bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunitMdα6fromMusca domesticais diversified via post‐transcriptional modification
Authors: Gao J.‐R. , Deacutis J. M. , Scott J. G.
Published: April 2007

Recent studies showed that deletion of a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit gene,Dα6inDrosophila melanogasterresults in a strain that is resistant to spinosad, indicating thatDα6is important for the toxic action of this insecticide. To determine if spinosad resistance in house flies was due to a mutation(s) ofMdα6(the orthologue ofDα6from house flies), cDNAs were cloned and characterized from an insecticide‐susceptible and a spinosad‐resistant strain of the house fly,Musca domestica. The cDNAs contain a 1470‐bp open reading frame encoding 490 amino acid residues, 415‐bp 5′ untranslated region (UTR) and a polymorphic 3′‐UTR of ∼371 bp. The predicted mature protein possesses 468 amino acid residues, has the typical features of a nAChR α subunit and is 97% identical toDα6. Quantitative real‐time PCR analysis revealed thatMdα6was expressed in the head and the thorax at 1300‐ and 26‐fold higher levels, respectively, than in the abdomen. There was no difference in the expression level ofMdα6between spinosad‐resistant and susceptible strains. Ten isoforms arising from alternative splicing were characterized, with isoform II being most common. A‐to‐I RNA editing was examined and found at 12 sites: editing at 11 of these sites resulted in an amino acid substitution.Mdα6is linked to autosome 1 (spinosad resistance was previously shown to be linked to autosome 1). Single nucleotide polymorphisms, alternative splicing, mRNA levels and A‐to‐I RNA editing were compared between head and thorax and between insecticide‐susceptible and spinosad‐resistant strains. These comparisons indicate thatMdα6is not responsible for spinosad resistance in house flies.
Molecular characterization of MbADGF, a novel member of the adenosine deaminase‐related growth factor in the cabbage armyworm, Mamestra brassicae: the functional roles in the midgut cell proliferation
Authors: Zhang J. , Takeda M.
Published: April 2007

To clarify the functional mechanism of the adenosine deaminase‐related growth factor (ADGF) particularly in the regulation of insect development, the cDNA encoding a homologue of ADGF proteins was cloned from the cabbage armyworm, Mamestra brassicae, named MbADGF. The purified MbADGF recombinant protein stimulated cell proliferation in a dose‐dependent manner of SES‐MaBr‐4 and NIAS‐MaBr‐93 cell lines that were derived from fat bodies and haemocytes of M. brassicae. The adenosine deaminase activity of MbADGF was detected using adenosine and 2′‐deoxyadenosine as substrates. Northern analysis demonstrated that during the larval development the level of MbADGF in the midgut increased. In situ hybridization showed that MbADGF mRNA was expressed in midgut goblet cells and in the apical cytoplasm of columnar cells, which suggests that MbADGF protein may execute its adenosine deaminase activity at the apical cytoplasm of columnar cells to convert adenosine into inosine.
Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy ofChlamydomonas reinhardtii: non‐photochemical quenching mutants and the effect of photosynthetic inhibitors on the slow chlorophyll fluorescence transient
Authors: HOLUB O. , SEUFFERHELD M. J. , GOHLKE C. , GOVINDJEE  , HEISS G. J. , CLEGG R. M.
Published: April 2007

Fluorescence lifetime‐resolved images of chlorophyll fluorescence were acquired at the maximum P‐level and during the slower transient (up to 250 s, including P‐S‐M‐T) in the green photosynthetic algaChlamydomonas reinhardtii. At the P‐level, wild type and the violaxanthin‐accumulating mutant npq1 show similar fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime‐resolved images. The zeaxanthin‐accumulating mutant npq2 displays reduced fluorescence intensity at the P‐level (about 25–35% less) and corresponding lifetime‐resolved frequency domain phase and modulation values compared to wild type/npq1. A two‐component analysis of possible lifetime compositions shows that the reduction of the fluorescence intensity can be interpreted as an increase in the fraction of a short lifetime component. This supports the important photoprotection function of zeaxanthin in photosynthetic samples, and is consistent with the notion of a ‘dimmer switch’. Similar, but quantitatively different, behaviour was observed in the intensity and fluorescence lifetime‐resolved imaging measurements for cells that were treated with the electron transport inhibitor 3‐(3,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐1,1‐dimethyl urea, the efficient PSI electron acceptor methyl viologen and the protonophore nigericin and. Lower fluorescence intensities and lifetimes were observed for all npq2 mutant samples at the P‐level and during the slow fluorescence transient, compared to wild type and the npq1 mutant.

