bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Export Instability and Economic Growth in Pakistan
Authors: Mohammad Pervez Wasim
Published: January 2008

Pakistan's economy is typically characterized by a large resource (saving-investment) gap, government budget deficit and current account imbalance. Reliance on international trade and foreign capital inflows has become crucial to sustain and enhance the pace of economic growth in the scarcity and misutilization of domestic resources. The changing composition of exports suggests that Pakistan is no longer a country that relies heavily on the export of primary commodities to generate foreign exchange earmings. However, Pakistan still relies heavily on the labour-intensive and low value-added exports. This study is an attempt to determine growth and instability in Pakistan exports value by economic classification using time-series data for the period 1973-74 to 2000-2001. The study also shows the association between growth and instability in exports. The period has been divided into two sub-periods, namely, period I (1973-74 to 1986-87) and period II (1987-88 to 2000-2001) to clearly bring out the trend in more recent period. The study reveals that during period III (overall period), the growth rate of manufactured goods was highest, followed by semi-manufactured and primary commodities. The export instability is higher for semi-manufactured and primary commodities compared to manufactured goods in period III. Instability in most of the sections increased in period II as compared to period I. The study also confirms that there exists a statistically significant and positive association between export growth and export instability in Pakistan.
Tips from Top Advertising Executives: Implications for Advertising Education
Authors: Ducoffe Robert H. , Ducoffe Sandra J.
Published: January 2008

As advertising degrees continue to grow in popularity, harmonizing the objectives of advertising educators with those of practitioners will grow in importance. A survey of top agency executives focused on two issues: factors contributing to their success and advice to students beginning their own careers. Implications for advertising educators are drawn.
Scaling the Information Load of Occupations: Preliminary Findings of the Fit Between Individual Capacities and Environmental Demands
Authors: Haase Richard F. , Ferreira Joaquim Armando G. A. , Santos Eduardo J. R. , Aguayo Gina M. , Fallon Melissa M.
Published: January 2008

Person—Environment (P-E) fit models provide a conceptually powerful way to think about career development, vocational choice, and occupational success. The work reported here focuses on yet another pair of P-E criteria: self-reported individual capacity for information processing (the ability to tolerate information overload from a variety of stimulus sources), and the corresponding demand characteristics for information processing of the occupational environment. To achieve the aims of this project, the authors have borrowed from the literature on information processing, anthropology, and human factors to define the information load context of the occupational environment. The authors have constructed a P-E congruence scheme for five domains of information processing: information load, interpersonal load, change load, activity structure, and time structure, and employed the methods of psychophysics to quantify occupational environments across these domains. The results of this preliminary work, replicated across two cultures, are presented here.
The Cortical Control of Visually Guided Grasping
Authors: Castiello Umberto , Begliomini Chiara
Published: January 2008

People have always been fascinated by the exquisite precision and flexibility of the human hand. When hand meets object, we confront the overlapping worlds of sensorimotor and cognitive functions. The complex apparatus of the human hand is used to reach for objects, grasp and lift them, manipulate them, and use them to act on other objects. This review examines what is known about the control of the hand by the cerebral cortex. It compares and summarizes results from behavioral neuroscience, electrophysiology, and neuroimaging to provide a detailed description of the neural circuits that facilitate the formation of grip patterns in human and nonhuman primates. NEUROSCIENTIST 14(2):157—170, 2008. DOI: 10.1177/1073858407312080
Employment Efforts of Family Members—Who Works and How Much1
Authors: Metzen Edward J. , Helmick Sandra A.
Published: January 2008

A new measure of intensity of employment of human resources, which takes into account not only market work effort but certain constraints imposed by nonmarket obligations and disability of family members as well, was developed and utilized to assess the productive efforts of family units and their individual members. Families in small towns in the Missouri valley and in low‐income areas of three metropolitan locations were included in this rural‐urban comparative study. The intensity of employment of families in the small towns was found to exceed that in the urban areas due to overtime work effort on the part of husbands and a higher incidence of employment of wives and other family members. Those wives who did work in the urban areas, however, achieved higher employment intensities than the working wives in the small towns.
Ascorbic Acid Retention and Organoleptic Quality of Green Vegetables Cooked by Several Techniques Using Ammonium Bicarbonate1
Authors: Odland Dianne , Eheart Mary S.
Published: January 2008

Five fresh green vegetables were cooked in small amounts of water (control), small amounts of water to which ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) had been added, and four of the five were also cooked in large amounts of water. Samples were analyzed for pH, titratable acidity, reduced and dehydro ascorbic acid, and color difference. The addition of NH4HCO3 to small amounts of water was found to be a more effective method of preserving color and ascorbic acid than the use of large amounts of water.

