bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systemic inflammation and remote organ injury following trauma require HMGB1
Authors: Levy Ryan M. , Mollen Kevin P. , Prince Jose M. , Kaczorowski David J. , Vallabhaneni Raghuveer , Liu Shiguang , Tracey Kevin J. , Lotze Michael T. , Hackam David J. , Fink Mitchell P. , Vodovotz Yoram , Billiar Timothy R.
Published: July 2007

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a 30-kDa DNA-binding protein that displays proinflammatory cytokine-like properties. HMGB1-dependent inflammatory processes have been demonstrated in models of sterile injury, including ischemia-reperfusion injury and hemorrhagic shock. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the systemic inflammatory response and associated remote organ injury that occur after peripheral tissue injury are highly dependent on HMGB1. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) wild-type (WT) mice subjected to bilateral femur fracture after treatment with neutralizing antibodies to HMGB1 had lower serum IL-6 and IL-10 levels compared with mice treated with nonimmune control IgG. Similarly, compared with injured mice treated with control IgG, anti-HMGB1 antibody-treated mice had lower serum alanine aminotransferase levels and decreased hepatic and gut mucosal NF-κB DNA binding. TLR4 mutant (C3H/HeJ) mice subjected to bilateral femur fracture had less systemic inflammation and liver injury than WT controls. Residual trauma-induced systemic inflammation and hepatocellular injury were not ameliorated by treatment with a polyclonal anti-HMGB1 antibody, even though HMGB1 levels were transiently elevated just 1 h after injury in both WT and C3H/HeJ mice. Collectively, these data demonstrate a critical role for a TLR4-HMGB1 pathway in the initiation of systemic inflammation and end-organ injury following isolated peripheral tissue injury.
Fat and carbohydrate preferences in mice: the contribution of α-gustducin and Trpm5 taste-signaling proteins
Authors: Sclafani Anthony , Zukerman Steven , Glendinning John I. , Margolskee Robert F.
Published: July 2007

Trpm5 and α-gustducin are key to the transduction of tastes of sugars, amino acids, and bitter compounds. This study investigated the role of these signaling proteins in the preference for fat, starch, and starch-derived polysaccharides (Polycose), using Trpm5 knockout (Trpm5 KO) and α-gustducin knockout (Gust KO) mice. In initial two-bottle tests (24 h/day), Trpm5 KO mice showed no preference for soybean oil emulsions (0.313–2.5%), Polycose solutions (0.5–4%), or starch suspensions (0.5–4%). Gust KO mice displayed an attenuated preference for Polycose, but their preferences for soybean oil and starch were comparable to those of C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) mice. Gust KO mice preferred starch to Polycose, whereas WT mice had the opposite preference. After extensive experience with soybean oil emulsions (Intralipid) and Polycose solutions, the Trpm5 KO mice developed preferences comparable to the WT mice, although their absolute intakes remained suppressed. Similarly, Gust KO mice developed a strong Polycose preference with experience, but they continued to consume less than the WT mice. These results implicate α-gustducin and Trpm5 as mediators of polysaccharide taste and Trpm5 in fat taste. The disruption in Polycose, but not starch, preference in Gust KO mice indicates that distinct sensory signaling pathways mediate the response to these carbohydrates. The experience-induced rescue of fat and Polycose preferences in the KO mice likely reflects the action of a postoral-conditioning mechanism, which functions in the absence of α-gustducin and Trpm5.
Cell contact induces multiple types of electrical excitability from ascidian two-cell embryos that are cleavage arrested and contain all cell fate determinants
Authors: Tanaka-Kunishima Motoko , Takahashi Kunitaro , Watanabe Fumiyuki
Published: July 2007

Ascidian early embryonic cells undergo cell differentiation without cell cleavage, thus enabling mixture of cell fate determinants in single cells, which will not be possible in mammalian systems. Either cell in a two-cell embryo (2C cell) has multiple fates and develops into any cell types in a tadpole. To find the condition for controlled induction of a specific cell type, cleavage-arrested cell triplets were prepared in various combinations. They were 2C cells in contact with a pair of anterior neuroectoderm cells from eight-cell embryos (2C-aa triplet), with a pair of presumptive notochordal neural cells (2C-AA triplet), with a pair of presumptive posterior epidermal cells (2C-bb triplet), and with a pair of presumptive muscle cells (2C-BB triplet). The fate of the 2C cell was electrophysiologically identified. When two-cell embryos had been fertilized 3 h later than eight-cell embryos and triplets were formed, the 2C cells became either anterior-neuronal, posterior-neuronal or muscle cells, depending on the cell type of the contacting cell pair. When two-cell embryos had been fertilized earlier than eight-cell embryos, most 2C cells became epidermal. When two- and eight-cell embryos had been simultaneously fertilized, the 2C cells became any one of three cell types described above or the epidermal cell type. Differentiation of the ascidian 2C cell into major cell types was reproducibly induced by selecting the type of contacting cell pair and the developmental time difference between the contacting cell pair and 2C cell. We discuss similarities between cleavage-arrested 2C cells and vertebrate embryonic stem cells and propose the ascidian 2C cell as a simple model for toti-potent stem cells.
Angiotensin II provokes podocyte injury in murine model of HIV-associated nephropathy
Authors: Ideura Hiroshi , Hiromura Keiju , Hiramatsu Noriyuki , Shigehara Tetsuya , Takeuchi Shigeru , Tomioka Mai , Sakairi Toru , Yamashita Shin , Maeshima Akito , Kaneko Yoriaki , Kuroiwa Takashi , Kopp Jeffrey B. , Nojima Yoshihisa
Published: July 2007

