bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Locations of Foreign Direct Investment in China
Authors: Li Shaomin , Park Seung Ho
Published: March 2006

This study examines the factors that affect the choice of location for foreign direct investment (FDI) in China. We identify three groups of factors that may affect the location choice by foreign firms: agglomeration economies, infrastructure, and institutional changes resulting from the economic reform. The study utilizes the most recent data from China's industrial census for the empirical testing. The findings show that agglomeration economies, in particular the clustering of foreign firms and domestic firms, exert the strongest effect on FDI location. Higher FDI concentration tends to attract more foreign firms. The clustering of domestic firms exerts a negative effect on FDI locations. Better infrastructure (electricity, telecommunications, and road) and greater institutional change (open policies, privatization, and legal development) also show positive effects on FDI location. The size of the local economy does not seem to affect the choice of location of FDI.
Stability and Change in Managerial Work Values: A Longitudinal Study of China, Hong Kong, and the U.S.
Authors: Ralston David A. , Pounder James , Lo Carlos W. H. , Wong Yim-Yu , Egri Carolyn P. , Stauffer Joseph
Published: March 2006

This study presents a 12-year (1989-2001) longitudinal comparison of managerial values systems in China, Hong Kong, and the U.S. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, we test the validity of the three competing perspectives - convergence, divergence, and crossvergence - on values system evolution in these three societies. We use the sociocultural influence and business ideology influence typology as the foundation for developing our hypotheses. Additionally, we assess the contribution of the specific values within the values system to the overall system values findings. Our data most strongly support the multicultural crossvergence perspective. During a time period of stability in the U.S. and substantial change in both Hong Kong and China, the values of Hong Kong and China became more similar, while the values of these two Greater China societies became more different from those of the U.S.
‘Disdaining Bounds of Place and Time,’ Staining Language with Furze and Burvine: John Clare’s Nomadic Poetics
Authors: Garrison Alysia E.
Published: March 2006

This essay was runner‐up in the 2005 Literature Compass Graduate Essay Prize, Romanticism Section.

This article argues that the green Romanticist John Clare’s poetic œuvre has a “nomadic” orientation that troubles late eighteenth‐ and early nineteenth‐century enclosures of all kinds: spatial, grammatical, taxonomic, linguistic, and finally, political. This orientation was influenced in part by the gypsies who camped in and around Clare’s native Helpston, a people with whom he shared a similar rhizomatic relationship to language and space. Clare’s poetry and prose – like the itinerant gypsy population and Clare’s own wanderings – ambles over smooth space, cutting across the monolithic, totalizing systems of the state apparatus. Clare’s cited and uncited borrowings from gypsy oral and musical expression inflect his work, ultimately vexing state logics that on the one hand consider the gypsies to be foreigners, and on the other, believe local provincial language to be “pure,” native, and free from outside influences. Instead, Clare, peasant poet of little England and perhaps England’s best nature writer, is not particularly “England’s” possession at all: His poetic nomadology does not recognize state logics that parse out who is a citizen and who falls outside the sovereign’s protection. The unacknowledged force in John Clare’s work, I argue, is the implication that we are all “gangs” or gypsies, and all language is “argot” or slang: it is the law of the sovereign that has drawn the lines between people, language, and nation.
Hits and Misses in Interpreting Patience’s Riddle
Authors: Adair Allison
Published: March 2006

This essay won the 2005 Literature Compass Graduate Essay Prize, Medieval Section.

I propose that Patience’s riddle in Piers Plowman (B.13.151–56) was misinterpreted for almost a century because of a misplaced hyphen in Walter Skeat’s 1886 edition of the poem. This hyphen joins two words –laumpe and lyne– which seem to mimic other alliterative connections. Though it may seem insignificant, this misplaced hyphen prompted a wild‐goose chase for a non‐existent “lamp‐line”. Instead, as Andrew Galloway reveals in his 1995 study, the line in question is a reference to another riddle (in which laumpe and lyne belong to different subjects), casting Patience’s riddle as a poetic mise en abyme. The poem’s saturation with alliterative phrases seems to be one of the most obvious intrinsic guides to reading the poem; in this case, I argue, it is also one of the most deceptive. After examining the breadth of riddle scholarship, I conclude that that one of the inherent characteristics of the poem – alliteration – accounts for a majority of these mistaken solutions, and thus it is Langland’s propensity to word play that poses such a problem of translation and interpretation for contemporary scholars. Building on Galloway’s important article, I question why other parts of the riddle remain unsolved: do modern scholars lack a text or cultural reference that would help decipher the riddle? If so, would the riddle’s components have been familiar to Langland’s contemporary readers? Or was Langland as enigmatic to them as he is to us? To begin to answer these questions, I propose a cumulative understanding of the riddle based upon an investigation of its individual parts and offer possible explanations for its near‐chronic misinterpretation. I also explore how these scholastic failures fit within in the greater context of the poem’s scholarship, since the riddle’s elements represent many of the poem’s larger thematic and technical components. My investigation of the language, imagery, grammar, and Latin code‐switching reveals that, independent of the different interpretations of these elements, all scholars reach a collective agreement of the riddle’s “greater meaning.” This shared solution is indicative of an overarching characteristic of Piers Plowman: the poem speaks in multiple voices on tiered levels of complexity. In the same way, the simple and abstruse solutions of the riddle, and by extension, the poem, coincide, perhaps by the design of Langland himself.
‘A New Mimesis’: Approaches to Representation in the Poetry of the New York School
Authors: Wood Alice
Published: March 2006

This essay was runner‐up in the 2005 Literature Compass Graduate Essay Prize, American Section.

