bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ORAL MUCOSAL MICROVASCULAR NETWORK ABNORMALITIES INDE NOVOMUTATION ACHONDROPLASIA
Authors: DE FELICE CLAUDIO , PARRINI STEFANO , DI MAGGIO GIOVANNI , LAURINI RICARDO N. , SHIRRIFF KENNETH , BIANCIARDI GIORGIO , LATINI GIUSEPPE
Published: March 2005

Approximately 90% of achondroplasia (ACH) cases are the result of a de novo mutation, with no phenotypical markers for the unaffected ACH parents being known to date. Here, the hypothesis of the presence of an oral mucosal microvascular abnormality in ACH children and unaffected ACH parents was tested. Two-dimensional vascular network geometry was analyzed in 15 children with sporadic ACH, 30 unaffected parents of children with typical ACH phenotype, and 45 control subjects, using high-resolution photographs of the lower gingival and vestibular oral mucosa. The vascular networks of ACH patients and ACH parents exhibited higher D(1–46) (P ≤ 0.013) and D(1–15) (P ≤ 0.0032) fractal dimensions, higher minimum-path dimension (P ≤ 0.0013), higher relative Lempel-Ziv (L-Z) complexity (P < 0.0001), and lower vessel-free area size (P < 0.00001) than controls. A vessel-free area size ≤ 56,832 μm2and L-Z complexity > 0.62 showed 100%-sensitivity and 100%-specificity in identifying unaffected ACH parents. These findings indicate (1) how complexity measures can be used to discover biological differences not demonstrable with traditional measures, and (2) the presence of a previously unrecognized microvascular network abnormality in both ACH patients and unaffected parents of children with de novo mutation ACH.
Leptin-induced nitric oxide production in white adipocytes is mediated through PKA and MAP kinase activation
Authors: Mehebik Nadia , Jaubert Anne-Marie , Sabourault Dominique , Giudicelli Yves , Ribière Catherine
Published: March 2005

Leptin injection increases plasma levels of nitrites and/or nitrates, an index of nitric oxide (NO) production. Because plasma levels of NO are correlated with fat mass and because adipose tissue is the main source of leptin, it seems that adipose tissue plays a major role in NO release induced by leptin. Adipocytes express both leptin receptors and nitric oxide synthase (NOS; including the endothelial isoform, NOS III, and the inducible isoform, NOS II). In this study, we have demonstrated that physiological concentrations of leptin stimulate NOS activity in adipocytes. This effect of leptin is abolished by 1) AG490, an inhibitor of Janus tyrosine kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; 2) U0126, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p42/p44 MAPK); and 3) N-[2-( p-bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (H-89) or Rp diastereomer of adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic phosphorothioate, two inhibitors of protein kinase A, but not by wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Immunoblotting studies have shown that leptin fails to activate Akt but increases p42/p44 MAPK phosphorylation, an effect that is prevented by U0126 but not by H-89. Furthermore, leptin induces NOS III phosphorylation at Ser1179 and Thr497, but not when adipocytes are pretreated with H-89 or U0126. Finally, stimulation of adipocyte NOS activity by leptin is either unaltered when protein phosphatase 2A is inhibited by 1 nM okadaic acid or completely abolished when protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) activity is inhibited by 3 nM tautomycin, which supports a crucial role for PP1 in mediating this effect of leptin. On the whole, these experiments demonstrate that NOS activity is a novel target for leptin in adipocytes and that the leptin-induced NOS activity is at least in part the result of NOS III phosphorylations via both protein kinase A and p42/p44 MAPK activation. More generally, this study also leads to the hypothesis of NO as a potentially important factor for leptin signaling in adipocytes.
Local Field Potential Oscillations in Primate Cerebellar Cortex: Synchronization With Cerebral Cortex During Active and Passive Expectancy
Authors: Courtemanche Richard , Lamarre Yves
Published: March 2005

Many brain regions, such as the cerebellum, primary somatosensory cortex (SI), and primary motor cortex (MI), interact to produce coordinated actions. Synchronization of local field potentials (LFPs) in sensorimotor cerebral areas has been related to motor performance, often through 10- to 25-Hz oscillatory LFPs. The macaque cerebellar paramedian lobule (PM) also shows 10- to 25-Hz LFP oscillations, which are modulated in a stimulus–response lever press task to get reward (active condition), but also, albeit differently, in a similarly timed stimulus–reward relation (passive condition). This study focuses on simultaneous LFP activity in primate SI or MI and the PM cerebellum during the active (left- or right-hand lever presses) and passive conditions. Results show a similar modulation pattern of 10- to 25-Hz oscillations in the cerebellum, MI, and SI during the active condition (left or right hand), decreasing after stimulus onset, returning, and again decreasing after movement onset. In the passive condition, when the monkey did not move but got reward, all 3 areas show an oscillatory profile where oscillations increase after stimulus onset and last until reward, denoting a role for these oscillations in passive expectancy. However, synchronization between cerebellar LFPs and SI LFPs is higher during the active condition than during the passive condition, and highest for the interested hand. This greater PM–SI synchronization, when the monkey had to press the lever, could represent a form of cerebro-cerebellar communication, perhaps to serve somatosensory processing to accomplish the task; PM–MI synchronization was less selective for the hand used and might carry a more general type of information.
Contextual Modulation of Olivocochlear Pathway Effects on Loud Sound-Induced Cochlear Hearing Desensitization
Authors: Rajan R.
Published: March 2005

