bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fracture behaviour of zirconia FPDs substructures
Authors: KOU W. , SJÖGREN G.
Published: January 2010

Summary  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of superficial flaws after machining and to identify fracture initiation and propagation in three‐unit heat‐treated machined fixed partial dentures (FPDs) substructures made of hot isostatic pressed (HIPed) yttria‐stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y‐TZP) after loaded to fracture. Four three‐unit HIPed Y‐TZP‐based FPDs substructures were examined. To evaluate the occurrence of superficial flaws after machining, the surfaces were studied utilizing a fluorescent penetrant method. After static loading to fracture, characteristic fracture features on both mating halves of the fractured specimens were studied using a stereomicroscope and a scanning electron microscope. Grinding grooves were clearly visible on the surfaces of the machined FPDs substructures, but no other flaws could be seen with the fluorescent penetrant method. After loading to fracture, the characteristic fracture features of arrest lines, compression curl, fracture mirror, fracture origin, hackle and twist hackle were detected. These findings indicated that the decisive fracture was initiated at the gingival embrasure of the pontic in association with a grinding groove. Thus, in three‐unit heat‐treated machined HIPed Y‐TZP FPDs substructures, with the shape studied in this study, the gingival embrasure of the pontic seems to be a weak area providing a location for tensile stresses when they are occlusally loaded. In this area, fracture initiation may be located to a grinding groove.
Compensatory gene amplification restores fitness after inter‐species gene replacements
Authors: Lind Peter A. , Tobin Christina , Berg Otto G. , Kurland Charles G. , Andersson Dan I.
Published: January 2010

Genes introduced by gene replacements and other types of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) represent a significant presence in many archaeal and eubacterial genomes. Most alien genes are likely to be neutral or deleterious upon arrival and their long‐term persistence may require a mechanism that improves their selective contribution. To examine the fate of inter‐species gene replacements, we exchanged three native S. typhimurium genes encoding ribosomal proteins with orthologues from various other microbes. The results show that replacement of each of these three genes reduces fitness to such an extent that it would provide an effective barrier against inter‐species gene replacements in eubacterial populations. However, these fitness defects could be partially ameliorated by gene amplification that augmented the dosage of the heterologous proteins. This suggests that suboptimal expression is a common fitness constraint for inter‐species gene replacements, with fitness costs conferred by either a lower expression level of the alien protein compared with the native protein or a requirement for an increased amount of the alien protein to maintain proper function. Our findings can explain the observation that duplicated genes are over‐represented among horizontally transferred genes, and suggest a potential coupling between compensatory gene amplification after HGT and the evolution of new genes.
FixK, a global regulator of microaerobic growth, controls photosynthesis in Rhodopseudomonas palustris
Authors: Rey Federico E. , Harwood Caroline S.
Published: January 2010

Purple non‐sulphur phototrophic bacteria (PNSB) are excellent models for analysing the co‐ordination of major metabolisms, including oxidative phosphorylation, photophosphorylation, carbon dioxide fixation and nitrogen fixation. In species studied to date, a two‐component system called RegBA controls these functions and it has been thought that this redox sensing regulatory system is essential for co‐ordinating electron flow and cannot be easily replaced. Here we show that this is not the case for all PNSB and that the oxygen‐sensing FixLJ‐K system, initially described in rhizobia, controls microaerobic respiration, photophosphorylation and other major metabolic traits in Rhodopseudomonas palustris. A R. palustris fixK mutant grew normally aerobically but was impaired in microaerobic growth. It was also severely impaired in photosynthetic growth. Transcriptome analyses indicated that FixK positively regulates haem and bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis, cbb3 oxidase and NADH dehydrogenase genes, as well as genes for autotrophy and aromatic compound degradation. Purified FixK interacted with the promoters of a bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis operon, a bacteriophytochrome‐histidine kinase gene and the fnr‐type regulatory gene, aadR. A FixK–AadR hierarchy mediates the transition from microaerobic to anaerobic growth. These results underscore that physiologically similar bacteria can use very different regulatory strategies to control common major metabolisms.
Functional diversification between two related Plasmodium falciparum merozoite invasion ligands is determined by changes in the cytoplasmic domain
Authors: Dvorin Jeffrey D. , Bei Amy K. , Coleman Bradley I. , Duraisingh Manoj T.
Published: January 2010

The pathogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum depends on efficient invasion into host erythrocytes. Parasite ligands encoded by multi‐gene families interact with erythrocyte receptors. P. falciparum reticulocyte binding protein homologues (PfRhs) are expressed at the apical surface of invasive merozoites and have divergent ectodomains that are postulated to bind different erythrocyte receptors. Variant expression of these paralogues results in the use of alternative invasion pathways. Two PfRh proteins, PfRh2a and PfRh2b, are identical for 2700 N‐terminal amino acids and differ only in a C‐terminal 500 amino acid region, which includes a unique ectodomain, transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic domain. Despite their similarity, PfRh2b is required for a well‐defined invasion pathway while PfRh2a is not required or sufficient for this pathway. Mapping the genomic region encoding these proteins revealed a recombinogenic locus with PfRh2a and PfRh2b in a head‐to‐head orientation. We have generated viable PfRh2a/2b chimeric parasites to identify the regions required for alternative invasion pathway utilization. We find that the differential ability to use these pathways is conferred by the cytoplasmic domains of PfRh2a and PfRh2b, not the ectodomain or transmembrane regions. Our results highlight the importance of the cytoplasmic domain for functional diversification of a major adhesive ligand family in malaria parasites.
Involvement and necessity of the Cpx regulon in the event of aberrant β‐barrel outer membrane protein assembly
Authors: Gerken Henri , Leiser Owen P. , Bennion Drew , Misra Rajeev
Published: January 2010

