bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a fluorescent nanosensor for ribose
Authors: Lager Ida , Fehr Marcus , Frommer Wolf B , Lalonde Sylvie
Published: September 2003

To analyze ribose uptake and metabolism in living cells, nanosensors were engineered by flanking the Escherichia coli periplasmic ribose binding protein with two green fluorescent protein variants. Following binding of ribose, fluorescence resonance energy transfer decreased with increasing ribose concentration. Five affinity mutants were generated covering binding constants between 400 nM and 11.7 mM. Analysis of nanosensor response in COS‐7 cells showed that free ribose accumulates in the cell and is slowly metabolized. Inhibitor studies suggest that uptake is mediated by a monosaccharide transporter of the GLUT family, however, ribose taken up into the cell was not or only slowly released, indicating irreversibility of uptake.
The N‐terminus is unstructured, but not dynamically disordered, in the complex between HK022 Nun protein and λ‐phage BoxB RNA hairpin
Authors: Stuart Ashley C , Gottesman Max E , Palmer Arthur G
Published: September 2003

The Nun protein of lambdoid phage HK022 excludes λ‐phage superinfection by blocking expression of genes downstream from the λ nut sequences. Heteronuclear NMR studies have been performed on a Nun peptide comprising residues 1–49 bound to the nutR BoxB RNA. The pattern of 13C chemical shifts indicates that the arginine‐rich motif of Nun forms an induced α‐helix, consisting of residues 23–43, when bound to BoxB RNA, consistent with the structure of a shorter (residues 22–44) Nun peptide/BoxB RNA complex [Faber, C., Schärpf, M., Becker, T., Sticht, H. and Rösch (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 32064–32070]. The N‐terminal extension, residues 1–22, does not show chemical shifts or nuclear Overhauser effects characteristic of stable secondary structure. Nonetheless, 15N relaxation measurements indicate that this region is not completely disordered, as expected for a random coil peptide. Restriction of conformation flexibility in the N‐terminal extension of Nun may be important for binding to other target molecules involved in transcription termination.
Decrease in the efficiency of the electron donation to tyrosine Z of photosystem II in an SQDG‐deficient mutant of Chlamydomonas
Authors: Minoda Ayumi , Sonoike Kintake , Okada Katsuhiko , Sato Norihiro , Tsuzuki Mikio
Published: September 2003

Photosystem (PS) II activity of a sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG)‐deficient mutant (hf‐2) of Chlamydomonas was partially decreased compared with that of wild‐type. The susceptibility to 3‐(3,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐1,1‐dimethylurea (DCMU) was also modified in the mutant. Photometric measurements in the isolated thylakoid membranes of hf‐2 revealed that the lowered activity in the mutant was derived from a decrease in the efficiency of the electron donation from water to tyrosine Z, not from the efficiency of the electron transport from QA to QB. This result was confirmed by the decay kinetics of chlorophyll fluorescence determined in vivo. We conclude that SQDG contributes to maintaining the conformation of PSII complexes, particularly that of D1 polypeptides, which are necessary for maximum activities in Chlamydomonas.
The mouse sino‐atrial node expresses both the type 2 and type 3 Ca2+ release channels/ryanodine receptors
Authors: Masumiya Haruko , Yamamoto Hideyuki , Hemberger Myriam , Tanaka Hikaru , Shigenobu Koki , Chen S.R.Wayne , Furukawa Tetsushi
Published: September 2003

Ca2+ released from intracellular Ca2+ stores is shown to be involved in pacemaker activity in the sino‐atrial (SA)‐node. However, little is known about the molecular identity of the Ca2+ release channel/ryanodine receptor (RYR) involved in pacemaker activity. We examined the mRNA distribution of three different RYR isoforms (RYR1, RYR2, and RYR3) in the mouse SA‐node. RNase protection assay and in situ hybridization revealed that RYR2 mRNA expresses widely in the heart including the SA‐node, while RYR3 mRNA expression is limited to the SA‐node and to the right atrium. Thus, not only RYR2 but also RYR3 may participate in pacemaker activity.
Peer and adult relationships of adolescents with disabilities
Authors: Lisa Skär R.N.
Published: September 2003

The purpose of this study was to enhance our knowledge of what it is like to grow up with a disability, specifically, with focus on how adolescents with restricted mobility perceive social roles and relationships to peers and adults. The group investigated consisted of 12 adolescents with restricted mobility from northern Sweden, aged from 15 to 19 years. The adolescents were individually interviewed. The analysis resulted in a core category (Who am I), which describes how the adolescents perceive themselves. The core category was related to three subcategories:Relationships to friends—describes the adolescents’ experiences of peer relationships,Relationships to adults—describes adolescents’ relationships to adults,Thoughts about relationships in the future—comprises wishes for future relationships. The results indicated that the 12 disabled adolescents saw themselves as regular members of the adolescent peer group but that the members of the adolescent group saw them as being different. The relationships to friends of the same age were either markedly defective or did not exist at all, while relationships to adults were often characterized as ambivalent or asymmetric, i.e. the adults were simultaneously helpful and supportive while over protective and dominant. The study revealed that despite the many hindrances, the adolescents had a comparatively positive view of their future.
Trends in age-at-maturity and growth parameters of female Northeast Atlantic harp seals, Pagophilus groenlandicus (Erxleben, 1777)
Authors: Kirstine Frie Anne , Potelov Vladimir A , Kingsley Michael C.S , Haug Tore
Published: September 2003