This study shows that the cochlear hearing losses [temporary threshold shifts (TTSs)] induced by traumatic sound and the effect of olivocochlear (OC) pathways to the cochlea on these hearing losses depend on the context of the sound. Background atraumatic white noise (WN) has been shown to 1) exacerbate loud-pure-tone-induced TTSs, and 2) promote the modulation of TTSs by the uncrossed OC (UOC) pathways additional to the action on TTSs, elicited by binaural loud tones themselves, by the crossed OC (COC) pathway. Here the same atraumatic WN reduced TTSs caused by loud narrow band sound. It also reduced TTS modulation by OC pathways. The UOC no longer exerted any effects on TTSs, and COC effects were significantly reduced in two discrete frequency bands: low frequencies within the narrow band (“within-band” frequencies) and high frequencies outside the band (“high-side” frequencies). COC effects were unchanged at high frequencies within the band. Despite these reductions in OC effects, because the WN itself reduced TTSs, the total effect of OC pathways and background WN now produced larger TTS reductions, especially at higher frequencies. Thus the modulatory effects of the OC pathways on TTSs depend on how background WN modulates cochlear state. It is postulated that the WN background and the OC pathways both modulate TTSs by acting on the outer hair cells, in a way that promotes the reduction of TTSs caused by the narrow band sound trauma. This joint promotion of a protective end-effect on TTSs to narrow band sound trauma contrasts against the effects seen with pure tone trauma where the same background WN exacerbated TTSs at high-side frequencies.
Epidemiology of acute coronary syndromes in a Mediterranean country; aims, design and baseline characteristics of the Greek study of acute coronary syndromes (GREECS)
Authors: Pitsavos Christos , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B , Antonoulas Antonis , Zombolos Spyros , Kogias Yannis , Mantas Yannis , Stravopodis Peter , Kourlaba Georgia , Stefanadis Christodoulos ,   for the GREECS Study Investigators
Published: March 2005

Background

The present study GREECS was conducted in order to evaluate the annual incidence of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and to delineate the role of clinical, biochemical, lifestyle and behavioral characteristics on the severity of disease. In this work we present the design, methodology of the study and various baseline characteristics of people with ACS.

Methods/Design

A sample of 6 hospitals located in Greek urban and rural regions was selected. In these hospitals we recorded almost all admissions due to ACS, from October 2003 to September 2004. Socio-demographic, clinical, dietary, psychological and other lifestyle characteristics were recorded. 2172 patients were included in the study (76% were men and 24% women). The crude annual incidence rate was 22.6 per 10,000 people and the highest frequency of events was observed in winter. The in-hospital mortality rate was 4.3%. The most common discharged diagnosis for men was Q-wave MI, while for women it was unstable angina.

Discussion

This study aims to demonstrate current information about the epidemiology of patients who suffer from ACS, in Greece.
Factor structure of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in German coronary heart disease patients
Authors: Barth Jürgen , Martin Colin R
Published: March 2005

Background

Depression and anxiety in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are associated with a poorer prognosis. Therefore the screening for psychological distress is strongly recommended in cardiac rehabilitation. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a widely used screening tool that has demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity for mental disorders.

Methods

We assessed mental distress in in-patient cardiac rehabilitation in Germany. The factor structure of the German language version of the HADS was investigated in 1320 patients with CHD. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used to determine the underlying factor structure of the instrument.

Results

Three-factor models were found to offer a superior fit to the data compared to two-factor (anxiety and depression) models. The German language HADS performs similarly to the English language version of the instrument in CHD patients. The German language HADS fundamentally comprises a tri-dimensional underlying factor structure (labelled by Friedman et al. as psychomotor agitation, psychic anxiety and depression).

Conclusion

Despite of clinical usefulness in screening for mental disturbances the construct validity of the HADS is not clear. The resulting scores of the tri-dimensional model can be interpreted as psychomotor agitation, psychic anxiety, and depression in individual patient data or clinical investigations.
The quantitation of buffering action II. Applications of the formal & general approach
Authors: Schmitt Bernhard M
Published: March 2005

Background

The paradigm of "buffering" originated in acid-base physiology, but was subsequently extended to other fields and is now used for a wide and diverse set of phenomena. In the preceding article, we have presented a formal and general approach to the quantitation of buffering action. Here, we use that buffering concept for a systematic treatment of selected classical and other buffering phenomena.

Results

H+ buffering by weak acids and "self-buffering" in pure water represent "conservative buffered systems" whose analysis reveals buffering properties that contrast in important aspects from classical textbook descriptions. The buffering of organ perfusion in the face of variable perfusion pressure (also termed "autoregulation") can be treated in terms of "non-conservative buffered systems", the general form of the concept. For the analysis of cytoplasmic Ca++ concentration transients (also termed "muffling"), we develop a related unit that is able to faithfully reflect the time-dependent quantitative aspect of buffering during the pre-steady state period. Steady-state buffering is shown to represent the limiting case of time-dependent muffling, namely for infinitely long time intervals and infinitely small perturbations. Finally, our buffering concept provides a stringent definition of "buffering" on the level of systems and control theory, resulting in four absolute ratio scales for control performance that are suited to measure disturbance rejection and setpoint tracking, and both their static and dynamic aspects.

