bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Daily Revision of the Past: Fascism, Anti-Fascism, and Memory in Contemporary Italy
Authors: Mammone Andrea
Published: June 2006

Recent cultural and political debate in contemporary Italy, which has often been focused on Fascism and the Resistance, has seen an attempt to reconsider the importance of the constitutive moment of the Republic, namely theLiberazionefrom Nazism–Fascism, and to equate the memories of Fascism and anti-Fascism. The direct consequence of these confused revisionist approaches is either to rehabilitate many aspects of theDuce's regime, or on the contrary to assign this shady page of history to oblivion. The effect of this would be to marginalize anti-Fascism, and even to depict Fascism as relatively ‘harmless’ or ‘apolitical’. The danger is that this trend may construct an artificial and distorted history and thus a ‘manipulated’ public memory for Italian society. The purpose of this article is not to defend anti-Fascism but to restore the reality of ‘Fascism in action’, and to challenge distorted revisionist perceptions of the past.
Twenty-five-year trends in lifestyle and socioeconomic characteristics in Eastern Finland
Authors: Barengo Noël C. , Nissinen Aulikki , Pekkarinen Heikki , Halonen Pirjo , Tuomilehto Jaakko
Published: June 2006

Aims: Little is known about changes in lifestyle and socioeconomic characteristics among physical activity subgroups over time. This study aimed at assessing whether the lifestyle and the socioeconomic profile of people with either low total physical activity (TPA) or high TPA changed during 1972—97. Methods: Six independent cross-sectional surveys were carried out among a middle-aged population at five-year intervals in Eastern Finland, 1972—97. The participation rates varied from 71% to 95% (n=33,712). Physical activity during leisure time (LTPA) and occupational physical activity (OPA) were determined by a self-administered questionnaire. TPA was calculated by combining LTPA and OPA. Results: Men with low TPA were older, smoked more, and had a higher BMI than men with high TPA. The increase in BMI was almost fourfold in sedentary men (trend 0.4%/5 years, p=0.023 for trend) than in highly active men (trend 0.1%/5 years, p=0.044 for trend). Education no longer accounted for the socioeconomic difference after 1977. Sedentary women had a higher BMI and smoking prevalence than those with high TPA. The difference in age, education, and marital status disappeared between those two groups after 1977. Conclusions: The lifestyle and the socioeconomic profiles of people with both low TPA and high TPA have changed during 1972—97.
Causes of death behind low life expectancy of Danish women
Authors: Jacobsen Rune , Keiding Niels , Lynge Elsebeth
Published: June 2006

Aims: The authors examined causes of death contributing to the relatively high mortality of Danish women born 1915—45, and evaluated the impact of smoking related causes of death. Methods: Age—period—cohort analysis of mortality of Danish women aged 40—89 in 1960—98. Estimate of the negative curvature in parabola patterns for 50 causes of death. Results: A total of 34 causes of death contributed to the relatively high mortality for women born 1915—45. The main contribution came from smoking-related causes of death. Conclusion: The results indicate a high smoking prevalence to be the main explanation behind the relatively low life expectancy of Danish women born 1915—45.
The impact of water supply and sanitation on area differentials in the decline of diarrhoeal disease mortality among infants in Stockholm 1878—1925
Authors: Macassa Gloria , Ponce de Leon Antonio , Burström Bo
Published: June 2006

This study analyses the impact of improved water supply and sanitation on the level and rate of decline of child diarrhoea mortality in Stockholm 1878—1925. Previous studies have failed to demonstrate an effect of improved water supply on the risk of diarrhoea mortality at the individual level. Using data on access to water and sanitation from a household survey in 1895 and mortality rates and sociodemographic information from individual data 1878—1925 to analyse area differentials in diarrhoea mortality, it was found that the proportion having their own latrine in the household was associated with lower mortality risk in 1895—1900, while the proportion having water in the household was associated with lower diarrhoea mortality risk during the mortality decline until 1925. Population effects of improved water and sanitation on diarrhoea mortality may be better measured at area level than at individual level.
Prevalence of low back pain and sickness absence: A ``borderline'' study in Norway and Sweden
Authors: Ihlebæk Camilla , Hansson Tommy H. , Lærum Even , Brage Soren , Eriksen Hege R. , Holm Sten H. , Svendsrød Rolf , Indahl Aage
Published: June 2006

Aims: Low back pain (LBP) is a major public health problem in both Norway and Sweden. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of LBP and sickness absence due to LBP in two neighbouring regions in Norway and Sweden. The two areas have similar socioeconomic status, but differ in health benefit systems. Methods: A representative sample of 1,988 adults in Norway and 2,006 in Sweden completed questionnaires concerning LBP during 1999 and 2000. For this study only individuals in part or full time jobs, (n=1,158 in Norway and n=1,129 in Sweden) were included. Results: In Norway the lifetime prevalence was 60.7% and in Sweden 69.6%, the one-year prevalence was 40.5% and 47.2%, and the point prevalence 13.4% and 18.2% respectively. There was a significantly higher risk of reporting LBP in Sweden, even after controlling for gender, age, education, and physical workload. There was no difference in risk of self-certificated short-term sickness absence (1—3 days), but it was a 40% lower risk of sickness absence with medical sickness certification in Sweden compared with Norway. Conclusion: The prevalence of LBP was higher in the Swedish area than in the Norwegian. The risk of self-certificated sickness absence, however, showed no differences and the risk of medically certificated sickness absence was lower in the Swedish area. This contradiction might partly be explained by the economical ``disincentives'' in the Swedish health compensation system.
Income-related inequality in utilization of health services in Denmark: Evidence from Funen County
Authors: Gundgaard Jens
Published: June 2006