Conditional transgenic mice that express one of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 accessory genes, vpr, selectively in podocytes using a podocin promoter and a tetracycline-inducible system develop renal injuries similar to those of patients with HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN). We have shown that a heminephrectomy accelerates podocyte injury, which is alleviated by angiotensin II (ANG II) type 1 receptor blocker (ARB). The current study further explores the role of ANG II in the genesis of HIVAN in this murine model. With ANG II infusion, heavy proteinuria was observed at 1 wk after the initiation of doxycycline administration to induce vpr expression in podocytes. Severe morphological and phenotypical changes in the podocytes were observed at 2 wk, together with extensive glomerulosclerosis. Norepinephrine infusion, instead of ANG II, increased the systemic blood pressure to the same level as that achieved using ANG II. However, albuminuria and glomerular injury were modest in norepinephrine-infused mice. Treatment with an ARB, olmesartan, almost completely inhibited glomerular injury. In contrast, lowering the blood pressure with a vasodilator, hydralazine, partially decreased albuminuria but did not produce any histological changes. ANG II infusion alone without doxycycline resulted in a lower level of albuminuria and minimal histological changes. These data demonstrate that excessive ANG II accelerates vpr-induced podocyte injury in a mouse model of HIVAN.
Heme oxygenase-1 modulates the expression of the anti-angiogenic chemokine CXCL-10 in renal tubular epithelial cells
Authors: Datta Dipak , Dormond Olivier , Basu Aninda , Briscoe David M. , Pal Soumitro
Published: July 2007

The turnover and repair of peritubular capillaries is essential for the maintenance of normal renal tubular structure and function. Following injury, ineffective capillary repair/angiogenesis may result in chronic disease, whereas effective repair attenuates the injury process. Thus the process of healing in the kidney is likely dependent on an intricate balance between angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors to maintain the renal microvasculature. We investigated the role of cytoprotective heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the regulation of chemokines in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (RPTEC). Transfection of RPTEC with a HO-1 overexpression plasmid promoted a marked induction in the mRNA expression of the anti-angiogenic chemokine CXCL-10, along with angiogenic chemokines CXCL-8 and CCL-2. Utilizing a CXCL-10 promoter luciferase construct, we observed that HO-1-induced CXCL-10 expression is regulated at the transcriptional level. However, with increases in concentrations and time intervals of HO-1 induction, there was a marked decrease in CXCL-10 expression. Using pharmacological inhibitors, we found that HO-1-induced early robust CXCL-10 transcription is mediated through the PKC signaling pathway. To evaluate the functional significance of HO-1-induced CXCL-10 release, we cultured human vascular endothelial cells in the absence and presence of culture supernatants of the HO-1 plasmid-transfected RPTEC. We found that early (24 h) supernatants of the HO-1 plasmid-transfected cells (RPTEC) inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, and this effect was blocked by addition of a CXCL-10 neutralizing antibody. Thus HO-1 can regulate the expression of the anti-angiogenic CXCL-10 and may alter a critical balance between angiogenic vs. anti-angiogenic factors that are important to maintain renal microvasculature during injury.
Optimizing the therapeutic benefits of exercise in Type 2 diabetes
Authors: Praet Stephan F. E. , van Loon Luc J. C.
Published: July 2007

Other than diet and medication, exercise is considered one of the three cornerstones of good diabetes treatment. Nevertheless, current clinical guidelines on Type 2 diabetes provide no detailed information on the modalities of effective exercise intervention in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Based on a review of currently available literature, exercise modalities are being identified to maximize the benefits of exercise intervention in the treatment of different Type 2 diabetes subpopulations. Both endurance and resistance types of exercise have equal therapeutic strength to improve metabolic control in patients with Type 2 diabetes. When applying endurance-type exercise, energy expenditure should be equivalent to ∼1.7–2.1 MJ/exercise bout on 3 but preferably 5 days/wk. In sarcopenic or severely deconditioned patients with Type 2 diabetes, focus should lie on the implementation of resistance-type exercise to attenuate and/or reverse the decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength. Before choosing the most appropriate exercise modalities, the patient's disease stage should be well characterized, and an ECG-stress test should be considered. Based on baseline aerobic fitness, level of co-morbidities, body composition, and muscle strength, patients should be provided with an individually tailored exercise intervention program to optimize therapeutic value. A multidisciplinary individualized approach and continued exercise training under personal supervision is essential to enhance compliance and allow long-term health benefits of an exercise intervention program.
Position Selectivity in Scene- and Object-Responsive Occipitotemporal Regions
Authors: MacEvoy Sean P. , Epstein Russell A.
Published: July 2007

