bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Residual and pre‐treatment application of starycide insect growth regulator (triflumuron) to control Aedes aegypti in containers
Authors: Jacups Susan P. , Paton Christopher J. , Ritchie Scott A.
Published: May 2013

Background

Dengue is not endemic in Australia, although the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti is. In order to prevent dengue establishment, Australia maintains tight control of vector mosquitoes. Tight control programs often necessitate regular repeat application of treatments, and this is resource intensive. We sought to investigate the efficacy and longevity of triflurumon Starycide® Insect Growth Regulator under field conditions in tropical Australia against Aedes. We compared two doses (0.48 and 0.96 ppm), applied to water receptacles with delayed flooding by zero, two, and four weeks.

Results

We found greater than 90% inhibition of pupae development was achieved for up to 12 weeks. A dose of 0.96 ppm, when delayed for two or four weeks before flooding, provided 50 times inhibition relative to controls, for up to 22 weeks, suggesting triflumuron bound to the plastic substrate and offered a greater residual effect than applications without delayed flooding.

Conclusion

We conclude that triflurumon offers excellent efficacy and longevity against Aedes in artificial containers. If deployed under standard conditions, re‐application may not be required for up to 22 weeks, furthermore, initial applications could be performed under dry conditions, and this application method may improve the residual effects. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry
Interpreting raw biological mass spectra using isotopic mass‐to‐charge ratio and envelope fingerprinting
Authors: Li Li , Tian Zhixin
Published: May 2013

RATIONALE

Soft ionization, high‐resolution mass spectrometry is widely used to characterize large biological molecules, such as proteins. Deconvolution ('deisotoping') of isotopic envelopes (iEs) in biological mass spectra into monoisotopic or average masses is challenging due to low signals and heavily overlapped iEs, resulting in many wrong interpretations.

METHODS

Isotopic envelopes (iEs) are directly used without deisotoping to identify biological molecules. An algorithm, isotopic mass‐to‐charge ratio (m/z) and envelope fingerprinting (iMEF), was implemented in the ProteinGoggle search engine for top‐down intact protein database searching. iMEF combines isotopic m/z fingerprinting (iMF) and isotopic envelop fingerprinting (iEF), where 'Isotopic mass‐to‐charge ratio' means the m/z value of the most abundant isotopic peak within the iE of a precursor or product ion. iMF is used to 'fish' precursor or product ion candidates from the database, which is pre‐built and contains all iE information (precursor and product ions) of all proteoforms of the studied system. iEF identifies matching precursor or product ions. A protein is finally identified with user‐specified total number of matching product ions and post‐translational modification scores.

RESULTS

The working principles of iMEF and ProteinGoggle, and the definition of a set of related parameters and scoring metrics, are illustrated with high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometric analysis of a mixture of ubiquitin and the HUMAN histone H4 proteoforms. Ubiquitin was confidently identified from its CID, ETD, and HCD spectra with 57, 91, and 66 matching product ions, respectively; 125 proteoforms were confidently found from the H4 dataset. The locations of PTMs in 54 and 6 isoforms were partially and fully identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Database search with iMEF bypasses 'deisotoping' avoiding associated errors, and also provides full quality control of matching precursor and product ions and finally protein IDs. Overlapped iEs of different product ions could also be confidently unwrapped in situ. Improvement and addition of more functionalities and utilities of ProteinGoggle are underway. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Variable selection in monotone single‐index models via the adaptive LASSO
Authors: Foster Jared C. , Taylor Jeremy M.G. , Nan Bin
Published: May 2013

We consider the problem of variable selection for monotone single‐index models. A single‐index model assumes that the expectation of the outcome is an unknown function of a linear combination of covariates. Assuming monotonicity of the unknown function is often reasonable and allows for more straightforward inference. We present an adaptive LASSO penalized least squares approach to estimating the index parameter and the unknown function in these models for continuous outcome. Monotone function estimates are achieved using the pooled adjacent violators algorithm, followed by kernel regression. In the iterative estimation process, a linear approximation to the unknown function is used, therefore reducing the situation to that of linear regression and allowing for the use of standard LASSO algorithms, such as coordinate descent. Results of a simulation study indicate that the proposed methods perform well under a variety of circumstances and that an assumption of monotonicity, when appropriate, noticeably improves performance. The proposed methods are applied to data from a randomized clinical trial for the treatment of a critical illness in the intensive care unit. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Maintenance of stem cell self-renewal in head and neck cancers requires actions of GSK3β influenced by CD44 and RHAMM
Authors: Shigeishi Hideo , Biddle Adrian , Gammon Luke , Emich Helena , Rodini Camila O. , Gemenetzidis Emilios , Fazil Bilal , Sugiyama Masaru , Kamata Nobuyuki , Mackenzie Ian C.
Published: May 2013