Aims: To examine income-related inequity in utilization of healthcare services in Denmark. Methods: A health survey of 2,915 respondents in Funen County interviewed in 2000 and 2001 on health status and socioeconomic and sociodemographic characteristics was merged with various computerized registers including inpatient stays, ambulatory visits, contacts in the primary healthcare sector, and prescription medicine. The index of horizontal inequity was used to estimate the degree of horizontal inequity in utilization of healthcare services across income groups, using the indirect method of standardization to control for age, gender, and self-assessed health as a proxy for need. The standardization method rests on the assumption of equal response behaviour across income groups. Results: The least advantaged with respect to income consume a bigger share of the health services than the most advantaged with the exception of dental treatments where the opposite is true. After standardization for age, gender, and health status there is no significant inequity in use of all healthcare services. However, when it comes to specific healthcare services the least advantaged have a significantly lower share of the medicine consumption and dental treatments than expected. Conclusion: The index of horizontal inequity suggests that the Danish healthcare system is in general equitable. In sectors with a high degree of co-payment some horizontal inequity disfavouring the lower income groups appears to be present.
Housing tenure and early retirement for health reasons in Sweden
Authors: Hartig Terry , Fransson Urban
Published: June 2006

Aims: To assess the association between housing tenure and early retirement for health reasons in Sweden with a view to psychosocial vs. material values of home ownership. Methods: The data come from linked registers that cover all people resident in Sweden during 1990—2000. The study population consists of 449,233 people aged 40—63 years in 1997. Of these, 19,350 retired early for health reasons in 1998—99. The remaining 429,883 continued their employment without extended sick leave or income decline. None moved during 1990—2000. We calculated the odds of early retirement for four forms of juridical relationship to one's housing (private owner; part owner in a cooperative; private rental; rental from a public housing company), for men and women separately, controlling for age, education, employment income, household disposable income, region, foreign birth, and housing type. Results: Men in cooperative ownership had lower odds of early retirement than those in the three other tenure forms, for which the odds were similar. Among women, public and private renters had similar odds of early retirement, which were higher than those of women in private or cooperative ownership. For both genders, inclusion of housing type in the model after housing tenure explained little additional variance. Conclusions: The odds of early retirement for health reasons varied across different housing tenure forms in Sweden in 1998— 99. The pattern of associations differed as a function of gender. Home ownership appears to involve health resources independent of basic sociophysical factors captured with differences in housing type.
COHb% as a marker of cardiovascular risk in never smokers: Results from a population-based cohort study
Authors: Hedblad BO , Engström Gunnar , Janzon Ellis , Berglund Göran , Janzon Lars
Published: June 2006

Aim: Carbon monoxide (CO) in blood as assessed by the COHb% is a marker of the cardiovascular (CV) risk in smokers. Non-smokers exposed to tobacco smoke similarly inhale and absorb CO. The objective in this population-based cohort study has been to describe inter-individual differences in COHb% in never smokers and to estimate the associated cardiovascular risk. Methods: Of the 8,333 men, aged 34—49 years, from the city of Malmö, Sweden, 4,111 were smokers, 1,229 ex-smokers, and 2,893 were never smokers. Incidence of CV disease was monitored over 19 years of follow up. Results: COHb% in never smokers ranged from 0.13% to 5.47%. Never smokers with COHb% in the top quartile (above 0.67%) had a significantly higher incidence of cardiac events and deaths; relative risk 3.7 (95% CI 2.0—7.0) and 2.2 (1.4—3.5), respectively, compared with those with COHb% in the lowest quartile (below 0.50%). This risk remained after adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusion: COHb% varied widely between never-smoking men in this urban population. Incidence of CV disease and death in non-smokers was related to COHb%. It is suggested that measurement of COHb% could be part of the risk assessment in non-smoking patients considered at risk of cardiac disease. In random samples from the general population COHb% could be used to assess the size of the population exposed to second-hand smoke.
Representativeness in population-based studies: A detailed description of non-response in a Danish cohort study
Authors: Drivsholm Thomas , Eplov Lene Falgaard , Davidsen Michael , Jørgensen Torben , Ibsen Hans , Hollnagel Hanne , Borch-Johnsen Knut
Published: June 2006

Background: Decreasing rates of participation in population-based studies increasingly challenge the interpretation of study results, in both analytic and descriptive epidemiology. Consequently, estimates of possible differences between participants and non-participants are increasingly important for the interpretation of study results and generalization to the background population. Methods: An age-specific, population-based cohort of 1,198 individuals was examined at age 40, 45, 51, and 60. Participants were compared with non-participants and when possible also with the background population using a wide range of detailed information on somatic and mental health collected at each examination, including data from a clinical examination, biochemical measurements, questionnaires, interviews, and public registers. Results: Participation rates were higher than 80% at examinations at age 40, 45, and 51, but decreased to 65% at age 60. At the baseline investigation at age 40, analyses indicated that participants were representative of the cohort as well as the background population. However, the mortality rate was higher among non-participants in the succeeding 20 years. Among living cohort members at the 60-year examination, non-participants had lower socioeconomic status, higher hospitalization rate, and a worse overall health profile than participants. Conclusions: The detailed data presented reinforce the contention that the health profile of non-participants is typically worse than that of participants. The results also indicate that while data from public registers give easily accessible information about non-participants, these crude proxy measures of health may not be enough to document representativeness.
The units of a ring spectrum and a logarithmic cohomology operation
Authors: Rezk Charles
Published: June 2006