Conclusion

Our concept of buffering provides a powerful mathematical tool for the quantitation of buffering action in all its appearances.
The myogenic potency of HLH-1 reveals wide-spread developmental plasticity in earlyC. elegansembryos
Authors: Fukushige Tetsunari , Krause Michael
Published: March 2005

In vertebrates, striated muscle development depends on both the expression of members of the myogenic regulatory factor family (MRFs) and on extrinsic cellular cues, including Wnt signaling. The 81 embryonically born body wall muscle cells in C. elegans are comparable to the striated muscle of vertebrates. These muscle cells all express the gene hlh-1, encoding HLH-1 (CeMyoD) which is the only MRF-related factor in the nematode. However,genetic studies have shown that body wall muscle development occurs in the absence of HLH-1 activity, making the role of this factor in nematode myogenesis unclear. By ectopically expressing hlh-1 in early blastomeres of the C. elegans embryo, we show that CeMyoD is a bona fide MRF that can convert almost all cells to a muscle-like fate, regardless of their lineage of origin. The window during which ectopic HLH-1 can function is surprisingly broad, spanning the first 3 hours of development when cell lineages are normally established and non-muscle cell fate markers begin to be expressed. We have begun to explore the maternal factors controlling zygotic hlh-1 expression. We find that the Caudal-related homeobox factor PAL-1 can activate hlh-1 in blastomeres that either lack POP-1/TCF or that have down-regulated POP-1/TCF in response to Wnt/MAP kinase signaling. The potent myogenic activity of HLH-1 highlights the remarkable developmental plasticity of early C. elegans blastomeres and reveals the evolutionary conservation of MyoD function.
Novel Approach to Soldier Flame Protection
Authors: Winterhalter CA , Lomba RA , Tucker DW , Martin OD
Published: March 2005

The U.S. Army desires low cost combat uniform fabrics that provide flame protection, visual and near infrared camouflage, comfort, and durability. Prior to material development, the flame threat and hazard was investigated and characterized. Flammability related test methods were reviewed and pass/fail criteria for instrumented manikin testing was established based on military medical doctrine. Various fibers, fiber blends, and functional finishes were investigated and novel blend materials were developed. Textile manufacturing methods not traditionally used in military protective clothing such as core-spun yarn spinning and direct fiber-to-fabric non-woven technologies were also investigated. When compared to the standard issue combat uniform, the best performing protective clothing configuration demonstrated a reduction in total body burn from 88% to 8%. Safe exposure limits of up to 5 s were established.
Creep-Fatigue Behavior in High Strength Copper Alloys
Authors: Li M , Stubbins JF
Published: March 2005

Copper alloys are found to experience a stress relaxation during holds at maximum tension and maximum compression during cyclic loading patterns. This stress relaxation response has an effect on fatigue life by reducing the numbers of cycles to failure, particularly in the high cycle fatigue, long life regime. The stress relaxation behavior is found even for room temperature loading conditions, well below the temperature regime normally associated with creep and stress relaxation. It is suggested that the creep and stress relaxation deformation modes during hold periods is predominantly through primary creep process.
Tensile, Flexural, and Shear Properties of Neutron Irradiated SiC/SiC Composites with Different Fiber-Matrix Interfaces
Authors: Nozawa T , Ozawa K , Kondo S , Hinoki T , Katoh Y , Snead LL , Kohyama A
Published: March 2005

Unidirectional SiC/SiC composites fabricated with highly-crystalline and stoichiometric fibers and matrix, but with three different interfacial types (single-layer pyrolytic carbon (PyC), multilayered SiC/PyC, and pseudo porous SiC interfaces) were irradiated up to 1.0 × 1025 n/m2 (E > 0.1 MeV) at 1073 and 1273 K. Tensile, inter-laminar shear, and flexural properties were evaluated to compare the role of different interfaces on neutron irradiation behavior. There was nearly no significant degradation in tensile and flexural strength after high-temperature neutron irradiation, except for porous SiC interphase composite. Moreover, no meaningful reduction of tensile modulus was identified regardless of interphase types, although 20–40% degradation in flexural moduli occurred due to a reduction in inter-laminar shear modulus. In contrast, matrix cracking stress was significantly dependent on interfacial properties. Multilayer interphase composites exhibited the best irradiation stability. Irradiation instability of thick PyC and porous SiC interphase resulted in 20% and 40% degradations of matrix cracking stress, respectively.
Running to the Moon: The Articulation and Construction of Self in Marathon Runners
Authors: Reischer Erica L.
Published: March 2005

In this essay, I will consider how individuals engage the marathon in the service of a project of self‐transformation. To that end, I will examine cultural meanings and symbols associated with the marathon, and the way in which those meanings interact with the self‐system of the runners who choose to participate in the marathon. In addition, since the marathon is ultimately a cultural practice centered on the body, I will also explore the physical and material dimension of the marathon experience. This paper thus provides an account that begins to elucidate the way in which culturally‐situated individuals symbolically and physically engage the marathon as a means to actively and intentionally promote self‐development.
Trauma and Tattoo
Authors: Sarnecki Judith Holland
Published: March 2005

