bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
San‐Huang‐Xie‐Xin‐Tang Protects against Activated Microglia‐ and 6‐OHDA‐Induced Toxicity in Neuronal SH‐SY5Y Cells
Authors: Shih Yu-Tzu , Chen Ing-Jun , Wu Yang-Chang , Lo Yi-Ching
Published: April 2009

San‐Huang‐Xie‐Xin‐Tang (SHXT), composed of Coptidis rhizoma, Scutellariae radix and Rhei rhizoma, is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used to treat gastritis, gastric bleeding and peptic ulcers. This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of SHXT on microglia‐mediated neurotoxicity using co‐cultured lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐activated microglia‐like BV‐2 cells with neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells. Effects of SHXT on 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA)‐induced neurotoxicity were also examined in SH‐SY5Y cells. Results indicated SHXT inhibited LPS‐induced inflammation of BV‐2 cells by downregulation of iNOS, NO, COX‐2, PGE2, gp91phox, iROS, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, inhibition of IκBα degradation and upregulation of HO‐1. In addition, SHXT increased cell viability and down regulated nNOS, COX‐2 and gp91phox of SH‐SY5Y cells co‐cultured with LPS activated BV‐2 cells. SHXT treatment increased cell viability and mitochondria membrane potential (MMP), decreased expression of nNOS, COX‐2, gp91phox and iROS, and inhibited IκBα degradation in 6‐OHDA‐treated SH‐SY5Y cells. SHXT also attenuated LPS activated BV‐2 cells‐ and 6‐OHDA‐induced cell death in differentiated SH‐SY5Y cells with db‐cAMP. Furthermore, SHXT‐inhibited nuclear translocation of p65 subunit of NF‐κB in LPS treated BV‐2 cells and 6‐OHDA treated SH‐SY5Y cells. In conclusion, SHXT showed protection from activated microglia‐ and 6‐OHDA‐induced neurotoxicity by attenuating inflammation and oxidative stress.
Evolutionary rate variation in Old World monkeys
Authors: Elango Navin , Lee Jeeyoung , Peng Zuogang , Loh Yong-Hwee E. , Yi Soojin V.
Published: April 2009

We analysed over 8 million base pairs of bacterial artificial chromosome-based sequence alignments of four Old World monkeys and the human genome. Our findings are as follows. (i) Genomic divergences among several Old World monkeys mirror those between well-studied hominoids. (ii) The X-chromosome evolves slower than autosomes, in accord with ‘male-driven evolution’. However, the degree of male mutation bias is lower in Old World monkeys than in hominoids. (iii) Evolutionary rates vary significantly between lineages. The baboon branch shows a particularly slow molecular evolution. Thus, lineage-specific evolutionary rate variation is a common theme of primate genome evolution. (iv) In contrast to the overall pattern, mutations originating from DNA methylation exhibit little variation between lineages. Our study illustrates the potential of primates as a model system to investigate genome evolution, in particular to elucidate molecular mechanisms of substitution rate variation.
Upper-limit mutation rate estimation for a plant RNA virus
Authors: Sanjuán Rafael , Agudelo-Romero Patricia , Elena Santiago F.
Published: April 2009

It is generally accepted that mutation rates of RNA viruses are inherently high due to the lack of proofreading mechanisms. However, direct estimates of mutation rate are surprisingly scarce, in particular for plant viruses. Here, based on the analysis ofin vivomutation frequencies intobacco etch virus, we calculate an upper-bound mutation rate estimation of 3×10−5per site and per round of replication; a value which turns out to be undistinguishable from the methodological error. Nonetheless, the value is barely on the lower side of the range accepted for RNA viruses, although in good agreement with the only direct estimate obtained for other plant viruses. These observations suggest that, perhaps, differences in the selective pressures operating during plant virus evolution may have driven their mutation rates towards values lower than those characteristic of other RNA viruses infecting bacteria or animals.
The beluga whale produces two pulses to form its sonar signal
Authors: Lammers Marc O. , Castellote Manuel
Published: April 2009

Odontocete cetaceans use biosonar clicks to acoustically probe their aquatic environment with an aptitude unmatched by man-made sonar. A cornerstone of this ability is their use of short, broadband pulses produced in the region of the upper nasal passages. Here we provide empirical evidence that a beluga whale (
Delphinapterus leucas
) uses two signal generators simultaneously when echolocating. We show that the pulses of the two generators are combined as they are transmitted through the melon to produce a single echolocation click emitted from the front of the animal. Generating two pulses probably offers the beluga the ability to control the energy and frequency distribution of the emitted click and may allow it to acoustically steer its echolocation beam.
Harnessing nature's toolbox: regulatory elements for synthetic biology
Authors: Boyle Patrick M. , Silver Pamela A.
Published: April 2009

Synthetic biologists seek to engineer complex biological systems composed of modular elements. Achieving higher complexity in engineered biological organisms will require manipulating numerous systems of biological regulation: transcription; RNA interactions; protein signalling; and metabolic fluxes, among others. Exploiting the natural modularity at each level of biological regulation will promote the development of standardized tools for designing biological systems.
Spread of infectious disease through clustered populations
Authors: Miller Joel C.
Published: April 2009

