bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learning from one another's mistakes: investment trusts in the UK and the US, 1868–1940
Authors: Rutterford Janette
Published: September 2009

This article explores the development of the closed-end investment trust in both the UK and the US, in the context of the investment management strategies adopted and whether they provided value-added services for investors. Although US investment trusts of the 1920s boom years were heavily influenced by their earlier UK counterparts, they differed from British investment trusts in a number of key ways, in particular, size, capital structure, tax and accounting practices, management, and costs. These differences led to their relatively much worse performance in the stock market crash of the late 1920s and early 1930s. This poor US trust performance led directly to the creation of the US open-ended ‘fixed trust’, marketed as an antidote to the generally poor management of conventional closed-end investment trusts. As confidence in mutual funds slowly returned in the United States, open-ended funds were gradually given more flexibility, but US investment trust companies, with share prices at a steep discount to liquidation value, and partly blamed for the crash, were encouraged to convert to mutual fund status by the 1936 Revenue Act. By 1944, open-end funds had overtaken investment trusts in terms of asset size, a phenomenon that did not occur in Britain for another 30 years.
Listener impressions of speakers with Parkinson’s disease
Authors: JAYWANT ABHISHEK , PELL MARC D.
Published: September 2009

Parkinson’s disease (PD) has several negative effects on speech production and communication. However, few studies have looked at how speech patterns in PD contribute to linguistic and social impressions formed about PD patients from the perspective of listeners. In this study, discourse recordings elicited from nondemented PD speakers (n= 18) and healthy controls (n= 17) were presented to 30 listeners unaware of the speakers’ disease status. In separate conditions, listeners rated the discourse samples based on their impressions of the speaker or of the linguistic content. Acoustic measures of the speech samples were analyzed for comparison with listeners’ perceptual ratings. Results showed that although listeners rated the content of Parkinsonian discourse as linguistically appropriate (e.g., coherent, well-organized, easy to follow), the PD speakers were perceived as significantly less interested, less involved, less happy, and less friendly than healthy speakers. Negative social impressions demonstrated a relationship to changes in vocal intensity (loudness) and temporal characteristics (dysfluencies) of Parkinsonian speech. Our findings emphasize important psychosocial ramifications of PD that are likely to limit opportunities for communication and social interaction for those affected, because of the negative impressions drawn by listeners based on their speaking voice. (JINS, 2010,16, 49–57.)
Crosslinguistic transfer in the acquisition of compound words in Persian–English bilinguals
Authors: FOROODI-NEJAD FARZANEH , PARADIS JOHANNE
Published: September 2009

Crosslinguistic transfer in bilingual language acquisition has been widely reported in various linguistic domains (e.g., Döpke, 1998; Nicoladis, 1999; Paradis, 2001). In this study we examined structural overlap (Döpke, 2000; Müller and Hulk, 2001) and dominance (Yip and Matthews, 2000) as explanatory factors for crosslinguistic transfer in Persian–English bilingual children's production of novel compound words. Nineteen Persian monolinguals, sixteen Persian–English bilinguals, and seventeen English monolinguals participated in a novel compound production task. Our results showed crosslinguistic influence of Persian on English and of English on Persian. Bilingual children produced more right-headed compounds in Persian, compared with Persian monolinguals, and in their English task, they produced more left-headed compounds than English monolinguals. Furthermore, Persian-dominant bilinguals tended more towards left-headed compounds in Persian than the English-dominant group. These findings point to both structural overlap and language dominance as factors underlying crosslinguistic transfer.
Differential Uptake and Selective Permeability of Fusarochromanone (FC101), a Novel Membrane Permeable Anticancer Naturally Fluorescent Compound in Tumor and Normal Cells
Authors: Furmanski Brian D. , Dréau Didier , Wuthier Roy E. , Fuseler John W.
Published: September 2009