We construct a “logarithmic” cohomology operation on Morava

E
E

-theory, which is a homomorphism defined on the multiplicative group of invertible elements in the ring

E
0

(
K
)

E^0(K)

of a space

K
K

. We obtain a formula for this map in terms of the action of Hecke operators on Morava

E
E

-theory. Our formula is closely related to that for an Euler factor of the Hecke

L
L

-function of an automorphic form.
Divisibility of the stable Miller-Morita-Mumford classes
Authors: Galatius Soren , Madsen Ib , Tillmann Ulrike
Published: June 2006

We determine the sublattice generated by the Miller-Morita- Mumford classes

κ
i

\kappa _i

in the torsion free quotient of the integral cohomology ring of the stable mapping class group. We further decide when the mod

p
p

reductions

κ
i

∈

H
∗

(
B

Γ
∞

;

F

p

)

\kappa _i \in H^* (B\Gamma _\infty ; \mathbb F_p)

vanish.
Stable manifolds for all monic supercritical focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equations in one dimension
Authors: Krieger J. , Schlag W.
Published: June 2006

Standing wave solutions of the one-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation
\[

i

∂
t

ψ
+

∂

x

2

ψ
=
−

|

ψ

|

2
σ

ψ

i\partial _t \psi + \partial _{x}^2 \psi = -|\psi |^{2\sigma } \psi

\]
with

σ
>
2

\sigma >2

are well known to be unstable. In this paper we show that asymptotic stability can be achieved provided the perturbations of these standing waves are small and chosen to belong to a codimension one Lipschitz surface. Thus, we construct codimension one asymptotically stable manifolds for all supercritical NLS in one dimension. The considerably more difficult

L
2

L^2

-critical case, for which one wishes to understand the conditional stability of the pseudo-conformal blow-up solutions, is studied in the authors’ companion paper Non-generic blow-up solutions for the critical focusing NLS in 1-d, preprint, 2005.
PROBER: oligonucleotide FISH probe design software
Authors: Navin Nicholas , Grubor Vladimir , Hicks Jim , Leibu Evan , Thomas Elizabeth , Troge Jennifer , Riggs Michael , Lundin Pär , Månér Susanne , Sebat Jonathan , Zetterberg Anders , Wigler Michael
Published: June 2006

PROBER is an oligonucleotide primer design software application that designs multiple primer pairs for generating PCR probes useful for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). PROBER generates Tiling Oligonucleotide Probes (TOPs) by masking repetitive genomic sequences and delineating essentially unique regions that can be amplified to yield small (100–2000 bp) DNA probes that in aggregate will generate a single, strong fluorescent signal for regions as small as a single gene. TOPs are an alternative to bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) that are commonly used for FISH but may be unstable, unavailable, chimeric, or non-specific to small (10–100 kb) genomic regions. PROBER can be applied to any genomic locus, with the limitation that the locus must contain at least 10 kb of essentially unique blocks. To test the software, we designed a number of probes for genomic amplifications and hemizygous deletions that were initially detected by Representational Oligonucleotide Microarray Analysis of breast cancer tumors.

Availability:  

Contact:  navin@cshl.edu
Wnt signaling: is the party in the nucleus?
Authors: Willert Karl , Jones Katherine A.
Published: June 2006

The Wnt signaling pathway controls cell proliferation and body patterning throughout development. A surprising number of cytoplasmic Wnt regulators (e.g., β-catenin, Bcl-9/Lgs, APC, Axin) also appear, often transiently, in the nucleus. β-Catenin is an integral component of E-cadherin complexes at intercellular adherens junctions, but also recruits chromatin remodeling complexes to activate transcription in the nucleus. The APC tumor suppressor is a part of the cytoplasmic β-catenin destruction complex, yet also counteracts β-catenin transactivation and histone H3K4 methylation at Wnt target genes. Furthermore, APC coordinates the cyclic exchange of Wnt coregulator complexes at the DNA. These opposing roles of APC and β-catenin enable a rapid coordination of gene expression and cytoskeletal organization throughout the cell in response to signaling.
Genetic and pharmacological evidence that a retinoic acid cannot be the RXR-activating ligand in mouse epidermis keratinocytes
Authors: Calléja Cécile , Messaddeq Nadia , Chapellier Benoit , Yang Haiyuan , Krezel Wojciech , Li Mei , Metzger Daniel , Mascrez Bénédicte , Ohta Kiminori , Kagechika Hiroyuki , Endo Yasuyuki , Mark Manuel , Ghyselinck Norbert B. , Chambon Pierre
Published: June 2006

Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, we demonstrate that both RARγ/RXRα heterodimers involved in repression events, as well as PPARβ(δ)/RXRα heterodimers involved in activation events, are cell-autonomously required in suprabasal keratinocytes for the generation of lamellar granules (LG), the organelles instrumental to the formation of the skin permeability barrier. In activating PPARβ(δ)/RXRα heterodimers, RXRα is transcriptionally active as its AF-2 activation function is required and can be inhibited by an RXR-selective antagonist. Within repressing RARγ/RXRα heterodimers, induction of the transcriptional activity of RXRα is subordinated to the addition of an agonistic ligand for RARγ. Thus, the ligand that possibly binds and activates RXRα heterodimerized with PPARβ(δ) cannot be a retinoic acid, as it would also bind RARγ and relieve the RARγ-mediated repression, thereby yielding abnormal LGs. Our data also demonstrate for the first time that subordination of RXR transcriptional activity to that of its RAR partner plays a crucial role in vivo, because it allows RXRs to act concomitantly, within the same cell, as heterodimerization partners for repression, as well as for activation events in which they are transcriptionally active.
CSA-dependent degradation of CSB by the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway establishes a link between complementation factors of the Cockayne syndrome
Authors: Groisman Regina , Kuraoka Isao , Chevallier Odile , Gaye Nogaye , Magnaldo Thierry , Tanaka Kiyoji , Kisselev Alexei F. , Harel-Bellan Annick , Nakatani Yoshihiro
Published: June 2006