Cells sorted from head and neck cancers on the basis of their high expression of CD44 have high potency for tumor initiation. These cells are also involved in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and we have previously reported that cancer stem cells (CSCs) exist as two biologically distinct phenotypes. Both phenotypes are CD44high but one is also ESAhigh and maintains epithelial characteristics, the other is ESAlow, has mesenchymal characteristics and is migratory. Examining CD44-regulated signal pathways in these cells we show that CD44, and also RHAMM, act to inhibit phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). We show that inhibitory phosphorylation reduces the formation of both “tumor spheres” and “holoclone” colonies, functional indicators of stemness. GSK3β inhibition also reduces the expression of stem cell markers such as Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog and upregulates expression of the differentiation markers Calgranulin B and Involucrin in the CD44high/ESAhigh cell fraction. Transition of CSCs out of EMT and back to the epithelial CSC phenotype is induced by GSK3β knockdown. These results indicate that GSK3β plays a central role in determining and maintaining the phenotypes and behavior of CSCs in vitro and are likely to be involved in controlling the growth and spread of tumors in vivo.
Five gene products are required for assembly of the central pyrrole moiety of coumermycin A1
Authors: Novotna Jitka , Gust Bertolt , Kulik Andreas , Spizek Jaroslav , Heide Lutz
Published: May 2013

Coumermycin A1 is an aminocoumarin antibiotic produced by Streptomyces rishiriensis. It exhibits potent antibacterial and anticancer activity. The coumermycin A1 molecule contains two terminal 5-methyl-pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid moieties and one central 3-methylpyrrole-2,4-dicarboxylic acid moiety (CPM). While the biosynthesis of the terminal moieties has been elucidated in detail, the pathway leading to the CPM remains poorly understood. In this work, the minimal set of genes required for the generation of the CPM scaffold was identified. It comprises the five genes couR1, couR2a, couR2b, couR3, and couR4 which are grouped together in a contiguous 4.7 kb region within the coumermycin A1 biosynthetic gene cluster. The DNA fragment containing these genes was cloned into an expression plasmid and heterologously expressed in Streptomyces coelicolor M1146. Thereupon, the formation of CPM could be shown by HPLC and by HPLC-MS/MS, in comparison to an authentic CPM standard. This proves that the genes couR1–couR4 are sufficient to direct the biosynthesis of CPM, and that the adjacent genes couR5 and couR6 are not required for this pathway. The enzyme CouR3 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to near homogeneity. The protein exhibited an ATPase activity similar to that reported for its close ortholog, the threonine kinase PduX. However, we could not show a threonine kinase activity of CouR3, and; therefore, the substrate of CouR3 in CPM biosynthesis is still unknown and may be different from threonine.
Carnitine levels in 26,462 individuals from the nationwide screening program for primary carnitine deficiency in the Faroe Islands
Authors: Rasmussen Jan , Nielsen Olav W. , Janzen Nils , Duno Morten , Køber Lars , Steuerwald Ulrike , Lund Allan M.
Published: May 2013

Background

Primary carnitine deficiency (PCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of fatty acid oxidation and has been associated to episodes of sudden death in the Faroe Islands. Data are presented from the nationwide population based Faroese screening program to find people with low carnitine levels indicating PCD.

Methods

Whole blood samples from dried blood spots were analysed by tandem mass spectrometry with and without butylation. Genetic analyses were performed in all people with non‐butylated free carnitine (fC0) below 7 μmol/L.

Results

55 % (n = 26,462) of the entire population was screened and 89 PCD patients were identified, yielding an overall prevalence of 1:297 of PCD in the Faroe Islands. Carnitine levels were positively correlated to age in both males and females (p < 0.003) although levels decreased in females when reaching fertile age. The gender difference in mean carnitine levels was significant during female fertile age (4.71 μmol/L fC0 in the age group 25–30 years, p < 0.01). A lower cut‐off of 5 μmol/L in fC0 identified all homozygous for the severe genotype c.95A > G (p.N32S) (n = 20).

Conclusion

Carnitine levels differ by gender and age. A lower cut‐off of 5 μmol/L in fC0 was appropriate to identify c.95A > G homozygotes. The prevalence of PCD in the Faroe Islands is the highest reported in the world (1:297).
Effect of photoperiod and temperature on the intensity of pupal diapause in the cotton bollworm,Helicoverpa armigera(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Chen Chao , Xia Qin-Wen , Fu Shu , Wu Xian-Fu , Xue Fang-Sen
Published: May 2013

The intensity of pupal diapause in the cotton bollworm,Helicoverpa armigera(Hübner) was investigated under both laboratory and natural conditions. By transferring diapausing pupae induced under LD 11:13, LD 12:12 and LD 13:11 at 20, 22 and 25 °C to 25 °C combined with LD 15:9 to terminate diapause the rearing day length of 11 h evoked greater intensity of diapause than did 12 and 13 h at 25 °C; whereas the rearing temperature of 25 °C evoked more intense diapause than did 20 and 22 °C under LD 11:13. By transferring diapausing pupae induced under LD 12:12 at 20 and 22 °C to six temperatures of 18, 20, 22, 25, 28 and 31 °C combined with LD 15:9 to terminate diapause, the duration of diapause was significantly shortened from 146 days at 18 °C to 24 days at 31 °C, showing that high temperatures significantly accelerate diapause development. Furthermore, the duration of diapause was significantly longer at the rearing temperature of 22 °C than that at 20 °C when the diapause-terminating temperatures were 20 and 22 °C. Chilling at 5 °C did not shorten the duration of diapause but lengthened it when chilling period was included. However, chilling plays an important role in synchronizing adult emergence. Rearing temperature of 22 °C also evoked more intense diapause than did 20 °C in most chilling treatments. When the overwintering pupae were transferred at different times from natural temperatures to 25 °C, it was found that the earlier the transfer took place, the earlier the adults emerged when the time spent under natural conditions was included. However, cool temperatures before March showed an enhanced effect on diapause development at 20 °C, suggesting that the high diapause-terminating temperature can offset the effect of chilling on diapause development. The result of diapause termination under natural conditions suggests that the developmental threshold for post-diapause development inH. armigerashould be around 17.5 °C.
WHERE EAST MEETS WEST: SUFISM, CULTURAL RAPPROCHEMENT, AND POLITICS
Authors: Hatina Meir
Published: May 2013