Networks of person-to-person contacts form the substrate along which infectious diseases spread. Most network-based studies of this spread focus on the impact of variations in degree (the number of contacts an individual has). However, other effects such as clustering, variations in infectiousness or susceptibility, or variations in closeness of contacts may play a significant role. We develop analytic techniques to predict how these effects alter the growth rate, probability and size of epidemics, and validate the predictions with a realistic social network. We find that (for a given degree distribution and average transmissibility) clustering is the dominant factor controlling the growth rate, heterogeneity in infectiousness is the dominant factor controlling the probability of an epidemic and heterogeneity in susceptibility is the dominant factor controlling the size of an epidemic. Edge weights (measuring closeness or duration of contacts) have impact only if correlations exist between different edges. Combined, these effects can play a minor role in reinforcing one another, with the impact of clustering the largest when the population is maximally heterogeneous or if the closer contacts are also strongly clustered. Our most significant contribution is a systematic way to address clustering in infectious disease models, and our results have a number of implications for the design of interventions.
What kind of a wave is Hokusai's
Great wave off Kanagawa
?
Authors: Cartwright Julyan H.E. , Nakamura Hisami
Published: April 2009

The great wave off Kanagawa
by Katsushika Hokusai is probably the most famous image in Japanese art. It depicts three boats in heavy seas on the point of encountering the eponymous wave, while Mount Fuji is glimpsed in the distance. The print is today often reproduced as the artistic depiction of a tsunami. Did Hokusai really have a tsunami in mind when he composed this work? We examine that hypothesis together with the alternatives, by discussing the image itself and the circumstances surrounding its composition, and by evaluating the wave in terms of the fluid dynamics of breaking waves and in particular of the species termed plunging breakers, of which
The great wave
is a member, and conclude that it is more probable that Hokusai intended to depict an exceptionally large storm wave. There is a great deal of scientific interest at present in such abnormally high waves, which are often termed freak or rogue waves.
The far-field sound from rough-wall boundary layers
Authors: Glegg Stewart , Devenport William
Published: April 2009

The noise radiated by a turbulent boundary layer over a rough wall is shown to be characterized by a dipole surface source that, if the surface pressure is spatially homogeneous, can be specified by a convolution integral combining the surface pressure wavenumber spectrum and the wavenumber spectrum of the surface roughness slope. For random roughness elements with almost vertical sides, the surface slope has a wavenumber white spectrum and the radiated sound is directly proportional to the surface pressure spectrum multiplied by an acoustic efficiency factor (
k
o
h
)
2
, where
k
o
is the acoustic wavenumber and
h
is the geometrical r.m.s. roughness height. The theoretical result agrees with the roughness noise measurements of Smith
et al
. (Smith
et al.
2008 AIAA paper no. 2008-2904) for all flow speeds and roughness element heights (in wall units) of
k
g
+
<34. The theory can also be applied to wavy walls and this provides a new method for measuring the wavenumber spectrum of surface pressure fluctuations.
Finsler geometry of seismic ray path in anisotropic media
Authors: Yajima Takahiro , Nagahama Hiroyuki
Published: April 2009

The seismic ray theory in anisotropic inhomogeneous media is studied based on non-Euclidean geometry called Finsler geometry. For a two-dimensional ray path, the seismic wavefront in anisotropic media can be geometrically expressed by Finslerian parameters. By using elasticity constants of a real rock, the Finslerian parameters are estimated from a wavefront propagating in the rock. As a result, the anisotropic parameters indicate that the shape of wavefront is expressed not by a circle but by a convex curve called a superellipse. This deviation from the circle as an isotropic wavefront can be characterized by a roughness of wavefront. The roughness parameter of the real rock shows that the shape of the wavefront is expressed by a fractal curve. From an orthogonality of the wavefront and the ray, the seismic wavefront in anisotropic media relates to a fractal structure of the ray path.
Correction for Forbes and Deane, Reformulation of the standard theory of Fowler–Nordheim tunnelling and cold field electron emission
Authors: Forbes Richard G. , Deane Jonathan H. B.
Published: April 2009

Correction for ‘Reformulation of the standard theory of Fowler–Nordheim tunnelling and cold field electron emission’ by Richard G. Forbes and Jonathan H. B. Deane (Proc. R. Soc. A
463
, 2907–2927.
(doi:
10.1098/rspa.2007.0030
)).