Mutations in the CSA or CSB complementation genes cause the Cockayne syndrome, a severe genetic disorder that results in patients’ death in early adulthood. CSA and CSB act in a transcription-coupled repair (TCR) pathway, but their functional relationship is not understood. We have previously shown that CSA is a subunit of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Here we demonstrate that CSB is a substrate of this ligase: Following UV irradiation, CSB is degraded at a late stage of the repair process in a proteasome- and CSA-dependent manner. Moreover, we demonstrate the importance of CSB degradation for post-TCR recovery of transcription and for the Cockayne syndrome. Our results unravel for the first time the functional relationship between CSA and CSB.
AMP‐activated protein kinase underpins hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and carotid body excitation by hypoxia in mammals
Authors: Evans A. Mark
Published: June 2006

In order to maintain tissue partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) within physiological limits, vital homeostatic mechanisms monitor O2 supply and respond to a fall in PO2 by altering respiratory and circulatory function, and the capacity of the blood to transport O2. Two systems that are key to this process in the acute phase are the pulmonary arteries and the carotid bodies. Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is driven by mechanisms intrinsic to the pulmonary arterial smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and aids ventilation–perfusion matching in the lung by diverting blood flow from areas with an O2 deficit to those that are rich in O2. By contrast, a fall in arterial PO2 precipitates excitation–secretion coupling in carotid body type I cells, increases sensory afferent discharge from the carotid body and thereby elicits corrective changes in breathing patterns via the brainstem. There is a general consensus that hypoxia inhibits mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in these O2‐sensing cells over a range of PO2 values that has no such effect on other cell types. However, the question remains as to the identity of the mechanism that underpins hypoxia–response coupling in O2‐sensing cells. Here, I lay out the case in support of a primary role for AMP‐activated protein kinase in mediating chemotransduction by hypoxia.
Dietary sodium restriction and β2‐adrenergic receptor polymorphism modulate cardiovascular function in humans
Authors: Eisenach John H. , Schroeder Darrell R. , Pike Tasha L. , Johnson Christopher P. , Schrage William G. , Snyder Eric M. , Johnson Bruce D. , Garovic Vesna D. , Turner Stephen T. , Joyner Michael J.
Published: June 2006

Dietary Na+ intake influences β2‐adrenergic receptor (β2AR) responsiveness. While receiving a normal Na+ diet (150 mmol day−1), subjects homozygous for glycine at amino acid 16 (Gly16) have greater forearm β2AR‐mediated vasodilatation than subjects homozygous for arginine (Arg16), an effect that is mediated by endothelial NO. We tested the hypothesis that dietary Na+ restriction eliminates genotype differences in forearm and systemic β2AR‐mediated dilatation in these groups. We measured heart rate, mean arterial pressure and cardiac output (CO, acetylene breathing) responses to administration of intravenous terbutaline (TRB) before and after 5 days of low dietary Na+ intake (10 mmol day−1) in healthy Gly16 (n= 17; age, 31 ± 7 year) and Arg16 homozygotes (n= 15; age, 29 ± 8 year). After the low‐Na+ diet, a catheter was placed in the brachial artery to measure forearm blood flow (FBF, plethysmography) responses to administration of isoprenaline (isoproterenol) before and after NO inhibition with NG‐mono‐methyl‐l‐arginine (l‐NMMA). In the Gly16 group, the low‐Na+ diet decreased baseline CO from 6.4 ± 1.4 to 5.5 ± 1.2 l min−1 (P= 0.003, paired t test), tended to decrease stroke volume from 97.0 ± 20.6 to 86.9 ± 21.7 ml (P= 0.06) and increased peripheral resistance from 1106 ± 246 to 1246 ± 222 dynes s cm−5 (P= 0.02); significant effects of the low‐Na+ diet were not observed in Arg16 subjects. In a repeated measures ANOVA, the responses of all cardiovascular measures to systemic administration of TRB were not influenced by genotype or diet. Additionally, the FBF response to incremenetal doses of isoprenaline did not differ between genotype groups before or after administration of l‐NMMA. We conclude that dietary Na+ restriction blunted the increased forearm NO‐mediated β2AR responsiveness in Gly16 homozygotes observed in a previous study after normal dietary Na+ intake, while baseline CO decreased and peripheral resistance increased in this group. This study provides evidence that dietary Na+ modulates effects of the Arg16Gly polymorphism on cardiovascular function.
Gene expression profiles of brain dopamine neurons and relevance to neuropsychiatric disease
Authors: Greene James G.
Published: June 2006

