. , GOUNDRA O.
Published: February 2007

Sugar beet (Beta vulgarisL.) is one of the most important sugar crops worldwide. Despite the fact that sugar beet crop has high requirements for boron (B), the effect of B applications on seed yield and on seed quality is not known. A 2-year field study was conducted to determine whether soil and foliar B applications during anthesis increase seed set, final seed yield and improve seed quality of sugar beets. Boron solutions were applied at four rates (0, 245, 490 and 735 mg/l of B) as foliar applications and at two rates (1·5 and 3 kg/ha of B) as soil applications to field plots exhibiting no vegetative symptoms of B deficiency. Foliar B application increased the concentration of B in vegetative and reproductive tissues much more than soil application. In addition, foliar B application increased the seed yield by an average of 10% in the first year and by an average of 44% in the second year. The mean seed weight was affected by B application as it was increased in both years. The proportion of larger seeds (>5·00 and 4·5–5·00 mm) increased with increasing application of B. Moreover, seed quality was affected and the proportion of abnormal seedlings was decreased with B application. However, seed vigour was not affected by B application. These data indicate that foliar B application can improve seed yield and seed quality of sugar beet grown for seed production. However, the physiological basis of this effect remains unknown.