The following equations contain typographical errors that have no consequence for any other equations or results in the above paper.
Many-body effects and simulations of potassium channels
Authors: Illingworth Christopher J. , Domene Carmen
Published: April 2009

The electronic polarizability of an ion or a molecule is a measure of the relative tendency of its electron cloud to be distorted from its normal shape by an electric field. On the molecular scale, in a condensed phase, any species sits in an electric field due to its neighbours, and the resulting polarization is an important contribution to the total interaction energy. Electrostatic interactions are crucial for determining the majority of chemical–physical properties of the system and electronic polarization is a fundamental component of these interactions. Thus, polarization effects should be taken into account if accurate descriptions are desired. In classical computer simulations, the forces required to drive the system are typically based on interatomic interaction potentials derived in part from electronic structure calculations or from experimental data. Owing to the difficulties in including polarization effects in classical force fields, most of them are based just on pairwise additive interaction potentials. At present, major efforts are underway to develop polarizable interaction potentials for biomolecular simulations. In this review, various ways of introducing explicit polarizability into biomolecular models and force fields are reviewed, and the progress that might be achieved in applying such methods to study potassium channels is described.
Where is the light? Bayesian perceptual priors for lighting direction
Authors: Stone J.V. , Kerrigan I.S. , Porrill J.
Published: April 2009

Perception of shaded three-dimensional figures is inherently ambiguous, but this ambiguity can be resolved if the brain assumes that figures are lit from a specific direction. Under the Bayesian framework, the visual system assigns a weighting to each possible direction, and these weightings define a prior probability distribution for light-source direction. Here, we describe a non-parametric maximum-likelihood estimation method for finding the prior distribution for lighting direction. Our results suggest that each observer has a distinct prior distribution, with non-zero values in all directions, but with a peak which indicates observers are biased to expect light to come from above left. The implications of these results for estimating general perceptual priors are discussed.
Botanical ratchets
Authors: Kulić I.M. , Mani M. , Mohrbach H. , Thaokar R. , Mahadevan L.
Published: April 2009

Ratcheting surfaces are a common motif in nature and appear in plant awns and grasses. They are known to proffer selective advantages for seed dispersion and burial. In two simple model experiments, we show that these anisotropically toothed surfaces naturally serve as motion rectifiers and generically move in a unidirectional manner, when subjected to temporally and spatially symmetric excitations of various origins. Using a combination of theory and experiment, we show that a linear relationship between awn length and ratchet efficiency holds under biologically relevant conditions. Grass awns can thus efficiently transform non-equilibrium environmental stresses from such sources as humidity variations into useful work and directed motion using their length as a fluctuation amplifier, yielding a selective advantage to these organelles in many plant species.
Compensatory mutations are repeatable and clustered within proteins
Authors: Davis Brad H. , Poon Art F.Y. , Whitlock Michael C.
Published: April 2009

Compensatory mutations improve fitness in genotypes that contain deleterious mutations but have no beneficial effects otherwise. As such, compensatory mutations represent a very specific form of epistasis. We show that intragenic compensatory mutations occur non-randomly over gene sequence. Compensatory mutations are more likely to appear at some sites than others. Moreover, the sites of compensatory mutations are more likely than expected by chance to be near the site of the original deleterious mutation. Furthermore, compensatory mutations tend to occur more commonly in certain regions of the protein even when controlling for clustering around the site of the deleterious mutation. These results suggest that compensatory evolution at the protein level is partially predictable and may be convergent.
Disease-mediated inbreeding depression in a large, open population of cooperative crows
Authors: Townsend Andrea K. , Clark Anne B. , McGowan Kevin J. , Buckles Elizabeth L. , Miller Andrew D. , Lovette Irby J.
Published: April 2009

Disease-mediated inbreeding depression is a potential cost of living in groups with kin, but its general magnitude in wild populations is unclear. We examined the relationships between inbreeding, survival and disease for 312 offspring, produced by 35 parental pairs, in a large, open population of cooperatively breeding American crows (
Corvus brachyrhynchos
). Genetic analyses of parentage, parental relatedness coefficients and pedigree information suggested that 23 per cent of parental dyads were first- or second-order kin. Heterozygosity–heterozygosity correlations suggested that a microsatellite-based index of individual heterozygosity predicted individual genome-wide heterozygosity in this population. After excluding birds that died traumatically, survival probability was lower for relatively inbred birds during the 2–50 months after banding: the hazard rate for the most inbred birds was 170 per cent higher than that for the least inbred birds across the range of inbreeding index values. Birds that died with disease symptoms had higher inbreeding indices than birds with other fates. Our results suggest that avoidance of close inbreeding and the absence of inbreeding depression in large, open populations should not be assumed in taxa with kin-based social systems, and that microsatellite-based indices of individual heterozygosity can be an appropriate tool for examining the inbreeding depression in populations where incest and close inbreeding occur.
Fluctuating natural selection accounts for the evolution of diversification bet hedging
Authors: Simons Andrew M.
Published: April 2009

Natural environments are characterized by unpredictability over all time scales. This stochasticity is expected on theoretical grounds to result in the evolution of ‘bet-hedging’ traits that maximize the long term, or geometric mean fitness even though such traits do not maximize fitness over shorter time scales. The geometric mean principle is thus central to our interpretation of optimality and adaptation; however, quantitative empirical support for bet hedging is lacking. Here, I report a quantitative test using the timing of seed germination—a model diversification bet-hedging trait—in
Lobelia inflata
under field conditions. In a phenotypic manipulation study, I find the magnitude of fluctuating selection acting on seed germination timing—across 70 intervals throughout five seasons—to be extreme: fitness functions for survival are complex and multimodal within seasons and significantly dissimilar among seasons. I confirm that the observed magnitude of fluctuating selection is sufficient to account for the degree of diversification behaviour characteristic of individuals of this species. The geometric mean principle has been known to economic theory for over two centuries; this study now provides a quantitative test of optimality of a bet-hedging trait in nature.
Female aggression predicts mode of paternity acquisition in a social lizard
Authors: While Geoffrey M. , Sinn David L. , Wapstra Erik
Published: April 2009