Dysfunction of dopamine neurons has been implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including Parkinson's disease, addiction, bipolar disorder and depression. Recent elucidation of gene expression profiles in dopamine neuron subpopulations has shed light on the function of different groups of dopamine neurons in the CNS and on their dysfunction in disease states. In particular, concerted differences in gene expression appear to underlie the unique properties of distinct dopamine neurons. Specifically, dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), which are prone to degenerate in Parkinson's disease, express high levels of transcripts related to energy metabolism, mitochondria and phosphate signalling pathways. In contrast, ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons prominently express genes related to synaptic plasticity and neuropeptides, suggesting intriguing mechanisms for the involvement of VTA dysfunction in addiction and mood disorders. As new functions of dopaminergic neurotransmission become clearer, continued exploration of the transcriptional neuroanatomy of these unique neurons will be vital for producing targeted, selective, and effective therapeutic agents.
mGluR1/5 subtype‐specific calcium signalling and induction of long‐term potentiation in rat hippocampal oriens/alveus interneurones
Authors: Topolnik Lisa , Azzi Mounia , Morin France , Kougioumoutzakis André , Lacaille Jean‐Claude
Published: June 2006

Hippocampal inhibitory interneurones demonstrate pathway‐ and synapse‐specific rules of transmission and plasticity, which are key determinants of their role in controlling pyramidal cell excitability. Mechanisms underlying long‐term changes at interneurone excitatory synapses, despite their importance, remain largely unknown. We use two‐photon calcium imaging and whole‐cell recordings to determine the Ca2+ signalling mechanisms linked specifically to group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1α and mGluR5) and their role in hebbian long‐term potentiation (LTP) in oriens/alveus (O/A) interneurones. We demonstrate that mGluR1α activation elicits dendritic Ca2+ signals resulting from Ca2+ influx via transient receptor potential (TRP) channels and Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. By contrast, mGluR5 activation produces dendritic Ca2+ transients mediated exclusively by intracellular Ca2+ release. Using Western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry, we show mGluR1α‐specific extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK1/2) activation via Src in CA1 hippocampus and, in particular, in O/A interneurones. Moreover, we find that mGluR1α/TRP Ca2+ signals in interneurone dendrites are dependent on activation of the Src/ERK cascade. Finally, this mGluR1α‐specific Ca2+ signalling controls LTP at interneurone synapses since blocking either TRP channels or Src/ERK and intracellular Ca2+ release prevents LTP induction. Thus, our findings uncover a novel molecular mechanism of interneurone‐specific Ca2+ signalling, critical in regulating synaptic excitability in hippocampal networks.
Altered energy transfer from mitochondria to sarcoplasmic reticulum after cytoarchitectural perturbations in mice hearts
Authors: Wilding James R. , Joubert Frédéric , De Araujo Carla , Fortin Dominique , Novotova Marta , Veksler Vladimir , Ventura‐Clapier Renée
Published: June 2006

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium pump function requires a high local ATP/ADP ratio, which can be maintained by direct nucleotide channelling from mitochondria, and by SR‐bound creatine kinase (CK)‐catalysed phosphate‐transfer from phosphocreatine. We hypothesized that SR calcium uptake supported by mitochondrial direct nucleotide channelling, but not bound CK, depends on the juxtaposition of these organelles. To test this, we studied a well‐described model of cytoarchitectural disorganization, the muscle LIM protein (MLP)‐null mouse heart. Subcellular organization was characterized using electron microscopy, and mitochondrial, SR and myofibrillar function were assessed in saponin‐permeabilized fibres by measuring respiration rates and caffeine‐induced tension transients. MLP‐null hearts had fewer, less‐tightly packed intermyofibrillar mitochondria, and more subsarcolemmal mitochondria. The apparent mitochondrial Km for ADP was significantly lower in the MLP‐null heart than in control (175 ± 15 and 270 ± 33 μm, respectively), indicating greater ADP accessibility, although maximal respiration rate, mitochondrial content and total CK activity were unaltered. Active tension in the myofibres of MLP‐null mice was 54% lower than in controls (39 ± 3 and 18 ± 1 mN mm−2, respectively), consistent with cytoarchitectural disorganization. SR calcium loading in the myofibres of MLP‐null mice was similar to that in control myofibres when energy support was provided via Bound CK, but ∼36% lower than controls when energy support was provided by mitochondrial (P < 0.05). Mitochondrial support for SR calcium uptake was also specifically decreased in the desmin‐null heart, which is another model of cytoarchitectural perturbation. Thus, despite normal oxidative capacity, direct nucleotide channelling to the SR was impaired in MLP deficiency, concomitant with looser mitochondrial packing and increased nucleotide accessibility to this organelle. Changes in cytoarchitecture may therefore impair subcellular energy transfer and contribute to energetic and contractile dysfunction.
Near-Infrared Spectral Results of Asteroid Itokawa from the Hayabusa Spacecraft
Authors: Abe M. , Takagi Y. , Kitazato K. , Abe S. , Hiroi T. , Vilas F. , Clark B. E. , Abell P. A. , Lederer S. M. , Jarvis K. S. , Nimura T. , Ueda Y. , Fujiwara A.
Published: June 2006

The near-infrared spectrometer on board the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft found a variation of more than 10% in albedo and absorption band depth in the surface reflectance of asteroid 25143 Itokawa. Spectral shape over the 1-micrometer absorption band indicates that the surface of this body has an olivine-rich mineral assemblage potentially similar to that of LL5 or LL6 chondrites. Diversity in the physical condition of Itokawa's surface appears to be larger than for other S-type asteroids previously explored by spacecraft, such as 433 Eros.
Detailed Images of Asteroid 25143 Itokawa from Hayabusa
Authors: Saito J. , Miyamoto H. , Nakamura R. , Ishiguro M. , Michikami T. , Nakamura A. M. , Demura H. , Sasaki S. , Hirata N. , Honda C. , Yamamoto A. , Yokota Y. , Fuse T. , Yoshida F. , Tholen D. J. , Gaskell R. W. , Hashimoto T. , Kubota T. , Higuchi Y. , Nakamura T. , Smith P. , Hiraoka K. , Honda T. , Kobayashi S. , Furuya M. , Matsumoto N. , Nemoto E. , Yukishita A. , Kitazato K. , Dermawan B. , Sogame A. , Terazono J. , Shinohara C. , Akiyama H.
Published: June 2006