The Cpx and σE regulons help maintain outer membrane integrity; the Cpx pathway monitors the biogenesis of cell surface structures, such as pili, while the σE pathway monitors the biogenesis of β‐barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs). In this study we revealed the importance of the Cpx regulon in the event of β‐barrel OMP mis‐assembly, by utilizing mutants expressing either a defective β‐barrel OMP assembly machinery (Bam) or assembly defective β‐barrel OMPs. Analysis of specific mRNAs showed that ΔcpxR bam double mutants failed to induce degP expression beyond the wild type level, despite activation of the σE pathway. The synthetic conditional lethal phenotype of ΔcpxR in mutant Bam or β‐barrel OMP backgrounds was reversed by wild type DegP expressed from a heterologous plasmid promoter. Consistent with the involvement of the Cpx regulon in the event of aberrant β‐barrel OMP assembly, the expression of cpxP, the archetypal member of the cpx regulon, was upregulated in defective Bam backgrounds or in cells expressing a single assembly‐defective β‐barrel OMP species. Together, these results showed that both the Cpx and σE regulons are required to reduce envelope stress caused by aberrant β‐barrel OMP assembly, with the Cpx regulon principally contributing by controlling degP expression.
The learning process of the hydrolocalization technique performed during ultrasound‐guided regional anesthesia
Authors: BLOC S. , MERCADAL L. , DESSIEUX T. , GARNIER T. , ESTEBE J.‐P. , LE NAOURES A. , KOMLY B. , LECLERC P. , MOREL B. , ECOFFEY C. , DHONNEUR G.
Published: January 2010

Background: Because poor echogenicity of the needle remains a safety issue, we decided to analyze the learning process of the hydrolocalization technique (Hloc) performed to continuously identify needle‐tip anatomical position during many ultrasound‐guided regional anesthesia procedures.

Methods: Ten senior anesthesiologists naïve to the Hloc agreed to participate in the study. They were requested to perform 40 out‐of‐plane (OOP) approach ultrasound‐guided axillary blocks (AB) each using the Hloc. The Hloc, which is a needle‐tip localization principle, was performed by means of repetitive injections of a small amount of a local anesthetic solution (0.5–1 ml) under an ultrasound beam. Details of the learning process and skill acquisition of the Hloc were derived from the following parameters: the duration of block placement, a measure of the perceived difficulty of needle‐tip visualization, a measure of block placement difficulty, and the amount of local anesthetics solution required for the technique.

Results: Four hundred ABs were performed. The success rate of an ultrasound‐guided AB was 98%. The Hloc was successful in all patients. Skill acquisition over time of the Hloc was associated with a significant reduction of both the duration and the perceived difficulty of ABs placement. Apprenticeship data revealed that 20 blocks were required to successfully place AB within 5 min in most cases using the Hloc.

Conclusion: The Hloc performed during the OOP approach of ultrasound‐guided regional anesthesia is a simple technique with a relatively short learning process feasible for efficient placement of ABs.
Femoral nerve block with ropivacaine or bupivacaine in day case anterior crucial ligament reconstruction
Authors: WULF H. , LÖWE J. , GNUTZMANN K‐H. , STEINFELDT T.
Published: January 2010

Background/Objective: Our aim was to evaluate analgesia, motor block and pharmacokinetics of ropivacaine 0.2% and 0.75% in a femoral nerve block (FNB) in day case patients for anterior crucial ligament (ACL)‐reconstruction compared with bupivacaine 0.25% and placebo.

Methods: Following ethics committee approval and informed consent, 280 patients were randomly allocated to four groups for single‐shot FNB [30 ml ropivacaine 0.2% (group RO2.0), 0.75% (RO7.5), bupivacaine 0.25% (BU2.5) and NaCl 0.9% (NaCl)]. Analgesia (pain scores, primary outcome) and motor block were assessed at 4 h (dismissal) and up to 24 h. Plasma concentration was determined up to 240 min thereafter.