Individual differences in behaviour are ubiquitous in nature. Despite the likely role of selection in maintaining these differences, there are few demonstrations of their fitness consequences in wild populations and, consequently, the mechanisms that link behavioural variation to variation in fitness are poorly understood. Specifically, the consequences of consistent individual differences in behaviour for the evolution of social and mating strategies have rarely been considered. We examined the functional links between variation in female aggression and her social and mating strategies in a wild population of the social lizard
Egernia whitii
. We show that female
Egernia
exhibit temporally consistent aggressive phenotypes, which are unrelated to body size, territory size or social density. A female's aggressive phenotype, however, has strong links to her mode of paternity acquisition (within- versus extra-pair paternity), with more aggressive females having more offspring sired by extra-pair males than less aggressive females. We discuss the potential mechanisms by which female aggression could underpin mating strategies, such as the pursuit/acceptance of extra-pair copulations. We propose that a deeper understanding of the evolution and maintenance of social and mating systems may result from an explicit focus on individual-level female behavioural phenotypes and their relationship with key reproductive strategies.
Evidence for transoceanic migrations by loggerhead sea turtles in the southern Pacific Ocean
Authors: Boyle M.C. , FitzSimmons N.N. , Limpus C.J. , Kelez S. , Velez-Zuazo X. , Waycott M.
Published: April 2009

Post-hatchling loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the northern Pacific and northern Atlantic Oceans undertake transoceanic developmental migrations. Similar migratory behaviour is hypothesized in the South Pacific Ocean as post-hatchling loggerhead turtles are observed in Peruvian fisheries, yet no loggerhead rookeries occur along the coast of South America. This hypothesis was supported by analyses of the size-class distribution of 123 post-hatchling turtles in the South Pacific and genetic analysis of mtDNA haplotypes of 103 nesting females in the southwest Pacific, 19 post-hatchlings stranded on the southeastern Australian beaches and 22 post-hatchlings caught by Peruvian longline fisheries. Only two haplotypes (CCP1 93% and CCP5 7%) were observed across all samples, and there were no significant differences in haplotype frequencies between the southwest Pacific rookeries and the post-hatchlings. By contrast, the predominant CCP1 haplotype is rarely observed in North Pacific rookeries and haplotype frequencies were strongly differentiated between the two regions (Fst=0.82;p=<0.00001). These results suggest that post-hatchling loggerhead turtles emerging from the southwest Pacific rookeries are undertaking transoceanic migrations to the southeastern Pacific Ocean, thus emphasizing the need for a broader focus on juvenile mortality throughout the South Pacific to develop effective conservation strategies.
New Guinea highland origin of a widespread arthropod supertramp
Authors: Balke Michael , Ribera Ignacio , Hendrich Lars , Miller Michael A. , Sagata Katayo , Posman Aloysius , Vogler Alfried P. , Meier Rudolf
Published: April 2009

The biologically and geologically extremely diverse archipelagos of Wallacea, Australasia and Oceania have long stimulated ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Yet, few molecular phylogenetic analyses of the terrestrial fauna have been carried out to understand the evolutionary patterns. We use dense taxon and character sampling of more than 7000 bp DNA sequence data for a group of diving beetles ranging from the Holarctic throughout Asia to as far east as French Polynesia. We here show that an ecologically diverse, common and widespread (Portugal to New Zealand) arthropod supertramp species originated in the highlands of New Guinea,
ca
6.0–2.7 Myr ago. The approximately 25 closely related species are narrow endemics in Australasia/Oceania. The ancestor of this clade colonized that region from Eurasia
ca
9–7 Myr ago. Our finding contradicts the widely held view of local endemism as an evolutionary dead end, as we find multiple peripatric speciation events within the Pleistocene and complex colonization patterns between the Oriental and Australian zoogeographic regions, including the recolonization of Eurasia, jumping across Wallace's line and colonization of continental Australia out of New Guinea. Our study strongly highlights the importance of dispersal over water gaps in shaping biogeographic patterns.
Progenitor cell self‐renewal and cyclic neutropenia
Authors: Dingli D.  , Antal T.  , Traulsen A. , Pacheco J. M.
Published: April 2009

Objectives: Cyclic neutropenia (CN) is a rare genetic disorder where patients experience regular cycling of numbers of neutrophils and various other haematopoietic lineages. The nadir in neutrophil count is the main source of problems due to risk of life‐threatening infections. Patients with CN benefit from granulocyte colony stimulating factor therapy, although cycling persists. Mutations in neutrophil elastase gene (ELA2) have been found in more than half of patients with CN. However, neither connection between phenotypic expression of ELA2 and CN nor the mechanism of cycling is known.

Materials and methods:  Recently, a multicompartment model of haematopoiesis that couples stem cell replication with marrow output has been proposed. In the following, we couple this model of haematopoiesis with a linear feedback mechanism via G‐CSF.