We analyzed and compared trends in age-at-maturity and body growth in the Greenland Sea and Barents Sea stocks of harp seals, Pagophilus groenlandicus, from the early 1960s to the early 1990s. Mean and median age at sexual maturity (MAMPM and MdAM) were estimated from Richards curves fit to age-specific proportions mature. No long-term trends were found in the Greenland Sea seals, where a common value of MAMPM (5.6 years) and MdAM (4.8 years) could be fit to samples from 1959 through 1990. There were also no significant changes in length-at-age of molting females between 1964 and 1987. For Barents Sea harp seals, MAMPM increased significantly from 5.4 years in the period 1962–1972 to 6.6 years in 1976–1985 and 8.2 years in 1988–1993, concurrently with a decline in body growth rates. Tests on MdAM also showed an increasing trend, but the grouping of samples was slightly different. Estimates of MAMPM for the Barents Sea stock were similar to previously published back-calculated values of MAM, but simulations showed that this method is sensitive to the age distribution of the sample, thus complicating comparisons between samples with different age structures. The high values of MAMPM and low growth rates in the Barents Sea stock in the late 1980s to early 1990s coincided with severe depletion of important prey species in the Barents Sea, reports of mass invasions of harp seals along the Norwegian coast and indications of reduced body condition. All these are consistent with a hypothesis of reduced per-capita resource levels within the distribution area of Barents Sea harp seals at that time, but no cause-and-effect relationship for the long-term trend in age-at-maturity can be established.
Plasticity of the response of fetal mouse fibroblast to lactation hormones
Authors: Wang Sen , Zhang Jingpu , Geng Yanyan , Zhu Shaoxia
Published: September 2003

In the work described in this article, mouse fetal fibroblasts were treated with three lactation hormones (insulin, progesterone and oxytocin) and the cellular changes were analyzed by RT—PCR—Southern hybridization. A gene‐expression pattern characteristic of mammary epithelioid cells was induced by the hormones, as indicated by expression of the marker genes α‐casein and β‐casein. Two mammary epithelial cell‐specific gene expression vectors were constructed with bovine α‐s1‐casein or ovine β‐casein gene promoters directing an EGFP reporter gene. Transient expression of the EGFP gene was observed in cells treated by the hormones but not in control cells. Cell morphology also changed after insulin and oxytocin treatments; the cells resembled epithelial cells rather than fibroblasts. Our results suggest that mouse fetus fibroblasts can be partially induced by lactation hormones to resemble mammary epithelial cells. This procedure might help to increase the efficiency of gene targeting in studies of mammary gland bioreactors.
What is the role of medium‐chain triglycerides in the management of long‐chain 3‐hydroxyacyl‐CoA dehydrogenase deficiency?
Authors: Lund A. M. , Dixon M. A. , Vreken P. , Leonard J. V. , Morris A. A. M.
Published: September 2003

Cardiomyopathy is common in infants with long‐chain 3‐hydroxy‐acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. Resolution of the cardiomyopathy can often be achieved by avoidance of fasting and changing from a conventional infant formula to one in which most long‐chain fat is replaced by medium‐chain triglycerides (MCT). It is uncertain whether the clinical improvement is due to the restriction of long‐chain fat or whether the MCT have specific beneficial effects. To clarify this, the metabolic effects of MCT were examined in 5 patients. When given at around the level found in MCT‐based infant formula, MCT had no effect on blood concentrations of ketone bodies, specific fatty acids or acylcarnitines. The present study cannot, however, exclude the possibility that MCT per se may have beneficial effects.
Bone mineral density in children, adolescents and adults with glycogen storage disease type Ia: A cross‐sectional and longitudinal study
Authors: Rake J. P. , Visser G. , Huismans D. , Huitema S. , Van Der Veer E. , Piers D. A. , Smit G. P. A.
Published: September 2003

The occurrence of (symptoms related to) osteopenia is a known complication in glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD Ia) patients. However, only limited information is available about bone mineral density (BMD). Using dual energy x‐ray absorptiometry, we studied both cross‐sectional and longitudinal lumbar spine areal BMD (BMDareal in g/cm2), areal BMD corrected for delayed bone maturation (BMDbone age in g/cm2), and volumetric BMD (BMDvol in g/cm3). Prepubertal GSD Ia patients (n = 8) had normal BMD (median z‐scores BMDareal ‐0.6, BMDbone age ‐0.5 and BMDvol ‐ 0.5), whereas adolescent patients (n = 12) and adult patients (n = 9) had significantly reduced BMD (BMDareal ‐2.3, BMDbone age ‐1.6, BMDvol ‐2.0, and BMDareal ‐1.9, BMDvol‐1.5, respectively). Our longitudinal study, showing a stable BMDareal but a trend to a decrease in BMDvol in prepubertal patients during follow‐up, did not clarify whether the difference in BMD between prepubertal and adolescent/adult patients reflects a diminished accretion of BMD during childhood or reflects historica l differences in treatment. In adolescent and adult GSD Ia patients, BMDareal and BMDvol were reduced but stable during follow‐up. Especially patients with delayed bone maturation were at risk for reduced BMD. No correlation between parameters of metabolic control and BMD could be detected. Daily calcium intake was within recommended allowances ranges. Abnormal biochemical results included hypomagnesaemia (29%), hypercalciuria (34%) and reduced tubular resorption of phosphate (21%).Although the underlying pathophysiology of reduced BMD in GSD Ia remains unsolved, metabolic control should be optimized to correct as much as possible metabolic and endocrine abnormalitie s that may influence both bone matrix formation and bone mineral accretion.
A case of mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency diagnosed by acylcarnitine profile and DNA analysis in a dried blood spot of a 4‐day‐old boy
Authors: Lee J. ‐E. , Yoon H. ‐R. , Paik K. ‐H. , Hwang S. ‐J. , Shim J. ‐W. , Chang Y. ‐S. , Park W. ‐S. , Strauss A. W. , Jin D. K.
Published: September 2003