The fluorescence lifetime‐resolved measurements during the slow fluorescence changes after the P level up to 250 s for the wild type and the two mutants, in the presence and absence of the above inhibitors, were analyzed with a graphical procedure (polar plots) to determine lifetime compositions. At higher illumination intensity, wild type and npq1 cells show a rise in fluorescence intensity and corresponding rise in the species concentration of the slow lifetime component after the initial decrease following the P level. This reversal is absent in the npq2 mutant, and for all samples in the presence of the inhibitors. Lifetime heterogeneities were observed in experiments averaged over multiple cells as well as within single cells, and these were followed over time. Cells in the resting state (induced by several hours of darkness), instead of the normal swimming state, show shortened lifetimes. The above results are discussed in terms of a superposition of effects on electron transfer and protonation rates, on the so‐called ‘State Transitions’, and on non‐photochemical quenching. Our data indicate two major populations of chlorophyll a molecules, defined by two ‘lifetime pools’ centred on slower and faster fluorescence lifetimes.
Precision of light intensity measurement in biological optical microscopy
Authors: BERNAS TYTUS , BARNES DAVID , ASEM ELIKPLIMI K. , ROBINSON J. PAUL , RAJWA BARTEK
Published: April 2007

Standardization and calibration of optical microscopy systems have become an important issue owing to the increasing role of biological imaging in high‐content screening technology. The proper interpretation of data from high‐content screening imaging experiments requires detailed information about the capabilities of the systems, including their available dynamic range, sensitivity and noise. Currently available techniques for calibration and standardization of digital microscopes commonly used in cell biology laboratories provide an estimation of stability and measurement precision (noise) of an imaging system at a single level of signal intensity. In addition, only the total noise level, not its characteristics (spectrum), is measured. We propose a novel technique for estimation of temporal variability of signal and noise in microscopic imaging. The method requires registration of a time series of images of any stationary biological specimen. The subsequent analysis involves a multi‐step process, which separates monotonic, periodic and random components of every pixel intensity change in time. The technique allows simultaneous determination of dark, photonic and multiplicative components of noise present in biological measurements. Consequently, a respective confidence interval (noise level) is obtained for each level of signal. The technique is validated using test sets of biological images with known signal and noise characteristics. The method is also applied to assess uncertainty of measurement obtained with two CCD cameras in a wide‐field microscope.
On new characters of the eggs of Embioptera with the description of a new species of Saussurembia (Anisembiidae)
Authors: EDGERLY JANICE S. , SZUMIK CLAUDIA A. , MCCREEDY CHANEL N.
Published: April 2007

Abstract Nine egg characters for eleven species of Embioptera are described for the first time. Egg variability indicates its potential use in taxonomy. Here, we analyse the correlation of this variability with the ordinal classification. In addition, a new species of Saussurembia (Anisembiidae) from Trinidad is described, including classical traits in the systematics of Embioptera (adult male and female), as well as general features of the egg and maternal behaviour.
Challenges faced by general practitioners and allied mental health services in providing mental health services in rural Queensland
Authors: Bambling Matthew , Kavanagh David , Lewis Gisela , King Robert , King David , Sturk Heidi , Turpin Merrill , Gallois Cindy , Bartlett Helen
Published: April 2007

Objective:  To examine the views of rural practitioners concerning issues and challenges in mental health service delivery and possible solutions.

Design:  A qualitative study using individual semi‐structured interviews.

Setting:  Eight general practices from eight rural Queensland towns, three rural mental health services and two non‐government organisations, with interviews being conducted before recent changes in government‐subsidised access to allied health practitioners.

Participants:  A sample of 37 GPs, 19 Queensland Health mental health staff and 18 participants from community organisations.

Main outcome measures:  Analysis of qualitative themes from questions about the key mental health issues facing the town, how they might be addressed and what challenges would be faced in addressing them.

Results:  There was substantial consensus that there are significant problems with inter‐service communication and liaison, and that improved collaboration and shared care will form a critical part of any effective solution. Differences between groups reflected differing organisational contexts and priorities, and limitations to the understanding each had of the challenges that other groups were facing.

Conclusions:  Improvements to mental health staffing and to access to allied health might increase the ability of GPs to meet the needs of less complex patients, but specific strategies to promote better integrated services are required to address the needs of rural and regional patients with complex mental health problems. The current study provides a baseline against which effects of recent initiatives to improve mental health care can be assessed.
SPONTANEOUS OSCILLATORY CONTRACTIONS IN AORTAS OF RATS WITH ARTERIAL PRESSURE LABILITY CAUSED BY SINOAORTIC DENERVATION
Authors: Rocha Matheus L , Bendhack Lusiane M
Published: April 2007

The spontaneous variation of blood pressure is defined as arterial pressure lability. Sinoaortic denervation (SAD) is characterized by arterial pressure lability without sustained hypertension.

The phenomenon of spontaneous oscillatory contractions (SOCs) occurs more frequently in the vascular beds of hypertensive animals. In large arteries, such as the aorta, SOCs occur only occasionally or they can be initiated by application of chemical stimuli.

In the present study, we investigated whether the arterial pressure lability evoked by SAD could be related to the emergence of SOCs in the aorta of rats submitted to SAD compared with sham‐operated rats (SO). Three days after surgery (SAD or SO), aortic rings were placed in an organ chamber and the incidence (percentage of rats presenting SOCs), frequency (number of SOCs in 10 min) and amplitude (mN) of SOCs were measured. The participation of external Ca2+ and K+ channels in the maintenance of SOCs was also verified.