Results:  We propose that the phenotypic effect of ELA2 mutations leads to reduction in self‐renewal of granulocytic progenitors. The body responds by overall relative increase of G‐CSF and increasing progenitor cell self‐renewal, leading to cell count cycling.

Conclusion:  The model is compatible with available experimental data and makes testable predictions.
Influence of intra‐tree variation in phenology and oviposition site on the distribution and performance of Ennomos subsignaria on mature sycamore maple
Authors: FRY HEIDI R. C. , QUIRING DAN T. , RYALL KRISTA L. , DIXON PEGGY L.
Published: April 2009

Abstract 1. Field surveys and a manipulative experiment were conducted to examine the hypotheses that intra‐tree heterogeneity in natural enemy activity, foliar quality (independent of phenology), or phenology influence the intra‐tree distribution and performance of Ennomos subsignaria on mature sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus.

2. Ennomos subsignaria intra‐tree distribution was distinctly clumped. Egg mass density was 85% higher on the lower bole than in the crown. Most early instars were found on lower crown proximal branches while most late instars and pupae were found on lower crown distal branches. This resulted in high levels of defoliation in the lower crown, especially on proximal branches.

3. No parasitoids were reared from eggs or late‐instar larvae and only one pupa was parasitised, suggesting that preference for the bole and lower crown was not a response to parasitism. Similarly, E. subsignaria performance was not influenced by variable foliage quality (independent of phenology) within the crown. However, sycamore maple phenology had a large influence on E. subsignaria survival. More than 90% of newly emerged larvae survived to the adult stage when they fed on foliage with three pairs of leaves expanded per bud, whereas survival on younger foliage was reduced by >45%.

4. The peak period of E. subsignaria egg hatch was approximately 2 weeks after the peak period of sycamore maple budburst, which occurred acropetally. Egg hatch was closely synchronised with the availability of most suitable leaves for insect development on proximal branches of the lower crown, the location where most larvae initiated feeding.

5. The results support the phenology hypothesis and suggest that intra‐tree variation in oviposition site and host phenological development influence the intra‐tree distribution and performance of this generalist herbivore.
Seismic refraction traveltime inversion for static corrections in a glaciated shield rock environment: a case study
Authors: Schijns Heather , Heinonen Suvi , Schmitt Douglas R. , Heikkinen Pekka , Kukkonen Ilmo T.
Published: April 2009

A traveltime inversion technique is applied to model the upper ∼40 m of the subsurface of a glaciated shield rock area in order to calculate static corrections for a multi‐azimuth multi‐depth walk‐away vertical seismic profile and a surface seismic reflection profile. First break information from a seismic refraction survey is used in conjunction with a ray‐tracing program and an iterative damped least‐squares inversion algorithm to create a two‐dimensional model of the subsurface. The layout of the seismic survey required crooked seismic lines and substantial gaps in the source and receiver coverage to be accounted for. Additionally, there is substantial topographical variation and a complex geology consisting of glaciofluvial sediment and glacial till overlying a crystalline bedrock. The resolution and reliability of the models is measured through a parameter perturbation technique, normalized χ2 values, root means square traveltime residuals and comparison to known geology.
Understanding dynamics between initial trust and usage intentions of mobile banking
Authors: Kim Gimun , Shin BongSik , Lee Ho Geun
Published: April 2009

Mobile banking is an emerging application of mobile commerce that could become an additional revenue source to both banks and telecom service providers. It is a form of service convergence enabled by innovative technologies. Despite the alleged benefits of mobile banking, its acceptance has been short of industry expectations. One plausible explanation may be consumers' initial lack of trust in available services. The objective of our research is to reveal the mechanisms associated with the initial formation of people's trust in mobile banking and intention to use the service. For this, we attempt to understand the effect of four antecedent variables (structural assurances, relative benefits, personal propensity to trust and firm reputation) on shaping a person's initial trust in mobile banking and its usage intention. They represent four types of trust‐inducing forces: institutional offering (structural assurances), cognition (perceived benefits), personality (personal propensity) and firm characteristics (firm reputation). We examine individual significance of the selected antecedents and also their comparative reliability in explaining the two exogenous variables. The technical basis of our empirical research is the innovative mobile banking solution that uses cellphones with a built‐in smart chipset. The survey data are analyzed using structural equation modelling. The analysis showed that three variables (relative benefits, propensity to trust and structural assurances) had a significant effect on initial trust in mobile banking. Also, the perception of initial trust and relative benefits was vital in promoting personal intention to make use of related services. However, contrary to our expectation, the reputation as a firm characteristics variable failed to attract people to mobile banking.
Virtual team collaboration: building shared meaning, resolving breakdowns and creating translucence
Authors: Bjørn Pernille , Ngwenyama Ojelanki
Published: April 2009