Four commercially frozen green vegetables were cooked by package directions (control), in NH4HCO3 solution, and three of the four in ammonium bicarbonate ‐ calcium acetate (NH4HCO3 ‐ CaAc2) solution. The vegetables were analyzed for the same parameters described for fresh vegetables. Use of NH4HCO3 was again found to be an effective method for retention of color during cooking. The addition of CaAc2 prevented some of the adverse effects of the NH4HCO3 on firmness of the vegetables. Ascorbic acid losses were unaffected by either NH4HCO3 treatment.
Housing Decisions in Selecting a Residence in a Planned Townhouse Development
Authors: Gallogly Frances D.
Published: January 2008

The process by which families decide to locate in a planned townhouse conarnurtity was studied in the context of a model of the decision‐making process involving “predictor,” “selection process,” and “outcomes of move” variables, using chi‐square analysis and contingency coefficients. The data were obtained through interviews using a structured questionnaire.

The community studied was demographically fairly homogeneous. While housing space was of primary importance in decisions to move and housirtg specifications set while exploring the market, the physical appearance of the neighborhood and recreational facilities available proved important attractions to the community.

Accessibility to place of employment was not of prime importance in housing decisions. The data supported prior theory that residential location really consists of two separate but linked decisions‐the decision to move and the decision to buy with an intervening search process. Some of the problems as well as the appeals of new planned communities were explored.
Exploratory Task Behavior and Creativity in Young Children
Authors: Cohen Stewart
Published: January 2008

This research investigated some associations between exploratory task behavior and creativity in kindergarten and second grade students. For each grade a short series of specially selected, individually administered exploratory and creativity tasks were presented. Data were collected from 129 boys and girls. Among kindergarten children of both sexes, the exploratory and creativity measures were positively and significantly correlated. However, a different pattern of correlations was observed among. second grade students. Particularly among males, correlations were sharply lower than for the younger children indicating that early established exploration‐creativity relationships may not hold over time. Two possible explanations for these findings include developmental differences and children's exposure to structured learning environments in more advanced grades.
Riesgos para la salud asociados al parasitismo del pescado por nematodos de los géneros Anisakis y Pseudoterranova/Health hazards related to occurrence of parasites of the genera Anisakis and Pseudoterranova in fish
Authors: Lopez Sabater E.I. , Lopez Sabater C.J.
Published: January 2008

Anisakiasis, also named larva migrans visceral or eosinophilic granuloma, is a widespread ictiozoonosis. Occurrence of this parasitic disease in Spain has risen dramatically in the last decade. The presence of Anisakis spp. and related species in fish presents both a potential public health threat to humans and also an important cause of economic losses for fish processing industries. Anisakiasis is transmitted through comsumption of fish and squid that harbor the third stage larvae of parasites belonging to the Anisakidae family, both raw or minimally processed. Changes in the way that fish is handled and processed after its capture and also in how fish is cooked at home and elsewhere, could explain why this parasitic disease is progressing so rapidly during the second half of this century. The importance of this parasitosis is growing as a consequence both of the high incidence of Anisakis spp. in fish and the widespread consumer ignorance of this potential threat.
Effects of enzyme associations on bread dough performance. A response surface analysis/ Efectos de las asociaciones enzimáticas sobre la calidad funcional de masas panarias. Análisis de superficies de respuesta
Authors: Collar C. , Martinez J.C. , Andreu P. , Armero E.
Published: January 2008

Effects of starch (bacterial α-amylase and NMYL) and non-starch (xylanase PTP, lipase NVZ and glucose-oxidase GLZ) degrading enzymes on dough quality parameters (rheological, fermentative, textural and thermal characteristics) were determined by means of the response surface methodology to a central composite design of white wheat dough samples. PTP showed linear, interactive and/or quadratic significant effects on most functional properties. Higher dosages of PTP yielded softer and less adhesive doughs with higher gas retention capability but with weakened gluten and poorer machinability (stickier). Negative linear and positive quadratic effects of PTP were observed on dough hardness and derived mechanical properties gumminess and chewiness. Optimized dosage of 30 mg/100g flour led to improved handling and fermentative dough characteristics and avoided excessive dough hardness and stickiness. The simultaneous presence of PTP and NVZ decreased fermentation time and increased dough extensibility. The combination of both PTP and NMYL and / or incorporation of NVZ decreased dough resilience, which corresponded to a greater extensibility and a lower dough consistency. Although GLZ addition induced some desirable effects on the final dough volume and the amylose-lipid complexation, the incorporation of the pair PTP/GLZ into dough formulas is not recommended because of the reduction of the induced softening effect of PTP. A significant negative and quadratic effect of NMYL addition was observed for the enthalpy of dissociation of the amylose-lipid complex. Incorporation of this enzyme up to 30 mg/100 g flour did not significantly decrease values for this thermal property. No criteria for optimum dosage of NVZ were established, and it is recommended that doses higher than those recommended by the manufacturer (5 mg/100 g of flour) be used.
The influence of blanching pretreatments on the quality of dehydrated broccoli stems/ Influencia del tipo de escaldado en la calidad de tallos de bróculi deshidratados
Authors: Sanjuan N. , Benedito J. , Clemente G. , Mulet A.
Published: January 2008