The incidence and frequency of SOCs were higher in endothelium‐denuded aortas from SAD rats (82% and 38 ± 4 SOCs/10 min, respectively) than in aortas from SO rats (40% and 14 ± 2 SOCs/10 min, respectively). In aortas from SAD rats, verapamil (0.2 µmol/L), pinacidil (0.3 µmol/L) and tetraethylammonium (TEA; 5 mmol/L) totally inhibited SOCs, whereas increasing the CaCl2 concentration to 2.0 and 2.5 mmol/L increased the frequency of SOCs. Interestingly, increasing the concentration of CaCl2 to 3.5 mmol/L inhibited these contractions in aortas from SAD rats.

These results show that although SAD rats did not become hypertensive, their aortas were capable of initiating SOCs without the application of any chemical stimuli. The SOCs seem to be dependent on Ca2+ influx sensitive to verapamil and also involve K+ channels sensitive to pinacidil and TEA.
MAXIMAL LACTATE STEADY STATE IN RUNNING MICE: EFFECT OF EXERCISE TRAINING
Authors: Ferreira Julio CB , Rolim Natale PL , Bartholomeu Jan B , Gobatto Claudio A , Kokubun Eduardo , Brum Patricia C
Published: April 2007

Maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) corresponds to the highest blood lactate concentration (MLSSc) and workload (MLSSw) that can be maintained over time without continual blood lactate accumulation and is considered an important marker of endurance exercise capacity. The present study was undertaken to determine MLSSw and MLSSc in running mice. In addition, we provide an exercise training protocol for mice based on MLSSw.

Maximal lactate steady state was determined by blood sampling during multiple sessions of constant‐load exercise varying from 9 to 21 m/min in adult male C57BL/6J mice. The constant‐load test lasted at least 21 min. The blood lactate concentration was analysed at rest and then at 7 min intervals during exercise.

The MLSSw was found to be 15.1 ± 0.7 m/min and corresponded to 60 ± 2% of maximal speed achieved during the incremental exercise testing. Intra‐ and interobserver variability of MLSSc showed reproducible findings. Exercise training was performed at MLSSw over a period of 8 weeks for 1 h/day and 5 days/week. Exercise training led to resting bradycardia (21%) and increased running performance (28%). Of interest, the MLSSw of trained mice was significantly higher than that in sedentary littermates (19.0 ± 0.5 vs 14.2 ± 0.5 m/min; P = 0.05), whereas MLSSc remained unchanged (3.0 mmol/L).

Altogether, we provide a valid and reliable protocol to improve endurance exercise capacity in mice performed at highest workload with predominant aerobic metabolism based on MLSS assessment.
INTERPLAY OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND NITRIC OXIDE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF EXPERIMENTAL LEAD‐INDUCED HYPERTENSION
Authors: Vaziri ND , Khan M
Published: April 2007

Lead is a common environmental and industrial toxin that can cause a variety of acute and chronic illnesses. For example, chronic exposure to low levels of lead has been shown to raise arterial pressure and promote renal and cardiovascular complications.

Several mechanisms have been identified by which chronic lead exposure can cause hypertension and cardiovascular disease. In recent years, increasing evidence has emerged pointing to the role of oxidative stress as a major mediator of lead‐induced hypertension.

The present article provides an overview of the published studies on this subject.
TIME‐DEPENDENT COURSE OF HYPERBARIC OXYGEN‐INDUCED OXIDATIVE EFFECTS IN RAT LUNG AND ERYTHROCYTES‡
Authors: Ay Hakan , Topal Turgut , Uysal Bülent , Özler Mehmet , Öter Sükrü , Korkmaz Ahmet , Dündar Kadir
Published: April 2007

The oxygen toxicity of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment has long been of interest. There is an extensive amount of information regarding the role oxidative stress plays after HBO exposure in different tissues, but the question of the persistence of this oxidative effect has not been thoroughly elucidated.

The present study was performed to elucidate the persistence of the oxidative effects of HBO on rat lungs and erythrocytes after they had been subjected to 100% oxygen exposure.

Rats were divided into five groups. All animals, except those in the control group, were subjected to 100% oxygen for 2 h at 3 ATA (≡ 300 kPa). Rats were killed at 30, 60, 90 or 120 min after exposure and thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances (TBARS) levels and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were determined.

Thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances levels and SOD and GPx levels were found to be significantly increased in lung tissue up to 60 min after exposure. Superoxide dismutase activity persisted at significantly high values for 90 min after exposure in erythrocytes and the lung. The TBARS levels in erythrocytes were also significantly higher for 60 min, whereas increased GPx activity was observed to persist for only 30 min.