Complex visual scenes preferentially activate several areas of the human brain, including the parahippocampal place area (PPA), the retrosplenial complex (RSC), and the transverse occipital sulcus (TOS). The sensitivity of neurons in these regions to the retinal position of stimuli is unknown, but could provide insight into their roles in scene perception and navigation. To address this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure neural responses evoked by sequences of scenes and objects confined to either the left or right visual hemifields. We also measured the level of adaptation produced when stimuli were either presented first in one hemifield and then repeated in the opposite hemifield or repeated in the same hemifield. Although overall responses in the PPA, RSC, and TOS tended to be higher for contralateral stimuli than for ipsilateral stimuli, all three regions exhibited position-invariant adaptation, insofar as the magnitude of adaptation did not depend on whether stimuli were repeated in the same or opposite hemifields. In contrast, object-selective regions showed significantly greater adaptation when objects were repeated in the same hemifield. These results suggest that neuronal receptive fields (RFs) in scene-selective regions span the vertical meridian, whereas RFs in object-selective regions do not. The PPA, RSC, and TOS may support scene perception and navigation by maintaining stable representations of large-scale features of the visual environment that are insensitive to the shifts in retinal stimulation that occur frequently during natural vision.
Historicising Rationality: The Transmission of Rationality and Science to the Malay States under British Rule
Authors: Shah Mohd Hazim
Published: July 2007

In this article, I will attempt to look at the process of modernisation of Malay society under British rule, roughly from 1874 to 1957, from the perspective of Weber's theory of rationalisation. I will be looking at the process of rationalisation in the spheres of public administration, education, science and technology. Contrary to Weber's and Habermas' view of rationalisation as involving value and cultural change prior to social change, I argue that rationalisation as it occurred under conditions of colonisation in the Malay States in late 19th and early 20th centuries, require a different explanatory model in which the rationalisation that occurred was primarily instrumental and utilitarian in nature, not involving value-change, and where science was not institutionalised prior to its professionalisation. This reversal, in the sequential order, in comparison to that found in the European process of rationalisation, results in a different set of consequences and poses a problem for cultural stability and the indigenization of science and technology in Malaysia.
Alternative Discourses in Korean Sociology: The Limits of Indigenization
Authors: Kyong-Dong Kim
Published: July 2007

In this paper, I am presenting a view that there is inherently a certain limit to the attempt by the non-Western Third World social scientists to advance alternative discourses in their academic endeavour. This I shall demonstrate by way of a modified modernization theory which stresses the unilaterally 'tilted' process of international acculturation while duly taking into account the effort to indigenize modernization by each late-comer society exposed to the global modernization process. In a way, my version of the modernization theory, in itself is an example of indigenization of social theory; hence offering some alternative discourses to the existing field of development and modernization studies.
Morph-specific immunity in male Podarcis muralis
Authors: Sacchi Roberto , Rubolini Diego , Gentilli Augusto , Pupin Fabio , Razzetti Edoardo , Scali Stefano , Galeotti Paolo , Fasola Mauro
Published: July 2007

Permanent colour polymorphism in lizards is maintained by complex
interactions between environmental pressures and physiological traits (such
as immune responsiveness) that differ among morphs. In this study we
investigated whether T-cell mediated immune response vary among male colour
morphs in the trimorphic (white, yellow and red) common wall lizard,
Podarcis muralis. We found that yellow males showed a lower immune response
compared to both red and white males, whose responses were similar. Thus,
immune responsiveness is morph-specific in male common wall lizards,
suggesting that this physiological trait could play an important role in
maintaining colour polymorphism in this species. Moreover, immune
responsiveness significantly increased with increasing male size,
irrespective of colour morph, indicating that it could be regarded as a
condition-dependent trait.
An evaluation of the taxonomic validity of Testudo werneri
Authors: Attum Omar , El Din Sherif Baha , Carranza Salvador , Earley Ryan , Arnold E. Nicholas , Kingsbury Bruce
Published: July 2007

The Egyptian tortoise Testudo kleinmanni was recently split into two species
on the basis of apparent differences in shell morphology and markings.
Testudo kleinmanni was restricted to areas west of the Nile river and a new
form, T. werneri, was described which occurred east of the Nile river
(Perälä, 2001). However, when the morphometric analysis on which this
decision was based (Perälä, 2001) was adjusted to allow for experiment-wise
Type I error, by using P-value corrections, the proportion of the 46
characters that differed significantly between the two populations fell from
36.9% to only 13% in males and from 39.1% to just 8.7% in females. We then
conducted a new morphometric analysis using our own data set that showed
minor significant variation in morphometric and plastron markings between
populations. An analysis of mitochondrial DNA based on 393 base pairs of the
12S rRNA gene, also showed near uniformity of western and eastern
populations. Genetic divergence was only 0.2%, with the only consistent
difference being a single G – A substitution at position 205. Based on the
revised interpretation of Perälä (2001) results, our morphometric analysis
on our own data set, and the molecular evidence, the variation observed
between populations is normal within a species and therefore T. werneri is
not a distinct independent evolutionary lineage and should not be considered
a separate species from T. kleinmanni.
Mitochondrial phylogeography of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis, Emys trinacris) – an update
Authors: Fritz Uwe , Guicking Daniela , Kami Hajigholi , Arakelyan Marine , Auer Markus , Ayaz Dinçer , Fernández César Ayres , Bakiev Andrey , Celani Antonia , Džukić Georg , Fahd Soumia , Havaš Peter , Joger Ulrich , Khabibullin Viner , Mazanaeva Lyudmila , Široký Pavel , Tripepi Sandro , Vélez Aitor Valdeón , Antón Guillermo Velo , Wink Michael
Published: July 2007