This article examines how tattoos may function as a way to deal with personal trauma. First, I examine a recent theory of how personal trauma cannot be fully experienced; thus, it calls for a return to the event in order to incorporate it into the psyche. Second, I look at how that return, often achieved symbolically, might include the process of acquiring a tattoo. Finally, I turn to various examples, taken from memoirs, film, and an interview, of trauma that has been expressed through tattooed images that turn bodies into memory‐laden texts.
The ethnographic (g)ambit: women and the negotiation of masculinity in Mexico City
Authors: Gutmann Matthew C.
Published: March 2005

How should we conceive, in a nontrivial manner, the cultural relation that women have to the construction of masculinities? Ethnographic fieldwork on how male identities are developed and transformed by men and women in a colonia popular of Mexico City is contrasted to other conceptual and methodological approaches employed by anthropologists to study manhood. Examining men as engendered and engendering is presented, not as a complement to the study of women, but rather as integral to understanding the ambiguities of gender differences.
Fields in dreams: anxiety, experience, and the limits of social constructionism in Modern Greek dream narratives
Authors: Stewart Charles
Published: March 2005

In this study of Greek dreams at moments of illness and anxiety I explore the relationship between individual experience and cultural representation. Ethnographic data and textual sources show that the image of fields recurs in dreams, thus throwing into question the uniqueness of personal experience as well as the concept of “experience” as something separate from cultural narratives. Yet these same images might also be independently generated “from below” by the emotional, physical experience of distress and illness. This case points to the convergence of cultural and personal symbols and to their fusion in the moment of experience. Approaches from psychoanalysis, cognitive psychology, anthropology, and folklore studies all provide possible theorizations. None of these options excludes the others. The image of the field in dreams is overdetermined precisely because the historicocultural, the cognitive, the psychobiological, and the social all simultaneously figure in human experience.
A Different Kind of War Story
Authors: Honwana Alcinda
Published: March 2005

Different Kind of War Story. CAROLYN NORDSTROM. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997. xviii. 254 pp., figures, epilogue, bibliography, index.
Re‐Imaging Japanese Women
Authors: Napier Susan J.
Published: March 2005

Re‐Imaging Japanese Women. ANNE IMAMURA. ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. xii. 358 pp., illustrations, contributors, index.
Reclaiming a Scientific Anthropology
Authors: Reed Michael C.
Published: March 2005

Reclaiming. Scientific Anthropology. LAWRENCE A. KUZNAR. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 1997. xi. 284 pp., index, references cited, figures.
Own or Other Culture
Authors: Sanders Todd
Published: March 2005

Own or Other Culture. JUDITH OKELY. New York: Routledge, 1996. + 244 pp., figures, references, notes, indexes.
Ache Life History: The Ecology and Demography of a Foraging People
Authors: Reed Richard
Published: March 2005

Ache Life History: The Ecology and Demography of. Foraging People. KIM HILL and A. MAGDALENA HURTADO. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, Inc., 1996. xix. 561 pp., appendixes, references, Index.
Who Moved My Sigma … Effective Implementation of the Six Sigma Methodology to Hospitals
Authors: Frings Ginny W. , Grant Laura
Published: March 2005

Six Sigma breakthrough strategy emphasizes the importance of reducing cycle time and improving customer satisfaction in determining optimal levels and costs of service quality. The implementation of Six Sigma to service industries is relatively new in comparison with the application of Six Sigma to industrial processes. In this paper, we consider aspects of the first three steps of the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) initiative and postulate the potential for effectiveness of Six Sigma methodology implementation to the following hospital processes: Operating Room preparation upon surgical cancellation or rescheduling, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance, Orthopaedic Joint Replacement Programs, and Patient Discharge processes. What is referred to as necessary ‘critical‐to‐quality’ (CTQ) aspects of medical services are not entirely different from the manufacturing environment. Developing measures of medical service processes from a ‘unit of product’ point of view raises new insights into the medical services field. Through investigation we find relationships between Six Sigma implementation and the potential for improved efficiency and effectiveness of hospital medical services. The results have implications for increased application of Six Sigma to hospital processes in those service areas. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A framework for selecting a suite of indicators for fisheries management
Authors: Rice Jake C. , Rochet Marie-Joëlle
Published: March 2005

