bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heregulin and HER2 signaling selectively activates c‐Src phosphorylation at tyrosine 215
Authors: Vadlamudi Ratna K. , Sahin Aysegul A. , Adam Liana , Wang Rui-An , Kumar Rakesh
Published: May 2003

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which human epidermal growth factor receptor/heregulin (HER2/HRG) influence the migratory potential of breast cancer cells, we have used phospho‐specific antibodies against c‐Src kinase and focal adhesion kinase (FAK). This study establishes that HER2/HRG signaling selectively upregulates Tyr phosphorylation of c‐Src at Tyr‐215 located within the SH2 domain, increases c‐Src kinase activity and selectively upregulates Tyr phosphorylation of FAK at Tyr‐861. HER2‐overexpressing tumors showed increased levels of c‐Src phosphorylation at Tyr‐215. These findings suggest that HER2/HRG influence metastasis of breast cancer cells through a novel signaling pathway involving phosphorylation of FAK tyrosine 861 via activation of c‐Src tyrosine 215.
The gene encoding glutathione‐dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase/GSNO reductase is responsive to wounding, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid
Authors: Dı́az Maykelis , Achkor Hakima , Titarenko Elena , Martı́nez M.Carmen
Published: May 2003

It has recently been discovered that glutathione‐dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH) exhibits a strong S‐nitrosoglutathione reductase activity. Plants use NO and S‐nitrosothiols as signaling molecules to activate defense mechanisms. Therefore, it is interesting to investigate the regulation of FALDH by mechanical wounding and plant hormones involved in signal transduction. Our results show that the gene encoding FALDH in Arabidopsis (ADH2) is down‐regulated by wounding and activated by salicylic acid (SA). In tobacco, FALDH levels and enzymatic activity decreased after jasmonate treatment, and increased in response to SA. This is the first time that regulation of FALDH in response to signals associated with plant defense has been demonstrated.
Oxidation of nuclear thioredoxin during oxidative stress
Authors: Watson Walter H. , Jones Dean P.
Published: May 2003

Thioredoxin 1 (Trx1) is a key redox control system within the nucleus, yet little is known about the sensitivity of nuclear Trx1 to oxidative stress. The present study compared oxidant‐induced changes in the redox states of nuclear Trx1, cytoplasmic Trx1, and cellular glutathione (GSH). Nuclear Trx1 was more reducing than cytoplasmic Trx1 and cellular GSH in proliferating cells. tert‐Butylhydroperoxide caused an increase in the total amount of nuclear Trx1, but this was accompanied by a 60 mV oxidation. Thus, the increase in nuclear Trx1 levels did not correspond to an increase in the overall reducing capacity of Trx1 in the nucleus.
Regulation of Tiam1–Rac signalling
Authors: Mertens Alexander E. , Roovers Rob C. , Collard John G.
Published: May 2003

The GTPases of the Rho family are molecular switches that play an important role in a wide range of cellular processes and are increasingly implicated in tumourigenesis. Unlike what was found for the Ras oncogenes in tumours, hardly any activating mutations have been found in the genes encoding Rho proteins. In the past, we have identified Tiam1 (T‐lymphoma invasion and metastasis) as a specific activator for the Rho‐like GTPase Rac. In vivo, Tiam1 deficiency protects against Ras‐induced skin carcinogenesis, underscoring the consequences of deregulated signalling for the onset and progression of tumours. Thus, an important level of regulation of signalling via the Rho‐like GTPases comes from the specific control of their activators. In this paper, we review what is known on the specific regulation of Tiam1 signalling towards Rac.
Phosphoinositide signaling disorders in human diseases
Authors: Pendaries Caroline , Tronchère Hélène , Plantavid Monique , Payrastre Bernard
Published: May 2003

Phosphoinositides (PIs) play an essential role in diverse cellular functions. Their intracellular level is strictly regulated by specific PI kinases, phosphatases and phospholipases. Recent discoveries indicate that dysfunctions in the control of their level often lead to pathologies. This review will focus on some human diseases whose etiologies involve PI‐metabolizing enzymes. The role of PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten) in cancer, the impact of the Src homology 2‐containing inositol‐5‐phosphatase phosphatases in acute myeloid leukemia or diabetes, the involvement of myotubularin family members in genetic diseases and the implication of OCRL1 in Lowe syndrome will be emphasized. We will also review how some bacterial pathogens have evolved strategies to specifically manipulate the host cell PI metabolism to efficiently infect them.
The X‐ray structure of photosystem II reveals a novel electron transport pathway between P680, cytochrome b559 and the energy‐quenching cation, ChlZ+
Authors: Vasil’ev Sergej , Brudvig Gary W. , Bruce Doug
Published: May 2003