Based on more than 1100 samples of Emys orbicularis and E. trinacris, data on
mtDNA diversity and distribution of haplotypes are provided, including for
the first time data for Armenia, Georgia, Iran, and the Volga, Ural and
Turgay River Basins of Russia and Kazakhstan. Eight mitochondrial lineages
comprising 51 individual haplotypes occur in E. orbicularis, a ninth lineage
with five haplotypes corresponds to E. trinacris. A high diversity of
distinct mtDNA lineages and haplotypes occurs in the south, in the regions
where putative glacial refuges were located. More northerly parts of Europe
and adjacent Asia, which were recolonized by E. orbicularis in the Holocene,
display distinctly less variation; most refuges did not contribute to
northern recolonizations. Also in certain southern European lineages a
decrease of haplotype diversity is observed with increasing latitude,
suggestive of Holocene range expansions on a smaller scale.
Effect of cold temperature on the length of incubation of Chamaeleo chamaeleon
Authors: Díaz-Paniagua Carmen
Published: July 2007

Common chameleon eggs spend the first months of incubation at low temperatures. I incubated eggs of different clutches at 25°C in four treatments with respectively 0, 84, 119 and 149 days of initial cold period (at 14°C). Treatments with longer cold periods had longer total incubation but shorter periods of incubation at 25°C. Eggs which did not experience initial cold period showed low synchronization at hatching. Hatchling body mass and length were influenced by the length of the cold period. Hatchlings were largest and heaviest for cold periods of intermediate length which had similar duration than the cold period experienced by eggs in nature. These results suggest that the cold torpor period of Common chameleon embryos contributes to optimization of development and growth, and synchronizes hatching.
Effects of a paved road on mortality and mobility of red bellied toads (Melanophryniscus sp.) in Argentinean grasslands
Authors: Cairo Samanta Lis , Zalba Sergio Martín
Published: July 2007

Melanophryniscus sp. is an endemic toad restricted to Sierra de la Ventana,
in the Argentine Pampas. Part of its reproductive habitat is crossed by a
paved road. We studied the effects of the road on the mortality and mobility
of the toads. During the days following rain, we surveyed transects on both
sides of the road, capturing, photographing and immediately releasing each
toad. Population size in the area was estimated in 1074 individuals (871 to
1363, 95% CI) by means of mark-recapture analysis. We found fifteen
individuals killed by vehicles in the 2003-04 and ten in the 2004-05
reproductive seasons. This mortality represents from 2.5 to 5.9% of the
population annually, considering that 73% of the mortality period was
sampled and a detection rate of dead frogs of 40%. Other factors associated
to roadside habitat, such as rapid drying of roadside ditches, maintenance
work, increased frequency of fire, pollution by gas, oil and fuel emissions
and losses from vehicles, and poaching as pets by tourists, may also reduce
the survival of the toads. We recorded capture sites and calculated the
average distance between captures as 33.04 m for males and 22.50 m for
females. Only two of the 76 observations of recaptured toads were made on
the opposite side of the road. Roads can be considered as having a
significant impact on this species by augmenting mortality, hindering the
mobility of the species and increasing habitat isolation.
Group location in the group-living lizard, Cordylus cataphractus: the significance of occupancy and a group signal
Authors: Hayward Jeannie , Mouton P. le Fras N.
Published: July 2007

Chemical cues in the form of glandular secretions may play an important role
in the location and selection of shelters in lizards. The present study
investigated the possible existence and significance of a composite group
signal in the group-living cordylid, Cordylus cataphractus. Cordylus
cataphractus is very sluggish and probably extremely vulnerable during
periods away from the crevice. A group signal would aid dispersing or lost
individuals in locating groups of conspecifics in the shortest possible
time. Choice experiments to determine shelter selection were conducted in
the laboratory as well as in the field, in order to test specific
predictions following from the group signal hypothesis. In the laboratory,
there was a statistically significant preference for shelters marked with
conspecific glandular secretions over unmarked shelters. In the field,
individuals strongly avoided crevices occupied by conspecifics. It seems
likely that a composite group signal does exist, and that such a signal may
be used to locate groups of conspecifics. Whether an individual will
actually join a group seems to be determined by the interaction of a number
of complex factors.
Interest Rates and Business Returns
Authors: Weale Martin
Published: July 2007