We develop a framework for the objective selection of a suite of indicators for use in fisheries management. The framework encompasses eight steps, and provides guidance on pitfalls to be avoided at each step. Step 1 identifies user groups and their needs, featuring the setting of operational objectives, and Step 2 identifies a corresponding list of candidate indicators. Step 3 assigns weights to nine screening criteria for the candidate indicators: concreteness, theoretical basis, public awareness, cost, measurement, historic data, sensitivity, responsiveness, and specificity. Step 4 scores the indicators against the criteria, and Step 5 summarizes the results. Steps 3–5 offer technical aspects on which guidance is provided, including scoring standards for criteria and a generalized method for applying the standards when scoring individual indicators. Multi-criterion summarization methods are recommended for most applications. Steps 6 and 7 are concerned with deciding how many indicators are needed, and making the final selection of complementary suites of indicators. Ordinarily, these steps are done interactively with the users of the indicators, thus providing guidance on process rather than technical approach. Step 8 is the clear presentation to all users of the information contained. The discussion also includes the special case in which indicators are used in formal decision rules.
The power of chemical genomics to study the link between endomembrane system components and the gravitropic response
Authors: Surpin Marci , Rojas-Pierce Marcela , Carter Clay , Hicks Glenn R. , Vasquez Jacob , Raikhel Natasha V.
Published: March 2005

Chemical genomics is a powerful approach to dissect processes that may be intractable using conventional genetics because of gene lethality or redundancy. Recently, a link has been established between endomembrane trafficking and gravitropism. To understand this link, we screened a library of 10,000 diverse chemicals for compounds that affected the gravitropism of
Arabidopsis
seedlings positively or negatively. Sixty-nine of 219 compounds from the primary screen were retested, and 34 of these were confirmed to inhibit or enhance gravitropism. Four of the 34 compounds were found to cause aberrant endomembrane morphologies. The chemicals affected gravitropism and vacuole morphology in concert in a tissue-specific manner, underscoring the link between endomembranes and gravitropism. One of the chemicals (5403629) was structurally similar to the synthetic auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetate, whereas the other three chemicals were unique in their structures. An
in vivo
functional assay using the reporter β-glucuronidase under the auxin-inducible DR5 promoter confirmed that the unique compounds were not auxins. Interestingly, one of the unique chemicals (5850247) appeared to decrease the responsiveness to auxin in roots, whereas another (5271050) was similar to pyocyanin, a bacterial metabolite that has been suggested to target the endomembranes of yeast. These reagents will be valuable for dissecting endomembrane trafficking and gravitropism and for cognate target identification.
Microstimulation reveals specialized subregions for different complex movements in posterior parietal cortex of prosimian galagos
Authors: Stepniewska Iwona , Fang Pei-Chun , Kaas Jon H.
Published: March 2005

Posterior parietal cortex of prosimian galagos consists of a caudal half characterized by connections with visual cortex and a rostral half connected with motor, premotor, and visuomotor areas of frontal cortex. When 500-ms trains of electrical pulses were used to stimulate microelectrode sites throughout posterior parietal cortex, movements were elicited only from the rostral half. The movement zone reflected an overall pattern of somatotopy, from eye and face movements most ventrally to hindlimb movements most dorsally. In addition, subregions or zones of this movement cortex seemed to be devoted to components of different, ethologically significant behaviors. Thus, microstimulation within separate zones of cortex elicited reaching, hand-to-mouth, defensive, or aggressive movements. The finding of similar classes of elicited movement patterns from frontal and more recently intraparietal cortex of macaques suggests that multiareal circuits for biologically significant behaviors are components of all primate brains and that these circuits can be activated by long trains of current pulses at rostral locations in posterior parietal cortex.
Effects of γ-Tubulin Complex Proteins on Microtubule Nucleation and Catastrophe in Fission Yeast
Authors: Zimmerman Sabina , Chang Fred
Published: March 2005

Although γ-tubulin complexes (γ-TuCs) are known as microtubule (MT) nucleators, their function in vivo is still poorly defined. Mto1p (also known as mbo1p or mod20p) is a γ-TuC–associated protein that recruits γ-TuCs specifically to cytoplasmic MT organizing centers (MTOCs) and interphase MTs. Here, we investigated γ-TuC function by analyzing MT behavior in mto1Δ and alp4 (GCP2 homologue) mutants. These cells have free, extra-long interphase MTs that exhibit abnormal behaviors such as cycles of growth and breakage, MT sliding, treadmilling, and hyperstability. The plus ends of interphase and spindle MTs grow continuously, exhibiting catastrophe defects that are dependent on the CLIP170 tip1p. The minus ends of interphase MTs exhibit shrinkage and pauses. As mto1Δ mutants lack cytoplasmic MTOCs, cytoplasmic MTs arise from spindle or other intranuclear MTs that exit the nucleus. Our findings show that mto1p and γ-TuCs affect multiple properties of MTs including nucleation, nuclear attachment, plus-end catastrophe, and minus-end shrinkage.
Disruption of the MAP1B-related Protein FUTSCH Leads to Changes in the Neuronal Cytoskeleton, Axonal Transport Defects, and Progressive Neurodegeneration inDrosophila
Authors: da Cruz Alexandre Bettencourt , Schwärzel Martin , Schulze Sabine , Niyyati Mahtab , Heisenberg Martin , Kretzschmar Doris
Published: March 2005