We report a Korean case, consistent with a biochemical diagnosis of trifunctional protein (TFP) deficiency, in which molecular diagnosis revealed a novel mutation in the α‐subunit of TFP and the rare combination of two intergenic region (C/C and G/G) polymorphisms.
Rényi Extrapolation of Shannon Entropy
Authors: Życzkowski Karol
Published: September 2003

Relations between Shannon entropy and Rényi entropies of integer order are discussed. For any N-point discrete probability distribution for which the Rényi entropies of order two and three are known, we provide a lower and an upper bound for the Shannon entropy. The average of both bounds provide an explicit extrapolation for this quantity. These results imply relations between the von Neumann entropy of a mixed quantum state, its linear entropy and traces.
Biochemical and molecular analyses in three patients with 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaric aciduria
Authors: Pospíšilová E. , Mrázová L. , Hrdá J. , Martincová O. , Zeman J.
Published: September 2003

Two methods, spectrophotometry and HPLC, were compared in the analyses of 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl‐CoA lyase (HL) activity in three unrelated Czech patients with 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaric (HMG) aciduria and their family members. The HL activities in cultured fibroblasts and/or isolated lymphocytes of probands were below the detection limits of the methods used. Both methods were also suitable for recognition of all heterozygotes in affected families. We searched for pathogenic mutations in the HL gene. Molecular analyses revealed that two patients are homozygous for known mutation H233R and R41Q, respectively, whereas the third patient is a compound heterozygote for the mutation H233R and a novel mutation Pro9fs(−1). This study expands the knowledge of the genotypic variability of the HMG aciduria.
Renal excretion of galactose and galactitol in patients with classical galactosaemia, obligate heterozygous parents and healthy subjects
Authors: Schadewaldt P. , Killius S. , Kamalanathan L. , Hammen H.‐W. , Straßburger K. , Wendel U.
Published: September 2003

The age dependence of galactose and galactitol excretion was assessed in overnight‐fasted galactose‐1‐phosphate uridyltransferase‐deficient patients under dietary treatment (ages 4–34 years; n=51), obligate heterozygous parents (ages 25–71 years; n=49) and healthy subjects (ages 3–58 years; n=215). Urine concentrations were analysed by stable‐isotope dilution gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. There was considerable interindividual variability. The intraindividual variation, however, was not age‐dependent and was rather low. Excretion estimates were calculated from the creatinine‐related concentrations using weight‐, age‐ and sex‐related creatinine excretion rates. Experimental evidence is presented underscoring the problems inherent in random sampling and substantiating the primary endogenous origin of galactose and galactitol in postabsorptive urine samples. Age‐dependent excretion estimates were best fitted to a simple growth‐related model assuming an exponential decrease with age until adulthood. According to the model, mean postabsorptive galactose and galactitol excretion in healthy subjects was similar and decreased exponentially from about 1.2 µmol/kg body weight per day in infants to about 0.2 µmol/kg body weight per day in adults. Excretion in heterozygotes was normal. In galactosaemic patients, galactose excretion was in the normal range. Galactitol excretion, however, was enhanced over 50‐fold and decreased from a mean estimate of about 64 µmol/kg body weight per day in infants to about 23 µmol/kg body weight per day in adults. The results are discussed with respect to the significance of galactose and galactitol excretion for whole‐body galactose removal and with respect to the applicability of urinary galactitol analysis for metabolic monitoring in galactosaemia.
Carbon and nutrient cycling in the upper water column across the Polar Frontal Zone and Antarctic Circumpolar Current along 170°W
Authors: Rubin Stephany I.
Published: September 2003

Seasonal changes of upper water column chemical properties integrate the effects of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that control the export of carbon to the deep ocean. Between October 1997 and March 1998, several hydrographic cruises were undertaken in the southwestern Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, as part of the U.S. JGOFS program. On these cruises, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and concentration of total carbon dioxide (TCO2) dissolved in seawater were determined in surface waters, along with the nutrient concentrations [nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−), ammonium (NH4+), phosphate (PO4≡), and silicate (Si(OH)4)]. This interval saw the commencement, culmination, and dénouement of phytoplankton blooms, both north and south of the Polar Front (PF). Nutrient utilization, regeneration, and export ratios, and primary production and export, were estimated from seasonal changes in these properties observed in surface waters across the Polar Front. While the biological drawdowns of carbon dioxide and nutrient concentrations in the euphotic zone were greater south of the front, the estimated primary productivity (1.6–2.7 mol C/m2/yr) and export (1.2–1.5 mol C/m2/yr) are comparable. The observed C/N/P ratios vary temporally, as a function of the dominant process, and spatially, as a function of the phytoplankton assemblage. South of the PF, the maximum biological utilization (or new production) C/N/P ratios are 69 ± 2/10.4 ± 0.5/1 while post‐regeneration biological utilization (or export) C/N/P ratios are 87 ± 3/12.7 ± 0.5/1. North of the PF the C/N/P ratios are similar to the classic Redfield ratios, 100 ± 5/(14–16.5) ± 0.5/1. Silica/(C, N, and P) ratios are also highly variable temporally, reflecting differences between silica and organic nutrient cycling, and the bio‐availability iron. Departures from the “Redfield ratio” arise from excess phosphate uptake by diatoms and the preferential regeneration of phosphate. The disparity in nutrient ratios north and south of the PF reflects difference in phytoplankton assemblages. South of the PF there was a greater percentage of diatoms than to the north.
Near‐field postseismic deformation associated with the 1992 Landers and 1999 Hector Mine, California, earthquakes
Authors: Savage J. C. , Svarc J. L. , Prescott W. H.
Published: September 2003