Different blanching treatments were applied to sliced broccoli stems prior to dehydration in order to improve product quality. The pretreatments used were a conventional blanching in water at 100°C, and a stepwise blanching using different temperatures for the first step (50, 55, 60, 65 and 70°C). Five rehydration temperatures were used (25, 40, 55, 65 and 80 °C). Rehydration rate, chlorophyll content and texture of the rehydrated product were evaluated. Rehydration was modeled based on Fick's diffusion equation. A good agreement between the model and the experimental data was obtained when D eff and W e values were identified for each temperature (average percent variation 99.3). Samples stepwise blanched at 60 °C showed, on average, the lowest We and Ea values. Stepwise blanching at 60 and 65 °C and rehydration at 25, 40 and 55 °C were the combinations that gave the firmest product. Stepwise blanching at 50 °C and rehydration between 25 and 65 °C was the combination that preserved the highest chlorophyll content. From these results, it seems difficult to obtain firm samples with high chlorophyll content without any chemical additive.
Sensory characteristics of Iberian ham: Influence of rearing system and muscle location/ Caracteristicas sensoriales del jamón Ibérico: Influencia del sistema de engorde y del músculo
Authors: Cava R. , Ventanas J. , Ruiz J. , Andres A.I. , Antequera T.
Published: January 2008

The effects of pig rearing conditions (free-range system based on acorn and pasture versus confinement on a concentrate feed) and muscle location (biceps femoris and semimembranosus) on sensory characteristics of dry-cured Iberian hams were studied. Muscle samples were sensorily evaluated for appearance, texture, aroma and flavor attributes by a trained panel. Muscle location significantly affected texture and appearance traits. Semimembranosus muscle was harder, dryer and more fibrous than was biceps femoris muscle. Rearing conditions significantly affected sensory attributes related to fatty acid composition and lipid content of meat. Hams from free-range pigs showed higher scores in oiliness, brightness of the lean, marbling, and aroma and flavor traits than did hams from pigs raised in confinement.
Hospitality Education and the Technological Revolution
Authors: Andrew William P.
Published: January 2008

New advances in technology pervade nearly every aspect of our society, and hospitality is certainly no exception. Hospitality graduates entering the field find themselves surrounded by computerized point of sale, bar management, hotel reservation and front office, energy management, menu scoring, and accounting and inventory systems, along with such computer-controlled cooking equipment as friers and microvraves.

Unfortunately, many of these hospitality graduates lack a basic understanding of how this technology will affect their professional roles or the overall direction of the industry. Thus, it is critical that hospitality education programs place more emphasis on providing their students with this understanding. To be able to do this efficiently and effectively, however, we need to understand the reasons why difficulties presently exist and how they may ultimately be resolved.
Quality Control Activities for Total Management in Japanese Hotels
Authors: Kaneto Noriharu
Published: January 2008

Many people have been amazed by the present level of economic prosperity in Japan. What is not realized is the fact that Quality Control has been the most significant contributing factor to this rise.

It has been proven advantageous to have a complete understanding of Quality Control activities. This paper explains in a step-by-step fashion the implementation of a QC program, the guidelinesfor the development of QC activities, the procedurefor introducing QC circles to Service Indiistries, and the advantages of utilizing this program in a hotel cotttpany.

An actual QC seminar has been outlined and aids in developing a true understanding of the program.
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: Reflecting on the Ethics and Effects of a Collective Critical Management Studies Identity Project
Authors: Reedy Patrick
Published: January 2008

This article explores the relationship between the identity of critical management studies (CMS) academics and that of managers. The article argues that, as a result of the way in which CMS identities are pursued, managers often become represented as culpable dupes. This instrumental `othering' of managers tends to work against an empathetic understanding of their lives. The article suggests that this raises ethical problems as it runs counter to the espoused aims of much CMS work. The article first considers the nature of CMS through a number of key `positioning' articles that suggest an identity attractive to many of its members. It goes on to analyse how this identity positions the managerial other, using a theoretical framework derived from Sartre, Heidegger and Ricoeur. The article concludes with a discussion of how CMS might address the implications of the interdependent identity projects of academics and managers.
Mothers' Explanations of Communicating Past Health and Future Risks to Survivors of Childhood Cancer
Authors: Clarke Sally-Ann , Sheppard Linda , Eiser Christine
Published: January 2008

Mothers of survivors of Retinoblastoma (Rb) experience unique challenges communicating with their child about the condition. Children are mostly diagnosed within their first year but the consequences continue into young adult life. Here 39 mothers of Rb survivors (23 males, mean age = 10.26 years) were interviewed about their experiences. Mothers were asked about communication with their children about Rb, and future health risks. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Mothers reported that they had informed children about past diagnosis and treatment but had spoken less about genetic risk or risk of secondary cancer. The child's age and information-seeking behaviour were associated with mothers' disclosure, along with mothers' perceptions that information would facilitate child coping. Findings suggest that mothers may need more guidance during follow-up care in communicating about the disease and its consequences for future health. Medical staff should also take extra care to ensure that mothers are aware of genetic counselling services and how to access them before the child is discharged from specialist care.
Self- and Parent Assessment of Mental Health: Disagreement on Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviour in Young Refugees from the Middle East
Authors: Montgomery Edith
Published: January 2008