When water oxidation by photosystem II (PSII) is impaired, an oxidized chlorophyll (ChlZ
+) is formed that quenches excitation and may prevent photodamage. Both the identification of this Chl+ and the mechanism of its oxidation and reduction are controversial. Using the available X‐ray structures of PSII we calculated the efficiency of two proposed quenchers, ChlZ
+(D1) and ChlZ
+(D2). Of these two, only ChlZ
+(D1) can quench to the degree observed experimentally. We also identify a chain of closely spaced pigments in the structure from Thermosynechococcus vulcanus that we propose to form a novel electron transport pathway between ChlZ(D1), β‐carotene, P680+ and cytochrome b
559.
Translocation of acylated pardaxin into cells
Authors: Paul Yasmin , Weiss Aryeh , Adermann Knut , Erdmann Georg , Kassebaum Carola , Lazarovici Philip , Hochman Jacob , Wellhöner Hans
Published: May 2003

Acylated pardaxin is translocated through the cytoplasmic membrane and is accumulated in the nucleoli of NG108‐15 and chromaffin cells. The uptake is time‐ and dose‐dependent and temperature‐sensitive. However, the binding of acylated 125I‐pardaxin cannot be reduced by competition with pardaxin acylated with Rudinger's reagent. In this respect, acylated pardaxin resembles the Tat protein 37–71 fragment. Metabolic inhibitors do not significantly reduce the uptake of acylated 125I‐pardaxin. Acylated pardaxin might be useful as a vector to translocate other molecules.
Apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide is mediated by decreased superoxide anion concentration and reduction of intracellular milieu
Authors: Clément Marie-Véronique , Ponton Andre , Pervaiz Shazib
Published: May 2003

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is considered to be a mediator of apoptotic cell death but the mechanism by which it induces apoptosis is unclear. Here, we show that cells undergoing apoptosis from exposure to H2O2 display a significant decrease in intracellular concentration of superoxide (O−
2) which is associated with a reduction of the intracellular milieu, as measured by an increase in the GSH/GSSG ratio and a decrease in intracellular pH. The notion that a decrease in intracellular O−
2 concentration triggers apoptosis is supported by the observation that H2O2‐mediated apoptosis could be retarded in cells in which the intracellular O−
2 concentration is maintained at or above the cellular baseline level by inhibition of the major O−
2 scavenger superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD). Taken together, our observations indicate that a decrease in the intracellular O−
2 concentration, reduction and acidification of the intracellular milieu constitute a signal for H2O2‐mediated apoptosis, thereby inducing a reductive as opposed to an oxidative stress.
Down‐regulation of protein kinase Cα and γ and enhanced TPA‐induced neurite formation in DAN‐transfected neuroblastoma cells
Authors: Hiwasa Takaki , Nakamura Yohko , Ozaki Toshinori , Kondo Kazuhiro , Saido Takaomi , Nakagawara Akira , Sakiyama Shigeru
Published: May 2003

DAN gene was first isolated by differential screening between rat 3Y1 and v‐src‐transformed 3Y1 cells and showed a tumor‐suppressive activity toward v‐src‐transformed 3Y1 cells. When DAN‐transfected neuroblastoma cells were treated with a tumor promoter phorbol ester, TPA, neurite‐like processes appeared within 2 h whereas no apparent change was observed in the parent and vector‐transfected cells up to 8 h. This suggests some difference in TPA‐receptor, protein kinase C (PKC), between DAN‐transfectants and the control cells. DAN‐transfected SH‐SY5Y cells showed complete loss in PKCα and a large decrease in PKCγ. Similar down‐regulation in PKCα and PKCγ was also observed in DAN‐transfected Ha‐ras‐transformed NIH 3T3 cells. The decreased level of PKCα was partially recovered after treatment with a calpain inhibitor, ZLLH. A 150‐kDa proteolytic product of a calpain‐specific substrate, non‐erythroid α‐spectrin, was detectable in DAN‐transfected SH‐SY5Y cells but not in the parent or vector‐transfected control cells. This suggests that DAN‐transfected cells contain activated calpain which may cause down‐regulation of PKC and hence induce the altered TPA response.
Probing cellular protein targets of H2O2 with fluorescein‐conjugated iodoacetamide and antibodies to fluorescein
Authors: Wu Yalin , Kwon Ki-Sun , Rhee Sue Goo
Published: May 2003

Recent studies suggest that H2O2, at subtoxic concentrations generated in response to the activation of a variety of cell surface receptors, functions as an intracellular messenger. However, the intracellular targets of H2O2 action have not been identified. A procedure to detect proteins with reactive cysteine residues susceptible to oxidation by intracellularly generated H2O2 is now described. This approach is based on the labeling of proteinaceous cysteine with 5‐iodoacetamidofluorescein at pH 5.5 and immunoblot analysis of the labeled proteins with antibodies specific to fluorescein. With this procedure, many proteins in human A431 cells were shown to contain reactive cysteines and to be readily oxidized by H2O2 generated in response to cellular stimulation with epidermal growth factor. One of these H2O2‐sensitive proteins was identified as protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B.
TNF inhibits insulin induced STAT5 activation in differentiated mouse muscle cells pmi28
Authors: Storz Peter , Döppler Heike , Wernig Anton , Pfizenmaier Klaus , Müller Gertraud
Published: May 2003