The differential accumulation of fluorescent molecules in tumorigenic versus normal cells is a well-reported phenomenon and is the basis for photodiagnostic therapy. Through the use of confocal microscopy, the kinetic uptake and accumulation of fusarochromanone (FC101) was determined in two lines of living tumorigenic cells of mesenchymal-epithelial origin and normal fibroblast cells. Like other fluorescent cationic molecules, FC101 showed increased accumulation in tumorigenic cells; however, unlike other molecules, it appeared to be accumulated in a time-dependent manner. Also, unlike traditional fluorescent cationic molecules, FC101, a potent inhibitor of cell growth, showed preferential inhibition of tumorigenic B-16 melanoma cells and MCF7 cells derived from breast cancer adenocarcinoma when compared to normal cardiac fibroblasts. Further analysis of FC101's physicochemical properties using both experimentally obtained and simulated values revealed the likelihood of membrane permeation and oral bioavailability of the compound. These physicochemical properties of FC101 were also used to predict its intracellular localization lending credence to data observed by confocal microscopy.
Spectrum Simulation in DTSA-II
Authors: Ritchie Nicholas W.M.
Published: September 2009

Spectrum simulation is a useful practical and pedagogical tool. Particularly with complex samples or trace constituents, a simulation can help to understand the limits of the technique and the instrument parameters for the optimal measurement. DTSA-II, software for electron probe microanalysis, provides both easy to use and flexible tools for simulating common and less common sample geometries and materials. Analytical models based on ϕ(ρz) curves provide quick simulations of simple samples. Monte Carlo models based on electron and X-ray transport provide more sophisticated models of arbitrarily complex samples. DTSA-II provides a broad range of simulation tools in a framework with many different interchangeable physical models. In addition, DTSA-II provides tools for visualizing, comparing, manipulating, and quantifying simulated and measured spectra.
Strong wind events in the Antarctic
Authors: Turner John , Chenoli Sheeba Nettukandy , abu Samah Azizan , Marshall Gareth , Phillips Tony , Orr Andrew
Published: September 2009

We use quality controlled in situ meteorological observations collected at Antarctic research stations over the last 60 years to carry out the first continent‐wide investigation into the occurrence, variability, and trend in strong wind events (SWEs). Reanalysis/analysis fields are used to examine the synoptic background in which such events take place. SWEs are a feature of the extended winter season and involve a complex interaction between the downslope buoyancy forcing and the pressure gradient force from synoptic‐scale cyclones. Around the coast of East Antarctica the significant majority of SWEs are associated with enhancement of the downslope katabatic flow by the broadscale synoptic circulation, involving a deepening of pressure off the coast and an increase of pressure inland. Orientation of the valleys in relation to the cyclone track is critical in enabling enhancement of the katabatic winds. Casey, Mawson, and Dumont d'Urville stations report the greatest number of winds of storm force and stronger. Interannual variability of SWE numbers is large. Trends in the number of winter strong wind reports are small. The greatest statistically significant increase in wind speed since the 1950s has been at Faraday/Vernadsky and Syowa stations. The largest wind speed increases since 1979 have been at Davis and Mawson stations. Comparison with high‐resolution numerical simulations showed that the reanalysis/analysis fields are able to capture the large‐scale synoptic features and the associated enhancement of the katabatic flow but underestimated the observed wind speed if it was strongly influenced by local topographical conditions.
Hydrology of a groundwater‐irrigated rice field in Bangladesh: Seasonal and daily mechanisms of infiltration
Authors: Neumann Rebecca B. , Polizzotto Matthew L. , Badruzzaman A. Borhan M. , Ali M. Ashraf , Zhang Zhongyuan , Harvey Charles F.
Published: September 2009

Flow through a groundwater‐irrigated rice field in Bangladesh was characterized with data collected from a transect of tensiometers and time domain reflectometry sensors, novel tracer tests, infiltration tests, soil core analyses, and calculated water budgets. The combined data captured the dynamic hydrologic behavior of the rice field over an entire growing season, which included many irrigation events. Recharge to the aquifer flowed from the surface of the rice field through preferential flow paths located in the subsoil beneath the plowed surface of the field and in the bunds, the raised boundaries around the perimeter of the field. Water that remained within the soil matrix did not recharge the aquifer. Bund flow was the dominant loss for the field because the bulk hydraulic conductivity of the soil beneath the bunds was greater than that in the plowed and planted region of the rice field. Each year, farmers plow the rice fields, destroying cracks and decreasing the conductivity of the shallow soil, but leave the bunds unplowed because they follow property boundaries. We determined bund flow with a daily water balance and confirmed its importance by comparing irrigation losses among fields of different sizes and geometries and hence different ratios of perimeter to area. The perimeter‐to‐area ratio predicted the fraction of water lost down the bunds for these and other fields located throughout Southeast Asia. Finally, we determined the economic and environmental benefits of reducing bund flow.
Direct observations of the ACC transport across the Kerguelen Plateau
Authors: Park Young‐Hyang , Vivier Frédéric , Roquet Fabien , Kestenare Elodie
Published: September 2009