The oxidative effect of HBO exposure declines to physiological levels within 90 min at most for erythrocytes and in lung tissue in rats. Further studies should focus on the molecular mechanisms that can be activated during this time interval.
PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF ICARIIN AGAINST LEARNING AND MEMORY DEFICITS INDUCED BY ALUMINIUM IN RATS
Authors: Luo Yong , Nie Jing , Gong Qi‐Hai , Lu Yuan‐Fu , Wu Qin , Shi Jing‐Shan
Published: April 2007

The present study examined the protective effects of icariin against the learning and memory deficits in aluminium‐treated rats and its potential mechanisms of action.

Qualified rats were treated with 1600 p.p.m. AlCl3 in drinking water for 8 months and the ability of spatial learning and memory was tested by the Morris water maze. In the place navigation test, aluminium administration significantly increased the mean escape latency and searching distance. In space probing test, aluminium markedly decreased the searching time and searching distance in the quadrant where the platform was originally located. All tests indicated deficits in rat spatial learning and memory induced by aluminium. Icariin treatment (60 and 120 mg/kg, by gavage for 3 months) dose‐dependently protected against the development of aluminium‐induced spatial learning and memory deficits.

To examine the mechanisms responsible for the protection afforded by icariin, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the hippocampus were assayed biochemically and the level of Aβ1−40 in the hippocampus was determined immunohistochemically. Icariin treatment significantly increased SOD activity and decreased MDA and Aβ1−40 content in the hippocampus of aluminium‐intoxicated rats.

In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that icariin is effective in improving the spatial learning and memory of aluminium‐intoxicated rats. The mechanisms responsible appear to be due, at least in part, to an increased anti‐oxidant capacity and decreased lipid peroxidation and Aβ1−40 levels in the rat hippocampus.
CEREBRAL UPTAKE OF DRUGS IN HUMANS
Authors: Upton Richard N
Published: April 2007

Drugs that target the central nervous system (CNS) are under‐represented in the pharmacopoeia because of the difficulties of overcoming passive and active defences of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Methods have been developed in drug discovery to make decisions about whether a compound crosses the BBB. Less is known about how the rate and extent of CNS penetration of a drug affects its clinical behaviour, largely because of past difficulties in measuring the cerebral uptake of drugs in humans. Three methods for doing so are reviewed.

Microdialysis is sometimes used as a clinical tool for monitoring the brain in neurointensive care and opportunistic pharmacological studies are possible. The method is relatively cheap and simple, measures free drug concentrations and is better suited to characterizing slowly changing brain drug concentrations.

Measuring cerebral drug uptake using positron emission tomography imaging requires the use of short‐lived isotopes (labelled drug or labelled receptor ligand). Data with high spatial and temporal resolution can be collected, but the method requires expensive infrastructure.

Jugular bulb catheters collect pure brain venous blood and are sometimes placed for neuromonitoring. Cerebral drug uptake is inferred from the arterial to cerebral venous concentration difference. The method is relatively cheap and simple and allows global brain concentrations to be estimated. It is better suited to characterizing rapidly changing brain concentrations and effects.

The cerebral kinetics of a cerebro‐active drug can make substantial contributions to its clinical behaviour. For example, loperamide is a peripherally acting opioid that has little CNS effect due to the active efflux transport of loperamide from the brain back into the blood by transporters including P‐glycoprotein. The opioids alfentanil and fentanyl differ in their duration of action largely because of differences in their cerebral distribution volume rather than differences in systemic kinetics. The onset of anaesthesia of the intravenous anaesthetic propofol is governed almost completely by the kinetics of the first‐pass passage of the drug through the brain and is more affected by changes in cerebral blood flow than hepatic clearance.

Continuing to exploit and develop these methods may provide new avenues to enhance the safety and efficacy of cerebro‐active drugs in clinical practice.
Using domain‐general principles to explain children's causal reasoning abilities
Authors: McClelland James L. , Thompson Richard M.
Published: April 2007

A connectionist model of causal attribution is presented, emphasizing the use of domain‐general principles of processing and learning previously employed in models of semantic cognition. The model categorizes objects dependent upon their observed ‘causal properties’ and is capable of making several types of inferences that 4‐year‐old children have been shown to be capable of. The model gives rise to approximate conformity to normative models of causal inference and gives approximate estimates of the probability that an object presented in an ambiguous situation actually possesses a particular causal power, based on background knowledge and recent observations. It accounts for data from three sets of experimental studies of the causal inferencing abilities of young children. The model provides a base for further efforts to delineate the intuitive mechanisms of causal inference employed by children and adults, without appealing to inherent principles or mechanisms specialized for causal as opposed to other forms of reasoning.
On the relation between the acquisition of singular–plural morpho‐syntax and the conceptual distinction between one and more than one
Authors: Barner David , Thalwitz Dora , Wood Justin , Yang Shu‐Ju , Carey Susan
Published: April 2007