The July interest rate increase has taken the Bank of England's Base Rate to the highest value for six years. In figure 1 we show the forward estimates for the nominal short-term interest rate taken from the Bank of England's yield curve tables for both government debt and liabilities of commercial banks. These are in effect market forecasts of the short-term rate produced in the past. The graph shows that the market has been taken somewhat by surprise by rising short-term interest rates. Two years ago the market was forecasting a rate of around 4 per cent per annum for July 2007. Nor were the probabilities the market gave to an interest rate of 5.75 per cent per annum very high. Twelve months ago the market in financial options implied that the chance of the rate exceeding 5.66 per cent per annum was only 15 per cent. Even in January of this year the chance of it reaching its current level or higher was put at less than 25 per cent. The National Institute cannot claim a substantially better record at forecasting interest rates. We normally use market expectations, as calculated from the yield curve, to provide exogenous forecasts as input into our model in the short term.
Computers and Pay
Authors: Green Francis , Felstead Alan , Gallie Duncan , Zhou Ying
Published: July 2007

This paper describes the diffusion of computer use among jobs in Britain, and shows that the technology is having notable effects on the labour market. By 2006 three in four jobs entailed job-holders using computers, while for two in four jobs computer use was essential. Computing skills have a significant impact on pay but, in 2006, much of this effect is interactive with what we term ‘influence skills’. The average effect of a unit increase in the Computing Skills index (which ranges from 0 to 4) is to raise pay by an estimated 5.3 per cent and 6.0 per cent for men and women respectively. For men there is an additional 19.2 per cent boost to pay in establishments where at least three quarters of workers are working with computers, compared to establishments where no one uses computers. These effects are greater for those people in jobs with above-average influence skills requirements. Our estimates allow for education, a large number of other generic skills and other conventional controls, which makes them more robust to the critique that they are overestimates because they might suffer from omitted skill bias. IV estimates show only small differences from the OLS estimates. We also find that the direct and interactive effects of computer skills and influence skills have risen over the decade, indicating increased scarcity.
The Effectiveness of a School-Based Adolescent Depression Education Program
Authors: Swartz Karen L. , Kastelic Elizabeth A. , Hess Sally G. , Cox Todd S. , Gonzales Lizza C. , Mink Sallie P. , Raymond DePaulo J.
Published: July 2007

In an effort to decrease the suicide rate in adolescents, many interventions have focused on school-based suicide prevention programs. Alternatively, depression education in schools might be effective in decreasing the morbidity, mortality, and stigma associated with adolescent depression. The Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP) developed a 3-hour curriculum to teach high school students about the illness of depression. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the ADAP curriculum in improving high school students’ knowledge about depression. From 2001 to 2005, 3,538 students were surveyed on their knowledge about depression before and after exposure to the ADAP curriculum. The number of students scoring 80% or higher on the assessment tool more than tripled from pretest to posttest (701 to 2,180), suggesting the effectiveness of the ADAP curriculum. Further study and replication are required to determine if improved knowledge translates into increased treatment-seeking behavior.
Perceptions of the Religion—Health Connection Among African Americans in the Southeastern United States: Sex, Age, and Urban/Rural Differences
Authors: Holt Cheryl L. , Schulz Emily , Wynn Theresa A.
Published: July 2007

Extensive literature reviews suggest that religiousness is positively associated with health. Much less understood is the particular nature of the religion—health connection. Religion and the church play a central role in the lives of many African Americans. This study used a mixed-methods approach to examine perceptions of the religion—health connection among African Americans in urban and rural areas. Four hundred participants were randomly selected and interviewed by telephone, answering open-ended questions about their perceptions of the role of religiousness in their health. Data were analyzed using an open-coding technique. Codes were arranged into families involving the role of a higher power, health behavior, physical factors, social support, mental health, and contextual factors in determining physical health, as well as the potential negative role of religiousness. Quantitative analysis revealed the stronger presence of themes among women, older participants, and those in rural counties. Applications for theory and health promotion are discussed.
Semiotic resourcefulness: A young child's email exchange as design
Authors: Mavers Diane
Published: July 2007

Children's resourcefulness can be seen in their ordinary, everyday `semiotic work' as they select resources from those ready to hand to create play environments and artefacts. Is this resourcefulness also evident as they make meaning in the highly conventionalized mode of writing? Conceptualizing writing as a process of design opens up the possibility for understanding meaning-making beyond the linguistic. In a spontaneously initiated email exchange with her uncle, a six-year-old child demonstrated semiotic resourcefulness as she made meaning in a variety of ways: by selecting and combining particular lexical and syntactic choices, but also in her deployment of other semiotic resources such as spacing, punctuation and spelling. The un-school-likeness of this young child's domestic literacy implies agency and initiative as she designed writing apt to the social context, and demonstrated her literate capacities in the here and now.
Boy-talk around texts: Considering how a third grade boy transforms the shape of literacy in book talk discussionsI
Authors: Bausch Linda S.
Published: July 2007

Compelling aspects I have noticed throughout my teaching life are the multitude of understandings boys have concerning themselves as readers. In this inquiry, as part of a larger year-long ethnographic study, I observed and analyzed how what counts as talk around text accomplishes curriculum mandates and achieves valuable social ends for one third grade boy. This boy is viewed through a literacy lens from which his conversations and interactions illustrate (1) the richness and diversity of his reading life, (2) the social processes intrinsic in learning to compose meaning in school, and (3) the ways in which school-based literacies maintain, sustain and/or constrain his growth as a reader.
The texture and composition of tourmaline in metasediments of the Sinai, Egypt: Implications for the tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Pan-African basement
Authors: Abu El-Enen M. M. , Okrusch M.
Published: July 2007