Major pathways and transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) crossing the Kerguelen Plateau were directly observed during the 2009 Track cruise. The net eastward transport to the south of the Heard/McDonald Islands is estimated as 56 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1), 43 Sv of which is tightly channelled into the Fawn Trough that appears as a predominant cross‐plateau gateway of circumpolar flow associated with the Southern ACC Front (SACCF). There are also two secondary passages, with one (6 Sv) being attached to the nearshore slope just south of the Heard/McDonald Islands and the other (7 Sv) passing through the northern Princess Elizabeth Trough. With an additional 2 Sv inferred just south of the Kerguelen Islands, the transport across the entire plateau amounts to 58 Sv, accounting for ∼40% of the total ACC transport transiting through the region, 147–152 Sv, quantities consistent with other independent estimates in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean.
Mantle convection controls the observed lateral variations in lithospheric thickness on present‐day Mars
Authors: Kiefer Walter S. , Li Qingsong
Published: September 2009

Sounding radar observations of the north polar layered deposits on Mars suggest an elastic lithosphere thickness of at least 300 km in that region, significantly larger than any prior estimate of lithospheric thickness on Mars. Previous studies interpreted this result as requiring either that Mars is significantly sub‐chondritic in its abundance of radioactive elements, or alternatively that there are large lateral variations in lithospheric thickness. We find that the required depletion of radioactivity is geochemically unlikely. On the other hand, stagnant lid convection naturally produces factor of two or more lateral variations in both mantle heat flux and lithospheric thickness and is the preferred explanation for the polar elastic thickness measurement. Our mantle plume models, which have previously been shown to explain observations of present‐day magma production on Mars, can also explain the new elastic thickness observations.
A flow path model for regional water distribution optimization
Authors: Cheng Wei‐Chen , Hsu Nien‐Sheng , Cheng Wen‐Ming , Yeh William W.‐G.
Published: September 2009

We develop a flow path model for the optimization of a regional water distribution system. The model simultaneously describes a water distribution system in two parts: (1) the water delivery relationship between suppliers and receivers and (2) the physical water delivery network. In the first part, the model considers waters from different suppliers as multiple commodities. This helps the model clearly describe water deliveries by identifying the relationship between suppliers and receivers. The physical part characterizes a physical water distribution network by all possible flow paths. The flow path model can be used to optimize not only the suppliers to each receiver but also their associated flow paths for supplying water. This characteristic leads to the optimum solution that contains the optimal scheduling results and detailed information concerning water distribution in the physical system. That is, the water rights owner, water quantity, water location, and associated flow path of each delivery action are represented explicitly in the results rather than merely as an optimized total flow quantity in each arc of a distribution network. We first verify the proposed methodology on a hypothetical water distribution system. Then we apply the methodology to the water distribution system associated with the Tou‐Qian River basin in northern Taiwan. The results show that the flow path model can be used to optimize the quantity of each water delivery, the associated flow path, and the water trade and transfer strategy.
Oct4 expression in in‐vitro‐produced sheep blastocysts and embryonic‐stem‐like cells
Authors: Sanna Daniela , Sanna Angela , Mara Laura , Pilichi Susanna , Mastinu Andrea , Chessa Fabrizio , Pani Luca , Dattena Maria
Published: September 2009

Transcription factor Oct4 (octamer‐binding transcription factor‐4) is important in early embryonic development and differentiation. It is also required for maintenance of pluripotency of the inner cell mass, and is used as a staminality marker of embryonic stem cells. Changes in Oct4 expression during the different stages of early embryo development have been reported, and therefore we have conducted a quantitative study of Oct4 gene expression of sheep blastocysts in vitro, and of embryonic‐stem‐like cells at the undifferentiated stage and in the course of differentiation. To characterize embryonic‐stem‐like cells, alkaline phosphatase activity, stage‐specific embryonic surface antigens SSEA‐1, SSEA‐3, SSEA‐4 and three specific gene markers Nanog, Sox2 and Stat3 were assayed. cDNA produced by RT (reverse transcriptase)–PCR was synthesized and amplified by PCR; sequencing gave 98, 95 and 98% homology with the bovine sequences of Oct4, Nanog and Stat3 respectively. Using the ovine sequence of 290 bp, quantitative expression of Oct4 in the inner cell mass, trophoblast and embryonic‐stem‐like cells was performed by qRT‐PCR (quantitative real‐time PCR). Oct4 was expressed in the inner cell mass, trophoblast and embryonic‐stem‐like cells. Expression in the inner cell mass was significantly higher than in the trophoblast. This could be useful in defining the quality of embryos produced and makes it possible to use Oct4 to detect pluripotency. In addition, the different levels of Oct4 expression between undifferentiated and differentiating embryonic‐stem‐like cell cultures could be used to detect this gene as a staminality marker.
Positional effects of the matrix attachment region on transgene expression in stably transfected CHO cells
Authors: Wang Tian‐Yun , Zhang Jun‐He , Jing Chang‐Qin , Yang Xian‐Jun , Lin Jun‐Tang
Published: September 2009