Managing international teams with geographically distributed participants is a complex task. The risk of communication breakdowns increases due to cultural and organizational differences grounded in the geographical distribution of the participants. Such breakdowns indicate general misunderstandings and a lack of shared meaning between participants. In this paper, we address the complexity of building shared meaning. We examine the communication breakdowns that occurred in two globally distributed virtual teams by providing an analytical distinction of the organizational context as the foundation for building shared meaning at three levels. Also we investigate communication breakdowns that can be attributed to differences in lifeworld structures, organizational structures, and work process structures within a virtual team. We find that all communication breakdowns are manifested and experienced by the participants at the work process level; however, resolving breakdowns may require critical reflection at other levels. Where previous research argues that face‐to‐face interaction is an important variable for virtual team performance, our empirical observations reveal that communication breakdowns related to a lack of shared meaning at the lifeworld level often becomes more salient when the participants are co‐located than when geographically distributed. Last, we argue that creating translucence in communication structures is essential for building shared meanings at all three levels.
Impact of audit and feedback on antipsychotic prescribing in schizophrenia
Authors: Wheeler Amanda , Humberstone Verity , Robinson Elizabeth , Sheridan Janie , Joyce Peter
Published: April 2009

Objective  To examine the impact of audit and feedback on antipsychotic prescribing for schizophrenia outpatients over 4.5 years.

Methods  Clinical files in three mental health services caring for outpatients in Auckland, New Zealand were reviewed at two time‐points (March 2000, October 2004). After the first audit, feedback was provided to all three services. Baseline prescribing variations between services were found for antipsychotic combinations and second‐generation antipsychotic (SGA) prescribing, in particular clozapine. In two services audit and feedback continued with two interim reviews (October 2001, March 2003). Specific feedback and interventions targeting clozapine use were introduced in both services. No further audit or feedback occurred in the third service until the final audit. Data were collected (patient characteristics, diagnosis, antipsychotic treatment) and analysed at each audit.

Results  Three prescribing variables (antipsychotic monotherapy, SGA and clozapine use) were consistent with practice recommendations at the final audit (85.7%, 82.7% and 34.5% respectively) and had changed in the desired direction for all three services over the 4.5 years. At baseline there were differences between the three services. One service had baseline prescribing variables closest to recommendations, was actively involved in audit, and improved further. The second service, also actively involved in audit had baseline prescribing variables further from recommendations but improved the most. The service not involved in continuing audit and feedback made smaller changes, and SGA and clozapine use at endpoint were significantly lower despite at baseline being comparable to the service which improved the most.

Conclusions  This study found audit and feedback to be an effective intervention in closing the gap between recommended and routine clinical practice for antipsychotic prescribing in schizophrenia.
Clinician's use of the Statin Choice decision aid in patients with diabetes: a videographic study nested in a randomized trial
Authors: Abadie Roberto , Weymiller Audrey J. , Tilburt Jon , Shah Nilay D. , Charles Cathy , Gafni Amiram , Montori Victor M.
Published: April 2009

Objective  To describe how clinicians use decision aids.

Background  A 98‐patient factorial‐design randomized trial of the Statin Choice decision vs. standard educational pamphlet; each participant had a 1:4 chance of receiving the decision aid during the encounter with the clinician resulting in 22 eligible encounters.

Design  Two researchers working independently and in duplicate reviewed and coded the 22 encounter videos.

Setting and participants  Twenty‐two patients with diabetes (57% of them on statins) and six endocrinologists working in a referral diabetes clinic randomly assigned to use the decision aid during the consultation.

Main outcome measures  Proportion and nature of unintended use of the Statin Choice decision aid.

Results  We found eight encounters involving six clinicians who did not use the decision aid as intended either by not using it at all (n = 5; one clinician did use the decision aid in three encounters), offering inaccurate quantitative and probabilistic information about the risks and benefits of statins (n = 2), or using the decision aid to advance the agenda that all patients with diabetes should take statin (n = 1). Clinicians used the decision aid as intended in all other encounters.

Conclusions  Unintended decision aid use in the context of videotaped encounters in a practical randomized trial was common. These instances offer insights to researchers seeking to design and implement effective decision aids for use during the clinical visit, particularly when clinicians may prefer to proceed in ways that the decision aid apparently contradicts.
Immune responses of Asian sea bass, Lates calcarifer Bloch, against an inactivated betanodavirus vaccine
Authors: Pakingking Jr R , Seron R , Dela Peña L , Mori K , Yamashita H , Nakai T
Published: April 2009

Asian sea bass, Lates calcarifer (Bloch), exhibited strong immune responses against a single injection of the formalin‐inactivated red‐spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV), a betanodavirus originally isolated in Japan. Fish produced neutralizing antibodies at high titre levels from days 10 (mean titre 1:480) to 116 (1:1280), with the highest titre at day 60 post‐vaccination (1:4480). When fish were challenged with the homologous RGNNV at day 54 post‐vaccination, there were no mortalities in both the vaccinated and unvaccinated control fish. However, a rapid clearance of the virus was observed in the brains and kidneys of vaccinated fish, followed by a significant increase in neutralizing‐antibody titres. Furthermore, the vaccine‐induced antibodies potently neutralized Philippine betanodavirus isolates (RGNNV) in a cross‐neutralization assay. The present results indicate the potential of the formalin‐inactivated RGNNV vaccine against viral nervous necrosis (VNN) of Asian seabass.
Protein digestion in larvae of the red oak borer Enaphalodes rufulus
Authors: CROOK DAMON J. , PRABHAKAR SHEILA , OPPERT BRENDA
Published: April 2009