Rendezvous of the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa with the near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa took place during the interval September through November 2005. The onboard camera imaged the solid surface of this tiny asteroid (535 meters by 294 meters by 209 meters) with a spatial resolution of 70 centimeters per pixel, revealing diverse surface morphologies. Unlike previously explored asteroids, the surface of Itokawa reveals both rough and smooth terrains. Craters generally show unclear morphologies. Numerous boulders on Itokawa's surface suggest a rubble-pile structure.
X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry of Asteroid Itokawa by Hayabusa
Authors: Okada Tatsuaki , Shirai Kei , Yamamoto Yukio , Arai Takehiko , Ogawa Kazunori , Hosono Kozue , Kato Manabu
Published: June 2006

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry of asteroid 25143 Itokawa was performed by the x-ray spectrometer onboard Hayabusa during the first touchdown on 19 November 2005. We selected those data observed during relatively enhanced solar activity and determined average elemental mass ratios of Mg/Si = 0.78 ± 0.09 and Al/Si = 0.07 ± 0.03. Our preliminary results suggest that Itokawa has a composition consistent with that of ordinary chondrites, but primitive achondrites cannot be ruled out. Among ordinary chondrites, LL- or L-chondrites appear to be more likely than H-chondrites. No substantial regional difference was found on the asteroid surface, indicating its homogeneity in composition.
Early Domesticated Fig in the Jordan Valley
Authors: Kislev Mordechai E. , Hartmann Anat , Bar-Yosef Ofer
Published: June 2006

It is generally accepted that the fig tree was domesticated in the Near East some 6500 years ago. Here we report the discovery of nine carbonized fig fruits and hundreds of drupelets stored in Gilgal I, an early Neolithic village, located in the Lower Jordan Valley, which dates to 11,400 to 11,200 years ago. We suggest that these edible fruits were gathered from parthenocarpic trees grown from intentionally planted branches. Hence, fig trees could have been the first domesticated plant of the Neolithic Revolution, which preceded cereal domestication by about a thousand years.
Mass and Local Topography Measurements of Itokawa by Hayabusa
Authors: Abe Shinsuke , Mukai Tadashi , Hirata Naru , Barnouin-Jha Olivier S. , Cheng Andrew F. , Demura Hirohide , Gaskell Robert W. , Hashimoto Tatsuaki , Hiraoka Kensuke , Honda Takayuki , Kubota Takashi , Matsuoka Masatoshi , Mizuno Takahide , Nakamura Ryosuke , Scheeres Daniel J. , Yoshikawa Makoto
Published: June 2006

The ranging instrument aboard the Hayabusa spacecraft measured the surface topography of asteroid 25143 Itokawa and its mass. A typical rough area is similar in roughness to debris located on the interior wall of a large crater on asteroid 433 Eros, which suggests a surface structure on Itokawa similar to crater ejecta on Eros. The mass of Itokawa was estimated as (3.58 ± 0.18) × 10
10
kilograms, implying a bulk density of (1.95 ± 0.14) grams per cubic centimeter for a volume of (1.84 ± 0.09) × 10
7
cubic meters and a bulk porosity of ∼40%, which is similar to that of angular sands, when assuming an LL (low iron chondritic) meteorite composition. Combined with surface observations, these data indicate that Itokawa is the first subkilometer-sized small asteroid showing a rubble-pile body rather than a solid monolithic asteroid.
Solar Rotation Effects on the Thermospheres of Mars and Earth
Authors: Forbes Jeffrey M. , Bruinsma Sean , Lemoine Frank G.
Published: June 2006

The responses of Earth's and Mars' thermospheres to the quasi-periodic (27-day) variation of solar flux due to solar rotation were measured contemporaneously, revealing that this response is twice as large for Earth as for Mars. Per typical 20-unit change in 10.7-centimeter radio flux (used as a proxy for extreme ultraviolet flux) reaching each planet, we found temperature changes of 42.0 ± 8.0 kelvin and 19.2 ± 3.6 kelvin for Earth and Mars, respectively. Existing data for Venus indicate values of 3.6 ± 0.6 kelvin. Our observational result constrains comparative planetary thermosphere simulations and may help resolve existing uncertainties in thermal balance processes, particularly CO
2
cooling.
Pole and Global Shape of 25143 Itokawa
Authors: Demura Hirohide , Kobayashi Shingo , Nemoto Etsuko , Matsumoto Naoya , Furuya Motohiro , Yukishita Akira , Muranaka Noboru , Morita Hideo , Shirakawa Ken , Maruya Makoto , Ohyama Hiroshi , Uo Masashi , Kubota Takashi , Hashimoto Tatsuaki , Kawaguchi Jun'ichiro , Fujiwara Akira , Saito Jun , Sasaki Sho , Miyamoto Hideaki , Hirata Naru
Published: June 2006