Although the New York School of Poets opposed reception as a unified artistic movement, study of a selection of their early poetry illustrates that John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, Frank O’Hara and James Schuyler all shared a concern with developing new techniques of representation. This essay argues that much of their experimentation was motivated by a desire to communicate personal experience in poetry without clarification or analysis, and so to depict the self without elevating the significance of the individual.
Shakespeare Against Doctrine
Authors: Leinwand Theodore
Published: March 2006

From the seventeenth century to the present, adapters and critics have done their best to discern what we might call Shakespeare’s political and religious tendencies: left‐leaning, right‐leaning, centrist; Anglican, anti‐puritan, Erasmian; and so on. Recent, learned scholarship on Measure for Measure carries on this tradition, making Shakespeare out to be an advocate of one sort or another. We may, however, conceive of the plays in terms of analysis, not advocacy, as dramatic essays or staged inquiries. The point is not to celebrate Shakespeare’s “negative capability”– if anything, his ego seems to be always in evidence, taking pride in its relentless analytical competence. The plays do not so much sponsor doctrine as recommend ways to evaluate it; they pertain less to matter (or for that matter, spirit) than to method.
Gradual phosphorylation regulates PC4 coactivator function
Authors: Jonker Hendrik R. A. , Wechselberger Rainer W. , Pinkse Martijn , Kaptein Robert , Folkers Gert E.
Published: March 2006

The unstructured N‐terminal domain of the transcriptional cofactor PC4 contains multiple phosphorylation sites that regulate activity. The phosphorylation status differentially influences the various biochemical functions performed by the structured core of PC4. Binding to ssDNA is slightly enhanced by phosphorylation of one serine residue, which is not augmented by further phosphorylation. The presence of at least two phosphoserines decreases DNA‐unwinding activity and abrogates binding to the transcriptional activator VP16. Phosphorylation gradually decreases the binding affinity for dsDNA. These phosphorylation‐dependent changes in PC4 activities correlate with the sequential functions PC4 fulfils throughout the transcription cycle. MS and NMR revealed that up to eight serines are progressively phosphorylated towards the N‐terminus, resulting in gradual environmental changes in the C‐terminal direction of the following lysine‐rich region. Also within the structured core, primarily around the interaction surfaces, environmental changes are observed. We propose a model for co‐ordinated changes in PC4 cofactor functions, mediated by phosphorylation status‐dependent gradual masking of the lysine‐rich region causing shielding or exposure of interaction surfaces.
Glucuronate, the precursor of vitamin C, is directly formed from UDP‐glucuronate in liver
Authors: Linster Carole L. , Van Schaftingen Emile
Published: March 2006

The conversion of UDP‐glucuronate to glucuronate, usually thought to proceed by way of glucuronate 1‐phosphate, is a site for short‐term regulation of vitamin C synthesis by metyrapone and other xenobiotics in isolated rat hepatocytes [Linster CL & Van Schaftingen E (2003) J Biol Chem278, 36328–36333]. Our purpose was to explore the mechanism of this effect in cell‐free systems. Metyrapone and other xenobiotics stimulated, by approximately threefold, the formation of glucuronate from UDP‐glucuronate in liver extracts enriched with ATP‐Mg, but did not affect the formation of glucuronate 1‐phosphate from UDP‐glucuronate or the conversion of glucuronate 1‐phosphate to glucuronate. This and other data indicated that glucuronate 1‐phosphate is not an intermediate in glucuronate formation from UDP‐glucuronate, suggesting that this reaction is catalysed by a ‘UDP‐glucuronidase’. UDP‐glucuronidase was present mainly in the microsomal fraction, where its activity was stimulated by UDP‐N‐acetylglucosamine, known to stimulate UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases by enhancing the transport of UDP‐glucuronate across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. UDP‐glucuronidase and UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases displayed similar sensitivities to various detergents, which stimulated at low concentrations and generally inhibited at higher concentrations. Substrates of glucuronidation inhibited UDP‐glucuronidase activity, suggesting that the latter is contributed by UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase(s). Inhibitors of β‐glucuronidase and esterases did not affect the formation of glucuronate, arguing against the involvement of a glucuronidation–deglucuronidation cycle. The sensitivity of UDP‐glucuronidase to metyrapone and other stimulatory xenobiotics was lost in washed microsomes, even in the presence of ATP‐Mg, but it could be restored by adding a heated liver high‐speed supernatant or CoASH. In conclusion, glucuronate formation in liver is catalysed by a UDP‐glucuronidase which is closely related to UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases. Metyrapone and other xenobiotics stimulate UDP‐glucuronidase by antagonizing the inhibition exerted, presumably indirectly, by a combination of ATP‐Mg and CoASH.
Dispersión Primaria de Semillas por Primates y Dispersión Secundaria por Escarabajos Coprófagos en Tikal, Guatemala1
Authors: Ponce‐Santizo Gabriela , Andresen Ellen , Cano Enio , Cuarón Alfredo D.
Published: March 2006