The elaboration of neuronal axons and dendrites is dependent on a functional cytoskeleton. Cytoskeletal components have been shown to play a major role in the maintenance of the nervous system through adulthood, and changes in neurofilaments and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) have been linked to a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we show that Futsch, the fly homolog of MAP1B, is involved in progressive neurodegeneration. Although Futsch is widely expressed throughout the CNS, degeneration in futscholkprimarily occurs in the olfactory system and mushroom bodies. Consistent with the predicted function of Futsch, we find abnormalities in the microtubule network and defects in axonal transport. Degeneration in the adult brain is preceded by learning deficits, revealing a neuronal dysfunction before detectable levels of cell death. Futsch is negatively regulated by the Drosophila Fragile X mental retardation gene, and a mutation in this gene delays the onset of neurodegeneration in futscholk. A similar effect is obtained by expression of either fly or bovine tau, suggesting a certain degree of functional redundancy of MAPs. The futscholkmutants exhibit several characteristics of human neurodegenerative diseases, providing an opportunity to study the role of MAPs in progressive neurodegeneration within an experimentally accessible, in vivo model system.
Making Nature Sacred
Authors: Gatta John
Published: March 2005

Since colonial times, the sense of encountering an unseen, transcendental Presence within the natural world has been a characteristic motif in American literature and culture. In this book, the author suggests that the religious import of environmental literature has yet to be fully recognized or understood. Whatever their theology, American writers have perennially construed the nonhuman world to be a source, in Rachel Carson’s words, of “something that takes us out of ourselves.”

Reflecting recent practice of “ecocriticism,” Making Nature Sacred explores how the quest for natural revelation has been pursued through successive phases of American literary and intellectual history. And it shows how the imaginative challenge of “reading” landscapes has been influenced by biblical hermeneutics. Though focused on adaptations of Judeo-Christian tradition that view nature as religiously iconic, it also samples Native American, African American, and Buddhist forms of ecospirituality. It begins with Colonial New England writers such Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards, re-examines pivotal figures such as Henry Thoreau and John Muir, and takes account of writings by Mary Austin, Rachel Carson, and many others along the way. The book concludes with an assessment of the “spiritual renaissance” underway in current environmental writing. Such writing is represented by prose writers such as Wendell Berry, Annie Dillard, John Cheever, Marilynne Robinson, Peter Matthiessen, and Barry Lopez; and by noteworthy poets including Patiann Rogers, Wendell Berry, Gary Snyder, Mary Oliver, and Denise Levertov. American writers testify overall that our ecological predicament must be understood not merely as a technical challenge, but as a genuine crisis of spirit and imagination.
Jacob's Tears
Authors: Douglas Mary
Published: March 2005

The author argues that the priestly editors of the Pentateuch, far from being a separate elite, had a political agenda. Credited with composing Leviticus and Numbers, and with the final editing of Genesis and Exodus, the priestly editors have a distinctive style and vocabulary, and their subject matter is not myth or history but the law of God, the divine work of creation, and the practice of the cult. They are usually considered to be a scholarly elite, unconcerned with the plight of their congregation, but this study shows them to be politically engaged, set against the exclusionary policies of the government of Judah in the post‐exilic period (sixth and fifth centuries bce). For them, Israel comprised all the sons of Jacob, not excluding Joseph. An anthropological reading shows the editors as brilliant, ardent religious reformers, inspired with an urgent political mission, and their work presents a criticism of the post‐exilic government: the editors wanted to be at peace with the surrounding peoples, especially Samaria; they were opposed to the Persian‐appointed governor's definition of the ‘people of Israel’; and they disagreed with his definition of a foreigner, his rejection of foreign marriages, his promotion of the Levites. The theology of the priestly editors emphasized that God made his covenant for all the descendants of Jacob (Israel): all twelve of his sons were the heirs; the children of Israel should not fight each other; and Judah had no right to appropriate the covenantal blessings for his own people or to exclude the descendants of his brothers. However, the priestly editors’ concern to heal the breach between Judah and Samaria would have been politically unacceptable, and open protest would have been dangerous. Indeed, eventually they do seem to have got into serious trouble, for the line of priests descended from Aaron faded out of the biblical histories. The book is arranged in four sections, each with two chapters: I. The Legacy of Jacob's Sons; II. Who is All Israel?; III. Before and After Exile: The Gap in Learning; and IV. Magic and Monotheism.
Bridal Cloths, Cover-UPS, and Kharis: The ‘Carpet Scene’ in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon
Authors: McNeil Lynda
Published: March 2005

Past readings of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon (458 BC) have spawned numerous theories about the nature and significance of the cloth stage prop central to the ‘Carpet Scene’ (783-974). Kenneth Morrell has pointed out that ‘recent critics at best emphasize the ambiguous nature of the “fabric” ’, which the critics refer to variously as something carpet-like, as rugs or blankets, as garment-like tapestries or loosely-fitting garments, as draperies, and more generally as the household's treasure. But what fabric, if any, would have been versatile enough to function as a tapestry, a robe, and a blanket, and would have inspired outrage when used as a rug?