The locations of the pole and rotation axis of asteroid 25143 Itokawa were derived from Asteroid Multiband Imaging Camera data on the Hayabusa spacecraft. The retrograde pole orientation had a right ascension of 90.53Â° and a declination of â66.30Â° (52000 equinox) or equivalently 128.5Â° and â89.66Â° in ecliptic coordinates with a 3.9Â° margin of error. The surface area is 0.393 square kilometers, the volume is 0.018378 cubic kilometers with a 5% margin of error, and the three axis lengths are 535 meters by 294 meters by 209 meters. The global Itokawa revealed a boomerang-shaped appearance composed of two distinct parts with partly faceted regions and a constricted ring structure.
The Spiral Structure of the Outer Milky Way in Hydrogen
Authors: Levine E. S. , Blitz Leo , Heiles Carl
Published: June 2006

We produce a detailed map of the perturbed surface density of neutral hydrogen in the outer Milky Way disk, demonstrating that the Galaxy is a non-axisymmetric multiarmed spiral. Spiral structure in the southern half of the Galaxy can be traced out to at least 25 kiloparsecs, implying a minimum radius for the gas disk. Overdensities in the surface density are coincident with regions of reduced gas thickness. The ratio of the surface density to the local median surface density is relatively constant along an arm. Logarithmic spirals can be fit to the arms with pitch angles of 20° to 25°.
Competitive Metagenomic DNA Hybridization Identifies Host-Specific Microbial Genetic Markers in Cow Fecal Samples
Authors: Shanks Orin C. , Santo Domingo Jorge W. , Lamendella Regina , Kelty Catherine A. , Graham James E.
Published: June 2006

Several PCR methods have recently been developed to identify fecal contamination in surface waters. In all cases, researchers have relied on one gene or one microorganism for selection of host-specific markers. Here we describe the application of a genome fragment enrichment (GFE) method to identify host-specific genetic markers from fecal microbial community DNA. As a proof of concept, bovine fecal DNA was challenged against a porcine fecal DNA background to select for bovine-specific DNA sequences. Bioinformatic analyses of 380 bovine enriched metagenomic sequences indicated a preponderance of
Bacteroidales
-like regions predicted to encode membrane-associated and secreted proteins. Oligonucleotide primers capable of annealing to select
Bacteroidales
-like bovine GFE sequences exhibited extremely high specificity (>99%) in PCR assays with total fecal DNAs from 279 different animal sources. These primers also demonstrated a broad distribution of corresponding genetic markers (81% positive) among 148 different bovine sources. These data demonstrate that direct metagenomic DNA analysis by the competitive solution hybridization approach described is an efficient method for identifying potentially useful fecal genetic markers and for characterizing differences between environmental microbial communities.
The Alkyltert-Butyl Ether Intermediate 2-Hydroxyisobutyrate Is Degraded via a Novel Cobalamin-Dependent Mutase Pathway
Authors: Rohwerder Thore , Breuer Uta , Benndorf Dirk , Lechner Ute , Müller Roland H.
Published: June 2006

Fuel oxygenates such as methyl and ethyltert-butyl ether (MTBE and ETBE, respectively) are degraded only by a limited number of bacterial strains. The aerobic pathway is generally thought to run viatert-butyl alcohol (TBA) and 2-hydroxyisobutyrate (2-HIBA), whereas further steps are unclear. We have now demonstrated for the newly isolated β-proteobacterial strains L108 and L10, as well as for the closely related strain CIP I-2052, that 2-HIBA was degraded by a cobalamin-dependent enzymatic step. In these strains, growth on substrates containing thetert-butyl moiety, such as MTBE, TBA, and 2-HIBA, was strictly dependent on cobalt, which could be replaced by cobalamin. Tandem mass spectrometry identified a 2-HIBA-induced protein with high similarity to a peptide whose gene sequence was found in the finished genome of the MTBE-degrading strainMethylibium petroleiphilumPM1. Alignment analysis identified it as the small subunit of isobutyryl-coenzyme A (CoA) mutase (ICM; EC 5.4.99.13), which is a cobalamin-containing carbon skeleton-rearranging enzyme, originally described only inStreptomycesspp. Sequencing of the genes of both ICM subunits from strain L108 revealed nearly 100% identity with the corresponding peptide sequences fromM. petroleiphilumPM1, suggesting a horizontal gene transfer event to have occurred between these strains. Enzyme activity was demonstrated in crude extracts of induced cells of strains L108 and L10, transforming 2-HIBA into 3-hydroxybutyrate in the presence of CoA and ATP. The physiological and evolutionary aspects of this novel pathway involved in MTBE and ETBE metabolism are discussed.
A Mutation in
Flavobacterium psychrophilum tlpB
Inhibits Gliding Motility and Induces Biofilm Formation
Authors: Álvarez B. , Secades P. , Prieto M. , McBride M. J. , Guijarro J. A.
Published: June 2006