We linked primary dispersal by spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) and howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) to post‐dispersal seed fate by studying the effects of dung type and defecation pattern on secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles. First, we described the defecation patterns for both primate species. Howler monkeys generally defecated in groups (88% of observed defecations), with each individual producing on average 31 g of dung, resulting in a large area of the forest floor (31 m2) covered by large amounts of dung (clumped spatial pattern). Spider monkeys generally (96% of observed defecations) defecated individually, each individual producing an average of 11 g of dung, resulting in a small area of the forest floor (2 m2) covered by small amounts of dung (scattered spatial pattern). Secondly, we captured dung beetles using as bait the dung of both primate species, to detect differences in the assemblages of these secondary seed dispersers attracted to the dung of both primates. More individual dung beetles, but not more species, were attracted to howler monkey dung than to spider monkey dung. Finally, we assessed experimentally (using plastic beads as seed mimics) how dung type (Ateles vs. Alouatta) and defecation pattern (scattered vs. clumped) affect secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles. We found that post‐dispersal seed fate was affected by dung type, with more seeds being buried when present in howler monkey dung, than in spider monkey dung, but was not affected by defecation pattern. It is important to consider post‐dispersal processes, such as secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles, when comparing species of primary dispersers.
Allometry and Shade Tolerance in Pole‐Sized Trees of Two Contrasting Dipterocarp Species in Sabah, Malaysia1
Authors: Barker Martin G. , Pinard Michelle A. , Nilus Reuben
Published: March 2006

We compared the allometry of two contrasting late‐successional dipterocarp species to test whether a monolayer (shade‐tolerant)–multilayer (shade‐intolerant) model applies to pole‐sized trees. Crown traits of the more shade‐tolerant species (Vatica micrantha) did not conform to either of the familiar monolayer or multilayer models for pole‐sized trees, but instead were consistent with a “persistent multilayer” model. Species differences in crown traits may be influenced more by future rather than present light environments.
Eutrophication of Tamar Lakes (1975–2003): a case study of land‐use impacts, potential solutions and fundamental issues for the Water Framework Directive
Authors: Hendry Keith , Sambrook Hugh , Underwood Chris , Waterfall Rachel , Williams Adrian
Published: March 2006

Tamar Lakes is comprised of two reservoirs, which are located in South West England and in the headwaters of River Tamar at approximately 135 m above ordnance datum. Upper Tamar Lake (UTL) is a direct feed source reservoir of potable water in North Cornwall. Immediately following completion in 1975, UTL was subject to intense blue‐green algal blooms that continue to the present. These blooms create operational problems for water treatment, especially in hot‐dry years. Lower Tamar Lake (LTL) was constructed as a water supply reservoir in 1819 and became obsolete following UTL coming on‐line. Detailed water quality investigations over a period of some 28 years have confirmed the source of nutrient enrichment that fuels the algal blooms to be agriculturally derived, corresponding with a substantial increase in livestock farming. Associated poor land management practices, such as extensive field drainage and inappropriate slurry disposal to land, are linked with substantial elevations in organic contaminants such as ammonia, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids (SS) during rainfall events. Evidence demonstrates that both reservoirs act as primary treatment lagoons, substantially reducing the worst of these pollutants and providing significant environmental gain. The implications of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and regulatory monitoring are discussed in relation to resource management.
Logical Form: Classical Conception and Recent Challenges
Authors: Jackson Brendan
Published: March 2006

The term “logical form” has been called on to serve a wide range of purposes in philosophy, and it would be too ambitious to try to survey all of them in a single essay. Instead, I will focus on just one conception of logical form that has occupied a central place in the philosophy of language, and in particular in the philosophical study of linguistic meaning. This is what I will call theclassical conceptionof logical form. The classical conception, as I will present it in section 1, has (either explicitly or implicitly) shaped a great deal of important philosophical work in semantic theory. But it has come under fire in recent decades, and in sections 2 and 3 I will discuss two of the recent challenges that I take to be most interesting and significant.
Debates about the Ontology of Art: What are We Doing Here?
Authors: Thomasson Amie L.
Published: March 2006

Philosophers have placed some or all works of art in nearly every available ontological category, with some considering them to be physical objects, others abstract structures, imaginary entities, action types or tokens, and so on. How can we decide which among these views to accept? I argue that the rules of use for sortal terms like “painting” and “symphony” establish what ontological sorts of thing we are referring to with those terms, so that we must use a form of conceptual analysis in adjudicating these debates. This has several interesting consequences, including that revisionary answers are suspect, that adequate answers may require broadening our systems of categories, and that certain questions about the ontology of art – including the basic question “What is the ontological status of the work of art?”– are ill‐formed and unanswerable.
Cognitive processing models in performance appraisal: evidence from the Malaysian education system
Authors: Spicer David P. , Ahmad Rusli
Published: March 2006