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DISPLACING DHIMMĪ, MAINTAINING HOPE: UNTHINKABLE COPTIC REPRESENTATIONS OF FATIMID EGYPT
Authors: Shenoda Maryann M.
Published: May 2013

The Copto-Arabic Synaxarion entry for the repose of Abraham ibn Zurءah (975-78), sixty-second
patriarch of the See of Alexandria, commemorates the miraculous moving of Muqattam Mountain (outside of Cairo) in response to a devastating challenge posed to Coptic Christians by Fatimid caliph Muءizz li-Din Allah (969-75). The challenge—move Muqattam Mountain or be persecuted—unfolds as an important representative narrative of Christian-Muslim relations in
medieval Coptic literature. The Muqattam narrative maintains hope by veiling religious-political
commentary in the cloak of a miraculous or “unthinkable” event. This type of narrativizing, as
archetypically displayed in the Muqattam narrative, is an important way for Copts to critique their
dhimmimacr; status and Islamic governance while simultaneously maintaining hope in their Coptic faith.
Through a close reading of this narrative, I argue that the miracle story provides an empowering
vision and sustains a triumphant representation of Coptic faith.
Simplified bone-anchored hearing aid insertion using a linear incision without soft tissue reduction
Authors: Husseman J , Szudek J , Monksfield P , Power D , O'Leary S , Briggs R
Published: May 2013

Background:

Numerous techniques have been described to manage the skin and other soft tissues during bone-anchored hearing aid insertion. Previously, generally accepted techniques have sometimes led to distressing alopecia and soft tissue defects. Now, some surgeons are rejecting the originally described split skin flap in favour of a less invasive approach.

Objective:

To investigate bone-anchored hearing aid placement utilising a single, linear incision with either no or minimal underlying soft tissue reduction.

Patients and methods:

Thirty-four adults were prospectively enrolled to undergo single-stage bone-anchored hearing aid placement with this modified technique. A small, linear incision was used at the standard position and carried down through the periosteum. Standard technique was then followed with placement of an extended length abutment. Patients were reviewed regularly to assess wound healing, including evaluation with Holgers' scale.

Results:

Only 14.7 per cent of patients had a reaction score of 2 or higher. Most complications were limited to minor skin reactions that settled with silver nitrate cautery and/or antibiotics. None required revision surgery for tissue overgrowth, and there were no implant failures.

Conclusion:

Our results suggest this to be a simple and effective insertion technique with favourable cosmesis and patient satisfaction.
The new lichen species Micarea corallothallina from Serra da Jibóia, an Atlantic rainforest enclave in Bahia, NE Brazil
Authors: CÁCERES Marcela Eugenia da Silva , MOTA Danyelle Andrade , JESUS Luciana Santos de , APTROOT André
Published: May 2013

The new species Micarea corallothallina is described from Serra da Jibóia, Bahia, NE Brazil. It has a gnarled, coralloid, isidiose thallus and pale botryose apothecia. It was found in the Serra da Jibóia, a mountainous range with a maximum elevation of 800 m on smooth bark of trees. This Mata Atlantica fragment is located in the Santa Terezinha municipality, Bahia, NE Brazil, near the Castro Alves municipality boundary. This area can be considered as a rainforest enclave surrounded by Caatinga, and belongs to a disjunct set of mountains that extend from the southern coast of the state to the North-west and North.
A new lichenicolousArthoniaspecies (Arthoniaceae) onDiorygmafrom India
Authors: JOSHI Santosh , UPRETI Dalip K. , NAYAKA Sanjeeva
Published: May 2013

A new lichenicolous ascomycete,Arthonia diorygmae, is described from the thallus and ascomata ofDiorygma junghuhnii. The new species is characterized by rounded to irregular, applanate to convex ascomata up to 0·3 mm in diameter, a slightly whitish pruinose disc, transversely 1-septate, hyaline to greyish ascospores (13–)14–15(–21)×5–7 µm, and its lichenicolous habitat. It is known from the subtropical region of the Western Ghats in India and appears to be widespread due to the large distribution of the host species.
A new species of Pertusaria from China
Authors: REN Qiang , KOU Xingran
Published: May 2013

The saxicolous species, Pertusaria weii Q. Ren (Pertusariaceae, Ascomycota) from China, is described as new to science. Diagnostic characters for the new species are a brownish, marginally unzoned thallus; numerous, solitary and lecanorate verrucae with heavily pruinose discs that are black; a strongly K+ violet epithecial reaction; 1-spored cylindrical asci with single, smooth-walled, untrimmed and ovoid spores; and, the presence of stictic acid. It grows on calcareous rock and is known only from the Tianshan Mountains in Western China.
Subclinical psychotic experiences and bipolar spectrum features in depression: association with outcome of psychotherapy
Authors: Wigman J. T. W. , van Os J. , Abidi L. , Huibers M. J. H. , Roelofs J. , Arntz A. , Kelleher I. , Peeters F. P. M. L.
Published: May 2013

Background

Subthreshold psychotic and bipolar experiences are common in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it is unknown if effectiveness of psychotherapy is altered in depressed patients who display such features compared with those without. The current paper aimed to investigate the impact of the co-presence of subclinical psychotic experiences and subclinical bipolar symptoms on the effectiveness of psychological treatment, alone or in combination with pharmacotherapy.