Flavobacterium psychrophilum
is a psychrotrophic, fish-pathogenic bacterium belonging to the
Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides
group. Tn
4351
-induced mutants deficient in gliding motility, growth on iron-depleted media, and extracellular proteolytic activity were isolated. Some of these mutants were affected in only one of these characteristics, whereas others had defects in two or more. FP523, a mutant deficient in all of these properties, was studied further. FP523 had a Tn
4351
insertion in
tlpB
(thiol oxidoreductase-like protein gene), which encodes a 41.4-kDa protein whose sequence does not exhibit high levels of similar to the sequences of proteins having known functions. TlpB has two domains; the N-terminal domains has five transmembrane regions, whereas the C-terminal domains has the Cys-X-X-Cys motif and other conserved motifs characteristic of thiol:disulfide oxidoreductases. Quantitative analysis of the thiol groups of periplasmic proteins revealed that TlpB is required for reduction of these groups. The
tlpB
gene is part of the
fpt
(
F. psychrophilum
thiol oxidoreductase) operon that contains two other genes,
tlpA
and
tpiA
, which encode a thiol:disulfide oxidoreductase and a triosephosphate isomerase, respectively. FP523 exhibited enhanced biofilm formation and decreased virulence and cytotoxicity. Complementation with the
tlpB
loci restored the wild-type phenotype. Gliding motility and biofilm formation appear to be antagonistic properties, which are both affected by TlpB.
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization-Flow Cytometry-Cell Sorting-Based Method for Separation and Enrichment of Type I and Type II Methanotroph Populations
Authors: Kalyuzhnaya Marina G. , Zabinsky Rebecca , Bowerman Sarah , Baker David R. , Lidstrom Mary E. , Chistoserdova Ludmila
Published: June 2006

A fluorescence in situ hybridization-flow cytometry (FISH/FC)-based method was optimized using artificial mixtures of pure cultures of methanotrophic bacteria. Traditional oligonucleotide probes targeting 16S rRNAs of type I (MG84/705 probe) and type II (MA450 probe) methanotrophs were labeled with fluorescein or Alexa fluor and used for FISH, followed by fluorescence-activated FC analysis and cell sorting (FACS). The method resulted in efficient separation of target cells (type I or type II methanotrophs) from the artificial mixtures. The method was then applied for detection and enrichment of type I and type II methanotroph populations from a natural sample, Lake Washington sediment. Cells were extracted from the sediment, fixed, and subjected to FISH/FC/FACS. The resulting subpopulations were analyzed by reverse transcriptase PCR surveys of 16S rRNA,
pmoA
(encoding a subunit of particulate methane monooxygenase), and
fae
(encoding formaldehyde-activating enzyme) genes. The functional gene analysis indicated specific separation of the type I and type II methanotroph populations. 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that type I methanotrophs comprised 59% of the subpopulation separated using the type I-specific probe and that type II methanotrophs comprised 47.5% of the subpopulation separated using the type II-specific probe. Our data indicate that the FISH/FC/FACS protocol described can provide significant enrichment of microbial populations of interest from complex natural communities and that these can be used for genetic tests. We further tested the possibility of direct whole-genome amplification (WGA) from limited numbers of sorted cells, using artificial mixtures of microbes whose genome sequences are known. We demonstrated that efficient WGA can be achieved using 10
4
or more cells separated by 16S rRNA-specific FISH/FC/FACS, while fewer cells resulted in less specific WGA.
Quantification of In Vitro and In Vivo
Cryptosporidium parvum
Infection by Using Real-Time PCR
Authors: Godiwala Nihal T. , Vandewalle Alain , Ward Honorine D. , Leav Brett A.
Published: June 2006

Established methods for quantifying experimental
Cryptosporidium
infection are highly variable and subjective. We describe a new technique using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) that can be used to measure in vitro and in vivo laboratory infections with
Cryptosporidium
. We show for the first time that qPCR permits absolute quantification of the parasite while simultaneously controlling for the amount of host tissue and correlates significantly with established methods of quantification in in vitro and in vivo laboratory models of infection.
Thermophilic Temperature Optimum for Crenarchaeol Synthesis and Its Implication for Archaeal Evolution
Authors: Zhang Chuanlun L. , Pearson Ann , Li Yi-Liang , Mills Gary , Wiegel Juergen
Published: June 2006

The isoprenoid lipid crenarchaeol is widespread in hot springs of California and Nevada. Terrestrial and marine data together suggest a maximum relative abundance of crenarchaeol at ∼40°C. This warm temperature optimum may have facilitated colonization of the ocean by (hyper)thermophilic
Archaea
and the major marine radiation of
Crenarchaeota
.
Nitrification in a Biofilm at Low pH Values: Role of In Situ Microenvironments and Acid Tolerance
Authors: Gieseke Armin , Tarre Sheldon , Green Michal , de Beer Dirk
Published: June 2006

The sensitivity of nitrifying bacteria to acidic conditions is a well-known phenomenon and generally attributed to the lack and/or toxicity of substrates (NH
3
and HNO
2
) with decreasing pHs. In contrast, we observed strong nitrification at a pH around 4 in biofilms grown on chalk particles and investigated the following hypotheses: the presence of less acidic microenvironments and/or the existence of acid-tolerant nitrifiers. Microelectrode measurements (in situ and under various experimental conditions) showed no evidence of a neutral microenvironment, either within the highly active biofilm colonizing the chalk surface or within a control biofilm grown on a nonbuffering (i.e., sintered glass) surface under acidic pH. A 16S rRNA approach (clone libraries and fluorescence in situ hybridizations) did not reveal uncommon nitrifying (potentially acid-tolerant) strains. Instead, we found a strongly acidic microenvironment, evidence for a clear adaptation to the low pH in situ, and the presence of nitrifying populations related to subgroups with low

K
m

s for ammonia (
Nitrosopira
spp.,
Nitrosomonas oligotropha
, and
Nitrospira
spp.). Acid-consuming (chalk dissolution) and acid-producing (ammonia oxidation) processes are equilibrated on a low-pH steady state that is controlled by mass transfer limitation through the biofilm. Strong affinity to ammonia and possibly the expression of additional functions, e.g., ammonium transporters, are adaptations that allow nitrifiers to cope with acidic conditions in biofilms and other habitats.