The effectiveness of the decision‐making process in appraisal has been of long‐standing interest. This paper reports the results of research exploring the extent to which those undertaking appraisals apply systematic processes to their decision‐making, represented in terms of the cognitive processing models applied by appraisers. Results of 22 cognitive mapping interviews exploring appraisal practice, undertaken with appraisers in the Malaysian education system, are described. The resultant cognitive maps have been explored for what they tell us about the cognitive processing models underlying appraisers' decision‐making. Results suggest that the practice of appraisal evidenced in interviews demonstrates the presence of cognitive processing that reflects theoretical cognitive processing models, although some differences are observed between less experienced and experienced appraisers' models. Implications from the interview findings for the practice of appraisal are identified.
Explaining greater test use for selection: the role of HR professionals in a world of expanding regulation
Authors: Wolf Alison , Jenkins Andrew
Published: March 2006

In recent decades there has been a well‐documented increase in organisations' use of formal tests for selection purposes. This article investigates whether tests' technical qualities and predictive validity are the critical determinants of take‐up, or whether other organisational and contextual factors are more important. Case studies of organisations were used to identify the factors driving change and Workplace Employee Relations Survey data were analysed to determine the consistency of the findings with national data. The single most important factor appears to be the regulatory environment, with tests used as a precautionary measure to protect selection decisions from challenge. The growing formal professionalisation of HR departments is also important, and the influence of both factors is consistent with current theories of organisational decision‐making. Continued growth in test use is likely, but the implications for efficiency in selection are less clear.
A comparison of HRM systems in the USA, Japan and Germany in their socio‐economic context
Authors: Pudelko Markus
Published: March 2006

This article provides a comparative analysis of the HR practices of American, Japanese and German companies. The starting point is an investigation of the managerial, economic, socio‐political and cultural contexts of the three HR systems. It will be demonstrated that the socio‐economic contextual factors of the American and Japanese HR systems are in many ways at opposite ends of the spectrum, with the German factors in between. Subsequently, the three HR systems themselves are analysed. The data show that the same pattern, USA and Japan at the extremes and Germany taking a middle position, is valid also for the HR systems. This suggests that the relevant socio‐economic context is highly pertinent for the establishment of an HR system. This outcome does not exclude either the integration of HR practices from a foreign HR model into the domestic one or standardisation efforts of HR practices of multinational companies, but confines the potential for cross‐cultural learning and standardisation to what is within the ‘fit’ of the relevant socio‐cultural context.
Ethnic minority women: a lost voice in HRM
Authors: Kamenou Nicolina , Fearfull Anne
Published: March 2006

Strategic themes within HRM imply an organisational commitment towards the full deployment of all employees in order to meet business goals and objectives. The rhetoric of equality within HRM has been challenged but these discussions have typically focused on gender issues, ignoring ethnicity, culture and religion. Individuals' social group cultures and other cultural and religious aspects have been largely absent in HR literature. By examining ethnic minority women's struggles to fit into white Western organisations, this article seeks to provide a discussion on an area where limited research has been conducted. Our emphasis is placed on organisational expectations in relation to ethnic minority women's demonstrated behaviours and appearance, the latter being expressed through dressing, hairstyles and mannerisms. The empirical data show that ethnic minority women are often required to fit into the existing culture if they want to penetrate influential networks or be given opportunities for career development and advancement. Extending the critique of others who argue that organisations must move away from the existing male‐dominant culture rather than expecting women to move towards it, we contend that management must also acknowledge and better understand religious and cultural differences instead of requiring ethnic minority women to fit into a narrow mono‐culture. The article concludes with a discussion of human resource implications for organisations engaged in diversity management.
SPEED, ROAD INJURY, AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Authors: Richter Elihu D. , Berman Tamar , Friedman Lee , Ben-David Gerald
Published: March 2006

▪ Abstract  We review milestones in the history of increases in speed limits and travel speeds (“speed creep”) and risks for road deaths and injury. Reduced speed limits, speed-camera networks, and speed calming substantially reduce these tolls in absolute numbers—a trend that is apparent in the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and other countries, but not in the United States, which has raised speed limits and does not have speed-camera networks. Newtonian relationships between the fourth power of small increases or reductions in speed and large increases or reductions in deaths state the case for speed control. Speed adaptation and the interaction between speed and other determinants of injury risks, including congestion and countermeasures, enter into these relationships. Speed-camera networks and speed calming lead to large, sustainable, and highly cost-effective drops in road deaths and injuries and should target entire populations, not merely high-risk subgroups or situations. Yet, there are major barriers to preventive strategies based on the discovery that speed kills. Modal shifts from speed on roads to speed on rail, lower maximum vehicle speeds, and speed-camera networks are required for progress toward Vision Zero—the goal of no road deaths—through Killing Speed. The human cost of the delay in killing speed in the United States may be as high as 20,000 lives lost per year.
THE BIG BANG? AN EVENTFUL YEAR IN WORKERS' COMPENSATION
Authors: Guidotti Tee L.
Published: March 2006