Previous work has shown that the MAR (matrix attachment region) could increase transgene expression in stably transfected CHO (Chinese‐hamster ovary) cells. To study the positional effect of MAR on transgene expression, three expression vectors were constructed which contained the human β‐globin MAR in different sites, including the vector with two MARs flanking the CAT (chloramphenicol acetyltransferase) expression cassette, one MAR at the 5′ or 3′ site. These vectors were transfected into CHO cells. The level of CAT gene expression was most effectively increased by two MARs flanking the CAT expression cassette. This increase was also seen when MAR was inserted at the 5′ site upstream of the expression cassette, whereas the transgene expression level decreased when MAR was inserted at the 3′ site downstream of the expression cassette. We have also shown that the transgene expression level is not directly proportional to the gene copy number, and gene copy number dependency does not exist.
Opportunities and trade-offs in dual-purpose cereals across the southern Australian mixed-farming zone: a modelling study
Authors: Moore Andrew D.
Published: September 2009

Dual-purpose cereals are employed in the high-rainfall zone of southern Australia to provide additional winter forage. Recently there has been interest in applying this technology in the drier environments of South and Western Australia. It would therefore be useful to gain an understanding of the trade-offs and risks associated with grazing wheat crops in different locations. In this study the APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems Simulator) crop and soil simulation models were linked to the GRAZPLAN pasture and livestock models and used to examine the benefits and costs of grazing cereal crops at 21 locations spanning seven of the regions participating in the Grain & Graze research, development and extension program. A self-contained part of a mixed farm (an annual pasture–wheat rotation plus permanent pastures) supporting a breeding ewe enterprise was simulated. At each location the consequences were examined of: (i) replacing a spring wheat cultivar with a dual-purpose cultivar (cv. Wedgetail or Tennant) in 1 year of the rotation; and (ii) either grazing that crop in winter, or leaving it ungrazed.
The frequency of early sowing opportunities enabling the use of a dual-purpose cultivar was high. When left ungrazed the dual-purpose cultivars yielded less grain on average (by 0.1–0.9 t/ha) than spring cultivars in Western Australia and the Eyre Peninsula but more (by 0.25–0.8 t/ha) in south-eastern Australia. Stocking rate and hence animal production per ha could be increased proportionately more when a dual-purpose cultivar was used for grazing; because of the adjustments to stocking rates, grazing of the wheat had little effect on lamb sale weights. Across locations, the relative reduction in wheat yield caused by grazing the wheats was proportional to the grazing pressure upon them. Any economic advantage of moving to a dual-purpose system is likely to arise mainly from the benefit to livestock production in Western Australia, but primarily from grain production in south-eastern Australia (including the Mallee region). Between years, the relationship between increased livestock production and decreased grain yield from grazing crops shifts widely; it may therefore be possible to identify flexible grazing rules that optimise this trade-off.
Diet selection, herbage intake and liveweight gain in young sheep grazing dual-purpose wheats and sheep responses to mineral supplements
Authors: Dove H. , McMullen K. G.
Published: September 2009