Results: Pain scores at 4 h were significantly higher for NaCl 4 (0–8) (median, range) (vs.) BU2.5 2 (0–8), RO2.0 3 (0–9) and RO7.5 2 (0–8) (NS within the LA groups). Patients of the NaCl group needed analgesics significantly more often (93%) within 4 h after surgery vs. 16% of group RO2.0, 19% of group RO7.5 and 19% of group BU2.5. Motor block was significantly increased with all local anesthetics without a significant difference within the LA groups 3 (0–5) in RO2.0, 3 (0–5) in RO7.5 and 3 (0–4) in BU2.5 vs. 0 (0–3) in group NaCl (median (range); scale from 0=full strength to 5=complete paralysis). Peak plasma concentrations differed significantly: RO7.5: 1.4 ± 0.4 (0.73–2.6) [μg/ml, mean ± SD (range)] after 33 ± 14 (10–40) min, RO2.0: 0.6 ± 0.3 (0.13–1.0) after 22+17 (10–60) and BU2.5: 0.3 ± 0.16 (0.05–0.62) at 31 ± 17 (10–60), respectively.

Conclusion: FNB for ACL reconstruction with ropivacaine or bupivacaine provided better post‐operative analgesia than placebo without reaching toxic plasma concentrations. Significant motor block was observed after 4 h in all groups including the lowest concentration of ropivacaine but occurred even with placebo.
Effect of fallows on population dynamics of Cosmopolites sordidus: toward integrated management of banana fields with pheromone mass trapping
Authors: Rhino Béatrice , Dorel Marc , Tixier Philippe , Risède Jean‐Michel
Published: January 2010

The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is the most serious pest of banana and plantain in most production areas, including the West Indies.

During a period of 2 years, we assessed the efficacy of a pheromone mass‐trapping control strategy of C. sordidus in field conditions in Guadeloupe at different cropping stages, both in sanitation fallows and in different ratoon banana crops.

In the fallows, catches peaked 3 months after beginning trapping and then decreased to zero after 9 months. By contrast, for the new plantations, the catches of C. sordidus increased after the 11th month and, in the older banana fields, there was no decrease in C. sordidus catches. The C. sordidus catches increased in the neighbouring banana plots, whereas they decreased in the fallows, and these catches decreased with the distance from fallow.

In conclusion, mass trapping with synergized pheromone traps within fallows should allow better sanitation of banana plantations. Yet, within the farms, fallows must not be located next to new plantations to avoid massive damage to the young plants. More generally, the present study emphasizes that the control of this insect should be managed at the farm scale and not at the field scale, with special attention being paid to the location of fallows.
‘Glycaemic variability’: a new therapeutic challenge in diabetes and the critical care setting
Authors: Ceriello A. , Ihnat M. A.
Published: January 2010

Diabet. Med. 27, 862–867 (2010)

Much attention has been paid recently to the possibility that oscillating glucose may superimpose on glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in determining the risk for diabetes complications. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that glucose variability, particularly if accompanied by frequent hypoglycaemic episodes, may adversely alter the prognosis of acutely ill patients. In vitro and animal studies confirm that oscillating glucose is more dangerous than stable constant high glucose, particularly in activating the pathways involved in the pathogenesis of diabetes complications. The production of free radicals, accompanied by an insufficient increase in intracellular antioxidant defences, seems to account for this phenomenon. In humans, studies also confirm that fluctuating glucose levels produce an increase in free radicals as well as endothelial dysfunction, and that these changes are greater than those produced by stable high glucose. Avoiding glucose fluctuations in diabetic patients and in crtically ill patients seems to be an emerging therapeutic challenge.
Concept Referentialism and the Role of Empty Concepts
Authors: EDWARDS KEVAN
Published: January 2010

This paper defends a reference‐based approach to concept individuation against the objection that such an approach is unable to make sense of concepts that fail to refer. The main line of thought pursued involves clarifying how the referentialist should construe the relationship between a concept's (referential) content and its role in mental processes. While the central goal of the paper is to defend a view aptly titledConcept Referentialism, broader morals are drawn regarding reference‐based approaches in general. The paper closes by calling for a shift in the current debate between referentialists and their opponents.
Potential of palaeofluid analysis for understanding oil charge history
Authors: PARNELL J.
Published: January 2010

Geofluids (2010) 10, 73–82

Fluid inclusion data, particularly the distribution of hydrocarbon fluid inclusions and their chemistry, can provide insights into oil charge in a petroleum‐prospective region. Examples from the UK Atlantic margin show how we can understand thermal regime, timing and chemistry of oil charge. Data from the UK Atlantic margin based on fluid inclusion temperature profiles shows anomalously high temperatures which are highest at the top of the Triassic–Eocene sequence. This is interpreted as a product of hot fluid flow, probably reflecting hydrothermal activity related to intrusion of sills at depth. The preservation of high temperatures also implies rapid migration from depth through fracture systems. Ar–Ar analysis of oil‐bearing K‐feldspar cements, and petrographic studies of oil inclusion distribution help delimit timing and migration pathways for the hot fluid charge and later fluid migration events. Coupled with compositional data for oils measured destructively (organic geochemistry) or non‐destructively (fluorescence), these approaches allow the development of oil charge histories based on real data rather than theoretical modelling.
The prodrome of autism: early behavioral and biological signs, regression, peri‐ and post‐natal development and genetics
Authors: Yirmiya Nurit , Charman Tony
Published: January 2010