Self- and parent assessment of mental health problems yield a limited degree of cross-informant agreement in adolescent populations. Working with data from 122 refugee children, adolescents and young adults from the Middle East, the aims of this study were to analyse levels of agreement and disagreement between self-and parent ratings of externalizing and internalizing behaviour and to identify predictors for the differences between the two sets of ratings. Parents and children were interviewed separately using structured questionnaires. Mental health was assessed using the Achenbach System of Empirically-based Assessment. Self- and parent-rated scale scores correlated moderately. The mean score differences between self- and parent-rated internalizing and externalizing behaviour were 2.0 and 2.7, p < 0.005, respectively. A larger mean difference was found among boys concerning externalizing behaviour and among girls concerning internalizing behaviour. Individual (age, and sex) family (father's health situation) and ethnic background predicted this difference. This could indicate that parent ratings and children's self-ratings are two, qualitatively different constructs and not just a result of expected inter-observer disagreement. When assessing young refugees for possible treatment, this difference needs to be understood and taken into consideration.
Why are Australian GPs using alternative medicine?
Authors: Eastwood Heather
Published: January 2008

This paper examines a comprehensive, sociological explanation of the increasing recognition and use of alternative therapies-such as acupuncture—by Australian GPs. Noting the 'pragmatic' motives of clinical legitimacy and market demand, this paper goes on to explore the deeper roots of this phenomenon in a widespread cultural shift often termed postmodernisation. In this instance, this development involves a return to and commodification of nature, spirituality, tradition and pre-modern, often non-Western values and practices. These postmodernising trends are compatible with the holistic health values that underpin alternative therapies. The analytic inductive methodology employed involved the collection of data from 60 health care providers from the Brisbane metropolitan region. This paper, however, draws on only part of the data collected to provide empirical evidence of clinical 'postmodern' encounters of biomedically trained GPs (n=17) who employ alternative medicine in their daily practice.
'Where's me dinner?': food preparation arrangements in rural Australian families
Authors: Lupton Deborah
Published: January 2008

In the wake of the second-wave feminist movement and related social changes, including the participation of more women in the paid workforce, an egalitarian discourse has dominated notions of the ideal division of domestic labour in heterosexual households, including those tasks involving food preparation. Some critics have argued, however, that this discourse is not taken up in practice, with women still taking more responsibility than their partners for cooking for the family. This article presents findings from a qualitative study involving interviews with 34 heterosexual couples living in a rural region of Australia about their food preparation arrangements. The findings demonstrate that for most of the couples the female partner did indeed take major responsibility for cooking for the family. Three dominant rationales were expressed by the participants to explain why the division of labour remains unequal in relation to cooking: those of expertise, enjoyment and fairness. Importantly, however, there was evidence of a weakening in gendered assumptions about who should cook and of significant participation by men in food preparation. This was particularly the case among younger, more highly educated participants or those in professional occupations or in couples where the male partner was unemployed.
Assimilation and resistance: housing indigenous Australians in the 1970s
Authors: Morgan George
Published: January 2008

During the early 1970s, large numbers of Aboriginal people became tenants of the Housing Commission of New South Wales under the Housing for Aborigines program. Most moved from government reserves or dilapidated and overcrowded private rental dwellings to broadacre suburban estates. As public housing tenants, they encountered considerable pressures to become 'respectable' citizens, to build their lives around privacy, sobriety, moral restraint, the nuclear family, conventional gender roles and wage labour. For many indigenous Australians, these expectations-which were based as much on class relations as on colonialism— represented a threat to their conventional ways of life and their obligations to extended family and community. This paper explores the patterns of conformity and resistance amongst Aboriginal tenants. It draws on the sociological and cultural studies literature on youth subcultural resistance and compares anthropological theory about indigenous responses to the pressures of modernity.
Civic, national and denizen identity in Australia
Authors: Pakulski Jan , Tranter Bruce
Published: January 2008

Macro-social identities reflect the strength of social attachments (strong vs weak) and the objects-referents of such attachments (society vs nation). Three types of macro-social identities-civic, (ethno-) national and denizen-are distinguished and operationalised in Australia using national survey data (1995 ISSP). The largest proportion (38 per cent) of Australians embrace civic identity, an identity type most widespread among 'baby boomers', the tertiary educated and secular. Those who embrace the national identity form a sizeable minority (30 per cent), and are predominantly older, less educated and religious. Denizen identity characterises a small minority (6 per cent) of Australians who feel weakly attached to the country. The key issues dividing the adherents to civic and national identities are immigration and its socioeconomic consequences. Ethno-nationalists embrace neo-conservative rather than extremist attitudes, although their numbers may be declining in the wake of generational replacement, the education revolution and progressive secularisation.
Bibliometrics and the evaluation of Australian sociology
Authors: Phelan Thomas J.
Published: January 2008