Accessory tourmaline in metasediments from the Sinai crystalline basement exhibits textural and chemical signatures that relate to the evolution of regional metamorphism and deformation during the Pan-African orogeny and testifies to differentP-Tpath segments. Tourmaline inclusions in various porphyroblasts were formed during the prograde phase of metamorphism; acicular to prismatic crystals in the matrix, oriented sub-parallel to, and enveloped by, the main foliation crystallized syntectonically under prograde and peak metamorphic conditions; tourmaline cross-cutting the main foliation may have formed just after the peak or during the retrograde phase of metamorphism. Some of the cores in tourmaline crystals, showing different colours, are interpreted as former detrital grains. The abundance of tourmaline decreases with increasing peak metamorphic conditions. The tourmaline investigated belongs to the schorl-dravitessgroup, generally withXMgof 0.42–0.73 and XCa= Ca/(Ca+Na+K+□) of 0.02–0.24, typical of tourmalines in metapelites and metapsammites; whereas detrital cores have been derived from various sources, including former tourmaline-quartz and pre-existing high-metamorphic rocks. Tourmaline of the Sinai metasediments was formed during metamorphism of the sedimentary precursors, essentially in a closed system, where clay minerals and organic matter, together with detrital tourmaline, served as the source of boron. Although a metamorphic facies should be defined by characteristic mineral assemblages present in metamorphic rocks, tourmaline chemistry is a good monitor ofP-Tconditions in the metapelites and semi-metapelites investigated, showing an increase inXMgwith increasing metamorphic grade, whereXturMg= 0.60 distinguishes between greenschist and lower-amphibolite facies, whileXturMg= 0.65 could distinguish lower- from middle- to upper-amphibolite facies. The results of tourmaline-biotite geothermometry compare well with our former temperature estimates using conventional geothermometry and phase-diagram modelling.
Site occupancy in richterite-winchite from Libby, Montana, USA, by FTIR spectroscopy
Authors: Iezzi G. , Della Ventura G. , Bellatreccia F. , Lo Mastro S. , Bandli B. R. , Gunter M. E.
Published: July 2007

Three natural amphibole samples collected from the former vermiculite mine near Libby, Montana. USA, have been analysed by Rietveld X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) refinement and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in the OH-stretching region. The same materials have been analysed previously by electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), Mössbauer spectroscopy and structure refinement (SREF) single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD), which revealed that these amphiboles have a crystal chemical formula very close to an intermediate composition between winchite and richterite, i.e. AA0.5BNaCaCMg4.5M3+T0.5Si8O22(OH)2 (A = Na and/or K; M3+ = Fe3+ and/or Al). The Rietveld analysis showed the powder samples used for the experiments here to be composed only of amphibole. This in turn allowed us to use FTIR OH-stretching data to derive cation ordering on these powder samples. The three FTIR spectra are quite similar and up to four components can be fitted to the patterns. The two lower-frequency components (labelled A and B) can be attributed to a local O(3)-H dipole surrounded by M(1)M(3)Mg3 and M(1)M(3)Mg2Fe2+; (respectively), an empty A site and rSi8 environments; on the contrary, the higher-frequency C and D bands indicate the presence of an occupied A site. The FTIR OH-stretching data alone allow us to calculate the site occupancy of the A, M(1)–M(3) and T sites with confidence, as compared with previously published data. By contrast M(4)- and M(2)-site occupancies are more difficult to evaluate. This study takes advantage of the large database of well characterized synthetic amphiboles, built over the last two decades. The comparison of vibrational spectroscopy data with micro-chemical and crystallographic data reported in this study demonstrate that the FTIR OH-stretching method alone is a valuable and rapid method to derive or at least sensibly constrain site occupancy for natural amphiboles. A much more detailed cation site occupancy can be obtained by combining micro-chemical and FTIR OH-stretching data.
Clinical evaluation of QuantiFERON TB-2G test for immunocompromised patients
Authors: Kobashi Y. , Mouri K. , Obase Y. , Fukuda M. , Miyashita N. , Oka M.
Published: July 2007

The usefulness of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the QuantiFERON TB-2G (QFT-TB) test were compared in immunocompromised patients.

The subjects consisted of 252 immunocompromised patients who were clinically suspected of tuberculosis (TB) infection between April 2005 and December 2006.

Regarding the underlying diseases, 74 subjects had malignant diseases, 72 were undergoing immunosuppressive treatment, 52 had diabetes mellitus, 50 had chronic renal failure and four had HIV infection. While the positive rate of the QFT-TB test for the diagnosis of TB infection (TB disease or latent TB infection) was 78.1%, that of TST for TB infection was 50.0%. The QFT-TB test was significantly better than TST. However, 32 (13%) patients had an indeterminate QFT-TB result. Indeterminate findings were significantly more frequent in patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment (28%), especially with lymphocytopaenia in the peripheral blood, than in those who had other underlying diseases. While TST-positive and QFT-TB test-negative results were recognised in immunocompromised patients with bacille Calmette–Guérin vaccination or nontuberculous mycobacterial disease, TST-negative and QFT-TB test-positive results were recognised in immunocompromised patients with a past history of TB infection.