We investigated the relationship between the acquisition of singular–plural morpho‐syntax and children's representation of the distinction between singular and plural sets.Experiment 1tested 18‐month‐olds using the manual‐search paradigm and found that, like 14‐month‐olds (Feigenson & Carey, 2005), they distinguished three objects from one but not four objects from one. Thus, they failed to represent four objects as ‘plural’ or ‘more than one’.Experiment 2found that children continued to fail at the 1 vs. 4 manual‐search task at 20 months of age, even when told, via explicit morpho‐syntactic singular–plural cues, that one or many balls are being hidden. However, 22‐ and 24‐month‐olds succeeded both with and without verbal cues. Parental report data indicated that most 22‐ and 24‐month‐olds, but few 20‐month‐olds, had begun producing plural nouns in their speech. Also, the success among the older children was due to those children who had reportedly begun producing plural nouns. We discuss a possible role for language acquisition in children's deployment of set‐based quantification and the distinction between singular and plural sets.
Perception of object shape and texture in human newborns: evidence from cross‐modal transfer tasks
Authors: Sann Coralie , Streri Arlette
Published: April 2007

The present research investigates newborn infants’ perceptions of the shape and texture of objects through studies of the bi‐directionality of cross‐modal transfer between vision and touch. Using an intersensory procedure, four experiments were performed in newborns to study their ability to transfer shape and texture information from vision to touch and from touch to vision. The results showed that cross‐modal transfer of shape is not bi‐directional at birth. Newborns visually recognized a shape previously held but they failed to tactually recognize a shape previously seen. In contrast, a bi‐directional cross‐modal transfer of texture was observed. Taken together, the results suggest that newborn infants, like older children and adults, gather information differently in the visual and tactile modes, for different object properties. The findings provide evidence for continuity in the development of mechanisms for perceiving object properties.
Gravity bias in young and adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): tests with a modified opaque‐tubes task
Authors: Tomonaga Masaki , Imura Tomoko , Mizuno Yuu , Tanaka Masayuki
Published: April 2007

Young human children at around 2 years of age fail to predict the correct location of an object when it is dropped from the top of an S‐shape opaque tube. They search in the location just below the releasing point (Hood, 1995). This type of error, called a ‘gravity bias’, has recently been reported in dogs and monkeys. In the present study, we investigated whether young and adult chimpanzees also show such a gravity bias in a modified version of the original opaque‐tube task. The original task by Hood and colleagues required the subject to search in a location after the object had fallen, while in the task reported here, subjects were required to predict the location before the object was dropped. Thus the present procedure does not involve explicit invisible displacement operations, one of the important components of the original procedure. InExperiment 1both young (1.5–2.5‐year‐old) and adult chimpanzees predicted the location of falling food items below the releasing point even when crossed tubes were used. These gravity errors remained after the extensive experience of using the tubes themselves.Experiment 2further tested adult and 4‐year‐old chimpanzees under the set‐up in which the straight and crossed tubes were simultaneously presented. The results were the same as those in the previous test, suggesting that developmental changes and learning effect do not affect the gravity bias in chimpanzees.
The Gendered Reproduction of the State in International Relations
Authors: Kantola Johanna
Published: April 2007

This article focuses on feminist debates about the state in International Relations (IR). I develop an argument about the gendered reproduction of the state that is based on a Foucauldian notion of power and a Butlerian deconstruction of gender. This approach challenges the unity of the state, power and gender, and the state becomes the gendered effect of discursive and structural processes. I critically discuss recent arguments for the need to move ‘beyond the state’ and to abandon the category of the state altogether, arguing that rather than abandoning the state, their contribution is to draw attention to the need to focus on the intersections of local, national and global levels when analysing states. The article focuses then on the ways in which feminist debates challenge the IR notion of ‘sovereign states’. Feminist scholars problematise three issues in particular: sovereignty, the inside/outside dichotomy and the fiction of the state as a person. I suggest that these debates fundamentally refute the unity of the state upon which some of IR theory continues to rely. Finally, I discuss the state as an effect of discursive and structural processes, which shifts the focus to the gendered reproduction of the state.
The Liberal Democrat Dilemma in Historical Perspective
Authors: BOGDANOR VERNON
Published: April 2007

This article examines Liberal and later Liberal Democrat relationships with other parties, whether through pacts (either electoral or parliamentary) or pursuing realignment. It shows how dilemmas that the Liberal Democrats may face in the future over what to do in a hung parliament have been a constant theme in Liberal politics since the electoral cooperation with Labour in 1906 and the parliamentary arrangement with Irish nationalists in 1910. It then argues that since 1918 the Liberals have been divided between those who were sympathetic to pacts and arrangements with other parties and those who feared compromising their independence. However, it is argued that Liberals fearful of a loss of independence were never able to offer a really effective answer as to how they could succeed in exerting political influence without cooperation. This remains a live debate for the Liberal Democrats.
The Birth and Rebirth of the Liberal Democrats
Authors: TAYLOR MATTHEW
Published: April 2007

This article tells the story of the Liberal Democrats from the final days of the Liberal/SDP Alliance to the general election of 1992. Drawing on the author's roles as an MP and as chair of the party's communications operations, it examines the factors that contributed to the party's troubled birth in 1988, and gives an insider's view on how the party survived to grow in the years after 1990. Key issues include the branding of the party and the development of its policy of paying for improvements to education through increasing income tax. It also lays stress on the importance of the party's activist base and its central campaigns expertise in not only surviving in local elections, but also in securing key by‐election victories.
De facto Veto? The Parliamentary Liberal Democrats
Authors: RUSSELL ANDREW , FIELDHOUSE ED , CUTTS DAVID
Published: April 2007