▪ Abstract  Workers' compensation in the past two years has been dominated by events in California, which have been so fundamental as to merit the term big bang. Passage of Senate Bill 899 has led to a comprehensive program of reform in access to medical care, access to rehabilitation services, temporary and permanent disability, evidence-based management, dispute resolution, and system innovation. Two noteworthy developments thus arose: a new requirement for apportionment by cause in causation analysis, and the adoption of evidence-based criteria for impairment assessment, treatment guidelines, and, soon, utilization review. Elsewhere in the United States, changes were modest, but extensive legislative activity in Texas suggests that Texas will be next to make major changes. In Canada, the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia has adopted an ambitious strategic initiative, and there is a Canadawide movement to establish presumption for certain diseases in firefighters. Suggestions for future directions include an increased emphasis on prevention, integration of programs, worker participation, enhancing the expertise of health care professionals, evidence-based management, process evaluation, and opportunities for innovation.
THE PROMISE AND PITFALLS OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
Authors: Mullen Patricia Dolan , Ramírez Gilbert
Published: March 2006

▪ Abstract  The systematic review “movement” that has transformed medical journal reports of clinical trials and reviews of clinical trials has taken hold in public health, with the most recent milestone, the publication of the first edition of The Guide to Community Health Services in 2005. In this paper we define and distinguish current terms, point out important resources for systematic reviews, describe the impact of systematic review on the quality of primary studies and summaries of the evidence, and provide perspectives on the promise of systematic reviews for shaping the agenda for public health research. Several pitfalls are discussed, including a false sense of rigor implied by the terms “systematic review” and “meta-analysis” and substantial variation in the validity of claims that a particular intervention is “evidence based,” and the difficulty of translating conclusions from systematic reviews into public health advocacy and practice.
Counterregulatory deficits occur within 24 h of a single hypoglycemic episode in conscious, unrestrained, chronically cannulated mice
Authors: Jacobson Lauren , Ansari Tasneem , McGuinness Owen P.
Published: March 2006

Hypoglycemia-induced counterregulatory failure is a dangerous complication of insulin use in diabetes mellitus. Controlled hypoglycemia studies in gene knockout models, which require the use of mice, would aid in identifying causes of defective counterregulation. Because stress can influence counterregulatory hormones and glucose homeostasis, we developed glucose clamps with remote blood sampling in conscious, unrestrained mice. Male C57BL/6 mice implanted with indwelling carotid artery and jugular vein catheters were subjected to 2 h of hyperinsulinemic glucose clamps 24 h apart, with a 6-h fast before each clamp. On day 1, blood glucose was maintained (euglycemia, 178 ± 4 mg/dl) or decreased to 62 ± 1 mg/dl (hypoglycemia) by insulin (20 mU·kg−1·min−1) and variable glucose infusion. Donor blood was continuously infused to replace blood sample volume. Baseline plasma epinephrine (32 ± 8 pg/ml), corticosterone (16.1 ± 1.8 μg/dl), and glucagon (35 ± 3 pg/ml) were unchanged during euglycemia but increased significantly during hypoglycemia, with a glycemic threshold of ∼80 mg/dl. On day 2, all mice underwent a hypoglycemic clamp (blood glucose, 64 ± 1 mg/dl). Compared with mice that were euglycemic on day 1, previously hypoglycemic mice had significantly higher glucose requirements and significantly lower plasma glucagon and corticosterone ( n = 6/group) on day 2. Epinephrine tended to decrease, although not significantly, in repeatedly hypoglycemic mice. Pre- and post-clamp insulin levels were similar between groups. We conclude that counterregulatory responses to acute and repeated hypoglycemia in unrestrained, chronically cannulated mice reproduce aspects of counterregulation in humans, and that repeated hypoglycemia in mice is a useful model of counterregulatory failure.
Identification of omentin as a novel depot-specific adipokine in human adipose tissue: possible role in modulating insulin action
Authors: Yang Rong-Ze , Lee Mi-Jeong , Hu Hong , Pray Jessica , Wu Hai-Bin , Hansen Barbara C. , Shuldiner Alan R. , Fried Susan K. , McLenithan John C. , Gong Da-Wei
Published: March 2006