Method

In a naturalistic study, patients with MDD (n = 116) received psychological treatment (cognitive behavioural therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy) alone or in combination with pharmacotherapy. Depression and functioning were assessed six times over 2 years. Lifetime psychotic experiences and bipolar symptoms were assessed at the second time point.

Results

Subclinical psychotic experiences predicted more depression over time (β = 0.20, p < 0.002), non-remission [odds ratio (OR) 7.51, p < 0.016] and relapse (OR 3.85, p < 0.034). Subthreshold bipolar symptoms predicted relapse (OR 1.16, p < 0.037).

Conclusions

In general, subclinical psychotic experiences have a negative impact on the course and outcome of psychotherapy in MDD. Effects of subclinical bipolar experiences were less prominent.
Looks Matter: Beholding Justice in the Republic
Authors: Dustin Christopher , Schaeffer Denise
Published: May 2013

In Plato's Republic, Glaucon tells a story about Gyges' ring that, on the surface, suggests a radical opposition between appearances and truth. We argue that, contrary to Glaucon's intentions, what his story actually reveals is that appearances are always and inevitably implicated in the attempt to tell the truth about justice or the soul. This mutual implication is confirmed by Glaucon's own commentary on his story as well as by Socrates' arguments about the city and the soul. We argue that knowing the soul “in itself” requires that one examine it not by itself, but as it is immersed in human life. It is a question of how the soul “looks” – meaning not simply how it seems or appears, but of where it is looking, or what it desires. Taking its looks into account, in this sense, is very different from being taken in by appearances. We explore the implications of this idea for the possibility of attaining philosophical knowledge about justice, and for the relationship between philosophy and politics.
Young children's flexible use of semantic cues to word meanings: converging evidence of individual and age differences
Authors: DEÁK GEDEON O. , NARASIMHAM GAYATHRI
Published: May 2013

A new test of children's flexible use of semantic cues for word learning extended previous results. In Experiment 1, three- to five-year-olds (N=51) completed two tests of interpreting several novel words for the same stimulus arrays. Within-sentence phrasal cues implied different stimulus referent properties. Children's cue-using flexibility in the new Flexible Induction of Meanings [Words for Animates] test (FIM-An) was strongly correlated with an established test (Flexible Induction of Meanings [Words for Objects]; Deák, 2000). Individual children showed between-test consistency in using cues to flexibly assign words to different referent properties. There were large individual differences, as well as limited age differences, in the distribution of flexible and inflexible response patterns. The comprehensibility of specific cues, and perceptual salience of specific properties, explained much of the variance. Proportions of flexible and inflexible patterns shifted with age. Experiment 2 replicated these results in N=36 three- and four-year-olds, using a modified FIM-An with more distinctive cues.
Communicative abilities in children: An assessment through different phenomena and expressive means
Authors: BOSCO FRANCESCA M. , ANGELERI ROMINA , COLLE LIVIA , SACCO KATIUSCIA , BARA BRUNO G.
Published: May 2013

Previous studies on children's pragmatic abilities have tended to focus on just one pragmatic phenomenon and one expressive means at a time, mainly concentrating on comprehension, and overlooking the production side. We assessed both comprehension and production in relation to several pragmatic phenomena (simple and complex standard communication acts, irony, and deceit) and several expressive means (linguistic, extralinguistic, paralinguistic). Our study involved 390 Italian-speaking children divided into three age groups: 5;0–5;6, 6;6–7;0, and 8;0–8;6. Children's performance on all tasks improved with their age. Within each age group, children responded more accurately to tasks involving standard communication than to those involving deceit and irony, across all expressive means and for both comprehension and production. Within each pragmatic phenomenon, children responded more accurately to simple acts than to complex ones, regardless of age group and expressive means, i.e., linguistic or extralinguistic. Overall results fit well with the Cognitive Pragmatics theory (Bara, 2010).
“Equals of the White Man”: Prosecution of Settlers for Violence Against Aboriginal Subjects of the Crown, Colonial Western Australia
Authors: Nettelbeck Amanda
Published: May 2013

“Crime is a great leveller,” stated Western Australia'sThe Inquirerin October 1853. “Policy requires that we should convince the native population that in our Courts of Justice they really are what we profess and tell them they are—the equals of the white man, whatever they may be elsewhere.”The Inquirerwas responding to a case that had just come before Perth's Quarter Sessions, in which John Jones was tried for the murder of Neader in the colony's southwest. Jones was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to transportation for life. Given that Australia's colonies were notable for their failure to bring settlers to trial for violence against Aboriginal people, it is significant thatThe Inquirer's editor did not regard Jones' conviction and sentence as a sign that the Courts of Justice were working as they professed to do. The charge was one of wilful murder, and the evidence indicated that “if ever a foul and deliberate murder was committed, it was on the occasion which led to this trial.” The verdict that Jones was guilty only of manslaughter, he continued, was indicative of the jury's disregard of the law's impartiality when a white man was on trial for the murder of an Aboriginal man. If the law was to make a distinction between white and black, “let it be declared: but to say there is none, and to act as if there were, is a mockery.”
Nutrition capacity development: a practice framework
Authors: Shrimpton Roger , Hughes Roger , Recine Elisabetta , Mason John B , Sanders David , Marks Geoffrey C , Margetts Barrie
Published: May 2013

Objective

To outline a framework and a process for assessing the needs for capacity development to achieve nutrition objectives, particularly those targeting maternal and child undernutrition.