The parliamentary party of the Liberal Democrats is a symbol of the third party's growth in recent years. As a result of successful election targeting and an improvement in electoral reach, the party has seen its number of MPs at Westminster more than triple since 1992. It has been claimed that the increase in size of the parliamentary party has been accompanied by an increase in its power, so that the parliamentarians now have a de facto power of veto over policy despite the official policy‐making structures as laid out in the Liberal Democrat constitution. This article investigates the make‐up of the parliamentary Liberal Democrats and their contemporary influence over policy formation, and the parliamentary party's relationship with the conference and the party leader—and especially the events leading to the change of Liberal Democrat leader in 2006—to establish the veracity of this claim.
New Labour, New Protest? How the Liberal Democrats Profited from Blair's Mistakes
Authors: CURTICE JOHN
Published: April 2007

Traditionally, the Liberal Democrats and their predecessors have gained seats from Labour and have always seen their support fall during a Labour government. In 2005, and in by‐elections from 2003, the party reversed that trend. Yet, apart from particular success amongst Muslims, the resulting change in the social geography of Liberal Democrat support was not accompanied by any major change in the social and ideological character of the individuals who voted for it. The Liberal Democrats remain very much a party whose fortunes rests on its ability to garner protest votes; they are now simply able to secure such support from previous Labour voters too, perhaps because of their perceived ideological proximity to Labour. If the party's support rests once again at the next election on support for centre‐left principles, this raises difficult issues if the party appears to be willing to put the Conservatives into government.
How ‘Local’ are the Liberal Democrats? Recent Evidence from Electoral Performance and Campaigning
Authors: HARRISON LISA
Published: April 2007

In order to reclaim a credible place in the British two‐party system, the Liberal Democrats have done much to establish their community credentials. Successfully contesting seats in local elections may offer the best opportunities for a party to exploit limited resources and nurture its grass‐roots support. As a result, the party has been able to build up a reputation for optimising the so‐called snowball effect. This article focuses on two aspects of the Liberal Democrats’ local nature. The first is electoral trends since 1997—in terms of gaining and maintaining council control—and the extent to which this may have acted as a springboard for success in Westminster elections. The second reflects upon the content of campaigning in the 2005 general election. To what extent did the Liberal Democrats prioritise local issues in constituency leaflets? It concludes that the importance of locality to a party like the Liberal Democrats can present a double‐edged sword.
Whatever Happened to the Progressive Century?
Authors: SHERLOCK NEIL , LAWSON NEAL
Published: April 2007

In the mid‐1990s, after eighteen years of Conservative rule, there was much talk about the prospects for a progressive century. Tony Blair, under the tutelage of Roy Jenkins, made it clear that he wanted to end the schism on the centre‐left. Paddy Ashdown saw the same opportunity. Ironically, the electorate's desire to kick out the Conservatives and vote in progressives of any stripe delivered a Labour landslide that made cooperation impossible for Blair and Ashdown. Some progressive policies, notably on the constitution, have been implemented, but the political and intellectual roots to create a progressive century have yet to be properly established. Foreign policy divisions, especially on Iraq, have made this much more difficult. This article looks at the prospects for progressives—under new leadership—up to and after the next election in terms of ideas and policy.
Interactive whiteboards and talking books: a new approach to teaching children to write?
Authors: Martin Sheena
Published: April 2007

This article presents work undertaken with a class of Scottish Primary Six children (aged 10) to investigate the use of interactive whiteboard technology and interactive talking books in whole‐class writing lessons. The paper reports on a research project with three aims: to investigate how the use of an interactive whiteboard to reflect on the language and style of professional authors influenced the children's own writing; to examine the effect of this experience on the writing and behaviour of children with additional support needs; and to identify the advantages and disadvantages of using such technology in whole‐class writing lessons. The resulting evidence suggests that while some children benefited from the approach, teaching children to write through examination of professional models of writing in whole‐class lessons did not promote the most effective learning even where the text was provided in such an interactive medium. The implications of these results for practitioners who wish to use talking books and whiteboard technology to teach writing are discussed.
‘Good Farmers’ as Reflexive Producers: an Examination of Family Organic Farmers in the US Midwest
Authors: Stock Paul V.
Published: April 2007

In the wake of an explosion in the organic food sector, it is vital to differentiate, not only between conventional and organic producers, but between types of organic producers. By exploring a network of family organic farmers in the US Midwest through participant observation and interviews we can better understand the inherent overlap between the categorisations of producer and consumer through the lenses of identity and the reflexive producer. By studying a small network of organic food producers, I illustrate the emergence of a small, but important category of reflexive producers that shed light on the alternative ideology and actions of family organic farmers concerned with protecting the environment and the health of their customers and people in general. Furthermore, reflexive farmers illustrate the moral care associated with good farming.
Q Methodology and Rural Research
Authors: Previte Josephine , Pini Barbara , Haslam‐McKenzie Fiona
Published: April 2007