More symbolically significant than the most luxurious carpet, the fabric strewn on the ground before Agamemnon strongly suggests a bridal cloth, an object replete with symbolism, which would have served as both a nuptial robe and a coverlet for the marriage bed. Scholars who discuss Athenian weddings in the context of the Oresteia have overlooked the nuptial nuances of the ‘carpet’.
Bacillus cibi sp. nov., isolated from jeotgal, a traditional Korean fermented seafood
Authors: Yoon Jung-Hoon , Lee Choong-Hwan , Oh Tae-Kwang
Published: March 2005

A Gram-variable, motile, endospore-forming, halotolerant bacillus, strain JG-30T, was isolated from the traditional Korean fermented seafood jeotgal, and was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. This organism grew optimally at 37 °C and in the presence of 0–1 % (w/v) NaCl. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain JG-30T forms a distinct phylogenetic lineage within the evolutionary radiation encompassed by the genus Bacillus. Strain JG-30T was characterized chemotaxonomically as having cell-wall peptidoglycan based on meso-diaminopimelic acid, MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C14 : 0 as the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 45 mol%. Strain JG-30T exhibited levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of less than 95·7 % to Bacillus species with validly published names. On the basis of its phenotypic properties and phylogenetic distinctiveness, strain JG-30T (=KCTC 3880T=DSM 16189T) was classified within the genus Bacillus as a novel species, for which the name Bacillus cibi sp. nov. is proposed.
Syntrophomonas erecta sp. nov., a novel anaerobe that syntrophically degrades short-chain fatty acids
Authors: Zhang Chunyang , Liu Xiaoli , Dong Xiuzhu
Published: March 2005

Two novel anaerobes, strains GB4-38T and SB9-1, were isolated from an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor for treating bean-curd farm wastewater and lotus field mud, respectively. The strains degraded straight-chain fatty acids with 4–8 carbon atoms in syntrophic association with methanogens and converted 1 mol butyrate into about 2 mol acetate and presumably 2 mol H2. None of the branched-chain fatty acids tested could be degraded. Benzoate was not degraded. Fumarate, sulfate, thiosulfate, sulfur and nitrate did not serve as electron acceptors for butyrate degradation. In the absence of a methanogen partner, strain GB4-38T grew on crotonate in pure culture; the generation time was about 5 h at 37 °C. However, strain SB9-1 grew on butyrate plus pentenoate, but not crotonate, in pure culture and the generation time was 18 h at 37 °C. Cells of GB4-38T and SB9-1 were straight rods and stained Gram-negative. The major cellular fatty acids of GB4-38T were C14 : 0 (29·74 %), C16 : 0 (17·00 %), C16 : 1
ω5c (16·63 %) and isoC17 : 1 I (15·34 %). ll-Diaminopimelic acid existed in the cellular peptidoglycan. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain GB4-38T was 43·2 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences supported clustering of the two strains with syntrophic bacterial species of the genus Syntrophomonas (89·6–92·4 % sequence similarity), but phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genetic characters differentiated the two strains from members of this genus. Therefore, it is proposed that the two strains are representatives of a novel species, Syntrophomonas erecta sp. nov. The type strain is GB4-38T (=CGMCC 1.5013T=DSM 16215T).
Maternal investment in a spider with suicidal maternal care, Stegodyphus lineatus (Araneae, Eresidae)
Authors: Salomon Mor , Schneider Jutta , Lubin Yael
Published: March 2005

Providing parental care is costly for the parent, but generally beneficial for the young whose survival, growth and reproductive value can be increased. Selection should strongly favour an optimal distribution of parental resources, depending on the relationship between the costs and benefits for parents and their offspring. Parental care is characterized by trade offs in investment, for example between egg size and number of young or providing resources at the egg stage versus the post‐hatching stage. Females of the spider Stegodyphus lineatus (Eresidae) produce a single small brood with small eggs and provide the young with regurgitated fluid and later, with their body contents via matriphagy. We asked whether females adjust the investment of resources differentially into eggs, regurgitation feeding and matriphagy, and how maternal investment affects the size of the young at dispersal. We followed the growth of young of broods in the lab and in the field and manipulated brood size in order to determine the pattern of resource allocation. We found that brood size was positively correlated with body mass: larger females had larger broods. Females provided 95% of their body mass to the young, allocating more resources to regurgitation than to matriphagy. Females provided regurgitated food to the young according to the brood size, providing less food when the brood was reduced. Maternal resources had a large influence on offspring mass at dispersal, which is likely to affect their future fitness. The study shows the importance of the female's body mass and her resource allocation decisions for her reproductive outcome.
The use of time and space by male and female gerbils exploiting a pulsed resource
Authors: P. Kotler Burt , R. Dickman Chris , Wasserberg Gideon , Ovadia Ofer
Published: March 2005

Foraging theory postulates that interference is a foraging cost and affects patch exploitation and activity times. One such system contains two species of seed‐eating gerbils inhabiting sandy habitats in the Negev Desert of Israel. Low population densities of the dominant species allowed us to examine the interaction between males and females of the subordinate species, Gerbillus andersoni allenbyi, as a function of interference and resource renewal. We used giving‐up densities (GUDs; the amount of food left in a resource patch when a forager abandons the patch) in seed trays to quantify patch use by gerbils. By placing 6 trays at each foraging station and either presenting all 6 trays at the start of the night (pulse treatment) or presenting one tray at a station 6 times per night (renewal treatment), we were able to manipulate characteristics of resource renewal. We used radio telemetry to obtain an independent assessment of activity. Male and female G. a. allenbyi differed in their timing of activity, with males beginning earlier than females and remaining active later. This was most pronounced for the pulse treatment. For the renewal treatment, female activity in trays was more intense early in the night, but thereafter male activity was more intense. At the same time, telemetry showed that males and females did not differ in their total activity in or out of trays. This suggests that males begin their activity on the renewal treatment by exploiting the richest natural patches of seeds. Only later when these are depleted do they move to dominate the renewing seed trays. Finally, females exploited stabilized sand habitats more than did males, especially during the renewal treatment. Taken together, these findings suggest that male G. a. allenbyi interfere with foraging in females, causing temporal shifts in their use of space and resources.
Impact of ethnicity upon body composition assessment in Sri Lankan Australian children
Authors: Wickramasinghe VP , Cleghorn GJ , Edmiston KA , Davies PSW
Published: March 2005