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays a central role in the state of insulin resistance leading to type II diabetes. We here describe the crosstalk of TNF with insulin signaling cascades in the mouse muscle cell line pmi28. TNF downregulated insulin induced insulin receptor kinase activity and insulin induced activation of the transcription factor STAT5. Our results provide evidence that the inhibitory crosstalk between TNF and insulin in skeletal muscle cells comprises an interference with the expression of STAT5 regulated genes which may play an important role in the manifestation and/or progression of insulin resistance in muscle cells.
Cooperativity and flexibility of active sites in homodimeric transketolase
Authors: Kovina Marina V , Kochetov German A
Published: May 2003

Here we summarize evidence for non‐equivalence of two structurally similar active sites in transketolase and other thiamine‐dependent enzymes. This non‐equivalence takes place when the enzymes interact with various ligands (inhibitors, cations, coenzyme and substrates). Data on different strains in the structure of the holotransketolase subunits are also given. The above results are discussed within the framework of a concept of permanent alternative site oscillation of the transketolase molecule in the presence and in the absence of substrate as a manifestation of a ‘flip‐flop' mechanism.
Identification of a functional 3′,5′‐cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element within the second promoter of the mouse somatostatin receptor type 2 gene
Authors: Wöltje Michael , Kraus Jürgen , Höllt Volker
Published: May 2003

Important physiological actions of somatostatin are mediated by the somatostatin receptor type 2. Its transcription is regulated by three tissue specific, alternative promoters. It is known that the mRNA of the somatostatin receptor type 2 gene is induced by cAMP, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying this regulation. We have identified and characterized a cAMP responsive element located at nucleotide −162 on the second promoter of the gene consisting of the classical palindromic octameric sequence 5′‐TGACGTCA‐3′. Using transient expression of reporter gene deletion constructs in NG108‐15 cells the necessity of the intact element for forskolin‐induced reporter gene activity was demonstrated. The first and the third promoter are not responsive to forskolin, nor did any promoter respond to the phorbol ester PMA. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays in combination with competition experiments suggest the interaction of the promoter element with the cAMP responsive element binding protein.
Expression of an oncogenic mutant Gαi2 activates Ras in Rat‐1 fibroblast cells
Authors: Edamatsu Hironori , Kaziro Yoshito , Itoh Hiroshi
Published: May 2003

It has been reported that expression of the active mutant of heterotrimeric GTP‐binding protein α subunit Gαi2 transforms Rat‐1 cells. However, the Gαi2‐mediated mitogenic signaling pathways remain to be elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that inducible expression of the active mutant of Gαi2 (Gαi2(Q205L)) activates Ras and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) in addition to extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) in Rat‐1 cells. Our findings suggest that Ras may play a critical role in the Gαi2‐induced transformation and Gαi2 can transduce signals from the Gi‐coupled receptor to JNK and ERK in certain types of mammalian cells.
Mid to late Holocene climate evolution of the Lake Telmen Basin, North Central Mongolia, based on palynological data
Authors: Fowell Sarah J. , Hansen Barbara C.S. , Peck John A. , Khosbayar P. , Ganbold Enebish
Published: May 2003

Palynological and sedimentological data from Lake Telmen, in north-central Mongolia, permit qualitative reconstruction of relative changes in moisture balance throughout the mid to late Holocene. The climate of the Atlantic period (7500–4500 yr ago) was relatively arid, indicating that Lake Telmen lay beyond the region of enhanced precipitation delivered by the expanded Asian monsoon. Maximum humidity is recorded between ∼4500 and 1600 cal yr B.P., during the Subboreal (4500–2500 yr ago) and early Subatlantic (2500 yr–present) periods. Additional humid intervals during the Medieval Warm Epoch (∼1000–1300 A.D. or 950–650 ago) and the Little Ice Age (1500– 1900 A.D. or 450–50 yr B.P.) demonstrate the lack of long-term correlation between temperature and moisture availability in this region. A brief aridification centered around 1410 cal yr B.P. encompasses a decade of cold temperatures and summer frost between A.D. 536 and 545 (1414–1405 yr B.P.) inferred from records of Mongolian tree-ring widths. These data suggest that steppe vegetation of the Lake Telmen region is sensitive to centennial- and decadal-scale climatic perturbations.
Pleistocene raised marine deposits on Wrangel Island, northeast Siberia and implications for the presence of an East Siberian ice sheet
Authors: Gualtieri Lyn , Vartanyan Sergey , Brigham-Grette Julie , Anderson Patricia M.
Published: May 2003

Two previously undocumented Pleistocene marine transgressions on Wrangel Island, northeastern Siberia, question the presence of an East Siberian or Beringian ice sheet during the last glacial maximum (LGM). The Tundrovayan Transgression (459,000–780,000 yr B.P.) is represented by raised marine deposits and landforms 15–41 m asl located up to 18 km inland. The presence of high sea level 64,000–73,000 yr ago (the Krasny Flagian Transgression) is preserved in deposits and landforms 4–7 m asl in the Krasny Flag valley. These deposits and landforms were mapped, dated, and described using amino acid geochronology, radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence, electron spin resonance, oxygen isotopes, micropaleontology, paleomagnetism, and grain sizes. The marine deposits are eustatic and not isostatic in origin. All marine deposits on Wrangel Island predate the LGM, indicating that neither Wrangel Island nor the East Siberian or Chukchi Seas experienced extensive glaciation over the last 64,000 yr.
Joint compression alters the kinematics and loading patterns of the intact and capsule‐transected AC joint
Authors: Costic Ryan S. , Jari Rajesh , Rodosky Mark W. , Debski Richard E.
Published: May 2003