The Australian government has expressed a continuing interest in the assessment of research productivity as a basic element of a 'rationalised' research funding process. Bibliometric analyses are among the techniques that the government uses to evaluate the quality of research performance. Like many other disciplines, sociology is a target of these assessments. This paper presents data to demonstrate how Australian sociology might measure up if subjected to an inquiry using these methods. Data are provided on the standing of Australian sociology internationally and on the research contributions of major Australian universities. Several important methodological issues are reviewed and discussed. It is concluded that Australian sociologists would be well served by becoming active participants in the ongoing national debate over the assessment of research performance and the allocation of funding for tertiary education and science.
Predictors of HIV Status Among Injecting Drug Users and Health Promotion
Authors: Ross Michael W , Stowe Aaron , Wodak Alex , Miller M.E. , Gold J.
Published: January 2008

Two consecutive samples one year apart of injecting drug users ( n=754 and n=345) were collected in Sydney, Australia and analysed for predictors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence. Data indicated that similar variables were associated with HIV infection in both waves of the study. Risks for HIV infection included number of injections in last typical using month, acceptance of used injecting equipment from other injecting drug users (IDUs) who were known to be infected either before or after the sharing occurred, having sex with people known to be infected with HIV, and sexual orientation. It was not possible to determine whether sexual or equipment sharing with known HIV infected people preceded or followed HIV infection. These data confirm that predictors of HIV prevalence in Sydney are similar to those found in overseas studies and that sexual orientation appears to be the most powerful predictor. These data suggest both that sexual contact is an important route of infection in IDUs, and that sexual risks for HIV infection in IDUs need to be emphasised.
Alcohol and The Liver
Authors: Sherlock Dame Sheila
Published: January 2008

The association of alcohol with cirrhosis has been recognised for centuries. Worldwide, the consumption of alcohol is increasing. It is, however, becoming less in France (Government propaganda) and in the United States (changing life styles). Only 10-15% of those who abuse alcohol will develop cirrhosis. Risk factors are uncertain, but include dose and duration of alcohol consumption and female sex.

Genetic differences in the metabolism of alcohol are important. Nutrition is of less importance.

Alcohol is predominantly metabolised in the liver, the maximum is 160 to 180 g/day. 1 gm alcohol gives 7 calories and the alcoholic literally runs on spirit.

The mechanisms by which the liver is damaged are uncertain. One factor may be acetaldehyde which is generated when alcohol is metabolised and is highly toxic. The changes in the liver go from fatty change, to acute alcoholic hepatitis, to cirrhosis and occasionally to liver cancer.

Early recognition of alcoholic liver damage depends on the physician's suspicions, digestive symptoms, enlarged liver and an increase in the blood of liver enzymes (transaminases and especially, gammaglutamyl transpeptidase (Gamma GT). The red blood cells are increased in size (macrocytosis).

Acute alcoholic hepatitis follows heavy consumption without eating. The patient is jaundiced and toxic and there is a high mortality.

Cirrhosis is the end-stage of alcoholic liver damage. It is marked by jaundice, fluid in the belly (ascites), mental changes and bleeding from veins in the food pipe (oesophageal varices). Cirrhosis is irreversible.

The outlook for cirrhosis in alcoholics is better than for other forms of cirrhosis, particularly if the patient abstains. The treatment otherwise is along the lines of any other form of chronic liver disease.

Alcoholic cirrhosis is a self-inflicted disease. Donor organs are in short supply and there may be reluctance to consider liver transplantation. It is reserved for those with end-stage disease, who have been abstinent for at least 6 months, have a good job to return to, good family support and no other alcohol-related disease. The results are the same as for other types of cirrhosis.

About 10% return to alcoholism after the transplant. ■
Explaining fairness in complex environments
Authors: Zollman Kevin J.S.
Published: January 2008

This article presents the evolutionary dynamics of three games: the Nash bargaining game, the ultimatum game, and a hybrid of the two. One might expect that the probability that some behavior evolves in an environment with two games would be near the probability that the same behavior evolves in either game alone. This is not the case for the ultimatum and Nash bargaining games. Fair behavior is more likely to evolve in a combined game than in either game taken individually. This result confirms a conjecture that the complexity of our actual environment provides an explanation for the evolution of fair behavior.
Aggregate rationality in adjudication and legislation
Authors: Kornhauser Lewis A.
Published: January 2008