Young crossbred sheep grazed dual-purpose wheat crops in three experiments evaluating the factors affecting variability in liveweight gain. All crops had high crude protein contents [22–33% dry matter (DM)] and in vitro DM digestibilities (0.754–0.876), which would not have limited liveweight gains. Digestibilities measured in vivo in grazing animals were even higher (0.839–0.854). No significant differences were found in preference of sheep for six different wheat cultivars. The diet composition and herbage intake of the sheep were measured in all experiments using plant wax marker profiles. Wheat forage made up 0.88–0.98 of the diet in sheep supplemented with unchopped oaten hay and 0.97–0.99 of the diet in unsupplemented sheep. Total intakes in the first two experiments were ~1380 g DM/day (3.7–4.0% of liveweight). Intakes in Experiment 3 were lower (960–1180 g DM/day; 2.6–3.1% of liveweight) because drought conditions reduced the amount of forage available. There were marked liveweight gain responses (30–50%) to mineral supplements based on NaCl, CaCO3 and MgO. Evidence is presented that these were mainly due to the Na and Mg, since the consumed diet was more than adequate for Ca. Relative to the requirements of young sheep for growth, wheat forage had high K levels (6–8 times requirement) and very low Na levels (as low as 0.02–0.03 of requirement) and thus very high K : Na ratios. Since high dietary K : Na ratios can greatly reduce Mg absorption from the rumen, the response to Na may have been partly mediated through improved Mg absorption. The liveweight gain responses to Na/Mg were large and economic, so it is recommended that young sheep grazing dual-purpose wheat be routinely supplemented with a 1 : 1 mix of NaCl : MgO.
Trade-offs between productivity and ground cover in mixed farming systems in the Murrumbidgee catchment of New South Wales
Authors: Lilley J. M. , Moore A. D.
Published: September 2009

Inadequate ground cover because of over-grazing of pastures, fallowing and stubble burning or excessive cultivation exposes land to degradation, yet maintaining cover can constrain productivity. We used long-term simulation analysis to investigate the impact of modifying stock and crop management practices on the trade-off between farm productivity (grain, meat and wool) and ground cover levels. Management of mixed farms at five locations (426–657 mm mean annual rainfall) in the Murrumbidgee catchment of New South Wales was represented for simulated farms that included permanent pastures, crop–pasture rotations, and a meat/wool sheep enterprise. Locations varied in their stocking rate, soil characteristics and proportion of land area allocated to various crops and pastures. At each location we investigated the impact on ground cover and farm productivity of (1) retention of wheat stubble, (2) altering stocking rate (up to ±25%) and (3) moving stock elsewhere on the farm when the mean value of ground cover fell below a given threshold (50, 60, 70, 80 or 90%) for either, all pasture on the farm or an individual paddock. The analysis showed that seasonal conditions were the dominant effect on the mean farm cover (mean range 64–98%); cover fell as low as 43–57% in severe droughts, depending on location. Retention of wheat stubble increased long-term mean cover by 1–4%, with little impact on grain yield. Altering stocking rate had the largest impact on cover at all locations (up to 4%), although there was a trade-off with productivity. Maintaining a constant stocking rate, although moving stock within the farm, had a small, positive effect on the whole-farm cover, although it reduced gross margin because of the cost of supplementary feeding. Confining stock to a 3 ha feeding lot was the most effective strategy for maintaining ground cover and minimising financial loss. Our analysis did not account for the benefits of maintaining high levels of ground cover on the long-term productive capacity of the farm through on-farm or off-farm environmental benefits. We conclude that ground cover is dominated by climatic effects, and that within the range of stock management practices examined in the present study, practices that increase minimum cover levels also reduce farm productivity. Reducing total stocking rate, or removing stock from the farm during periods of low cover, will have the greatest impact on maintaining cover, although it will reduce whole-farm profit.
Relationships between site characteristics, farming system and biodiversity on Australian mixed farms
Authors: Bridle Kerry , Fitzgerald Margy , Green David , Smith Janet , McQuillan Peter , Lefroy Ted
Published: September 2009