Traditionally, rural scholarship has been limited in its methodological approach. This has begun to change in recent years as rural researchers have embraced a range of different methodological tools. The aim of this article is to contribute to greater methodological pluralism in rural sociology by introducing readers to a method of research that is rarely engaged in the field, that is, Q methodology. The article describes the defining features of the approach as well as providing examples of its application to argue that it is a method that offers particular opportunities and synergies for rural social science research.
Staking the claims of identity: Purism, linguistics and the media in post‐1990 Germany1
Authors: Spitzmüller Jürgen
Published: April 2007

The paper examines one of the major metalinguistic debates in post‐war Germany: the debate about the influence of English on German, an issue which was raised in the 1990s in the German media and has dominated media discussions on language ever since. The analysis demonstrates that the debate is deeply embedded in current socio‐political discourses as well as in long‐term discursive traditions concerning, on the one hand, the socio‐political changes following German reunification in 1989/90, which involved a revision of the concepts of nation and nationalism, and, on the other, the genesis of the concept of nation, which is closely bound up with the history of the educated bourgeoisie and the process of standardisation as well as linguistic purism. It is argued that the debate on Anglicisms, as is the case in many other metalinguistic debates, cannot be regarded in isolation from the socio‐political environment and the context of historical usage within which it is embedded.
Transporters of ligands for essential metal ions in plants
Authors: Haydon Michael J. , Cobbett Christopher S.
Published: April 2007

Essential metals are required for healthy plant growth but can be toxic when present in excess. Therefore plants have mechanisms of metal homeostasis which involve coordination of metal ion transporters for uptake, translocation and compartmentalization. However, very little metal in plants is thought to exist as free ions. A number of small, organic molecules have been implicated in metal ion homeostasis as metal ion ligands to facilitate uptake and transport of metal ions with low solubility and also as chelators implicated in sequestration for metal tolerance and storage. Ligands for a number of essential metals have been identified and proteins involved in the transport of these ligands and of metal–ligand complexes have been characterized. Here we review recent advances in understanding the role of mugineic acid, nicotianamine, organic acids (citrate and malate), histidine and phytate as ligands for iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and nickel (Ni) in plants, and the proteins identified as their transporters.
Pollen wall development in flowering plants
Authors: Blackmore Stephen , Wortley Alexandra H. , Skvarla John J. , Rowley John R.
Published: April 2007

The outer pollen wall, or exine, is more structurally complex than any other plant cell wall, comprising several distinct layers, each with its own organizational pattern. Since elucidation of the basic events of pollen wall ontogeny using electron microscopy in the 1970s, knowledge of their developmental genetics has increased enormously. However, self‐assembly processes that are not under direct genetic control also play an important role in pollen wall patterning. This review integrates ultrastructural and developmental findings with recent models for self‐assembly in an attempt to understand the origins of the morphological complexity and diversity that underpin the science of palynology.

Contents

Summary
483

I.
Introduction
483

II.
Progress of research on pollen wall development
485

III.
The developmental role of the special cell wall
487

IV.
Meiosis and the establishment of microspore symmetry
489

V.
The origins of the exine during the tetrad stage
490

VI.
The free microspore stage to pollen maturation
495

VII.
Conclusions
495

Acknowledgements
496

References
496
Measuring efficiency and productive performance of colleges at the university of Santo Tomas: a nonparametric approach
Authors: Fernando Babeth Isa S. , Cabanda Emilyn C.
Published: April 2007

This paper estimates relative efficiency and productive performance of 13 colleges at the University of Santo Tomas (UST), using data envelopment analysis (DEA) – Malmquist indices and a multi‐stage model. DEA is a management evaluation tool that assists with identifying the most efficient and inefficient decision‐making units (DMUs) in the best practice frontier. Total factor productivity (TFP) is measured for a sample of 13 colleges at UST over the period 1998–2003. Empirical results show that the main contributing factor to TFP growth is efficiency change. That is, UST colleges are technically operating efficiently in the frontier technology; though there is a downward shift in the technological advancement. Our results further imply that with the use of output–input mix, UST colleges as a whole have recorded a higher level of technical efficiency than innovation. These new findings contribute significantly to the existing literature on efficiency and productive performance in the education sector.
Modeling hydration mechanisms of enzymes in nonpolar and polar organic solvents
Authors: Micaêlo Nuno M. , Soares Cláudio M.
Published: April 2007