After the Landers earthquake (Mw = 7.3, 1992.489) a linear array of 10 monuments extending about 30 km N50°E on either side of the earthquake rupture plus a nearby off‐trend reference monument were surveyed frequently by GPS until 2003.2. The array also spans the rupture of the subsequent Hector Mine earthquake (Mw = 7.1, 1999.792). The pre‐Landers velocities of monuments in the array relative to interior North America were estimated from earlier trilateration and very long baseline interferometry measurements. Except at the reference monument, the post‐Landers velocities of the individual monuments in the array relaxed to their preseismic values within 4 years. Following the Hector Mine earthquake the velocities of the monuments relaxed to steady rates within 1 year. Those steady rates for the east components are about equal to the pre‐Landers rates as is the steady rate for the north component of the one monument east of the Hector Mine rupture. However, the steady rates for the north components of the 10 monuments west of the rupture are systematically ∼10 mm yr−1 larger than the pre‐Landers rates. The relaxation to a steady rate is approximately exponential with decay times of 0.50 ± 0.10 year following the Landers earthquake and 0.32 ± 0.18 year following the Hector Mine earthquake. The postearthquake motions of the Landers array following the Landers earthquake are not well approximated by the viscoelastic‐coupling model of Pollitz et al. [2000]. A similar viscoelastic‐coupling model [Pollitz et al., 2001] is more successful in representing the deformation after the Hector Mine earthquake.
Did biological activity in the Ionian Sea change after the Eastern Mediterranean Transient? Results from the analysis of remote sensing observations
Authors: D'Ortenzio Fabrizio , Ragni Maria , Marullo Salvatore , Ribera d'Alcalà Maurizio
Published: September 2003

The possible impact of the Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT) on the autotrophic biomass distribution has been investigated through a detailed analysis of remote sensing observations on a basin scale. Since the EMT effect was circumscribed in time, satellite data from Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) and Sea‐viewing Wide Field‐of‐view Sensor (SeaWiFS), relative to the pre‐ and post‐EMT period, respectively, were utilized for the study. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the changes in the circulation of the eastern Mediterranean Sea did not affect the general patterns of biomass distribution in the basin. The chlorophyll a fields at the surface were substantially similar in the CZCS and SeaWiFS periods, showing similar spatial patterns and only a slight difference in the timing of the main events. On the other hand, in the SeaWiFS period a recurrent and large patch of chlorophyll a was detectable in the northwestern Ionian Sea. The analysis of existing data supports the possibility that this new structure is the result of changes related to the EMT, though the observed subregional enhancement of biomass occurred only in an area where concurrent factors such as doming and convection played a synergistic role with the EMT‐induced changes.
Diel cycles in dissolved metal concentrations in streams: Occurrence and possible causes
Authors: Nimick David A. , Gammons Christopher H. , Cleasby Thomas E. , Madison James P. , Skaar Don , Brick Christine M.
Published: September 2003

Substantial diel (24‐hour) cycles in dissolved (0.1‐μm filtration) metal concentrations were observed during low flow for 18 sampling episodes at 14 sites on 12 neutral and alkaline streams draining historical mining areas in Montana and Idaho. At some sites, concentrations of Cd, Mn, Ni, and Zn increased as much as 119, 306, 167, and 500%, respectively, from afternoon minimum values to maximum values shortly after sunrise. Arsenic concentrations exhibited the inverse temporal pattern with increases of up to 54%. Variations in Cu concentrations were small and inconsistent. Diel metal cycles are widespread and persistent, occur over a wide range of metal concentrations, and likely are caused primarily by instream geochemical processes. Adsorption is the only process that can explain the inverse temporal patterns of As and the divalent metals. Diel metal cycles have important implications for many types of water‐quality studies and for understanding trace‐metal mobility.
Effective constitutive properties for dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) migration in large fracture networks: A computational study
Authors: Reynolds D. A. , Kueper B. H.
Published: September 2003