Design

Commentary and conceptual framework.

Setting

Low- and middle-income countries.

Result

A global movement to invest in a package of essential nutrition interventions to reduce maternal and child undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries is building momentum. Capacity to act in nutrition is known to be minimal in most low- and middle-income countries, and there is a need for conceptual clarity about capacity development as a strategic construct and the processes required to realise the ability to achieve population nutrition and health objectives. The framework for nutrition capacity development proposed recognises capacity to be determined by a range of factors across at least four levels, including system, organisational, workforce and community levels. This framework provides a scaffolding to guide systematic assessment of capacity development needs which serves to inform strategic planning for capacity development.

Conclusions

Capacity development is a critical prerequisite for achieving nutrition and health objectives, but is currently constrained by ambiguous and superficial conceptualisations of what capacity development involves and how it can be realised. The current paper provides a framework to assist this conceptualisation, encourage debate and ongoing refinement, and progress capacity development efforts.
Construct- and Criterion-Related Validity of the German Core Self-Evaluations Scale
Authors: Albrecht Anne-Grit , Paulus Frieder M. , Dilchert Stephan , Deller Jürgen , Ones Deniz S.
Published: May 2013

This research presents an in-depth investigation of the core self-evaluations (CSE) construct in several German samples. The English language (U.S.-American) version of the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES; see Judge, Erez, Bono, & Thoresen, 2003 ) was adapted and translated into German. The study expands knowledge of CSE relationships with work-relevant experience constructs by providing the first reports of relationships with professional experience and job tenure. Criterion-related validities were examined for grade point average, organizational citizenship behaviors, and turnover intentions, extending English language based findings to a new language and cultural context (German) for the first time. The explicit examinations of the German CSES and other demographic (age, gender) and experience variables (organizational tenure) also provide the first investigations of these relationships, advancing the knowledge about the nomological network of the CSE construct. A constructive discussion of CSE measurement issues (frame of reference and item-specific response styles) is provided in order to improve future CSE measurement.
Employees’ Motivation for Personal Initiative
Authors: Chiaburu Dan S. , Carpenter Nichelle C.
Published: May 2013

As organizational contexts are increasingly dynamic, the extent to which employees take initiative to facilitate success has become more important. We examine how employee motivation to get ahead (status striving) and get along with others (communion striving) predicts their proactive work behaviors, in the form of personal initiative, over and above employee accomplishment striving. Data collected from 165 employees indicates status striving has a positive and communion striving has a negative relationship with employee personal initiative. More importantly, the interaction between status and communion striving shows increased employee initiative when both status and communion striving increase from low to high levels. Altogether, our results suggest that employees’ initiative is increased when they are motivated by both getting ahead of and getting along with others at work.
Endothelin-1 and -3 induce choleresis in the rat through ETB receptors coupled to nitric oxide and vagovagal reflexes
Authors: Rodriguez Myrian R. , Soria Leandro R. , Ventimiglia María S. , Najenson Ana C. , Di María Adrián , Dabas Paula , Fellet Andrea , Marinelli Raúl A. , Vatta Marcelo S. , Bianciotti Liliana G.
Published: May 2013

We have reported previously that centrally applied ET (endothelin)-1 and ET-3 induce either choleresis or cholestasis depending on the dose. In the present study, we sought to establish the role of these endothelins in the short-term peripheral regulation of bile secretion in the rat. Intravenously infused endothelins induced significant choleresis in a dose-dependent fashion, ET-1 being more potent than ET-3. Endothelins (with the exception of a higher dose of ET-1) did not affect BP (blood pressure), portal venous pressure or portal blood flow. ET-1 and ET-3 augmented the biliary excretion of bile salts, glutathione and electrolytes, suggesting enhanced bile acid-dependent and -independent bile flows. ET-induced choleresis was mediated by ETB receptors coupled to NO and inhibited by truncal vagotomy, atropine administration and capsaicin perivagal application, supporting the participation of vagovagal reflexes. RT (reverse transcription)–PCR and Western blot analysis revealed ETA and ETB receptor expression in the vagus nerve. Endothelins, through ETB receptors, augmented the hepatocyte plasma membrane expression of Ntcp (Na+/taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide; Slc10a1), Bsep (bile-salt export pump; Abcb11), Mrp2 (multidrug resistance protein-2; Abcc2) and Aqp8 (aquaporin 8). Endothelins also increased the mRNAs of these transporters. ET-1 and ET-3 induced choleresis mediated by ETB receptors coupled to NO release and vagovagal reflexes without involving haemodynamic changes. Endothelin-induced choleresis seems to be caused by increased plasma membrane translocation and transcriptional expression of key bile transporters. These findings indicate that endothelins are able to elicit haemodynamic-independent biological effects in the liver and suggest that these peptides may play a beneficial role in pathophysiological situations where bile secretion is impaired.
Perturbations in skeletal muscle sarcomere structure in patients with heart failure and Type 2 diabetes: restorative effects of (−)-epicatechinrich cocoa
Authors: Taub Pam R. , Ramirez-Sanchez Israel , Ciaraldi Theodore P. , Gonzalez-Basurto Silvia , Coral-Vazquez Ramon , Perkins Guy , Hogan Michael , Maisel Alan S. , Henry Robert R. , Ceballos Guillermo , Villarreal Francisco
Published: May 2013