Central (visceral) obesity is more closely associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease than is peripheral [subcutaneous (sc)] obesity, but the underlying mechanism for this pathophysiological difference is largely unknown. To understand the molecular basis of this difference, we sequenced 10,437 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a human omental fat cDNA library and discovered a novel visceral fat depot-specific secretory protein, which we have named omentin. Omentin ESTs were more abundant than many known adipose genes, such as perilipin, adiponectin, and leptin in the cDNA library. Protein sequence analysis indicated that omentin mRNA encodes a peptide of 313 amino acids, containing a secretory signal sequence and a fibrinogen-related domain. Northern analysis demonstrated that omentin mRNA was predominantly expressed in visceral adipose tissue and was barely detectable in sc fat depots in humans and rhesus monkeys. Quantative real-time PCR showed that omentin mRNA was expressed in stromal vascular cells, but not fat cells, isolated from omental adipose tissue, with >150-fold less in sc cell fractions. Accordingly, omentin protein was secreted into the culture medium of omental, but not sc, fat explants. Omentin was detectable in human serum by Western blot analysis. Addition of recombinant omentin in vitro did not affect basal but enhanced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in both sc (47%, n = 9, P = 0.003) and omental (∼30%, n = 3, P < 0.05) human adipocytes. Omentin increased Akt phosphorylation in the absence and presence of insulin. In conclusion, omentin is a new adipokine that is expressed in omental adipose tissue in humans and may regulate insulin action.
Substrate-energy metabolism and metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease in relation to fetal growth and adult body composition
Authors: Kensara Osama A. , Wooton Steve A. , Phillips David I. W. , Patel Mayank , Hoffman Daniel J. , Jackson Alan A. , Elia Marinos
Published: March 2006

The effect of fetal programming on intermediary metabolism is uncertain. Therefore, we examined whether fetal programming affects oxidative and nonoxidative macronutrient metabolism and the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in adult life. Healthy older men, aged 64–72 years, with either a lower birth weight (LBW, ≤25th %ile; n = 16) or higher birth weight (HBW, ≥75th %ile; n = 13) had measurements of 1) net oxidative metabolism using indirect calorimetry before and for 6 h after a mixed meal (3,720 kJ) and 2) postprandial oxidation of exogenous [13C]palmitic acid. Body composition was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. After adjustment for current weight and height, the LBW group had a lower resting energy expenditure (REE) in the preprandial (4.01 vs. 4.54 kJ/min, P = 0.015) and postprandial state (4.60 vs. 5.20 kJ/min, P = 0.004), and less fat-free mass than the HBW group. The BW category was a significant, independent, and better predictor of REE than weight plus height. There were no significant differences between groups in net oxidative and nonoxidative macronutrient (protein, fat, carbohydrate) metabolism (or of exogenous [13C]palmitate) or in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, which was present almost twice as commonly in the LBW than in the HBW group. The study suggests that fetal programming affects both pre- and postprandial EE in older life by mechanisms that are at least partly related to the mass of the fat-free body. BW was found to be a significant predictor of REE that was independent of adult weight plus height.
Alleles of the bovine DGAT1 variable number of tandem repeat associated with a milk fat QTL at chromosome 14 can stimulate gene expression
Authors: Fürbass Rainer , Winter Andreas , Fries Ruedi , Kühn Christa
Published: March 2006

A quantitative trait locus (QTL) affecting milk fat percentage has been mapped to the centromeric end of the bovine chromosome 14 (BTA14). This genomic area includes the DGAT1 gene, which encodes acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1, the key enzyme of triglyceride biosynthesis. Genetic and biochemical studies led to the identification of the nonconservative DGAT1-K232A polymorphism as a causal mutation for the QTL. In addition to this, another polymorphism in the 5′-regulatory region of this gene, the DGAT1 variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR), also showed a strong association with milk fat percentage. This promoter VNTR polymorphism affects the number of potential Sp1 binding sites and therefore might have an impact on DGAT1 expression and also milk fat content. Hence, the DGAT1 VNTR polymorphism might be another causal mutation for the BTA14 QTL. However, evidence for Sp1 binding to this polymorphic site and for the capability of DGAT1 VNTR alleles to stimulate gene expression was lacking. In the current work Sp1-VNTR interactions were analyzed by EMSA. In addition, effects of DGAT1 VNTR alleles on gene expression were measured with reporter gene analyses. Conclusions from the results are that 1) the DGAT1 VNTR sequence is indeed a target for Sp1 binding; 2) DGAT1 VNTR alleles can stimulate gene expression in vitro and probably in vivo as well; and 3) although the stimulating effects of the different DGAT1 VNTR alleles did not show significant differences in vitro, their effects on transcription might be different in the chromatin context existing in vivo.
Principles of Multiphoton Microscopy
Authors: Dunn Kenneth W. , Young Pamela A.
Published: March 2006

Multiphoton fluorescence microscopy is a powerful, important tool in biomedical research that offers low photon toxicity and higher spatial and temporal resolution than other in vivo imaging modalities. The capability to collect images hundreds of micrometers into biological tissues provides an invaluable tool for studying cellular and subcellular processes in the context of tissues and organs in living animals. Multiphoton microscopy is based upon two-photon excitation of fluorescence that occurs only in a sub-femtoliter volume at the focus; by scanning the focus through a sample, 2- and 3-dimensional images can be collected. The complex 3-dimensional organization of the kidney makes it especially appropriate for multiphoton microscopic analysis, which has been used to characterize numerous aspects of renal physiology and pathophysiology in living rats and mice. However, the ability to collect fluorescence images deep into biological tissues raises unique problems not encountered in other forms of optical microscopy, including issues of probe access, and tissue optics. Future improvements in multiphoton fluorescence microscopy will involve optimizing objectives for the unique characteristics of multiphoton fluorescence imaging, improving the speed at which images may be collected and extending the depth to which imaging may be conducted.
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy
Authors: Breusegem Sophia Y. , Levi Moshe , Barry Nicholas P.
Published: March 2006