Large‐scale capillary pressure [] and effective permeability‐saturation [knw] constitutive relationships for an incompressible, two‐phase system have been developed for a two‐dimensional, nonorthogonal fracture network utilizing numerical simulation. The simulations account for capillary, viscous, and gravity effects consistent with the Darcian approach adopted for this study, and were performed within the scale of the REV of the system which was consistent for both single and multiphase flow behavior. The large‐scale relationship for steady state flow conditions was found to be sensitive to the mean and the variance of the underlying aperture distribution as well as the nonwetting phase density. The overall effects of varying the aperture statistics on the relationships were found to be analogous to porous media, with an increased mean aperture leading to lower capillary pressures and an increased aperture variance leading to steeper curves. The large‐scale knw curves representative of flow in the vertical direction followed the general form of the underlying local‐scale Brooks‐Corey constitutive relationship and were relatively insensitive to a change in variance of the aperture distribution. The large‐scale knw curves representing flow in the horizontal direction due to an imposed gradient in the vertical direction, however, are significantly different than the underlying local‐scale relationships, showing maximum values at intermediate saturations. The ratio of vertical to horizontal effective permeability is saturation dependent.
Test of the night‐time polar stratospheric NO2 decay using wintertime SAOZ measurements and chemical data assimilation
Authors: Marchand M. , Bekki S. , Denis L. , Pommereau J.‐P. , Khattatov B. V.
Published: September 2003

Chemistry Transport Models (CTMs) tend to underestimate very severely NO2 concentrations in the polar lower stratosphere during the winter suggesting that either the NOx sink is overestimated or a source of NOx is missing in models. We study the night‐time decay of polar NO2 because it is controlled by the reaction between NO2 and O3 which is thought to be the main NOx sink at high latitudes winter. The model‐calculated night‐time decay of polar NO2 is tested using solar occultation measurement of NO2 and O3 taken within the Northern polar vortex by the “Système d'Analyse parObservation Zénithal” (SAOZ) instrument on board of a long duration balloon in February 2000. A trajectory analysis is performed in order to find air parcels which have been sampled at sunset and at sunrise by the SAOZ instrument and have stayed in the dark between the measurements. Sunset (or sunrise) SAOZ measurements are then assimilated in a trajectory photochemical model in a variational mode and compared to the corresponding sunrise (or sunset) SAOZ measurements which are called validation measurements. The results are used to assess the ability of the model to reproduce the observed night‐time evolution of NO2. Overall, there is a good agreement between analyzed NO2 and validation measurements indicating that the night‐time chemistry of NO2 appears to be properly described by the model. The results do not hint at all at the existence of a NOx source, and certainly not a source strong enough to counteract the NO2 sink (NO2 + O3 reaction).
Imprint of the North American plate in Siberia revealed by GPS
Authors: Steblov G. M. , Kogan M. G. , King R. W. , Scholz C. H. , Bürgmann R. , Frolov D. I.
Published: September 2003

GPS observations in east Siberia combined with global observations, collected 1995–2002, place constraints on the geometry and motions of the Eurasian, North American, and Pacific plates in east Asia. By comparing velocities relative to Eurasia and to North America, we conclude that east Siberia to the east of the Cherskiy Range belongs to the North American plate, hypothesized for three decades but not proven because of uncertainties with the plate boundary arising from the ambiguous seismicity. Smaller plates in east Asia, such as Okhotsk and Amurian, can neither be resolved nor excluded by the GPS velocities.
Assessment of cloud optical parameters in the solar region: Retrievals from airborne measurements of scattering phase functions
Authors: Jourdan Olivier , Oshchepkov Sergey , Shcherbakov Valery , Gayet Jean‐Francois , Isaka Harumi
Published: September 2003

A data set of approximately 60,000 airborne measurements of angular scattering coefficients was used to reproduce a representative set of both microphysical parameters and single light‐scattering characteristics (angular scattering coefficient, asymmetry parameter, single‐scattering albedo, and extinction coefficient) for three types of clouds. The measurements were limited to a wavelength of 0.8 μm and to 28 scattering angles near uniformly positioned from 15° to 155°. Microphysical and optical characteristics were computed at wavelengths of 0.8, 1.6, and 3.7 μm, which are needed for the direct and inverse modeling of radiative transfer. The estimation of these characteristics is achieved through cloud microphysical parameter retrievals, taking into account the variation of water droplet and ice crystal size as well as cloud phase composition. We present both average values and possible variability of microphysical and single‐scattering characteristics for three types of clouds with respect to their particle phase composition (i.e., water droplets, mixed phase, and ice crystals in cloud). The variations are presented separately due to both random instrumental errors of optical measurements and possible changes in the microphysical parameters within a separated specific cloud category. The microphysical parameter retrievals are validated by comparison with collocated direct particle size distribution measurements. Additionally, the estimated single light‐scattering characteristics are in reasonable agreement with those available from the literature.
Cloud‐to‐ground lightning flashes and debris‐flow‐generating rainfall in the post wildfire environment: An exploratory study of the Mitchell Creek debris flow in western Colorado, summer 2002
Authors: Underwood S. Jeffrey , Schultz Michael D.
Published: September 2003

Cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning flash parameters collected by the National Lightning Detection Network were analyzed in conjunction with rainfall observations near Mitchell Creek (MC) at the Coal Seam Wildfire site in western Colorado, USA. Nine thunderstorms produced significant CG flashes in the area surrounding MC from 28 June (fire containment) to 5 August 2002. A debris flow was generated at MC by one of these storms at ∼2058 LT on 5 August 2002. This study compares the CG flash parameters and rainfall characteristics of the 5 August thunderstorm with the eight thunderstorms (control group) that did not produce a hazardous hydrologic response at MC. The CG flash patterns and a synoptic analysis suggest that the 5 August thunderstorms occurred during a North American Monsoon “burst” period with a strong southwesterly surge of moisture advecting as far north as central Wyoming. The 5 August thunderstorm sequence was bimodal and more intense in terms of CG flash totals and rainfall rates than the control group. Moist southwesterly flow at lower levels and dry southeasterly flow in the upper troposphere may have enhanced orographically forced convection during the evening of 5 August. CG flashes and rainfall at spatial scales of 100 × 100 km, 50 × 50 km, and 25 × 25 km around MC confirm that the 5 August episode was more intense than any of the control group. The analysis concluded that the time of first flash and the number of consecutive 5‐min intervals with CG flashes were temporally related with intense rainfall at the debris flow site. Additionally, there was a strong correlation between flash clusters within 40 km of MC and rainfall intensity at the site. The results of this study suggest that CG flash parameters may prove beneficial in modeling rainfall intensity thresholds in areas burned by wildfire.
Comparison of interleukin‐1 genotypes in two populations with aggressive periodontitis
Authors: Gonzales José Roberto , Michel Jörg , Rodríguez Ernesto Leonel , Herrmann Jens Martin , Bödeker Rolf Hasso , Meyle Jörg
Published: September 2003

The genetic association of interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) with periodontitis has been investigated in different populations. Failure to detect an association with IL‐1 genotypes in European Caucasians with aggressive periodontitis (AGP) has recently been reported. No data from Central American Hispanics are available. The purpose of this explorative study was to study the association between IL‐1 genotypes and AGP in two populations. Ninety‐one subjects, 28 North European patients and 33 controls together with 16 Central American patients and 14 controls were included in the study according to validated radiographic and clinical criteria. Two polymorphisms, IL‐1α G(+4845)‐T and IL‐1β C(+3954)‐T were analysed by means of polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. The association between presence of specific genotypes and disease status was estimated by the odds ratio. A logistic regression was also used in order to investigate whether the occurrence of the disease depends upon the combination of the IL‐1A and IL‐1B alleles in the population. A similar distribution of genotypes between patients and controls in both populations was detected. The frequency of allele 1 of the IL‐1A gene was higher in patients of both populations compared with controls, however, no statistical significant differences were found between patients and controls.
Digestive strategies of small hindgut fermenters
Authors: SAKAGUCHI Ei
Published: September 2003

Small mammalian herbivores have a limitation in their supply system of nutrients to their energy and protein demands because they need much more energy and protein per unit body mass than larger herbivorous animals. Therefore, small herbivores need to have characteristic strategies in their digestive systems to overcome the limitation of their small body mass compared with larger animals. Although small herbivorous mammals commonly have an enlarged cecum, the pattern of flow and mixing of digesta in the large intestine varies among them. Distinct separation of the larger fiber particles from smaller and liquid contents which are retained in the cecum can be recognized in some species. Coprophagy, practiced by many small herbivores, has nutritional significance providing a source of vitamins, amino acids, and other nutrients which are excreted with feces. Among coprophagous mammals, several species produce two types of feces: soft feces, which are eaten; and hard, which are not eaten. Soft feces contain more water than hard feces and dry matter includes more protein and less fiber. Coprophagic behavior must be supported by the colonic separation mechanism, which operates retrograde transport of fluid and fine particle digesta or bacteria trapped in the mucus, resulting in high density bacteria in the cecum contents, which is successively consumed as cecotroph. These mechanisms must be necessary for small herbivores to survive on the feed in their habitat.
Identification of ovalbumin phenotypes of the Asian indigenous chicken populations using polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism
Authors: KINOSHITA Keiji , SHIMOGIRI Takeshi , OKAMOTO Shin , KAWABE Kotaro , ISHIZUKA Joji , IBRAHIM Hisham R. , MAEDA Yoshizane
Published: September 2003

Three electrophoretic variations (AA, BB and AB) of ovalbumin controlled by codominant alleles OvA and OvB have been observed in various chicken populations. We compared nucleotide sequences of the open reading frame between two alleles of ovalbumin gene. The difference between the two alleles was found as a non‐synonymous substitution of asparagine to aspartic acid as a result of AAT to GAT point mutation at position 8032–8034 in exon 8. We developed polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) protocol in combination with Mbo I restriction endnuclease mapping for the detection of this substitution. By the PCR‐RFLP the allelic frequency of the OvB was estimated to be within the range of 0.000–0.150 in 11 Asian indigenous chicken populations and 0.000 in four improved breeds used in the present study. Gene frequency, estimated by PCR‐RFLP in the present study, paralleled that obtained by protein polymorphisms of egg white. Thus, this study provides, for the first time, information of the occurrence of ovalbumin allele OvA and OvB in Asian indigenous chicken populations.
In vitro development of bovine nuclear transfer embryos reconstructed with mammary gland epithelial cells at different passages
Authors: KISHI Masao , ITAGAKI Yasuharu , SUDO Tomoko , TAKAKURA Ryo
Published: September 2003

In the present study, the effect of passage of nuclear donor cells on the in vitro development of nuclear transfer (NT) embryos was investigated using colostrum‐derived mammary gland epithelial (MGE) cells at different passages (3–30 passages) to find reliable passages for the efficiency of cloning. Development of NT embryos to the blastocyst stage was affected by the number of passages of MGE cells (P < 0.05). Nuclear transfer embryos reconstructed with MGE cells at 3–7 passages showed a significantly higher blastocyst development (31.3–48.5%) than those with the cells at 10–30 passages (2.5–12.5%, P < 0.05). No difference in the proportion of the MGE cells with normal diploid was observed among passage of 3, 15 and 30 (P > 0.05). The use of MGE cells at early passages for nuclear donor cells may be advantageous for the production of NT embryos.
The solubilization of myofibrillar proteins of vertebrate skeletal muscle in water
Authors: ITO Yukiko , TATSUMI Ryuichi , WAKAMATSU Jun‐Ichi , NISHIMURA Takanori , HATTORI Akihito
Published: September 2003