Analyses of complex entities such as bureaucracies, courts, legislatures, and firms typically personify them. A strong conception of personification requires that these entities have rational interests, rational (factual) beliefs, and rational normative judgments. On one account of personification, such personified rationality should be aggregate rationality: the interests, beliefs, and normative judgments should depend only on the interests, beliefs, and judgments of the individuals who constitute the complex entity. I argue that aggregate rationality is too strong a normative requirement to impose on courts and legislatures.
Down-regulation of Mpl marks the transition to lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors with gradual loss of granulocyte-monocyte potential
Authors: Luc Sidinh , Anderson Kristina , Kharazi Shabnam , Buza-Vidas Natalija , Böiers Charlotta , Jensen Christina T. , Ma Zhi , Wittmann Lilian , Jacobsen Sten Eirik W.
Published: January 2008

Evidence for a novel route of adult hematopoietic stem-cell lineage commitment through Lin−Sca-1+Kit+Flt3hi (LSKFlt3hi) lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors (LMPPs) with granulocyte/monocyte (GM) and lymphoid but little or no megakaryocyte/erythroid (MkE) potential was recently challenged, as LSKFlt3hi cells were reported to possess MkE potential. Herein, residual (1%-2%) MkE potential segregated almost entirely with LSKFlt3hi cells expressing the thrombopoietin receptor (Mpl), whereas LSKFlt3hiMpl− LMPPs lacked significant MkE potential in vitro and in vivo, but sustained combined GM and lymphoid potentials, and coexpressed GM and lymphoid but not MkE transcriptional lineage programs. Gradually increased transcriptional lymphoid priming in single LMPPs from Rag1GFP mice was shown to occur in the presence of maintained GM lineage priming, but gradually reduced GM lineage potential. These functional and molecular findings reinforce the existence of GM/lymphoid-restricted progenitors with dramatically down-regulated probability for committing toward MkE fates, and support that lineage restriction occurs through gradual rather than abrupt changes in specific lineage potentials.
EAPB0203, a member of the imidazoquinoxaline family, inhibits growth and induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in T-cell lymphomas and HTLV-I–associated adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma
Authors: Moarbess Georges , El-Hajj Hiba , Kfoury Youmna , El-Sabban Marwan E. , Lepelletier Yves , Hermine Olivier , Deleuze-Masquéfa Carine , Bonnet Pierre-Antoine , Bazarbachi Ali
Published: January 2008

Imiquimod is an immune response modifier currently used as a topical treatment of genital warts, basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous metastasis of malignant melanoma, and vascular tumors. We developed more efficient killers from the same family of compounds that can induce apoptosis without the prominent pro-inflammatory response associated with imiquimod. Among these new products, tk;4EAPB0203, a member of the imidazo[1,2-a]quinoxalines, exhibits an important cytotoxic activity in vitro. HTLV-I–associated adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV-I–negative peripheral T-cell lymphomas are associated with poor prognosis. Using potentially achievable concentrations of EAPB0203, we demonstrate inhibition of cell proliferation, G2/M cell- cycle arrest, and induction of apoptosis in HTLV-I–transformed and HTLV-I–negative malignant T cells and fresh ATL cells, whereas normal resting or activated T lymphocytes were resistant. EAPB0203 treatment significantly down-regulated the antiapoptotic proteins c-IAP-1 and Bcl-XL and resulted in a significant loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, cytoplasmic release of cytochrome c, and caspase-dependent apoptosis. Moreover, in HTLV-I–transformed cells only, EAPB0203 treatment stabilized p21 and p53 proteins but had no effect on NF-κB activation. These results support a potential therapeutic role for EAPB0203 in ATL and HTLV-I–negative T-cell lymphomas, either as a systemic or topical therapy for skin lesions.
Structural and functional effects of hereditary hemolytic anemia-associated point mutations in the alpha spectrin tetramer site
Authors: Gaetani Massimiliano , Mootien Sara , Harper Sandra , Gallagher Patrick G. , Speicher David W.
Published: January 2008

The most common hereditary elliptocytosis (HE) and hereditary pyropoikilocytosis (HPP) mutations are α-spectrin missense mutations in the dimer-tetramer self-association site. In this study, we systematically compared structural and functional properties of the 14 known HE/HPP mutations located in the α-spectrin tetramer binding site. All mutant α-spectrin recombinant peptides were well folded, stable structures, with only the R34W mutant exhibiting a slight structural destabilization. In contrast, binding affinities measured by isothermal titration calorimetry were greatly variable, ranging from no detectable binding observed for I24S, R28C, R28H, R28S, and R45S to approximately wild-type binding for R34W and K48R. Binding affinities for the other 7 mutants were reduced by approximately 10- to 100-fold relative to wild-type binding. Some sites, such as R28, were hot spots that were very sensitive to even relatively conservative substitutions, whereas other sites were only moderately perturbed by nonconservative substitutions. The R34W and K48R mutations were particularly intriguing mutations that apparently either destabilize tetramers through mechanisms not probed by the univalent tetramer binding assay or represent polymorphisms rather than the pathogenic mutations responsible for observed clinical symptoms. All α0 HE/HPP mutations studied here appear to exert their destabilizing effects through molecular recognition rather than structural mechanisms.
Blocking binding of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa to Bombyx mori cadherin receptor results in only a minor reduction of toxicity
Authors: You Taek H , Lee Mi K , Jenkins Jeremy L , Alzate Oscar , Dean Donald H
Published: January 2008

Background

Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa insecticidal protein is the most active known B. thuringiensis toxin against the forest insect pest Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth), unfortunately it is also highly toxic against the non-target insect Bombyx mori (silk worm).