High compressive loads are transmitted through the shoulder across the acromioclavicular (AC) joint to the axial skeleton during activities of daily living and can lead to early joint degeneration or instability. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of joint compression on the biomechanics of the intact and capsule‐transected AC joint during application of three loading conditions. A robotic/universal force‐moment sensor testing system was utilized to apply an anterior, posterior or superior load of 70 N in combination with 10 or 70 N of joint compression to fresh‐frozen cadaveric shoulders (n = 12). The application of joint compression to the intact AC joint decreased the posterior translation in response to a posterior load (−6.6 ± 2.5 vs −3.7 ± 1.0 mm, p<0.05). Joint compression also decreased the in situ force in the superior AC capsule by 10 N while increasing the joint contact force by 20 N for all loading conditions (p<0.05). The application of joint compression to the capsule‐transected AC joint significantly decreased the amount of posterior and superior translation during posterior (−12.7 ± 6.1 vs −5.5 ± 3.2 mm, p < 0.05) and superior (5.3 ± 2.9 vs 4.2 ± 2.3 mm, p < 0.05) loading, respectively, while significantly increasing the coupled translations (anterior–posterior, superior–inferior or proximal–distal) in all loading conditions (p < 0.05). The joint contact force also significantly increased by 20 N for all loading conditions (p < 0.05). This quantitative data suggests: (1) common surgical techniques such as distal clavicle resection, which initially reduce painful joint contact, may cause unusually high loads to be supported by the soft tissue structures at the AC joint; and (2) compressive loads transmitted across a capsule‐transected AC joint could be concentrated over a smaller area due to the increased coupled motion and joint contact force.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Neuronal plasticity in relation to nociception and healing of rat achilles tendon
Authors: Ackermann Paul W. , Li Jian , Lundeberg Thomas , Kreicbergs Andris
Published: May 2003

Nerve regeneration and the occurrence of three neuropeptides; i.e. substance P (SP), calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) and galanin (GAL), were studied during healing of tendon rupture in the rat by semi‐quantitative immunohistochemistry. The neuronal findings were related to nociception as assessed by hindpaw withdrawal latencies at thermal and mechanical tests.

Experimental rupture of rat Achilles tendon—normally devoid of nerves—elicited extensive nerve ingrowth into the rupture site in the early phase of healing followed by almost complete fiber disappearance (weeks 12–16). The ingrowth of SP and CGRP positive fibers, seen already at weeks 1–2, was associated with increased nociception. Subsequently, the occurrence of GAL positive fibers at weeks 4–6 was associated with decreased nociception. An even stronger relationship to nociception during healing was observed when the rate of change in neuropeptide expression instead of the expression in absolute terms was considered, according to the „cascade”︁ formula of SP' + CGRP' – GAL'.

It may prove that the observed temporal occurrence of different neuropeptides reflects a role of the peripheral nervous system in regulating synchronously nociception and healing.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Development of an atrophic nonunion model and comparison to a closed healing fracture in rat femur
Authors: Kokubu Takeshi , Hak David J. , Hazelwood Scott J. , Reddi A. Hari
Published: May 2003

Although most fractures heal, some fail to heal and become nonunions. Many animal models have been developed to study problems of fracture healing. The majority of nonunion models have involved segmental bone defects, but this may not adequately represent the biologic condition in which nonunions clinically develop. The objective of the present study is to develop a nonunion model that better simulates the clinical situation in which there is soft tissue damage including periosteal disruption and to compare this model to a standard closed fracture model utilizing identical fracture stabilization, providing a similar mechanical environment. A total of 96 three month old Long Evans rats were utilized. A 1.25 mm diameter K‐wire was inserted into the femur in a retrograde fashion, and a mid‐diaphyseal closed transverse fracture was created using a standard three‐point bending device. To create a nonunion, 48 of the rats received additional surgery to the fractured femur. The fracture site was exposed and 2 mm of the periosteum was cauterized on each side of the fracture. Fracture healing was evaluated with serial radiographs every two weeks. Animals were maintained for intervals of two, four, six or eight weeks after surgery. Specimens from each time interval were subjected to biomechanical and histological evaluation. None of the cauterized fractures healed throughout the eight weeks experimental duration. The radiographical appearance of nonunion models was atrophic. This investigation showed pronounced differences between the experimental nonunions and standard closed fractures both histologically and biomechanically. In conclusion, we have developed a reproducible atrophic nonunion model in the rat femur that simulates the clinical condition in which there is periosteal disruption but no bone defect.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Two week nicotine treatment selectively increases bone vascular constriction in response to norepinephrine
Authors: Feitelson J. B. A. , Rowell P. P. , Roberts C. S. , Fleming J. T.
Published: May 2003