With few and commercially available add-ons, both confocal and full-field fluorescence microscopes can be adapted to provide more information on the biological sample of interest. In this review we discuss the possibilities offered by two additional functionalities to fluorescence microscopes, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and fluorescence lifetime imaging mi croscopy (FLIM). FCS measurements at a single point in a sample allow kinetic and diffusion properties of fluorescently labeled molecules to be determined, as well as their concentration and aggregation state. Data from multiple points of the sample can be acquired using scanning-FCS, image correlation spectroscopy, and raster image correlation spectroscopy. These techniques cover phenomena with characteristic durations from sub-microsecond to second time scales. The power of FLIM lies in the fact that the measured fluorescent lifetime of a fluorophore is sensitive to the molecular environment of that fluorophore. FLIM is a robust means to quantify Förster resonance energy transfer and thus determine protein-protein interactions or protein conformational changes. In addition, FLIM is very valuable for functional imaging of ion concentrations in cells and tissues as it can be applied in heterogeneously labeled samples. In summary, FCS and FLIM allow information to be gathered beyond localization, including diffusional mobility, protein clustering and interactions, and molecular environment.
Image Processing Software for 3D Light Microscopy
Authors: Clendenon Jeffrey L. , Byars Jason M. , Hyink Deborah P.
Published: March 2006

Advances in microscopy now enable researchers to easily acquire multi-channel three-dimensional (3D) images and 3D time series (4D). However, processing, analyzing, and displaying this data can often be difficult and time- consuming. We discuss some of the software tools and techniques that are available to accomplish these tasks.
Imaging the Embryonic Kidney
Authors: Caruana Georgina , Young Richard J. , Bertram John F.
Published: March 2006

The structural and functional development of the permanent mammalian kidney or metanephros is a complex process involving the actions of thousands of gene products, complex cell movements and tissue patterning in three dimensions (3D). This review focuses on the recent advances made in imaging technology, processing and analysis combined with mouse genetics and the generation of protein-reporter mice which has enabled us to monitor the development and movement of defined cell populations within the developing kidney in 3D and over time (4D).
Imaging Podocyte Dynamics
Authors: Moeller Marcus J. , Holzman Lawrence B.
Published: March 2006

Cytoskeletal dynamics play important roles during normal podocyte development, in maintenance of the healthy glomerular filter, and in glomerular pathology. During the past few years, essential progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern podocyte cytoskeletal dynamics, nevertheless this knowledge remains incomplete. Examination of the podocyte cytoskeleton presents unique challenges to the experimentalist who is faced with attempting to model a morphologically complex cell that is situated in a complex microenvironment. This review will summarize recent progress in understanding cytoskeletal dynamics in the podocyte and will review modern imaging techniques relevant to studying this area of podocyte biology.
Imaging Gene Expression
Authors: Kher Rajesh , Bacallao Robert L.
Published: March 2006

Genome-wide sequencing and increasing use of microarrays has resulted in the identification of a large number of new genes which may have important functional roles in development and onset of disease. Classical approaches in gene expression studies fall short in providing information about cellular localization of these genes and their relative levels of expression in tissues. Rapid determination of gene expression can be achieved with in situ methods of localization of gene expression in combination with recent developments in imaging technology.
Imaging Renin Content and Release in the Living Kidney
Authors: Toma Ildikó , Kang Jung Julie , Peti-Peterdi János
Published: March 2006

Renin release is the first, and at least initially, the rate-limiting step in the activation of the renin-angiotensin system, which helps to maintain body salt and water balance. Recent advances in our understanding of pathophysiology have generated a renewed interest in the multiple roles of renin and prorenin as a hormone, enzyme, and signaling molecule. The assays available to measure renin content, release and tissue activity are complex, indirect and work with significant internal errors. We developed an imaging approach to directly visualize renin content and study the dynamics of both the release and tissue activity of renin. Our experimental model uses multiphoton fluorescence microscopy, which is ideal for deep optical sectioning of the living renal tissue. Here we review the application of this renin imaging approach to the dissected, in vitro microperfused glomerulus as well as in the intact kidney in vivo.
Imaging Glomeruli in Renal Biopsy Specimens
Authors: Phillips Carrie L. , Gattone, II Vincent H. , Bonsib Stephen M.
Published: March 2006