Results

Surface exposed hydrophobic residues over domains II and III were targeted for site-directed mutagenesis. Substitution of a phenylalanine residue (F328) by alanine reduced binding to the Bombyx mori cadherin by 23-fold, reduced biological activity against B. mori by 4-fold, while retaining activity against Lymantria dispar.

Conclusion

The results identify a novel receptor-binding epitope and demonstrate that virtual elimination of binding to cadherin BR-175 does not completely remove toxicity in the case of B. mori.
miRNAminer: A tool for homologous microRNA gene search
Authors: Artzi Shay , Kiezun Adam , Shomron Noam
Published: January 2008

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), present in most metazoans, are small non-coding RNAs that control gene expression by negatively regulating translation through binding to the 3'UTR of mRNA transcripts. Previously, experimental and computational methods were used to construct miRNA gene repositories agreeing with careful submission guidelines.

Results

An algorithm we developed – miRNAminer – is used for homologous conserved miRNA gene search in several animal species. Given a search query, candidate homologs from different species are tested for their known miRNA properties, such as secondary structure, energy and alignment and conservation, in order to asses their fidelity. When applying miRNAminer on seven mammalian species we identified several hundreds of high-confidence homologous miRNAs increasing the total collection of (miRbase) miRNAs, in these species, by more than 50%. miRNAminer uses stringent criteria and exhibits high sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusion

We present – miRNAminer – the first web-server for homologous miRNA gene search in animals. miRNAminer can be used to identify conserved homolog miRNA genes and can also be used prior to depositing miRNAs in public databases. miRNAminer is available at http://pag.csail.mit.edu/mirnaminer.
Predicting the Interactome of Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae for target selection and DB service
Authors: Kim Jeong-Gu , Park Daeui , Kim Byoung-Chul , Cho Seong-Woong , Kim Yeong Tae , Park Young-Jin , Cho Hee Jung , Park Hyunseok , Kim Ki-Bong , Yoon Kyong-Oh , Park Soo-Jun , Lee Byoung-Moo , Bhak Jong
Published: January 2008

Background

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play key roles in various cellular functions. In addition, some critical inter-species interactions such as host-pathogen interactions and pathogenicity occur through PPIs. Phytopathogenic bacteria infect hosts through attachment to host tissue, enzyme secretion, exopolysaccharides production, toxins release, iron acquisition, and effector proteins secretion. Many such mechanisms involve some kind of protein-protein interaction in hosts. Our first aim was to predict the whole protein interaction pairs (interactome) of Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae (Xoo) that is an important pathogenic bacterium that causes bacterial blight (BB) in rice. We developed a detection protocol to find possibly interacting proteins in its host using whole genome PPI prediction algorithms. The second aim was to build a DB server and a bioinformatic procedure for finding target proteins in Xoo for developing pesticides that block host-pathogen protein interactions within critical biochemical pathways.

Description

A PPI network in Xoo proteome was predicted by bioinformatics algorithms: PSIMAP, PEIMAP, and iPfam. We present the resultant species specific interaction network and host-pathogen interaction, XooNET. It is a comprehensive predicted initial PPI data for Xoo. XooNET can be used by experimentalists to pick up protein targets for blocking pathological interactions. XooNET uses most of the major types of PPI algorithms. They are: 1) Protein Structural Interactome MAP (PSIMAP), a method using structural domain of SCOP, 2) Protein Experimental Interactome MAP (PEIMAP), a common method using public resources of experimental protein interaction information such as HPRD, BIND, DIP, MINT, IntAct, and BioGrid, and 3) Domain-domain interactions, a method using Pfam domains such as iPfam. Additionally, XooNET provides information on network properties of the Xoo interactome.

Conclusion

XooNET is an open and free public database server for protein interaction information for Xoo. It contains 4,538 proteins and 26,932 possible interactions consisting of 18,503 (PSIMAP), 3,118 (PEIMAP), and 8,938 (iPfam) pairs. In addition, XooNET provides 3,407 possible interaction pairs between two sets of proteins; 141 Xoo proteins that are predicted as membrane proteins and rice proteomes. The resultant interacting partners of a query protein can be easily retrieved by users as well as the interaction networks in graphical web interfaces. XooNET is freely available from http://bioportal.kobic.kr/XooNET/.
A dynamic Bayesian network approach to protein secondary structure prediction
Authors: Yao Xin-Qiu , Zhu Huaiqiu , She Zhen-Su
Published: January 2008

Background

Protein secondary structure prediction method based on probabilistic models such as hidden Markov model (HMM) appeals to many because it provides meaningful information relevant to sequence-structure relationship. However, at present, the prediction accuracy of pure HMM-type methods is much lower than that of machine learning-based methods such as neural networks (NN) or support vector machines (SVM).