A collaborative project between researchers, regional natural resource management organisations and landholders set out to explore three questions about the relationships between biodiversity and land use in Australia’s mixed-farming landscapes: (1) the extent to which farm-scale measures of biodiversity were related to agricultural production; (2) the influence of the type and intensity of agricultural production on native biodiversity on farms; and (3) the relative influence of site and farming system on selected measures of biodiversity. Four land-use types on 47 mixed farms across nine regions, derived from several of Australia’s 56 natural resource management regions, were surveyed in autumn and spring 2006 and 2007. Surveys of birds, surface invertebrates (beetles, ants, spiders), vegetation and soils were undertaken on four land classes on each farm; crop, ‘rotation’ (break crop/pasture phase), perennial pasture and remnant vegetation. Data were collected by participating regional staff, using a standard protocol, which were sent to a central collection point for collation, analysis and interpretation.
Species richness, functional diversity and vegetation structure were assessed. This introductory paper focuses on results relating to species richness, which for most taxa was greater in remnant vegetation than other land-use classes and declined along a disturbance gradient (remnant, pasture, rotation, crop). Properties with a greater proportion of perennial pastures recorded higher species richness than properties that were dominated by crop. Properties that recorded high wheat yields (t/ha) also recorded lower species richness for spiders and birds. The presence of insectivorous birds and beneficial invertebrates (spiders, beetles and ants) in all land-use classes suggests the potential to apply integrated pest management approaches to mixed-farming systems across the country.
Site and system features were found to be important determinants of biodiversity, with their relative importance varying with the scale of investigation and the taxa. At the landscape scale, bird species richness was correlated with the amount of remnant vegetation within a 5-km radius of the farm boundary, and with the condition of native vegetation on the farm. The average size of remnant vegetation patches was 5 ha or less on nearly half of the properties surveyed. At the farm scale, ant species richness was correlated with site features, while beetles were correlated with management/system features such as the presence and fertility of perennial pastures.
Analyses at the functional group level will provide more detailed information on relationships between different land-use types. Further experimental work needs to be undertaken to qualify the suggested impact of land management practices on different taxa, while repeated surveys will allow for the collation of datasets over time, from which population dynamics may be determined.
Research management, institutional arrangements and the quest for integration in mixed-farming innovation: the emergence of point-of-practice integration
Authors: Price R. J.
Published: September 2009

Modern science and contemporary research and development programs are characterised by societal, managerial and political expectation that they be integrated. For some this means paying attention to the principles of the triple bottom line; for others it is about taking a holistic approach to finding solutions to complex problems; whereas for yet others it is about maximising co-investment, partnerships and collaboration and focusing these on the problems of the day. Each of these aspirations involves integration, although in very different ways. Grain & Graze attempted to deal with all these forms. With highly specified objectives and targets dealing with economic, environmental and social outcomes, 66 partners involving three scales of governance as well as science and community collaborators, and multidisciplinary research teams working across 50 or so research projects, integration was the catchcry of Grain & Graze. At its core the program dealt with cropping and grazing farming systems, adding yet another dimension of integration to the mix. This paper explores each of the forms of integration and the institutional arrangements in Grain & Graze that either supported or limited their success. It finds that frameworks for integration are highly challenged when these several forms of integration take place simultaneously, particularly when the expectations among diverse stakeholders about integration are unclear and when there is scant expertise and experience in operating within integrated frameworks. Under such situations, point-of-practice integration becomes a critical form of integration, a form which can and should be planned for at the commencement of complex research programs involving an on-ground adoption expectation.
Dry matter production and grain yield from grazed wheat in southern New South Wales
Authors: McMullen K. G. , Virgona J. M.
Published: September 2009

In southern New South Wales, Australia, grazing wheat during the vegetative and early reproductive growth stages (typically during winter) can provide a valuable contribution of high quality feed during a period of low pasture growth. This paper reports results from a series of experiments investigating the agronomic management of grazed wheats in southern NSW.
The effect of sowing date and grazing on dry matter production and subsequent grain yield of a range of wheat cultivars was measured in five experiments in 2004 and 2005. In all experiments, results were compared with ungrazed spring wheat (cv. Diamondbird). Grain yield of the best winter cultivar was either the same or significantly greater than the spring cultivar in each of the five experiments. Within the winter wheat cultivars, there was significant variation in grain yield, protein content and screenings, depending on site and year with the cultivar Marombi out-yielding all others. Interestingly, this cultivar usually had the least dry matter post-grazing but the greatest dry matter by anthesis of the winter wheats. Generally, if sowing of the winter wheat was delayed, then the effects on yield were small or non-existent.
The results are discussed with respect to the benefits of incorporating grazing cereals into cropping programs in the medium rainfall zone of southern Australia.
Human papillomavirus 16 E7 inactivator of retinoblastoma family proteins complements human cytomegalovirus lacking UL97 protein kinase
Authors: Kamil Jeremy P. , Hume Adam J. , Jurak Igor , Münger Karl , Kalejta Robert F. , Coen Donald M.
Published: September 2009