Autism is one of the most heritable neurodevelopmental conditions and has an early onset, with symptoms being required to be present in the first 3 years of life in order to meet criteria for the ‘core’ disorder in the classification systems. As such, the focus on identifying a prodrome over the past 20 years has been on pre‐clinical signs or indicators that will be present very early in life, certainly in infancy. A number of novel lines of investigation have been used to this end, including retrospective coding of home videos, prospective population screening and ‘high risk’ sibling studies; as well as the investigation of pre‐ and peri‐natal, brain developmental and other biological factors. While no single prodromal sign is expected to be present in all cases, a picture is emerging of indicative prodromal signs in infancy and initial studies are being undertaken to attempt to ameliorate early presentation and even ‘prevent’ emergence of the full syndrome.
Executive functions as endophenotypes in ADHD: evidence from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Battery (CANTAB)
Authors: Gau Susan Shur‐Fen , Shang Chi‐Yung
Published: January 2010

Background:  Little is known about executive functions among unaffected siblings of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and there is lack of such information from non‐Western countries. We examined verbal and nonverbal executive functions in adolescents with ADHD, unaffected siblings and controls to test whether executive functions could be potential endophenotypes for ADHD.

Methods:  We assessed 279 adolescents (age range: 11–17 years) with a childhood diagnosis of DSM‐IV ADHD, 136 biological siblings (108 unaffected, 79.4%), and 173 unaffected controls by using psychiatric interviews, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 3rd edition (WISC‐III), including digit spans, and the tasks involving executive functions of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB): Intra‐dimensional/Extra‐dimensional Shifts (IED), Spatial Span (SSP), Spatial Working Memory (SWM), and Stockings of Cambridge (SOC).

Results:  Compared with the controls, adolescents with ADHD and unaffected siblings had a significantly shorter backward digit span, more extra‐dimensional shift errors in the IED, shorter spatial span length in the SSP, more total errors and poorer strategy use in the SWM, and fewer problems solved in the minimum number of moves and shorter initial thinking time in the SOC. The magnitudes of the differences in the SWM and SOC increased with increased task difficulties. In general, neither persistent ADHD nor comorbidity was associated with increased deficits in executive functions among adolescents with ADHD.

Conclusions:  The lack of much difference in executive dysfunctions between unaffected siblings and ADHD adolescents suggests that executive dysfunctions may be useful cognitive endophenotypes for ADHD genetic studies.
Mothers’ maximum drinks ever consumed in 24 hours predicts mental health problems in adolescent offspring
Authors: Malone Stephen M. , McGue Matt , Iacono William G.
Published: January 2010

Background: The maximum number of alcoholic drinks consumed in a single 24‐hr period is an alcoholism‐related phenotype with both face and empirical validity. It has been associated with severity of withdrawal symptoms and sensitivity to alcohol, genes implicated in alcohol metabolism, and amplitude of a measure of brain activity associated with externalizing disorders in general. In a previous study we found that the maximum number of drinks fathers had ever consumed in 24 hrs was associated with externalizing behaviors and disorders in preadolescent and adolescent children. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether maternal maximum consumption has similar correlates.

Method: We examined associations between maternal maximum consumption and alcohol dependence, respectively, and disruptive disorders and substance‐related problems in two large independent population‐based cohorts of 17‐year‐old adolescents.

Results: Maximum consumption was associated with conduct disorder, disruptive disorders in general, early substance use and misuse, and substance disorders in adolescent children regardless of sex. Associations were consistent across cohorts, providing internal replication. They also paralleled our previous findings regarding paternal status. They could not be explained by maternal alcohol dependence, effects of drinking during pregnancy, or paternal maximum consumption. They were not simple artifacts of the fact that maximum consumption is a continuous measure while alcohol dependence is dichotomous.

Conclusions: Despite deriving from a single question aboutlifetime behavior, parental maximum consumption appears to reflect vulnerability for mental health problems, especially substance‐related ones, more directly than a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.
Paediatric arterial ischaemic stroke: functional outcome and risk factors
Authors: CNOSSEN MARJON H , AARSEN FEMKE K , AKKER SANDRA LJ VAN DEN , DANEN RENEE , APPEL INGE M , STEYERBERG EWOUT W , CATSMAN‐BERREVOETS CORIENE E
Published: January 2010

Aim  To study functional outcome in children aged 1 month to 18 years after paediatric arterial ischaemic stroke (PAIS) and to identify risk factors influencing their quality of life.

Method  In a consecutive series of 76 children (35 males 41 females, median age at diagnosis 2y 6mo, range 1mo–17y 2mo; median length of follow‐up 2y 4mo, range [7mo–10y 6mo]) with PAIS diagnosed at the Erasmus Medical Centre Sophia Children's Hospital between 1997 and 2006, we collected clinical, biochemical, and radiological data prospectively. In 66 children surviving at least 1 year after PAIS, functional outcome could be evaluated with the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps.