Results

In this paper, we report a new method of probabilistic nature for protein secondary structure prediction, based on dynamic Bayesian networks (DBN). The new method models the PSI-BLAST profile of a protein sequence using a multivariate Gaussian distribution, and simultaneously takes into account the dependency between the profile and secondary structure and the dependency between profiles of neighboring residues. In addition, a segment length distribution is introduced for each secondary structure state. Tests show that the DBN method has made a significant improvement in the accuracy compared to other pure HMM-type methods. Further improvement is achieved by combining the DBN with an NN, a method called DBNN, which shows better Q
3 accuracy than many popular methods and is competitive to the current state-of-the-arts. The most interesting feature of DBN/DBNN is that a significant improvement in the prediction accuracy is achieved when combined with other methods by a simple consensus.

Conclusion

The DBN method using a Gaussian distribution for the PSI-BLAST profile and a high-ordered dependency between profiles of neighboring residues produces significantly better prediction accuracy than other HMM-type probabilistic methods. Owing to their different nature, the DBN and NN combine to form a more accurate method DBNN. Future improvement may be achieved by combining DBNN with a method of SVM type.
The contrasting properties of conservation and correlated phylogeny in protein functional residue prediction
Authors: Manning Jonathan R , Jefferson Emily R , Barton Geoffrey J
Published: January 2008

Background

Amino acids responsible for structure, core function or specificity may be inferred from multiple protein sequence alignments where a limited set of residue types are tolerated. The rise in available protein sequences continues to increase the power of techniques based on this principle.

Results

A new algorithm, SMERFS, for predicting protein functional sites from multiple sequences alignments was compared to 14 conservation measures and to the MINER algorithm. Validation was performed on an automatically generated dataset of 1457 families derived from the protein interactions database SNAPPI-DB, and a smaller manually curated set of 148 families. The best performing measure overall was Williamson property entropy, with ROC
0.1 scores of 0.0087 and 0.0114 for domain and small molecule contact prediction, respectively. The Lancet method performed worse than random on protein-protein interaction site prediction (ROC
0.1 score of 0.0008). The SMERFS algorithm gave similar accuracy to the phylogenetic tree-based MINER algorithm but was superior to Williamson in prediction of non-catalytic transient complex interfaces. SMERFS predicts sites that are significantly more solvent accessible compared to Williamson.

Conclusion

Williamson property entropy is the the best performing of 14 conservation measures examined. The difference in performance of SMERFS relative to Williamson in manually defined complexes was dependent on complex type. The best choice of analysis method is therefore dependent on the system of interest. Additional computation employed by Miner in calculation of phylogenetic trees did not produce improved results over SMERFS. SMERFS performance was improved by use of windows over alignment columns, illustrating the necessity of considering the local environment of positions when assessing their functional significance.
MyoD- and nerve-dependent maintenance of MyoDexpression in mature muscle fibres acts through the DRR/PRR element
Authors: Chargé Sophie B , Brack Andrew S , Bayol Stéphanie A , Hughes Simon M
Published: January 2008

Background

MyoD is a transcription factor implicated in the regulation of adult muscle gene expression. Distinguishing the expression of MyoD in satellite myoblasts and muscle fibres has proved difficult in vivo leading to controversy over the significance of MyoD expression within adult innervated muscle fibres. Here we employ the MD6.0-lacZ transgenic mouse, in which the 6 kb proximal enhancer/promoter (DRR/PRR) of MyoD drives lacZ, to show that MyoD is present and transcriptionally active in many adult muscle fibres.

Results

In culture, MD6.0-lacZ expresses in myotubes but not myogenic cells, unlike endogenous MyoD. Reporter expression in vivo is in muscle fibre nuclei and is reduced in MyoD null mice. The MD6.0-lacZ reporter is down-regulated both in adult muscle fibres by denervation or muscle disuse and in cultured myotubes by inhibition of activity. Activity induces and represses MyoD through the DRR and PRR, respectively. During the postnatal period, accumulation of β-galactosidase correlates with maturation of innervation. Strikingly, endogenous MyoD expression is up-regulated in fibres by complete denervation, arguing for a separate activity-dependent suppression of MyoD requiring regulatory elements outside the DRR/PRR.

Conclusion

The data show that MyoD regulation is more complex than previously supposed. Two factors, MyoD protein itself and fibre activity are required for essentially all expression of the 6 kb proximal enhancer/promoter (DRR/PRR) of MyoD in adult fibres. We propose that modulation of MyoD positive feedback by electrical activity determines the set point of MyoD expression in innervated fibres through the DRR/PRR element.