This study was designed to determine if nicotine treatment alters the constrictor and/or dilator function of the vessels which regulate blood flow to intact bone. Nicotine (1.7 mg/kg/day) or nicotine‐free, phosphate‐buffered saline was administered subcutaneously to mature male rats for 2 weeks via osmotic mini‐pumps. On the 14th day, the rats were anesthetized and in vivo experiments were performed to quantitate the changes in arterial blood pressure and perfusion of the intact tibia (measured by laser Doppler flowmetry) in response to two constrictor agonists (norepinephrine, NE and arginine vasopressin, AVP) and two vasodilator agents (acetylcholine, ACh and sodium nitroprusside, SNP). Dose‐response curves were generated by plotting the change in the bone vascular resistance index (mmHg/bone perfusion units) evoked by each dose of agonist. In addition, bone arteriolar expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein was quantitated by Western blot analysis. Nicotine treatment significantly enhanced the constriction of the bone vasculature in response to NE, but not to AVP. Vascular dilation in response to ACh and SNP was not changed by nicotine. These results indicate that nicotine selectively accentuates the constrictor response of the bone vasculature to exogenous NE. This enhanced constriction to NE is not due to impaired endothelial cell release of nitric oxide or diminished smooth muscle response to nitric oxide. Since NE and AVP activate similar cell signaling mechanisms to induce constriction, the selective enhancement of NE‐induced constriction suggests that nicotine alters a mechanism unique to NE signaling; possibly the number or binding affinity of alpha adrenergic receptors. Since endogenous NE regulates basal blood flow to bone, the effect of nicotine to augment NE‐induced constriction could lead to a chronic reduction in blood flow to bone.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dollar exchange rate and stock price: evidence from multivariate cointegration and error correction model
Authors: Kim Ki‐ho
Published: May 2003

In this paper, we investigate existence of long‐run equilibrium relationships among the aggregate stock price, industrial production, real exchange rate, interest rate, and inflation in the United States. Applying Johansen's cointegration analysis to monthly data for the 1974:01–1998:12 period, we find that the S&P 500 stock price is positively related to the industrial production but negatively to the real exchange rate, interest rate, and inflation. Analysis of error correction mechanism reveals that the stock price, industrial production, and inflation adjust to correct disequilibrium among the five variables, while variance decompositions indicate that the stock price is driven to a considerable extent by innovations in the interest rate. Structural stability tests show that the parameters of the cointegrating system and the error correction term are stationary.
Homeopathic aggravations: a systematic review of randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trials
Authors: Grabia S , Ernst E
Published: May 2003

Homeopathic aggravations have often been described anecdotally. However, few attempts have been made to scientifically verify their existence. This systematic review aimed at comparing the frequency of homeopathic aggravations in the placebo and verum groups of double-blind, randomised clinical trials. Eight independent literature searches were carried out to identify all such trials mentioning either adverse effects or aggravations. All studies thus found were validated and data were extracted by both authors. Twenty-four trials could be included. The average number of aggravations was low. In total, 50 aggravations were attributed to patients treated with placebo and 63 to patients treated with homoeopathically diluted remedies. We conclude that this systematic review does not provide clear evidence that the phenomenon of homeopathic aggravations exists.
Colonel Roscoe Conkling Simmons and the Mechanics of Black Leadership
Authors: KAYE ANDREW M.
Published: May 2003

I want you to have power because I will have power.

Roscoe Conkling Simmons (1881–1951) was an African American journalist and
lifelong Republican, frequently acclaimed as the greatest orator of his day. He wrote for
the Chicago Defender, the nation's largest black paper, and was later a columnist
for the Chicago Tribune. A sometime advisor on black affairs to Republican
administrations during the 1920s, Simmons seconded the re-nomination of Herbert Hoover
for president in 1932, where “His exit from the platform was blocked by senators,
committeemen, governors and others high in the public life who sought to touch ‘the hem
of his garment.’” Throughout his career, the Colonel, as Simmons was often called,
forged close links with black organizations. On regular speaking tours, he participated in the
affairs of fraternities, churches, and educational institutions nationwide. Simmons was a social
chameleon, on familiar terms with black America's most powerful businessmen and editors,
entertainers and mobsters, but equally comfortable among the working men and women with whom
he gossiped in barber shops and at church picnics. Senators, mayors, and aldermen admired his
talent on the speaking platform and valued his connections to the black community. When white
Republicans needed help in rallying northern black voters, Simmons was the fixer they summoned.
He gladly obliged, out of loyalty to the Grand Old Party and in anticipation of reciprocal
dispensations.
Multiplex polymerase chain reaction as a mastitis screening test for Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Streptococcus uberis in bulk milk samples
Authors: Phuektes Patchara , Browning Glenn F , Anderson Garry , Mansell Peter D
Published: May 2003