It was concluded that the QuantiFERON TB-2G test is a more useful diagnostic method for tuberculosis infection than tuberculin skin test for immunocompromised patients suspected of tuberculosis disease. However, because the results of the QuantiFERON TB-2G test show an indeterminate response for patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment, especially for those with lymphocytopaenia due to severe underlying diseases, care must be taken in the interpretation of the QuantiFERON TB-2G test for these patients.
Effects of antioxidant enzyme polymorphisms on ozone-induced lung function changes
Authors: Chen C. , Arjomandi M. , Tager I. B. , Holland N. , Balmes J. R.
Published: July 2007

Chronic exposure to ozone (O3) can cause changes in lung function that may reflect remodelling of small airways. It is likely that antioxidant enzyme function affects susceptibility to O3. The aim of the present study was to determine whether polymorphisms in antioxidant enzyme (GSTM1,GSTP1andNQO1) genes affect the risk of lung function changes related to chronic exposure to O3.

In total, 210 young adults who participated in a previous study, which showed a relationship between lifetime exposure to O3and decreased lung function, were genotyped. Multivariable linear regression was used to model sex-specific associations between genotypes and O3-related lung function changes, adjusting for height, weight, lifetime exposure to nitrogen dioxide and particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm, and self-identified race/ethnicity.

TheGSTM1-null/NQO1Pro187Pro-combination genotype was significantly associated with increased risk of an O3-related decrease in mean forced expiratory flow between 25–75% of forced vital capacity in females (parameter estimate±se-75±35 mL·s−1), while theGSTP1Val105 variant genotypes were significantly associated with greater risk of an O3-related decrease in mean forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity in males (-81±31 mL·s−1).GSTM1-null status was not significantly associated with any O3-related changes in lung function in either sex.

The current authors conclude that the effects of antioxidant enzyme gene polymorphisms on the risk of decreased lung function related to chronic exposure to ozone may be modified by sex-specific factors.
Mycobacterium paratuberculosisis recognized by Toll-like receptors and NOD2
Authors: Ferwerda Gerben , Kullberg Bart Jan , de Jong Dirk J , Girardin Stephen E , Langenberg Dennis M L , van Crevel Reinout , Ottenhoff Tom H M , Van der Meer Jos W M , Netea Mihai G
Published: July 2007

Mycobacterium paratuberculosis has been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease (CD). The importance of microorganisms in CD is supported by the association of CD with mutations in the intracellular pathogen recognition receptor (PRR) nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2). The aim of this study is to investigate the PRR involved in the recognition of M. paratuberculosis. Methods used include in vitro stimulation of transfected cell lines, murine macrophages, and human PBMC. M. paratuberculosis stimulated human TLR2 (hTLR2)-Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells predominantly and hTLR4-CHO cells modestly. Macrophages from TLR2 and TLR4 knockout mice produced less cytokines compared with controls after stimulation with M. paratuberculosis. TLR4 inhibition in human PBMC reduced cytokine production only after stimulation with live M. paratuberculosis. TLR-induced TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10 production is mediated through MyD88, whereas Toll-IL-1R domain-containing adaptor inducing IFN-β (TRIF) promoted the release of IL-1β. hNOD2-human embryo kidney (HEK) cells, but not hNOD1-HEK cells, responded to stimulation with M. paratuberculosis. PBMC of individuals homozygous for the 3020insC NOD2 mutation showed a 70% defective cytokine response after stimulation with M. paratuberculosis. These results demonstrate that TLR2, TLR4, and NOD2 are involved in the recognition of M. paratuberculosis by the innate immune system.
Distribution and phenotype of rotavirus-specific B cells induced during the antigen-driven primary response to 2/6 virus-like particles administered by the intrarectal and the intranasal routes
Authors: Di Martino Cyrille , Basset Christelle , Ogier Agathe , Charpilienne Annie , Poncet Didier , Kohli Evelyne
Published: July 2007

Selection of mucosal sites is an important step in mucosal vaccine development. The intrarectal (IR) route represents an alternative to the oral route of immunization; nevertheless, immune responses induced by this route are not well defined. Here, we studied the early primary B cell response (induction, homing, and phenotype) induced by IR immunization with rotavirus (RV)-2/6 virus-like particles (VLP). Using flow cytometry, we traced RV-specific B cells in different lymphoid tissues and analyzed the expression of α4β7 and CCR9, which are important receptors for homing to the gut, as well as CD5, a marker expressed by B1-a cells, which are a major source of natural antibodies. We observed a massive, specific B cell response in rectal follicles, lumbar, and mesenteric lymph nodes but not in Peyer’s patches or cervical lymph nodes. A minority of cells expressed α4β7, suggesting a probable lack of migration to the gut, whereas CCR9 and CD5 were expressed by 30–50% and 30–75% of specific B cells, respectively. Then, we compared the intranasal route of immunization and observed similar B cell frequency and phenotype but in respiratory lymphoid tissues. These results confirm the high compartmentalization of B cell responses within the mucosal system. They show that CCR9 expression, conversely to α4β7, is not restricted to B cells induced in the gut. Finally, an important part of the RV-specific B cell response induced at the mucosal level during the primary response to VLP is most likely a result of B1-a cells.
Cranial neural crest cells regulate head muscle patterning and differentiation during vertebrate embryogenesis
Authors: Rinon Ariel , Lazar Shlomi , Marshall Heather , Büchmann-Møller Stine , Neufeld Adi , Elhanany-Tamir Hadas , Taketo Makoto M. , Sommer Lukas , Krumlauf Robb , Tzahor Eldad
Published: July 2007