Results  Significant risk factors at presentation for a poor neurological outcome were young age, infarction in the right middle cerebral artery territory, and fever at presentation. Fifty‐four % of children had severe neurological impairments at 12 months after PAIS, and at last follow‐up more than half needed remedial teaching, special education, or institutionalization. Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires showed a significantly lower HRQOL in all age groups. Children with a longer follow‐up had a lower HRQOL in the cognitive functioning domain.

Interpretation  Our study shows significant morbidity and mortality and a reduced HRQOL after PAIS depending on age, fever at presentation, and infarction in the right middle cerebral artery territory.
Mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure in children with severe neurological impairment: is it futile medical treatment?
Authors: VAN GESTEL JOSEPHUS PJ , ROBROCH AFKE H , BOLLEN CASPER W , VAN DER ENT CORNELIS K , VAN VUGHT ADRIANUS J
Published: January 2010

Aim  To assess outcome for children with severe neurological impairment receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure.

Method  Medical charts for all such children treated in our intensive care unit (ICU) between January 2003 and July 2008 were reviewed. Outcomes were compared with those for children with moderate neurological impairment.

Results  Twenty‐two children with severe neurological impairment were included (nine females, 13 males; median age 7y 10mo; range 4mo–17y). The median duration of mechanical ventilation was 16 days. Six children had an uneventful 1‐year survival, the others required reintubation or readmission to the ICU, or died. Eleven children were still alive 1 year after discharge from the ICU. Nine patients died of respiratory failure. None of the children in the severe group died of a heart defect. Eleven children with moderate neurological impairment were included (eight females, three males; median age 1y 1mo, range 4mo–13y). Four children had an uneventful 1‐year survival. Eight children were still alive 1 year after discharge from the ICU. Two of the three non‐survivors died of their heart defects.

Interpretation  Mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure in children with severe neurological impairment is complex and associated with limited survival. However, it cannot be regarded as futile medical treatment. Further studies are urgently needed for the rational guidance of clinical decision‐making.
Regulation of dopamine transporter function by protein‐protein interactions: new discoveries and methodological challenges
Authors: Eriksen Jacob , Jørgensen Trine Nygaard , Gether Ulrik
Published: January 2010

J. Neurochem.(2010) 10.1111/j.1471‐4159.2010.06599.x

The dopamine transporter (DAT) plays a key role in regulating dopaminergic signalling in the brain by mediating rapid clearance of dopamine from the synaptic clefts. The psychostimulatory actions of cocaine and amphetamine are primarily the result of a direct interaction of these compounds with DAT leading to attenuated dopamine clearance and for amphetamine even increased dopamine release. In the last decade, intensive efforts have been directed towards understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing the activity and availability of DAT in the plasma membrane of the pre‐synaptic neurons. This has led to the identification of a plethora of different kinases, receptors and scaffolding proteins that interact with DAT and hereby either modulate the catalytic activity of the transporter or regulate its trafficking and degradation. Several new tools for studying DAT regulation in live cells have also recently become available such as fluorescently tagged cocaine analogues and fluorescent substrates. Here we review the current knowledge about the role of protein‐protein interactions in DAT regulation as well as we describe the most recent methodological developments that have been established to overcome the challenges associated with the study of DAT in endogenous systems.
Treatment with normal prion protein delays differentiation and helps to maintain high proliferation activity in human embryonic stem cells
Authors: Lee Young Jin , Baskakov Ilia V.
Published: January 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 114, 362–373.

The normal cellular form of prion protein (PrPC) has been shown to exhibit a diverse range of biological activities. Several recent studies highlighted potential involvement of PrPC in embryogenesis or in regulating stem cell self‐renewal and proliferation. In the current study, we employed human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for assessing the potential role of prion protein in early human development. Here, we showed that treatment of hESCs with full‐length recombinant PrP folded into an α‐helical conformation similar to that of PrPC delayed the spontaneous differentiation of hESCs and helped to maintain their high proliferation activity during spontaneous differentiation. Considering that administration of α‐rPrP was also found to down‐regulate the expression of endogenous PrPC, the effects of α‐rPrP were likely to be indirect, i.e. executed by endogenous PrPC. Together with previous observations, these work support the hypothesis that PrPC is involved in regulating self‐renewal/differentiation status of stem cells including hESCs.
Cell‐type dependent modulation of Notch signaling by the amyloid precursor protein
Authors: Oh Sun Young , Chen Ci‐Di , Abraham Carmela R.
Published: January 2010