A comprehensive study of the hydration mechanism of an enzyme in nonaqueous media was done using molecular dynamics simulations in five organic solvents with different polarities, namely, hexane, 3‐pentanone, diisopropyl ether, ethanol, and acetonitrile. In these solvents, the serine protease cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi was increasingly hydrated with 12 different hydration levels ranging from 5% to 100% (w/w) (weight of water/weight of protein). The ability of organic solvents to ‘strip off’ water from the enzyme surface was clearly dependent on the nature of the organic solvent. The rmsd of the enzyme from the crystal structure was shown to be lower at specific hydration levels, depending on the organic solvent used. It was also shown that organic solvents determine the structure and dynamics of water at the enzyme surface. Nonpolar solvents enhance the formation of large clusters of water that are tightly bound to the enzyme, whereas water in polar organic solvents is fragmented in small clusters loosely bound to the enzyme surface. Ions seem to play an important role in the stabilization of exposed charged residues, mainly at low hydration levels. A common feature is found for the preferential localization of water molecules at particular regions of the enzyme surface in all organic solvents: water seems to be localized at equivalent regions of the enzyme surface independently of the organic solvent employed.
China's Economy in 2006/2007: Managing High Growth for Faster Structural Adjustment
Authors: Wong John
Published: April 2007

China's economy in 2006 continued to register high growth of 10.5 to 10.7 percent with low inflation (CPI at 1.3 percent), dissipating fears of a hard landing. Since its accession to the WTO, China has become a significant global economic player, and is the favorite destination for many regional and global production networks. China is now a truly economic power (jingji daguo). China s economic leadership is also increasingly confident of its ability to manage China s domestic economic growth and its growing relations with the outside world. Although China s growth is expected to slow down in 2007 to approximately 9.5 percent, the national mood now is one of “more balanced” growth rather than “fast growth”. Therefore, the building of a “harmonious society” is to be emphasized in China, while letting economic growth solve the burning social and environmental issues. In 2007, the government will also need to deal with various internal and external macroeconomic imbalances. The renminbi will be under even stronger pressure to revalue, given China s record trade surplus of US$160bn and foreign reserves of US$1tn.
Migration and the Right to Social Security: Perceptions of Off‐farm Migrants' Rights to Social Insurance in China's Jiangsu Province
Authors: Nielsen Ingrid , Nyland Chris , Smyth Russell , Zhang Minqiong
Published: April 2007

In 2001 China ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. By so doing the national government became legally bound, “to the maximum of its available resources”, to achieve “progressively” full realization of the rights specified in the Covenant. Included amongst these entitlements is the “right of everyone to social security, including social insurance”. This paper uses data from Jiangsu to examine the extent to which urbanites agree that previously disenfranchised migrants have the same right to social insurance as the urban population. Many urbanites fear that their existing entitlements to social protection will be diluted if social insurance coverage is extended to include new populations. Accordingly, state agencies and the media have sought to promote acceptance of a more positive view of migrant workers than has traditionally prevailed within towns and cities. We find that younger urban residents, urban residents who already have social insurance and urban residents working in the state‐owned sector are more likely to agree that migrants have the same right to social insurance as the urban population.
Low Inflation, Pass‐through, and a Discrete Inflation‐targeting Framework for Monetary Policy in China
Authors: Zhang Chengsi
Published: April 2007

The performance of inflation in China over the past few decades has been remarkable. This paper characterizes the statistical nature of the inflation series in China over the past quarter of a century and presents an interesting scenario of large decline in inflation pass‐through accompanied with low inflation since the end of the 1990s. How should monetary policy in China be conducted under these new economic conditions? We propose a discrete inflation‐targeting framework for monetary policy, which is likely to be suitable for the regime of low inflation and inflation pass‐through. The advantages and caveats of adopting such a framework are also discussed.
Silencing MAT2A gene by RNA interference inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in human hepatoma cells
Authors: Liu Quanyan , Wu Kailang , Zhu Ying , He Yueming , Wu Jianguo , Liu Zhisu
Published: April 2007

Aims:  A switch in gene expression from MAT1A to MAT2A was found in liver cancer, suggesting that MAT2A plays an important role in facilitating cancer growth. MAT2A is an interesting target for antineoplastic therapy. The molecular mechanisms of silencing MAT2A by RNA interference inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in hepatoma cells was studied.

Methods:  We investigated the effects of MAT2A on S‐adenosyl‐methionine (SAM) production, cell growth and apoptotic cell death in hepatoma cell lines (Bel‐7402, HepG2, and Hep3B) using an RNA interference approach.

Results:  The treatment of three hepatoma cell lines with small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting to the MAT2A gene resulted in reducing the MAT II activity, facilitating SAM production, increasing SAM : SAH ratio, inhibiting cell growth and inducing cell apoptosis in hepatoma cells. In addition, silencing MAT2A gene resulted in the stimulation of MAT1A mRNA production, which was blocked by 3‐deazaadenosine and l‐ethionine, but not d‐ethionine, suggesting that such effect was specific and mediated by upregulation of SAM level and SAM : S‐adenosylethionine (SAH) ratio.

Conclusion:  Silencing MAT2A by sequence‐specific small interfering RNA caused a switch of MAT gene expression from MAT2A to MAT1A, which led the content of SAM to change to a higher steady‐state level that resulted in the inhibition of cell growth and the induction of apoptotic cell death in human hepatoma cells. These results also suggested that MAT2A may hold potential as a new target for liver cancer gene therapy.