Myofibrillar proteins of vertebrate skeletal muscles are insoluble in solutions of ionic strength that approximate physiological conditions. We established a method to solubilize more than 80% of chicken breast muscle myofibrillar proteins in water for the use of meat as a source of food protein. SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns of water‐soluble myofibrillar proteins demonstrated that all identified myofibrillar proteins except connectin/titin were soluble in water. A part of α‐actinin was released from myofibrils by repeated washing with 2.5 mmol/L NaCl and 5 mmol/L L‐histidine solution, and subsequent destruction of connectin/titin in washed myofibrils by ultrasonication resulted in solubilization of a large fraction of chicken breast muscle myofibrillar proteins in water. Myofibrillar proteins of chicken leg, pork loin, beef shoulder loin, and lamb were also solubilized in water using this procedure.
Isolation and characterization of cytotoxic small peptides, α‐casecidins, from bovine αs1‐casein digested with bovine trypsin
Authors: OTANI Hajime , SUZUKI Hiroyuki
Published: September 2003

Cytotoxic peptides were isolated from a trypsin digest of bovine αs1‐casein by a combination of ion‐exchange column chromatography and reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography as an indicator of cytotoxicity toward mouse spleen cells. Amino acids of the isolated peptides were sequenced as arginyl‐proly‐lysine, leucyl‐lysyl‐lysine and tyrosyl‐lysine, being compatible with sequences 1–3, 101–103 and 104–105 of bovine αs1‐casein, respectively. The isolated peptides displayed cytotoxicity toward healthy mouse T and B cells and human leukemic T and B cell lines in a commercially available serum‐free medium for lymphocytes, Celgrosser‐P, and were named α‐casecidins. Similar cytotoxicity was confirmed in chemically synthesized peptides corresponding to sequences 1–3, 101–103 and 100–105 of bovine αs1‐casein. The cytotoxicity induced by α‐casecidins was concluded to be because of necrosis, and was diminished in the presence of bovine serum albumin.
Complete nucleotide sequence of mitochondrial DNA in White Leghorn and White Plymouth Rock chickens
Authors: NISHIBORI Masahide , HANAZONO Makoto , YAMAMOTO Yoshio , TSUDZUKI Masaoki , YASUE Hiroshi
Published: September 2003

Among the chicken breeds, White Leghorn (WL) and White Plymouth Rock (WR) are major breeds and have different history in their establishments. Whole mitochondrial DNA of the breeds were sequenced in order to elucidate the genetic relationship between the breeds. The lengths of the two WL and two WR mitochondrial DNA were found to be 16 788 and 16 785 base pairs, respectively. When the DNA sequences were compared, the similarity was found to be 99.96% (six nucleotide differences). In addition, the present study conformed the existence of an extra nucleotide ‘C’ in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 3 (ND3) of the chicken mitochondrial DNA, which has been consistently observed in Galliformes.
Top–down control of benthic heterotrophic nanoflagellates by oligochaetes and microcrustaceans in a littoral freshwater habitat
Authors: Wieltschnig Claudia , Kirschner Alexander K. T. , Fischer Ulrike R. , Velimirov Branko
Published: September 2003

1. We investigated trophic interactions between benthic heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and oligochaetes and microcrustaceans (cladocerans and copepods) transferred from a silty, littoral freshwater habitat to laboratory microcosms. With a newly adapted experimental design we were able to compute (i) predation rates on benthic HNF by the tested metazoan organisms and (ii) growth rates of the natural benthic HNF population when losses because of this predation were excluded.

2. The experiments covered a temperature range of 4–27 °C and a fivefold variation of predator densities (September 2000–February 2002). For 60% of these experiments, significant predation of oligochaetes and microcrustaceans on benthic HNF was revealed. Predation rates on HNF ranged from 0 to 0.256 day−1. Growth rates of the benthic HNF assemblage varied from −0.098 to 0.353 day−1; they were used to estimate the significance of the measured losses in comparison with possible other loss factors.

3. The data suggested that during the major part of the year a high percentage of the HNF production was consumed in the surficial sediment of the investigated system, resulting in a relatively constant and low HNF standing stock and an uncoupling of benthic bacteria and their protistan grazers. Top–down control by microcrustaceans and oligochaetes was identified as one significant, frequently prevailing regulatory factor, while other parameters responsible for the control of benthic HNF densities remain to be examined.
Effect of Quercetin on lipid peroxidation and changes in lung morphology in experimental influenza virus infection
Authors: Kumar Pankaj , Sharma Sonal , Khanna MadhU , Raj Hanumantharao Guru
Published: September 2003