J. Neurochem. (2010) 10.1111/j.1471‐4159.2010.06603.x

The amyloid precursor protein is a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane protein that has been long implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease but its normal biological function has remained elusive despite extensive effort. We have previously reported the identification of Notch2 as an amyloid precursor protein interacting protein in E18 rat neurons. Here, we sought to reveal the physiologic consequences of this interaction. We report a functional relationship between amyloid precursor protein and Notch1, which does not affect Delta ligand binding. First, we observed interactions between the amyloid precursor protein and Notch in mouse embryonic stem cells lacking both presenilin 1 and presenilin 2, the active proteolytic components of the gamma‐secretase complex, suggesting that these two transmembrane proteins can interact in the absence of presenilin. Next, we demonstrated that the amyloid precursor protein affects Notch signaling by using Notch‐dependent luciferase assays in two cell lines, the human embryonic kidney 293 and the monkey kidney, COS7. We found that the amyloid precursor protein exerts opposing effects on Notch signaling in human embryonic kidney 293 vs. COS7 cells. Finally, we show that more Notch Intracellular Domain is found in the nucleus in the presence of exogenous amyloid precursor protein or its intracellular domain, suggesting the mechanism by which the amyloid precursor protein affects Notch signaling in certain cells. Our results provide evidence of potentially important communications between the amyloid precursor protein and Notch.
ON MORAL INCOHERENCE AND HIDDEN BATTLES: STEM CELL RESEARCH IN ARGENTINA
Authors: LUNA FLORENCIA , SALLES ARLEEN
Published: January 2010

In this article, the authors focus on Argentina's activity in the developing field of regenerative medicine, specifically stem cell research. They take as a starting point a recent article by Shawn Harmon (published in this journal) who argues that attempts to regulate the practice in Argentina are morally incoherent. The authors try to show first, that there is no such ‘attempt to legislate’ on stem cell research in Argentina and this is due to a number of reasons that they explain. Second, by examining the role played by different values, conflicting legal and moral views, and the influence of various actors, they attempt to show that the legislative silence regarding stem cell research may not necessarily be a manifestation of a legal/moral disconnection but rather a survival strategy for navigating the long and heated battle on the moral status of the embryo and the kind of treatment it deserves.
Global indicators of biological invasion: species numbers, biodiversity impact and policy responses
Authors: McGeoch Melodie A. , Butchart Stuart H. M. , Spear Dian , Marais Elrike , Kleynhans Elizabeth J. , Symes Andy , Chanson Janice , Hoffmann Michael
Published: January 2010

Aim Invasive alien species (IAS) pose a significant threat to biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s 2010 Biodiversity Target, and the associated indicator for IAS, has stimulated globally coordinated efforts to quantify patterns in the extent of biological invasion, its impact on biodiversity and policy responses. Here, we report on the outcome of indicators of alien invasion at a global scale.

Location Global.

Methods We developed four indicators in a pressure‐state‐response framework, i.e. number of documented IAS (pressure), trends in the impact of IAS on biodiversity (state) and trends in international agreements and national policy adoption relevant to reducing IAS threats to biodiversity (response). These measures were considered best suited to providing globally representative, standardized and sustainable indicators by 2010.

Results We show that the number of documented IAS is a significant underestimate, because its value is negatively affected by country development status and positively by research effort and information availability. The Red List Index demonstrates that IAS pressure is driving declines in species diversity, with the overall impact apparently increasing. The policy response trend has nonetheless been positive for the last several decades, although only half of countries that are signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have IAS‐relevant national legislation. Although IAS pressure has apparently driven the policy response, this has clearly not been sufficient and/or adequately implemented to reduce biodiversity impact.

Main conclusions For this indicator of threat to biodiversity, the 2010 Biodiversity Target has thus not been achieved. The results nonetheless provide clear direction for bridging the current divide between information available on IAS and that needed for policy and management for the prevention and control of IAS. It further highlights the need for measures to ensure that policy is effectively implemented, such that it translates into reduced IAS pressure and impact on biodiversity beyond 2010.
Plumage coloration can be perceived as a multiple condition‐dependent signal by Great Tits Parus major
Authors: GALVÁN ISMAEL
Published: January 2010

The evolution of multiple signals can be explained because they enhance the perception of a general message by recipients. Plumage coloration frequently acts as a condition‐dependent signal, so that species displaying different colour patches have the potential to transmit information on condition through a multiple signalling system. The Great Tit Parus major exhibits plumage colour patches generated by the main types of colour production, some of which, particularly those based on melanins and carotenoids, are known to be related to body condition. However, the colour expressions of all of the different colour types have never been investigated simultaneously to determine whether they function as multiple signals of condition. In addition, visual perception models have never been applied to a multiple signalling system in a wild population of birds. Here I present information that links body condition with the colour expression of almost all of the different plumage patches of male Great Tits captured during the winter. Birds in better condition had greater reflectance values at short wavelengths in all plumage patches, and this was especially so in the white (i.e. structural) colour of the cheeks. Plumage colour characteristics were calculated by means of avian visual models, suggesting that Great Tits have the capacity to perceive information contained in the plumage coloration of conspecifics. These results show that short‐wavelength reflectance has great potential to transmit biologically significant information on the body condition of birds, even in achromatic plumage patches.
Neuronal expression of a single‐subunit yeast NADH–ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Ndi1) extends Drosophila lifespan
Authors: Bahadorani Sepehr , Cho Jaehyoung , Lo Thomas , Contreras Heidy , Lawal Hakeem O. , Krantz David E. , Bradley Timothy J. , Walker David W.
Published: January 2010