Effective diagnostic tools for screening herds for mastitis pathogens are important in development and monitoring of mastitis control programmes. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for simultaneous detection of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Streptococcus uberis was used in preliminary studies to assess its applicability as an alternative method for monitoring mastitis caused by these organisms at the herd level. PCR was used to detect the presence of these organisms in bulk milk samples. Correlations with bulk milk somatic cell counts (BMCC), total bacteria counts and thermoduric bacteria counts were evaluated. A total of 176 bulk milk samples were collected from 42 herds on five consecutive occasions at approx. 10-d intervals. Str. uberis was the most common organism in these bulk milk samples. There was no relationship between presence of either Staph. aureus, Str. dysgalactiae or Str. uberis and BMCC, total bacteria counts or thermoduric bacteria counts. However, presence of Str. agalactiae was associated with high BMCC and total bacteria counts. The results of this study show that regular analysis of bulk milk using this multiplex PCR assay may be a useful tool for monitoring herd status with respect to Str. agalactiae, but is of less value for monitoring occurrence of Staph. aureus, Str. dysgalactiae and Str. uberis. Further investigations are needed to clarify the relationship between positive PCR results and the prevalence of infected cows in the herd.
Immunomodulatory consequences of oral administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG in healthy volunteers
Authors: Schultz Michael , Linde Hans-Jörg , Lehn Norbert , Zimmermann Kurt , Grossmann Johannes , Falk Werner , Schölmerich Jürgen
Published: May 2003

Probiotic microorganisms, especially lactic acid bacteria, are effective in the treatment of infectious diarrhoeal diseases and experimental colitis. Although the mechanisms by which these organisms exert their anti-inflammatory effects are largely unknown, immunomodulating effects are suggested. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a 5-week oral administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus subspecies GG (Lb. GG) on the cellular immune response to intestinal microorganisms in ten healthy volunteers. Peripheral blood cells (PB) were stimulated with either ‘self’ or ‘non-self’ preparations of faecal samples and isolated Bacteroides fragilis group-organisms (Bfg) or Escherichia coli (Esch. coli), and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-4, IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α) were measured in the culture supernatant. CD4+ T-lymphocyte activation was determined by measurement of intracellular ATP following lysis of the cells. The activational response of CD4+ T-lymphocytes towards isolated and heat-inactivated intestinal organisms was increased after the probiotic treatment. Additionally, TNF-α, IL-6 and in part IFN-γ cytokine secretion by PB cells following stimulation with whole stool preparations and single members of the flora was significantly decreased, whereas the IL-10 and in part IL-4 cytokine secretion was increased at the end of the study. In contrast, the activational response of CD4+ T-lymphocytes following stimulation with whole ‘non-self’ intestinal flora was higher than by ‘self’ intestinal flora, but both responses showed a trend towards a reduction at the end of the study. This study documents a direct effect by Lb. GG on the cellular immune system of healthy volunteers and offers a promising tool to investigate systemic immunomodulation due to oral administration of probiotic microorganisms.
Gradient auxiliary selection and impersonal passivization in German: an experimental
investigation
Authors: KELLER FRANK , SORACE ANTONELLA
Published: May 2003

The main purpose of this paper is to provide experimental evidence that two syntactic
reflexes of split intransitivity in German – the selection of perfective auxiliaries and
the impersonal passive construction – are sensitive to an aspectual/thematic hierarchy
of verb classes. We show that there is a split between ‘core’ verbs that elicit
categorical intuitions from native speakers, and ‘intermediate’ verbs that exhibit
gradience. Furthermore, crossdialectal differences between northern and southern
German with respect to auxiliary selection tend to occur only with intermediate verbs.
We argue that these findings lend support to the view that the unaccusative/unergative
distinction is considerably more unstable than often assumed, and suggest that
projectionist theories of the lexicon-syntax interface such as those directly derived
from the Unaccusative Hypothesis may not be able to account for the systematic
variation exhibited by the data.
Changes in Wool Production and Usage in Colonial India
Authors: Roy Tirthankar
Published: May 2003

The paper shows how production, marketing and uses of wool changed in colonial India (1858-1947). The changes involved location, products, people, and nature of the firm, and were induced by two circumstances, one arising from the raw material side, and the other from the consumption side. There were limitations on access to common grazing lands, a theme that takes us to those of herding, customary rights, and the economics of wool production. The economic character of weaving was bound with that of wool production. The nature of that bond changed in the colonial period. On the consumption side, imported garments altered tastes and introduced new standards. This latter process encouraged standardization, larger scale, and urban production, and in a more limited way diversification and technological change. Power-looms, hosiery, and worsted were the outcomes of the last process.
Representation and Representations of the Railways of Colonial
and Post-Colonial South Asia
Authors: Kerr Ian J.
Published: May 2003

This paper offers a preliminary exploration of the multi-faceted ways in which the railways
of South Asia have been represented in textual, aural and visual media. I do this despite my
reservations about some representational-type studies presented via language and theories I
find opaque. Nonetheless, I do want to signal that I am not a closed-minded trainspotter;
I am not one of those railway historians a reviewer of Michael Freeman's Railways and the
Victorian Imagination labelled ‘“trainspotters” to a man…combining
the enthusiasms of the hobbyist and the econometrician in scholarly mimicry of that singular
British type.’ The reviewer, of course, was referring to those railway devotees who
haunt British railway stations desperately taking pictures of locomotives and recording their
serial numbers and not to the alienated characters in a recent movie of similar name.
Four Colonies and a Kingdom: A Comparison of Fiscal, Trade and Exchange Rate Policies
in South East Asia in the 1930s
Authors: Booth Anne
Published: May 2003