In the vertebrate head, mesoderm cells fuse together to form a myofiber,which is attached to specific cranial neural crest (CNC)-derived skeletal elements in a highly coordinated manner. Although it has long been recognized that CNC plays a role in the formation of the head musculature, the precise molecular underpinnings of this process remain elusive. In the present study we explored the nature of the crosstalk between CNC and mesoderm cells during head muscle development, employing three models for genetic perturbations of CNC development in mice, as well as experimental ablation of CNC in chick embryos. We demonstrate that although early myogenesis is CNC-independent, the migration, patterning and differentiation of muscle precursors are regulated by CNC. In the absence of CNC cells, accumulated myoblasts are kept in a proliferative state, presumably because of an increase of Fgf8 in adjacent tissues, which leads to abnormalities in both differentiation and subsequent myofiber organization in the head. These results have uncovered a surprising degree of complexity and multiple distinct roles for CNC in the patterning and differentiation of muscles during craniofacial development. We suggest that CNC cells control craniofacial development by regulating positional interactions with mesoderm-derived muscle progenitors that together shape the cranial musculoskeletal architecture in vertebrate embryos.
Oriented cell divisions in the extending germband ofDrosophila
Authors: da Silva Sara Morais , Vincent Jean-Paul
Published: July 2007

Tissue elongation is a general feature of morphogenesis. One example is the extension of the germband, which occurs during early embryogenesis in Drosophila. In the anterior part of the embryo, elongation follows from a process of cell intercalation. In this study, we follow cell behaviour at the posterior of the extending germband. We find that, in this region, cell divisions are mostly oriented longitudinally during the fast phase of elongation. Inhibiting cell divisions prevents longitudinal deformation of the posterior region and leads to an overall reduction in the rate and extent of elongation. Thus, as in zebrafish embryos, cell intercalation and oriented cell division together contribute to tissue elongation. We also show that the proportion of longitudinal divisions is reduced when segmental patterning is compromised, as, for example, in even skipped (eve) mutants. Because polarised cell intercalation at the anterior germband also requires segmental patterning, a common polarising cue might be used for both processes. Even though, in fish embryos, both mechanisms require the classical planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, germband extension and oriented cell divisions proceed normally in embryos lacking dishevelled(dsh), a key component of the PCP pathway. An alternative means of planar polarisation must therefore be at work in the embryonic epidermis.
The planar polarity pathway promotes coordinated cell migration duringDrosophilaoogenesis
Authors: Bastock Rebecca , Strutt David
Published: July 2007

Cell migration is fundamental in both animal morphogenesis and disease. The migration of individual cells is relatively well-studied; however, in vivo,cells often remain joined by cell-cell junctions and migrate in cohesive groups. How such groups of cells coordinate their migration is poorly understood. The planar polarity pathway coordinates the polarity of non-migrating cells in epithelial sheets and is required for cell rearrangements during vertebrate morphogenesis. It is therefore a good candidate to play a role in the collective migration of groups of cells. Drosophila border cell migration is a well-characterised and genetically tractable model of collective cell migration, during which a group of about six to ten epithelial cells detaches from the anterior end of the developing egg chamber and migrates invasively towards the oocyte. We find that the planar polarity pathway promotes this invasive migration, acting both in the migrating cells themselves and in the non-migratory polar follicle cells that they carry along. Disruption of planar polarity signalling causes abnormalities in actin-rich processes on the cell surface and leads to less-efficient migration. This is apparently due, in part, to a loss of regulation of Rho GTPase activity by the planar polarity receptor Frizzled,which itself becomes localised to the migratory edge of the border cells. We conclude that, during collective cell migration, the planar polarity pathway can mediate communication between motile and non-motile cells, which enhances the efficiency of migration via the modulation of actin dynamics.
Global Corporations, Global Unions
Authors: Lerner Stephen
Published: July 2007

As global corporations extend their global reach, could they be making themselves more vulnerable to unions?
Toward a Prehistory of Asian American Verse: Pound, Cathay, and the Poetics of Chineseness
Authors: Yao Steven G.
Published: July 2007

Through examining the various terms—tonal, rhetorical, thematic, and formal—by which Ezra Pound sought to present Chinese poetic culture and identity in Cathay, this essay delineates a "prehistory" of Asian American verse. For, departing from the reigning discourse of the "Yellow Peril," Cathay has come to embody the authority of the cultural dominant, thereby defining the framework of evaluation for other poetic voicings in English of "Chinese" and "Asian" cultural heritage.