HF (heart failure) and T2D (Type 2 diabetes) associate with detrimental alterations in SkM (skeletal muscle) structure/function. We have demonstrated recently that (−)-ERC (epicatechin-rich cocoa) improves SkM mitochondrial structure [Taub, Ramirez-Sanchez, Ciaraldi, Perkins, Murphy, Naviaux, Hogan, Ceballos, Maisel, Henry et al. (2012) Clin. Trans. Sci. 5, 43–47]. We hypothesized that an improved mitochondrial structure may facilitate the reversal of detrimental alterations in sarcomeric microstructure. In a pilot study, five patients with HF and T2D consumed ERC for 3 months; treadmill testing [V̇O2max (maximum oxygen consumption)] and SkM biopsies were performed. Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy were used. We report severe perturbations in components of the DAPC (dystrophin-associated protein complex) as well as sarcomeric microstructure at baseline. ERC induced recovery/enhancement of DAPC protein levels, sarcomeric microstructure and, in a co-ordinated fashion, alterations in markers of SkM growth/differentiation consistent with myofibre regeneration. V̇O2max increased (~24%) but did not reach statistical significance. These initial results warrant further rigorous investigation, since the use of ERC (or pure epicatechin) may represent a safe and novel means of improving muscle function.
David Orme Masson, the Periodic Classification of the Elements and His ‘Flap’ Model of the Periodic Table
Authors: Rae Ian D.
Published: May 2013

In the early 1890s, David Orme Masson, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne, invented a new way to display the periodic table of the elements, in which the transition elements were arranged on a flap that projected from the plane containing the main group elements. He shared the idea with his mentor, Sir William Ramsay, at University College London, who published a similar model in his 1896 book. The ?flap' arrangement was an outcome of Masson's research interest in the periodic classification of the elements, to which he also made contributions in the 1890s about the placement of hydrogen and suggested to Ramsay that a new main group was needed to accommodate the rare gases such as helium and argon then being discovered in London. Although it was not widely adopted elsewhere, Masson's ?flap' model was a research and a teaching tool that was used at the University of Melbourne and in school chemistry teaching in Victoria for over half a century.
Phillip Garth Law 1912 - 2010
Authors: Quilty Patrick G. , Lugg Desmond J.
Published: May 2013

Phillip Law is renowned as the first and best-recognized Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, responsible for conduct of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) 1947-66, with the emphasis on science. He established most of the ANARE traditions and oversaw the location and establishment of all Australian Antarctic stations. He was widely recognized and decorated for both national and international influence. His main trait was perseverance in fighting to achieve his goals. In 1966, he became Chief Executive of the Victoria Institute of Colleges to develop, highly successfully, non-university tertiary education in Victoria. Throughout his professional career, he was a prolific diarist, writer and publicist.
Skeletal muscle PGC-1α controls whole-body lactate homeostasis through estrogen-related receptor α-dependent activation of LDH B and repression of LDH A
Authors: Summermatter Serge , Santos Gesa , Pérez-Schindler Joaquín , Handschin Christoph
Published: May 2013

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) controls metabolic adaptations. We now show that PGC-1α in skeletal muscle drives the expression of
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) B
in an estrogen-related receptor-α–dependent manner. Concomitantly, PGC-1α reduces the expression of
LDH A
and one of its regulators, the transcription factor
myelocytomatosis oncogene
. PGC-1α thereby coordinately alters the composition of the LDH complex and prevents the increase in blood lactate during exercise. Our results show how PGC-1α actively coordinates lactate homeostasis and provide a unique molecular explanation for PGC-1α–mediated muscle adaptations to training that ultimately enhance exercise performance and improve metabolic health.
Activated microglia enhance neurogenesis via trypsinogen secretion
Authors: Nikolakopoulou Angeliki M. , Dutta Ranjan , Chen Zhihong , Miller Robert H. , Trapp Bruce D.
Published: May 2013

White matter neurons in multiple sclerosis brains are destroyed during demyelination and then replaced in some chronic multiple sclerosis lesions that exhibit a morphologically distinct population of activated microglia [Chang A, et al. (2008)Brain131(Pt 9):2366–2375]. Here we investigated whether activated microglia secrete factors that promote the generation of neurons from white matter cells. Adult rat brain microglia (resting or activated with lipopolysaccharide) were isolated by flow cytometry and cocultured with neonatal rat optic nerve cells in separate but media-connected chambers. Optic nerve cells cocultured with activated microglia showed a significant increase in the number of cells of neuronal phenotype, identified by neuron-specific class III beta-tubulin (TUJ-1) labeling, compared with cultures with resting microglia. To investigate the possible source of the TUJ-1–positive cells, A2B5-positive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and A2B5-negative cells were isolated and cocultured with resting and activated microglia. Significantly more TUJ-1–positive cells were generated from A2B5-negative cells (∼70%) than from A2B5-positive cells (∼30%). Mass spectrometry analysis of microglia culture media identified protease serine 2 (PRSS2) as a factor secreted by activated, but not resting, microglia. When added to optic nerve cultures, PRSS2 significantly increased neurogenesis, whereas the serine protease inhibitor, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor, decreased activated microglia-induced neurogenesis. Collectively our data provide evidence that activated microglia increase neurogenesis through secretion of PRSS2.
Evolution of the plankton paleome in the Black Sea from the Deglacial to Anthropocene
Authors: Coolen Marco J. L. , Orsi William D. , Balkema Cherel , Quince Christopher , Harris Keith , Sylva Sean P. , Filipova-Marinova Mariana , Giosan Liviu
Published: May 2013