Summary.  Influenza virus infection, induced experimentally in mice, was associated with marked changes in lung morphology viz. epithelial damage with focal areas of reactive papillary hyperplasia, infiltration of leukocytes and development of oxidative stress, as evidenced by increased superoxide radical production and lipid peroxidation (LPO) products by alveolar macrophages. These effects were observed on the 5th day after virus instillation. The levels of superoxide and LPO were measured spectrophotometrically by the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) assay and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) assay, respectively. The former increased by 1.5–2 fold and the latter was raised by 85% when compared with normal control. Supplementation of intranasal viral instillation with the anti‐oxidant, Quercetin, given orally, resulted in a significant decrease in the levels of both superoxide radicals and LPO products. There was also a significant decrease in the number of infiltrating cells. A mild to moderate protective effect was observed in lung morphology. Thus, Quercetin may be useful as a drug in reducing the oxidative stress induced by influenza virus infection in the lung, and protect it from the toxic effects of the free radicals.
Combined intravesical hyperthermia and mitomycin chemotherapy: a preliminary in vivo study
Authors: Rath‐Wolfson Lea , Moskovitz Boaz , Dekel Yoram , Kugel Valentina , Koren Rumelia
Published: September 2003

Summary.  Previous clinical studies of the combination of local intravesical hyperthermia with cytostatic drugs for the treatment of Superficial Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the urinary bladder (STCCB) showed encouraging results both in reducing recurrence rate to 20–30% within 2 years and in ablative success rate of 79%. Our objectives were to evaluate bladder tissue and adjacent organs during and following hyperthermia treatment. An intravesical catheter equipped with a radio‐frequency antenna (Synergo® SB‐TS 101.1 System) was used for hyperthermia and intravesical chemotherapy (mitomycin C) was instilled in vivo for 60 min in two anaesthetized sheep. Thirteen to fifteen thermocouples were sewn surgically on the internal and external surfaces of the bladder wall and on adjacent organs to monitor the temperature during the treatment. We expected the intravesical temperature to be under 46 °C and the external layers below 45 °C. The bladder was filled with 50 mL of chemotherapeutic solution (400 µg/mL of mitomycin C in distilled water). The sheep were sacrificed at the end of the treatment. Three other sheep, which underwent thoracic surgery, served as control group. Histological changes in both groups showed foci of oedema and haemorrhage with inflammation in the lamina propria and serosa. Foci of desquamation of the epithelium were noticed in the treated sheep. Histological analysis of the treated group showed no significant differences from the control group. The control group showed similar changes, some less pronounced. The combined treatment of hyperthermia with mitomycin C did not cause major damage to the urinary bladder or adjacent organs. All changes were superficial and reversible, and the control group showed similar changes, some less pronounced. Although this is an experimental model based on one single session treatment, rather than repeated treatments, it suggests that the approach may be useful in future studies both in models and man.
The Role of Cryptopatch‐Derived Intraepithelial Lymphocytes in the Development of Chronic Ileocecitis
Authors: Makita S. , Kanai T. , Matsumoto S. , Iiyama R. , Uraushihara K. , Totsuka T. , Yamazaki M. , Nakamura T. , Ishikawa H. , Watanabe M.
Published: September 2003

Lympho‐haemopoietic progenitors residing in murine gut cryptopatches (CPs) have been shown to generate intestinal extrathymic intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs). However, the role of CPs in the development of intestinal inflammation remains unclear. To investigate the role of CPs in the development of intestinal inflammation, we examined SAMP1/Yit mice, which spontaneously develop a chronic intestinal inflammation localized to the terminal ileum and cecum. Here, we showed the sharp correlation between the disease onset and the decreased number of CPs, resulting in decreased number of both thymus‐independent IELs including T‐cell receptor γδ+ (TCRγδ+) and CD8αα+TCRαβ+ cells but not thymus‐dependent CD8αβ+TCRαβ+ and CD4+TCRαβ+ cells in SAMP1/Yit mice. These data provide the first suggestion that thymus‐independent IELs derived from CP might play protective role against the onset and the development of intestinal inflammation.
Phylogeny of Antigen‐Processing Enzymes: Cathepsins of a Cephalochordate, an Agnathan and a Bony Fish
Authors: Uinuk‐ool T. S. , Takezaki N. , Kuroda N. , Figueroa F. , Sato A. , Samonte I. E. , Mayer W. E. , Klein J.
Published: September 2003

Cathepsins are enzymes that have been cleaving peptide bonds of lysosomal proteins probably since lysosomes appeared in early eucaryotes. When the adaptive system emerged in gnathostomes, cathepsins were recruited to produce peptides for loading onto the major histocompatibility complex class II molecules and for degrading the class II‐associated invariant chain just before the loading. The circumstances under which this recruitment took place are unclear because the knowledge about vertebrate cathepsins is limited largely to mammals. To shed light on the recruitment, 10 amphioxus, one lamprey and one cichlid fish cathepsin cDNA clone were characterized and analysed phylogenetically. Disregarding cathepsin O, whose phylogenetic position is uncertain, the analysis confirms the existence of two old lines of descent, the B and the L lineages of cathepsins, which diverged from each other early in the evolution of eucaryotes. The B lineage encompasses cathepsins B, C and Z (X). The L lineage splits off sublineages encompassing cathepsins F and W before the plant–animal separation and cathepsin H early in the evolution of the metazoa. The remaining cathepsins belonging to the L lineage diverged from one another during the evolution of vertebrates: S, K and L before the emergence of bony fishes, and the group of rodent placentally expressed cathepsins [J (P), M, Q, R, 3, 6, 7 and 8] as well as the testis/ova‐expressed cathepsins (testins) probably after the divergence of rodents from primates. The part possibly played by the adaptive immune system in some of these divergences is discussed.