In the latter part of the 1990s, several of the major economies in South East Asia underwent one of the worst economic crises in living memory. It is thus not surprising that economic historians with an interest in the region are re-examining the experience of the 1930s. One crucial difference between the crisis of the late 1990s and that of the early 1930s is that the latter was preceded, and in large measure caused, by problems in the world economy. When the industrial world fell into a severe economic depression in the early 1930s, most parts of Asia were affected, mainly through falling export receipts which in turn affected colonial budgets. A second difference was that most parts of South East Asia in the 1930s were still under colonial rule, and had little autonomy in framing or implementing economic policy. Only Thailand remained nominally independent, but even there the influence of foreign, especially British, economic advisers was considerable. Given the very different economic interests which the colonial powers (Dutch, French, American and British) had in their South East Asian colonies, and given the widely differing nature of the economic links between colony and metropole, it was to be expected that the impact of the 1930s slump, and the policy responses which it provoked, would vary. This indeed turned out to be the case.
Taiwan's Foreign Economic Policy: The ‘Liberalization Plus’ Approach of an Evolving Developmental State
Authors: Dent Christopher M.
Published: May 2003

Globalization has compelled state governments to embrace economic liberalization as a means to participate purposely in an increasingly ‘borderless’ world economy. At a general level, this is seen to enable the economies in their charge to engage more effectively in the integrated international linkages of production, finance, distribution and investment being created by transnational business activities. Economic liberalization refers to an opening up of markets to greater competition, which had previously been constricted by various forms of state regulation or intervention, e.g. import tariffs. Hence, liberalization can under many circumstances lead to a general retreat of the state's position in matters of economic governance. However, it is argued here that smart approaches to economic liberalization do not necessarily require a weakening of state capacity but rather its upgrading. As such, questions about `how much' state involvement or economic liberalization is required to meet the challenges posed by globalization need to be replaced with those of ‘what kind’.
Descartes on the immutability of the divine will
Authors: CUNNING DAVID
Published: May 2003

Descartes holds that God's will is immutable. It cannot be changed by God and, because He is supremely independent, it cannot be changed by anything else. Descartes' God acts by a single immutable will for all eternity, and there is no sense in which it is possible for Him to will or to have willed anything other than what He in fact wills. Passages in which Descartes might appear to be suggesting a different view are simply manifestations of his analytic method.
Hume's project in ‘The natural history of religion’
Authors: FALKENSTEIN LORNE
Published: May 2003

There are good reasons to think that at least a part of Hume's project in the ‘The natural history of religion’ was to buttress a philosophical critique of the reasonableness of religious belief undertaken in other works, and to attack a fundamentalist account of the history of religion and the foundations of morality. But there are also problems with supposing that Hume intended to achieve either of these goals. I argue that two problems in particular – accounting for Hume's neglect of revelation, and accounting for his remarks on the ‘invincibility’ of the reasons for ‘genuine theism’ – can only be resolved by recognizing that Hume's purposes in ‘The natural history’ were not fundamentally critical. If I am right, Hume's purpose was mainly to explain why ‘false’ or ‘adulterate’ forms of religious belief are so widespread and so influential.
Inclusion and Incarnation: a response to Bayne
Authors: STURCH RICHARD
Published: May 2003

I suggest that Tim Bayne's use of the term ‘inclusion’ to describe the model of the Incarnation found in Morris and Swinburne may have misled him. The experiences of the Word do not include those of Jesus in the way that mine include my experiences as a teenager; but He is aware, in the case of Jesus, that ‘these experiences are mine’, which is not true of His awareness of the experiences of other people. Again, Bayne rejects the idea that what differentiates the experiences of Jesus from those of the Word is that they differ in kind, on the grounds that they are integrated so as to be co-conscious in the divine consciousness; but this is only true if we think in terms of ‘inclusion’. Nor are any false beliefs held by Jesus part of the beliefs of the Word. Furthermore (although this is not related to ‘inclusion’) while a single soul may be sufficient to unite experiences, it need not be necessary; some other factor may (and I think does) unite the human and divine experiences of Christ.
Multiple electron stripping of heavy ion beams
Authors: MUELLER D. , GRISHAM L. , KAGANOVICH I. , WATSON R.L. , HORVAT V. , ZAHARAKIS K.E. , PENG Y.
Published: May 2003