The complex interplay of climate shifts over Eurasia and global sea level changes modulates freshwater and saltwater inputs to the Black Sea. The dynamics of the hydrologic changes from the Late Glacial into the Holocene remain a matter of debate, and information on how these changes affected the ecology of the Black Sea is sparse. Here we used Roche 454 next-generation pyrosequencing of sedimentary 18S rRNA genes to reconstruct the plankton community structure in the Black Sea over the last ca. 11,400 y. We found that 150 of 2,710 species showed a statistically significant response to four environmental stages. Freshwater chlorophytes were the best indicator species for lacustrine conditions (>9.0 ka B.P.), although the copresence of previously unidentified marine taxa indicated that the Black Sea might have been influenced to some extent by the Marmara Sea since at least 9.6 ka calendar (cal) B.P. Dinoflagellates, cercozoa, eustigmatophytes, and haptophytes responded most dramatically to the gradual increase in salinity after the latest marine reconnection and during the warm and moist mid-Holocene climatic optimum. According to paired analysis of deuterium/hydrogen (D/H) isotope ratios in fossil alkenones, salinity increased rapidly with the onset of the dry Subboreal after ∼5.2 ka B.P., leading to an increase in marine fungi and the first occurrence of marine copepods. A gradual succession of dinoflagellates, diatoms, and chrysophytes occurred during the refreshening after ∼2.5 ka cal B.P. with the onset of the cool and wet Subatlantic climate and recent anthropogenic perturbations.
Interventions for avian influenza A (H5N1) risk management in live bird market networks
Authors: Fournié Guillaume , Guitian Javier , Desvaux Stéphanie , Cuong Vu Chi , Dung Do Huu , Pfeiffer Dirk Udo , Mangtani Punam , Ghani Azra C.
Published: May 2013

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 is endemic in Asia, with live bird trade as a major disease transmission pathway. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in northern Vietnam to investigate the structure of the live bird market (LBM) contact network and the implications for virus spread. Based on the movements of traders between LBMs, weighted and directed networks were constructed and used for social network analysis and individual-based modeling. Most LBMs were connected to one another, suggesting that the LBM network may support large-scale disease spread. Because of cross-border trade, it also may promote transboundary virus circulation. However, opportunities for disease control do exist. The implementation of thorough, daily disinfection of the market environment as well as of traders’ vehicles and equipment in only a small number of hubs can disconnect the network dramatically, preventing disease spread. These targeted interventions would be an effective alternative to the current policy of a complete ban of LBMs in some areas. Some LBMs that have been banned still are very active, and they likely have a substantial impact on disease dynamics, exhibiting the highest levels of susceptibility and infectiousness. The number of trader visits to markets, information that can be collected quickly and easily, may be used to identify LBMs suitable for implementing interventions. This would not require prior knowledge of the force of infection, for which laboratory-confirmed surveillance would be necessary. These findings are of particular relevance for policy development in resource-scarce settings.
CaBP1, a neuronal Ca
2
+
sensor protein, inhibits inositol trisphosphate receptors by clamping intersubunit interactions
Authors: Li Congmin , Enomoto Masahiro , Rossi Ana M. , Seo Min-Duk , Rahman Taufiq , Stathopulos Peter B. , Taylor Colin W. , Ikura Mitsuhiko , Ames James B.
Published: May 2013

Calcium-binding protein 1 (CaBP1) is a neuron-specific member of the calmodulin superfamily that regulates several Ca
2+
channels, including inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (InsP
3
Rs). CaBP1 alone does not affect InsP
3
R activity, but it inhibits InsP
3
-evoked Ca
2+
release by slowing the rate of InsP
3
R opening. The inhibition is enhanced by Ca
2+
binding to both the InsP
3
R and CaBP1. CaBP1 binds via its C lobe to the cytosolic N-terminal region (NT; residues 1–604) of InsP
3
R1. NMR paramagnetic relaxation enhancement analysis demonstrates that a cluster of hydrophobic residues (V101, L104, and V162) within the C lobe of CaBP1 that are exposed after Ca
2+
binding interact with a complementary cluster of hydrophobic residues (L302, I364, and L393) in the β-domain of the InsP
3
-binding core. These residues are essential for CaBP1 binding to the NT and for inhibition of InsP
3
R activity by CaBP1. Docking analyses and paramagnetic relaxation enhancement structural restraints suggest that CaBP1 forms an extended tetrameric turret attached by the tetrameric NT to the cytosolic vestibule of the InsP
3
R pore. InsP
3
activates InsP
3
Rs by initiating conformational changes that lead to disruption of an intersubunit interaction between a “hot-spot” loop in the suppressor domain (residues 1–223) and the InsP
3
-binding core β-domain. Targeted cross-linking of residues that contribute to this interface show that InsP
3
attenuates cross-linking, whereas CaBP1 promotes it. We conclude that CaBP1 inhibits InsP
3
R activity by restricting the intersubunit movements that initiate gating.
Retargeting of the
Bacillus thuringiensis
toxin Cyt2Aa against hemipteran insect pests
Authors: Chougule Nanasaheb P. , Li Huarong , Liu Sijun , Linz Lucas B. , Narva Kenneth E. , Meade Thomas , Bonning Bryony C.
Published: May 2013