The ‘rate of living’ theory predicts that longevity should be inversely correlated with the rate of mitochondrial respiration. However, recent studies in a number of model organisms, including mice, have reported that interventions that retard the aging process are, in fact, associated with an increase in mitochondrial activity. To better understand the relationship between energy metabolism and longevity, we supplemented the endogenous respiratory chain machinery of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with the alternative single‐subunit NADH–ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Ndi1) of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we report that expression of Ndi1 in fly mitochondria leads to an increase in NADH–ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity, oxygen consumption, and ATP levels. In addition, exogenous Ndi1 expression results in increased CO2 production in living flies. Using an inducible gene‐expression system, we expressed Ndi1 in different cells and tissues and examined the impact on longevity. In doing so, we discovered that targeted expression of Ndi1 in fly neurons significantly increases lifespan without compromising fertility or physical activity. These findings are consistent with the idea that enhanced respiratory chain activity in neuronal tissue can prolong fly lifespan.
New light on a Venetian lantern at the V&A*
Authors: Humphrey Nick , Bravo Martino Ferrari
Published: January 2010

The carved and gilded wood lantern (Museum No. 7225–1860) was recognized as an extraordinary object even before its acquisition in 1860 from Jules Soulages of Toulouse, but its early history and function are uncertain. Based on the first detailed analysis of the lantern's structure, which show that it was made to be supported from below, the article explores the likely design sources used, and proposes that that it was made, probably c.1580–1620, for a Venetian galley, rather than for a domestic setting or land‐based ceremonial use. The ownership of naval lanterns, their design and their use as symbols of authority and in signalling is reviewed. Some – albeit inconclusive – evidence supports the tradition that the lantern came from Palazzo Gradenigo.
Set in stone: monumental altar frames in Renaissance Florence
Authors: Callahan Meghan , Cooper Donal
Published: January 2010

In 1864 the V&A (then the South Kensington Museum) purchased a large marble altar frame from a dealer in Florence. The quality of the frame identifies it as the product of a leading Florentine sculpture workshop, possibly that of Giuliano da Sangallo at the end of the fifteenth century. Its dimensions indicate that it would have housed a large altarpiece in one of the city's churches. The frame's provenance remains obscure, but this article offers the first critical evaluation of the object based on first‐hand examination. Comparisons with similar frames in Florentine churches (surviving and documented) suggest that the V&A frame can be identified as an example of a particular category of monumental altar that was popular in the city in the decades around 1500. This type combined painted panel altarpieces with sculpture, integrating both within impressive architectural superstructures comprising lateral columns, elaborate entablatures, and arched lunettes. Identifiable examples housed altarpieces by Perugino, Lorenzo di Credi, Piero di Cosimo, and Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, each juxtaposed with tin‐glazed terracotta reliefs by the Della Robbia shop. The popularity of these arched frames was relatively short‐lived, but their brief heyday provides important evidence for the gathering appreciation of aesthetic integration, formal order and spatial symmetry within Italian church interiors in the years around 1500.
Scattered knives and dismembered song: cutlery, music and the rituals of dining
Authors: Dennis Flora
Published: January 2010

One of the rarest sixteenth‐century objects going into the new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries has a dual identity: it is both a knife and a piece of music. On one side of its broad blade is a clear, perfectly notated musical setting of a blessing of the table, to be sung before a meal; on the other, a prayer giving thanks, to be sung when the meal has ended. This knife is usually presented as a single item. However, the inscription ‘.i.9[primus] tenor’ implies the existence of other voices, suggesting that it was once part of a larger set of knives, each of which bore one part of a complete polyphonic, or multi‐voiced, song. This article confirms that the V&A's knife is one of at least twenty examples surviving in other museums and collections or published during the nineteenth century, and is the first study to consider them as a group. It explores the possible social and symbolic functions of these distinctive objects, relating them to contemporary dining practices, and situates them in the context of broader relationships between music and the material culture of the table during the sixteenth century.
Veit Stoss and the origins of collecting of small‐scale sculpture before 1500
Authors: Jopek Norbert
Published: January 2010

According to publications on German small‐scale sculpture of about 1500, this class of autonomous modestly sized sculpture emerged only in about 1510 and flourished in the 1520s, heavily influenced by the Italianate style. In the present article, the author argues that in Strasbourg, Ulm and Krakow the production of scaled‐down sculpture, acquired for its artistic qualities, seems to have its roots in the second half of the fifteenth century.
Sharing and status: the design and function of a sixteenth‐century Spanish spice stand in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Authors: Kennedy Kirstin
Published: January 2010

This article discusses the design precedents for a sixteenth‐century spice stand in the museum's collections (M.151‐1921, Currie Bequest). It investigates the terminology used to describe such pieces at the time, and examines contemporary recipe books, chronicles and literary texts to identify the condiments that it probably contained. The article concludes with a brief look at the issues of etiquette surrounding the use of such spice stands in sixteenth‐ and early seventeenth‐century Spain. It argues that by this period, condiments such as salt, pepper and sugar were no longer regarded as exclusive markers of wealth and status, and so these social messages were conveyed instead by the quality of the tablewares used to hold them.
Health‐related quality of life and bullying in adolescence
Authors: Frisén A , Bjarnelind S
Published: January 2010

Objective:  To investigate if adolescents’ HRQL (Health‐Related Quality of Life) is associated with experiences of school bullying.