Glomerular capillary loops are complex vascular filters composed of interdigitating podocytes and fenestrated endothelial cells with an intervening proteoglycan-rich extracellular matrix. This arrangement is crucial to maintaining the filtration barrier but renders the glomerulus difficult to analyze by conventional two-dimensional histochemical techniques. When pathologic lesions distort glomerular architecture, its complex morphology is even more challenging to interpret. Fortunately, recent advances in microscopes and computer software now enable glomerular enthusiasts to dissect this complex structure with finer detail. In this review we explore the application of new methodologies such as two-photon microscopy that optimize three-dimensional, multicolor imaging and single-cell segmentation of glomerular components.
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Reduces Pressure Pain Sensitivity in Humans without Involvement of β-Endorphin(1–31), but Does Not Reduce Heat Pain Sensitivity
Authors: Matejec Reginald , Uhlich Holger , Hotz Christina , Mühling Jörg , Harbach Heinz-W. , Bödeker Rolf-H. , Hempelmann Gunter , Teschemacher Hansjörg
Published: March 2006

In the present study the effects of intravenously administered corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) on the release of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) derivatives such as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), β-lipotropin (β-LPH) and β-endorphin (β-END) as well as direct effects of CRH on pain sensitivity were examined. In 16 healthy volunteers we studied the effects of 100 µg intravenously administered CRH in absence or presence of 12 mg naloxone on heat or pressure pain sensitivity, using a double-blind, cross-over and placebo-controlled design. To evaluate analgesic effects of CRH via release of POMC derivatives, we determined plasma concentrations of β-END-immunoreactive material (IRM), authentic β-END (β-END(1–31)) and β-LPH IRM, in parallel with heat and pressure pain tolerance thresholds before and 15 and 30 min after treatment with CRH (or placebo), and 5 min after naloxone (or placebo) administration which was administered 40 min after CRH (or placebo) injection. CRH increased levels of β-END IRM, β-END(1–31) and β-LPH IRM. As compared to β-END IRM levels measured by a commercial RIA kit, the β-END(1–31) levels determined by a highly specific two-site RIA, proved to be remarkably small. Furthermore, CRH did not induce increases of heat pain tolerance thresholds, but of pressure pain tolerance thresholds, which, however, were not reversible by naloxone. Neither β-END nor β-LPH IRM nor β-END(1–31) levels correlated with heat or pressure pain tolerance thresholds. We conclude that CRH does not modulate heat, but pressure pain; POMC derivatives like β-END IRM, β-END(1–31) or β-LPH do not mediate this effect.
Vascular Dementia: Potential of Antiplatelet Agents in Prevention
Authors: Chabriat H. , Bousser M.G.
Published: March 2006

The term ‘vascular dementia’ (VaD) corresponds to a clinicoradiological syndrome that can be defined with more or less restriction. VaD can result from: (1) cortical or subcortical ischemic lesions related to the occlusion of large vessels, (2) lacunar infarcts with or without white-matter lesions at the subcortical level related to small-vessel diseases, (3) ischemic lesions related to hypoperfusion or anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy or (4) hemorrhagic lesions. The prevention of VaD is based on stroke prevention which implies risk factor manipulation and use of antithrombotic drugs among which the most widely used are antiplatelet drugs. The efficiency of these drugs to prevent cognitive impairment and dementia is not proven. Prospective studies are needed to investigate their potential in patients at risk of VaD: after ischemic stroke, in the presence of cognitive impairment of vascular origin or when MRI shows ‘silent’ ischemic white-matter lesions and/or infarcts.
Effects of a New Extracorporeal System Using CTR on Mortality and Inflammatory Responses to Bacterial Toxin-Induced Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome in Rabbits
Authors: Kawatsu Masaji , Wada Jutaro , Kitano Mitsuaki , Ogino Eiji , Sakurai Hiroshi , Furuyoshi Shigeo , Tani Nobutaka
Published: March 2006

Background/Aims: In the pathogenesis of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) caused by bacterial infection, a complex series of systemically secreted bacterial toxins and cytokines are intensely associated. Our previous study demonstrated that a new adsorbent, CTR, was capable of removing cytokines and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) in vitro. Moreover, extracorporeal treatment with CTR reduced the high mortality rate and inhibited inflammatory responses in endotoxin-induced shock in rats. However, it is unclear whether CTR treatment will be an effective therapy for MODS. Here, we demonstrated the efficacy of a new extracorporeal system using CTR on MODS induced by bacterial toxins in rabbits. Methods: Direct hemoperfusion (DHP) apheresis with or without CTR for 120 min was performed in rabbits that had been intravenously infused with endotoxin and TSST-1. The mean arterial pressure was recorded and the plasma toxin and cytokine concentrations were measured during the treatment period. Mortality was assessed up to 7 days after exposure to the toxins. In addition, tissues specimens were examined using microscopy. Results: The mortality rates at 7 days after the injection of the toxins were 90 and 10% for the control and CTR groups, respectively. The plasma concentrations of TSST-1, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 beta in the CTR group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Histopathological examination revealed that tissue damage, such as necrosis and depletion of lymphocytes in the spleen and mesenteric lymph node, was reduced in the CTR group, compared with that in the control group, at 24 h after toxin infusion. Conclusion: The new adsorbent CTR improved the mortality rate in a MODS rabbit model by adsorbing TSST-1 and cytokines. Further development of CTR may expand the scope of extracorporeal therapies for patients with MODS.