Although transgenic crops expressing
Bacillus thuringiensis
(Bt) toxins have been used successfully for management of lepidopteran and coleopteran pest species, the sap-sucking insects (Hemiptera) are not particularly susceptible to Bt toxins. To overcome this limitation, we demonstrate that addition of a short peptide sequence selected for binding to the gut of the targeted pest species serves to increase toxicity against said pest. Insertion of a 12-aa pea aphid gut-binding peptide by adding to or replacing amino acids in one of three loops of the Bt cytolytic toxin, Cyt2Aa, resulted in enhanced binding and toxicity against both the pea aphid,
Acyrthosiphon pisum
, and the green peach aphid,
Myzus persicae
. This strategy may allow for transgenic plant-mediated suppression of other hemipteran pests, which include some of the most important pests of global agriculture.
Persistence and origin of the lunar core dynamo
Authors: Suavet Clément , Weiss Benjamin P. , Cassata William S. , Shuster David L. , Gattacceca Jérôme , Chan Lindsey , Garrick-Bethell Ian , Head James W. , Grove Timothy L. , Fuller Michael D.
Published: May 2013

The lifetime of the ancient lunar core dynamo has implications for its power source and the mechanism of field generation. Here, we report analyses of two 3.56-Gy-old mare basalts demonstrating that they were magnetized in a stable and surprisingly intense dynamo magnetic field of at least ∼13 μT. These data extend the known lifetime of the lunar dynamo by ∼160 My and indicate that the field was likely continuously active until well after the final large basin-forming impact. This likely excludes impact-driven changes in rotation rate as the source of the dynamo at this time in lunar history. Rather, our results require a persistent power source like precession of the lunar mantle or a compositional convection dynamo.
Direct observation of intermediates formed during steady-state electrocatalytic O
2
reduction by iron porphyrins
Authors: Sengupta Kushal , Chatterjee Sudipta , Samanta Subhra , Dey Abhishek
Published: May 2013

Heme/porphyrin-based electrocatalysts (both synthetic and natural) have been known to catalyze electrochemical O
2
, H
+
, and CO
2
reduction for more than five decades. So far, no direct spectroscopic investigations of intermediates formed on the electrodes during these processes have been reported; and this has limited detailed understanding of the mechanism of these catalysts, which is key to their development. Rotating disk electrochemistry coupled to resonance Raman spectroscopy is reported for iron porphyrin electrocatalysts that reduce O
2
in buffered aqueous solutions. Unlike conventional single-turnover intermediate trapping experiments, these experiments probe the system while it is under steady state. A combination of oxidation and spin-state marker bands and metal ligand vibrations (identified using isotopically enriched substrates) allow in situ identification of O
2
-derived intermediates formed on the electrode surface. This approach, combining dynamic electrochemistry with resonance Raman spectroscopy, may be routinely used to investigate a plethora of metalloporphyrin complexes and heme enzymes used as electrocatalysts for small-molecule activation.
Role for the kinase SGK1 in stress, depression, and glucocorticoid effects on hippocampal neurogenesis
Authors: Anacker Christoph , Cattaneo Annamaria , Musaelyan Ksenia , Zunszain Patricia A. , Horowitz Mark , Molteni Raffaella , Luoni Alessia , Calabrese Francesca , Tansey Katherine , Gennarelli Massimo , Thuret Sandrine , Price Jack , Uher Rudolf , Riva Marco A. , Pariante Carmine M.
Published: May 2013

Stress and glucocorticoid hormones regulate hippocampal neurogenesis, but the molecular mechanisms mediating these effects are poorly understood. Here we identify the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) target gene, serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1), as one such mechanism. Using a human hippocampal progenitor cell line, we found that a small molecule inhibitor for SGK1, GSK650394, counteracted the cortisol-induced reduction in neurogenesis. Moreover, gene expression and pathway analysis showed that inhibition of the neurogenic Hedgehog pathway by cortisol was SGK1-dependent. SGK1 also potentiated and maintained GR activation in the presence of cortisol, and even after cortisol withdrawal, by increasing GR phosphorylation and GR nuclear translocation. Experiments combining the inhibitor for SGK1, GSK650394, with the GR antagonist, RU486, demonstrated that SGK1 was involved in the cortisol-induced reduction in progenitor proliferation both downstream of GR, by regulating relevant target genes, and upstream of GR, by increasing GR function. Corroborating the relevance of these findings in clinical and rodent settings, we also observed a significant increase of SGK1 mRNA in peripheral blood of drug-free depressed patients, as well as in the hippocampus of rats subjected to either unpredictable chronic mild stress or prenatal stress. Our findings identify SGK1 as a mediator for the effects of cortisol on neurogenesis and GR function, with particular relevance to stress and depression.