One approach being explored as a route to practical fusion
energy uses heavy ion beams focused on an indirect drive target.
Such beams will lose electrons while passing through background
gas in the target chamber, and therefore it is necessary to
assess the rate at which the charge state of the incident beam
evolves on the way to the target. Accelerators designed primarily
for nuclear physics or high energy physics experiments utilize
ion sources that generate highly stripped ions in order to achieve
high energies economically. As a result, accelerators capable
of producing heavy ion beams of 10 to 40 MeV/amu with charge
state 1 currently do not exist. Hence, the stripping cross sections
used to model the performance of heavy ion fusion driver beams
have, up to now, been based on theoretical calculations. We
have investigated experimentally the stripping of 3.4 MeV/amu
Kr+7 and Xe+11 in N2; 10.2
MeV/amu Ar+6 in He, N2, Ar, and Xe;
19 MeV/amu Ar+8 in He, N2, Ar, and
Xe; 30 MeV He+1 in He, N2, Ar, and Xe;
and 38 MeV/amu N+6 in He, N2, Ar,
and Xe. The results of these measurements are compared with
the theoretical calculations to assess their applicability over
a wide range of parameters.
Computer vision and robotics techniques in fish farms
Authors: Martinez-de Dios J. R. , Serna C. , Ollero A.
Published: May 2003

This paper presents new low-cost systems for the automation of some fish farm operations. Particularly, computer vision is applied to non-contact fish weight estimation. Stereo vision systems with synchronised convergent cameras are employed to perform fish 3-D segmentation in tanks and sea cages. Several pre-processing algorithms are applied to compensate for illumination local variations. The approach applied for fish 3-D segmentation consists in detecting in both images certain fish features. Once these points have been detected and validated in both images, the fish are 3-D segmented by applying stereo vision matching considerations. Fish weight is estimated by using simple length-weight relations well known in the aquaculture domain. The paper also briefly describes robotics systems for fish feeding and underwater pond cleaning, which can be also used to implement the above mentioned computer vision techniques for the fish estimation.
Solving the inverse dynamic control for low cost real-time industrial
robot control applications
Authors: Valera A. , Mata V. , Vallés M. , Valero F. , Rosillo N. , Benimeli F.
Published: May 2003

This work deals with the real-time robot control implementation. In this paper, an algorithm for solving Inverse Dynamic Problem based on the Gibbs-Appell equations is proposed and verified. It is developed using mainly vectorial variables, and the equations are expressed in a recursive form, it has a computational complexity of O(n). This algorithm will be compared with one based on Newton-Euler equations of motion, formulated in a similar way, and using mainly vectors in
their recursive formulation. This algorithm was implemented in an industrial PUMA robot. For the robot control a new and open architecture based on PC had been implemented. The architecture used has two main advantages. First it provides a total open control architecture, and second it is not expensive. Because the controller is based on PC, any control technique can be programmed and implemented, and in this way the PUMA can work on high level tasks, such as automatic trajectory generation, task planning, control by artificial vision, etc.
The landscape of Beowulf
Authors: Gelling Margaret
Published: May 2003

The landscape of the epic poem Beowulf is a fantasy construct in which incompatible
features coexist, but while it is an unprofitable exercise to attempt a
reconstruction of a coherent topography in which Beowulf's exploits took
place, the poet's choice of individual landscape terms is not likely to be random.
Where this choice is not influenced by alliteration, each term may have been
intended to convey a specific image appropriate to its immediate context.
Several of the landscape terms used in the poem are otherwise unrecorded or
only found rarely in other literary sources. This applies to hlið, hop and gelad; but
by contrast with their rarity in literature these words are well evidenced in place-names,
and an understanding of the place-name usage may have some relevance
to the interpretation of their occurrences in the poem.
The Anglo-Saxons and the Goths: rewriting the sack of Rome
Authors: Godden M. R.
Published: May 2003

On 24 August 410 the Goths under their king Alaric entered the city of Rome
and spent three days pillaging it. They then moved south towards Sicily, possibly
in the hope of escaping to Africa, but Alaric died and the Goths retreated back
through Italy to Gaul, from where they were driven into Spain by Roman forces
in 414. The sack of Rome was by all accounts of little material significance in
the long and complex history of Roman engagement with barbarians; it was in
fact the Goths' third visit to the city in three years, and on the previous occasion
the senate had allowed them into Rome and collaborated with them in setting up
the prefect of the city as emperor in opposition to Honorius, whose administration
was based in Ravenna. Contemporary historians emphasized that the
forces of the western empire had recovered their dominance within just three or
four years at most, and recent historians have seen the attack on Rome as representing
a failure on the part of the Goths, who had hoped to use the threat to
Rome as a bargaining tool with the emperor in their pursuit of land and supplies. Honorius and his
government seem to have been relatively untroubled.
On the day after Alaric's seizure of Rome Honorius had time, from his palace in
Ravenna, to issue an edict ordering that religious dissension among Christians in
North Africa should cease and summoning a conference of all the Catholic and
Donatist bishops to examine their dierences. The Liber pontificalis manages to give a
quite detailed account of the time of Pope Innocent I (402–17) and his
good works without once mentioning the Goths or the attack on Rome
(Orosius explains that he happened to be away in Ravenna at the time). But the
event acquired remarkable prominence, and a distinctive significance, in the
Anglo-Saxon perception of their past, especially in the Alfredian period: it is
mentioned prominently in two of Bede's historical works, in four of the Old
English prose works associated with King Alfred, and in Æthelweard's Chronicle;
it is the context and end-point of the Old English version of Orosius's History of
the World; and it is the starting-point of King Alfred's account of Boethius. I
want here to explore its developing significance for the Anglo-Saxons, and particularly
for the Alfredian world.