Method:  A total of 758 adolescents completed a questionnaire to help examine HRQL and the prevalence of bullying.

Results:  Associations were found between being bullied and all of the examined aspects of HRQL. To be involved in bullying – both as a bully and bully/victim (both bully and victim) – is related to experiences of physical and emotional difficulties. Being bullied during the latter school years affects aspects of HRQL to a greater extent than being bullied during earlier school years.

Conclusion:  Peers have a pronounced influence on the adolescents’ life, which can be seen in the association between experiences of bullying and its association with HRQL. Being bullied is associated with significantly poorer ratings of HRQL for adolescents in nearly every aspect of day‐to‐day functioning and quality of life.
Serum levels of IGF1 are a useful predictor of retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Pérez‐Muñuzuri A , Fernández‐Lorenzo JR , Couce‐Pico ML , Blanco‐Teijeiro MJ , Fraga‐Bermúdez JM
Published: January 2010

Objective:  To ascertain whether insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is associated with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and is a useful predictor of the disease. Although its aetiopathogenesis is multifactorial, development of the disease appears to be related to a deficiency in IGF1, a hormone that acts together with vascular endothelial growth factor in the normal angiogenesis in the retina.

Design:  Prospective study for a 30‐month period.

Participants:  A total of 74 premature newborn babies, of less than 1500 g and/or 32 weeks’ gestational age or less.

Testing:  To determine the development and severity of ROP.

Main outcome measures:  Serum levels of IGF1 were measured once a week from birth until 40 weeks corrected gestational age in each subject.

Results:  Of our subjects, 32.4% developed some form of ROP, and all those ROP patients had the following characteristics at birth (median ± standard deviation scores): low weight (1098 ± 188 vs. 1393 ± 285 g), short length (36.74 ± 1.77 vs. 38.89 ± 3.08 cm), small cranial perimeter (26.03 ± 1.74 vs. 27.93 ± 1.81 cm) and young gestational age (29.7 ± 1.78 vs. 31.3 ± 1.79 weeks) (p < 0.05). Other factors previously associated with ROP that were also observed with statistically significant frequency in our ROP patients were bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intracranial haemorrhage, the need for erythrocyte transfusion or treatment with erythropoietin and sepsis (all p < 0.05). Levels of IGF1 at the 3rd week post‐partum, independent of gestational age at birth, were clearly lower in the group who developed ROP (29.13 vs. 43.16 ng/mL, p < 0.05). A value of 30 ng/mL of IGF1 in the third week post‐partum was found to have a 90% sensitivity in the diagnosis of ROP. A rapid rise in IGF1 levels between the 3rd and 5th weeks appeared to be related to the development of a higher stage of ROP.

Conclusion: Determination of IGF1 serum levels in the 3rd week post‐partum, independent of gestational age at birth, provides a sufficient and reliable prognostic tool and allows the identification of a group of patients at high risk of developing the disease.
Foliar demand and resource economy of nutrients in dry tropical forest species
Authors: Lal C.B. , Annapurna C. , Raghubanshi A.S. , Singh J.S.
Published: January 2010

Important phenological activities in seasonally dry tropical forest species occur within the hot‐dry period when soil water is limiting, while the subsequent wet period is utilized for carbon accumulation. Leaf emergence and leaf area expansion in most of these tree species precedes the rainy season when the weather is very dry and hot and the soil cannot support nutrient uptake by the plants. The nutrient requirement for leaf expansion during the dry summer period, however, is substantial in these species. We tested the hypothesis that the nutrients withdrawn from the senescing leaves support the emergence and expansion of leaves in dry tropical woody species to a significant extent. We examined the leaf traits (with parameters such as leaf life span, leaf nutrient content and retranslocation of nutrients during senescence) in eight selected tree species in northern India. The concentrations of N, P and K declined in the senescing foliage while those of Na and Ca increased. Time series observations on foliar nutrients indicated a substantial amount of nutrient resorption before senescence and a ‘tight nutrient budgeting’. The resorbed N‐mass could potentially support 50 to 100% and 46 to 80% of the leaf growth in terms of area and weight, respectively, across the eight species studied. Corresponding values for P were 29 to 100% and 20 to 91%, for K 29 to 100% and 20 to 57%, for Na 3 to 100% and 1 to 54%, and for Ca 0 to 32% and 0 to 30%. The species differed significantly with respect to their efficiency in nutrient resorption. Such interspecific differences in leaf nutrient economy enhance the conservative utilization of soil nutrients by the dry forest community. This reflects an adaptational strategy of the species growing on seasonally dry, nutrient‐poor soils as they tend to depend more or less on efficient internal cycling and, thus, utilize the retranslocated nutrients for the production of new foliage biomass in summer when the availability of soil moisture and nutrients is severely limited.