Objectives:  Obesity is a disease with excess body fat where health is adversely affected. Therefore it is prudent to make the diagnosis of obesity based on the measure of percentage body fat. Body composition of a group of Australian children of Sri Lankan origin were studied to evaluate the applicability of some bedside techniques in the measurement of percentage body fat.

Methods:  Height (H) and weight (W) was measured and BMI (W/H2) calculated. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was measured using tetra polar technique with an 800 μA current of 50 Hz frequency. Total body water was used as a reference method and was determined by deuterium dilution and fat free mass and hence fat mass (FM) derived using age and gender specific constants. Percentage FM was estimated using four predictive equations, which used BIA and anthropometric measurements.

Results:  Twenty‐seven boys and 15 girls were studied with mean ages being 9.1 years and 9.6 years, respectively. Girls had a significantly higher FM compared to boys. The mean percentage FM of boys (22.9 ± 8.7%) was higher than the limit for obesity and for girls (29.0 ± 6.0%) it was just below the cut‐off. BMI was comparatively low. All but BIA equation in boys under estimated the percentage FM. The impedance index and weight showed a strong association with total body water (r2= 0.96, P < 0.001). Except for BIA in boys all other techniques under diagnosed obesity.

Conclusions:  Sri Lankan Australian children appear to have a high percentage of fat with a low BMI and some of the available indirect techniques are not helpful in the assessment of body composition. Therefore ethnic and/or population specific predictive equations have to be developed for the assessment of body composition, especially in a multicultural society using indirect methods such as BIA or anthropometry.
Pre‐ambulatory infants with head trauma: A three‐year retrospective study
Authors: Settle F , Lawrence D , Kummerow M
Published: March 2005

Objectives:  (i) To present the severity and documented mechanism of injury and clinical features of all infants less than 6 months old who presented with head trauma to a paediatric emergency department over a 3‐year period; (ii) to evaluate the quality of their assessment; and (iii) to present the clinical features of those referred for assessment of possible inflicted injury.

Methods:  Demographics, documented mechanism of injury, clinical features and management were retrospectively collected from the case notes. Adequacy of assessment was judged in terms of documentation of the history and examination, investigations performed and nature of any observation period.

Results:  Two hundred and fifty‐one cases were analysed. Twenty‐seven (11%) had sustained a major injury. Infants reported as dropped by a care giver were significantly more likely to have sustained a major injury. Infants with major injury were more likely to have vomited (P < 0.05), or to have external signs of injury (P < 0.0005). All patients with major injury had symptoms or signs or both. One hundred and thirty‐four infants had been inadequately assessed. Fourteen infants were referred for possible inflicted injury (confirmed in six cases).

Conclusion:  The mechanism of injury and clinical findings can provide some guide as to the likelihood of an infant having sustained a major injury after head trauma. The assessment of infants with head trauma could be improved if currently available guidelines for children under 2 years old were adopted. However, infant‐specific guidelines should be developed.
Food‐based recommendations to reduce fat intake: An evidence‐based approach to the development of a family‐focused child weight management programme
Authors: Gehling RK , Magarey AM , Daniels LA
Published: March 2005

Objectives:  To develop food‐based recommendations to lower fat and energy intake for use in a family‐focussed weight management programme for 6–9 year old children.

Methods:  Secondary analysis of the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (NNS95) informed the development of food‐based recommendations aiming to reduce fat and energy intake. Each recommendation was used to progressively modify a model 3‐day high fat dietary intake with the accumulative effect on energy and nutrient intake of each recommendation assessed.

Results:  Six to nine‐year‐olds in the NNS95 consuming 35–45% energy as fat (n= 280) consumed more total energy (mean ± SD, 8671 ± 2741 vs. 7571 ± 2328 kJ/day) than children consuming a ‘low fat’ (23–27% energy as fat, n= 85) diet (P < 0.002). Food‐based recommendations found to be most effective for reducing energy and fat intake included; changing to reduced fat milk, reducing intake of cereal‐based and snack foods and replacing juice or soft drink with water. These changes, together with avoiding adding fat to vegetables and using sources of lean meat, reduced energy intake by ∼10%, total fat intake by ∼30% and saturated fat intake by 53%.

Conclusions:  Modifying six areas of food choices results in a moderate reduction in fat and energy intake. An eating pattern that is consistent with Australian dietary guidelines and uses foods commonly eaten by children is achievable for children aged 6–9 years. These food‐based recommendations provide an evidence‐based dietary framework for prevention and management of overweight in children.