Abstract In the Ozark Mountains of the U.S.A., the red oak borer Enaphalodes rufulus contributes to the destruction of red oaks. To understand nutrient digestion in E. rufulus larvae, digestive proteinases are compared in both larvae fed heartwood phloem and those transferred to artificial diet. The pH of gut extracts is approximately 6.3 in the midgut and foregut and decreases to 5.5 in the hindgut region. The hydrolysis of casein by midgut extracts from E. rufulus larvae fed either artificial diet or phloem from tree sections increases in buffers greater than pH 6.19, with maximum hydrolysis being observed at pH 10.1. Casein zymogram analysis reveals two major proteinase activities in larval midgut extracts of diet‐fed larvae, with molecular masses of approximately 25 and 40–60 kDa, whereas phloem‐fed larvae have proteinase activities corresponding to 40, 45, 60, 80 and >100 kDa. Substrate analysis indicates at least one major trypsin‐like activity in both gut extracts with a molecular mass of >100 kDa, but two chymotrypsin‐like activities of approximately 25 and >200 kDa are found only in diet‐fed larvae. Inhibitors of serine proteinases are most effective in reducing the general proteolytic activity of midgut extracts from larvae fed either food source. The data indicate that serine proteinase inhibitors have the potential to reduce E. rufulus larval damage to oaks. In particular, transgenic technologies incoporating trypsin inhibitors may be effective in reducing protein digestion in phloem‐feeding larvae.
Extensive expression regulation and lack of heterologous enzymatic activity of the Class II trehalose metabolism proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: RAMON MATTHEW , DE SMET IVE , VANDESTEENE LIES , NAUDTS MIRANDE , LEYMAN BARBARA , VAN DIJCK PATRICK , ROLLAND FILIP , BEECKMAN TOM , THEVELEIN JOHAN M.
Published: April 2009

Trehalose metabolism has profound effects on plant growth and metabolism, but the mechanisms involved are unclear. In Arabidopsis, 21 putative trehalose biosynthesis genes are classified in three subfamilies based on their similarity with yeast TPS1 (encoding a trehalose‐6‐phosphate synthase, TPS) or TPS2 (encoding a trehalose‐6‐phosphate phosphatase, TPP). Although TPS1 (Class I) and TPPA and TPPB (Class III) proteins have established TPS and TPP activity, respectively, the function of the Class II proteins (AtTPS5‐AtTPS11) remains elusive. A complete set of promoter‐β‐glucurinidase/green fluorescent protein reporters demonstrates their remarkably differential tissue‐specific expression and responsiveness to carbon availability and hormones. Heterologous expression in yeast furthermore suggests that none of the encoded enzymes displays significant TPS or TPP activity, consistent with a regulatory rather than metabolic function for this remarkable class of proteins.
Mechanisms of gene repression by vernalization in Arabidopsis
Authors: Sheldon Candice C. , Jean Finnegan E. , James Peacock W. , Dennis Elizabeth S.
Published: April 2009

FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) is a major regulator of flowering time in Arabidopsis. Repression of FLC occurs in response to prolonged cold exposure (vernalization) and is associated with an enrichment of the repressive histone modification trimethylated H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) and a depletion of the active histone modification H3K4me3 at FLC chromatin. In two cases genes adjacent to FLC are also repressed by vernalization. NEOMYCIN PHOSPHOTRANSFERASE II (NPTII) adjacent to an FLC transgene is repressed by vernalization, and this is associated with an increase in H3K27me3, demonstrating that the epigenetic repression of FLC can confer a repressed epigenetic state to an adjacent transcription unit. The second case involves the two genes adjacent to the endogenous FLC gene, UPSTREAM OF FLC (UFC) and DOWNSTREAM OF FLC (DFC). Both genes are repressed by vernalization (Finnegan et al., 2004), but they require neither cis‐acting nor trans‐acting factors derived from the FLC gene nor the VERNALIZATION2 (VRN2) complex which trimethylates H3K27. This demonstrates that there are two different mechanisms of gene repression by vernalization. We further show that repression and H3K27 trimethylation of FLC still occurs in mutants of the VRN2 complex. In contrast, the VRN2 complex is essential for repression and H3K27 trimethylation of the FLC‐related MADS AFFECTING FLOWERING (MAF) genes by vernalization. This suggest that other proteins are able to repress FLC, but not MAF, gene expression.
Impact of ezetimibe on cholesterol subfractions in dyslipidemic cardiac transplant recipients receiving statin therapy
Authors: Le Vy‐Van , Racine Normand , Pelletier Guy B. , Carrier Michel , Cossette Mariève , White Michel
Published: April 2009

Abstract:  Background:  Ezetimibe decreases cholesterol in cardiac transplant recipients intolerant to statins therapy. The effects of ezetimibe in addition to statins therapy and its relationship with the magnitude of dyslipidemia and statins utilization have not been studied in cardiac transplant recipients.

Methods:  The design of this investigation was a retrospective case control study. Twenty‐two patients receiving the combination of therapy of statins plus ezetimibe were compared with 43 patients treated with statins only. The endpoints were assessed after three months of follow‐up.

Results:  The addition of ezetimibe decreased low density lipoprotein‐cholesterol by 25% compared with a 4% increase in patients receiving statins only. The impact of ezetimibe was similar regardless of the magnitude of dyslipidemia or statins dosage. Ezetimibe increase high density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol only in patients with baseline HDL‐cholesterol above 1.3 mM/L (p < 0.05). There was an asymptomatic, but significant increase in creatinine kinase level [+31.4 ± 8.1 (ezetimibe) vs. + 1.5 ± 5.0 mM/L (placebo); p = 0.005].

Conclusion:  Ezetimibe therapy provides a significant reduction in most cholesterol subfractions regardless of the magnitude of dyslipidemia and statins dosage.
Survival at low temperature of larvae of the pine processionary moth Thaumetopoea pityocampa from an area of range expansion
Authors: Hoch Gernot , Toffolo Edoardo Petrucco , Netherer Sigrid , Battisti Andrea , Schopf Axel
Published: April 2009

1 Larvae of Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) develop throughout the winter, although their feeding activity and survival can be impaired by adverse climatic factors. The present study investigated the survival at low temperature of larvae originating from a population with range expansion in an alpine valley in Northern Italy.

2 The supercooling point of individually analysed larvae averaged at −7 °C. This value insufficiently described the cold hardiness of the larvae; 39% of the tested larvae were alive when returned to room temperature immediately after freezing. When larval colonies inside their nest were exposed to −17 °C for 1 h after gradual temperature decrease, survival was 70.4%.

3 Rearing of larvae in the laboratory at different day/night temperatures indicated an effect of cumulative chill injury on larvae. A logistic regression explained the relationship between negative thermal sum (h°C below 0 °C) received in the laboratory experiment and larval survival. A similar relationship was demonstrated between negative thermal sum and survival of larval colonies in the field.

4 In the laboratory experiment, some tested larvae were able to survive for up to 8 weeks without feeding depending on rearing temperature. As expected, feeding occurred only when larvae were reared at temperatures of 9 °C day/0 °C night.

5 We classify the larvae of T. pityocampa as being moderate freezing tolerant. The winter behaviour allows this species to track climate warming by a rapid expansion into those areas that become compatible with the insect’s development.
Failed pelvic pouch substituted by continent ileostomy
Authors: Wasmuth H. H. , Tranø G. , Wibe A. , Endreseth B. H. , Rydning A. , Myrvold H. E.
Published: April 2009

Objective  The long‐term failure rate of ileal pouch–anal anastomosis (IPAA) is 10–15%. When salvage surgery is unsuccessful, most surgeons prefer pouch excision with conventional ileostomy, thus sacrificing 40–50 cm of ileum. Conversion of a pelvic pouch to a continent ileostomy (CI, Kock pouch) is an alternative that preserves both the ileal surface and pouch properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical outcome after the construction of a CI following a failed IPAA.

Method  During 1984–2007, 317 patients were operated with IPAA at St Olavs Hospital and evaluated for failure, treatment and outcome. Seven patients with IPAA failure had CI. Four patients with IPAA failure referred from other hospitals underwent conversion to CI and are included in the final analysis.

Results  Seven patients had a CI constructed from the transposing pelvic pouch and four had the pelvic pouch removed and a new continent pouch constructed from the distal ileum. Median follow up after conversion to CI was 7 years (0–17 years). Two CI had to be removed due to fistulae. One patient needed a revision of the nipple valve due to pouch loosening. At the end of follow‐up, 8 of the 11 patients were fully continent. One patient with Crohn’s disease had minor leakage.

Conclusion  In patients with pelvic pouch failure, the possibility of conversion to CI should be presented to the patient as an alternative to pouch excision and permanent ileostomy. The advantage is the continence and possibly a better body image. Construction of a CI on a new ileal segment may be considered, but the consequences of additional small bowel loss and risk of malnutrition if the Kock pouch fails should be appraised.
Subsidiarity in the Area of EU Justice and Home Affairs Law—A Lost Cause?
Authors: Herlin‐Karnell Ester
Published: April 2009

This article intends to highlight the concept of subsidiarity in the area of the third pillar and EU criminal law more generally. In doing so, the article tries to show that criminal law could and should be seen as imbued with ‘subsidiarity’ and, more specifically, that it could be viewed as an expression of the principle of ultima ratio—a minimalism approach—in criminal law. Accordingly, the article asks why subsidiarity appears to be forgotten in third pillar matters despite its important function in this area. Moreover, the article confronts such a desired application of subsidiarity in the context of established EC law doctrine, by questioning whether it is possible simply to transplant the supranational discussion into the terrain of criminal law. Further, the article explores the function of Article 47 EU as the watchdog of the supranational sphere and discusses also briefly the phenomenon of enhanced cooperation in relation to the principle of subsidiarity in the domain of EU Justice and Home Affairs.