Several different families of DNA viruses encode proteins that inactivate the cellular retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRb), which normally functions to bind E2F transcription factors and restrict expression of genes necessary for cellular processes including DNA replication. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL97, a protein kinase functionally orthologous to cellular cyclin-dependent kinases, phosphorylates pRb on inactivating residues during HCMV infection. To assess if such phosphorylation is biologically relevant, we tested whether the human papillomavirus type 16 E7 protein, which inactivates pRb family proteins by direct binding and destabilization, could substitute for UL97 during HCMV infection. In the absence of UL97, expression of wild-type E7 protein, but not a mutant E7 unable to bind pRb family proteins, restored E2F-responsive cellular gene expression, late viral gene expression, and viral DNA synthesis to levels normally observed during wild-type virus infection of quiescent cells.
UL97
-null mutants exhibited more pronounced defects in virus production and DNA synthesis in quiescent cells as compared to serum-fed, cycling cells. E7 expression substantially enhanced infectious virus production in quiescent cells, but did not complement the defects observed during
UL97
-null virus infection of cycling cells. Thus, a primary role of UL97 is to inactivate pRb family proteins during infection of quiescent cells, and this inactivation likely abets virus replication by induction of cellular E2F-responsive genes. Our findings have implications for human cytomegalovirus disease and for drugs that target UL97.
Interareal coordination of columnar architectures during visual cortical development
Authors: Kaschube Matthias , Schnabel Michael , Wolf Fred , Löwel Siegrid
Published: September 2009

The formation of cortical columns is often conceptualized as a local process in which synaptic microcircuits confined to the volume of the emerging column are established and selectively refined. Many neurons, however, while wiring up locally are simultaneously building macroscopic circuits spanning widely distributed brain regions, such as different cortical areas or the two brain hemispheres. Thus, it is conceivable that interareal interactions shape the local column layout. Here we show that the columnar architectures of different areas of the cat visual cortex in fact develop in a coordinated manner, not adequately described as a local process. This is revealed by comparing the layouts of orientation columns (
i
) in left/right pairs of brain hemispheres and (
ii
) in areas V1 and V2 of individual brain hemispheres. Whereas the size of columns varied strongly within all areas considered, columns in different areas were typically closely matched in size if they were mutually connected. During development, we find that such mutually connected columns progressively become better matched in size as the late phase of the critical period unfolds. Our results suggest that one function of critical-period plasticity is to progressively coordinate the functional architectures of different cortical areas—even across hemispheres.
Dual role of K
ATP
channel C-terminal motif in membrane targeting and metabolic regulation
Authors: Kline Crystal F. , Kurata Harley T. , Hund Thomas J. , Cunha Shane R. , Koval Olha M. , Wright Patrick J. , Christensen Matthew , Anderson Mark E. , Nichols Colin G. , Mohler Peter J.
Published: September 2009

The coordinated sorting of ion channels to specific plasma membrane domains is necessary for excitable cell physiology. K
ATP
channels, assembled from pore-forming (Kir6.x) and regulatory sulfonylurea receptor subunits, are critical electrical transducers of the metabolic state of excitable tissues, including skeletal and smooth muscle, heart, brain, kidney, and pancreas. Here we show that the C-terminal domain of Kir6.2 contains a motif conferring membrane targeting in primary excitable cells. Kir6.2 lacking this motif displays aberrant channel targeting due to loss of association with the membrane adapter ankyrin-B (AnkB). Moreover, we demonstrate that this Kir6.2 C-terminal AnkB-binding motif (ABM) serves a dual role in K
ATP
channel trafficking and membrane metabolic regulation and dysfunction in these pathways results in human excitable cell disease. Thus, the K
ATP
channel ABM serves as a previously unrecognized bifunctional touch-point for grading K
ATP
channel gating and membrane targeting and may play a fundamental role in controlling excitable cell metabolic regulation.
Fine-scale mergers of chloroplast and mitochondrial genes create functional, transcompartmentally chimeric mitochondrial genes
Authors: Hao Weilong , Palmer Jeffrey D.
Published: September 2009

The mitochondrial genomes of flowering plants possess a promiscuous proclivity for taking up sequences from the chloroplast genome. All characterized chloroplast integrants exist apart from native mitochondrial genes, and only a few, involving chloroplast tRNA genes that have functionally supplanted their mitochondrial counterparts, appear to be of functional consequence. We developed a novel computational approach to search for homologous recombination (gene conversion) in a large number of sequences and applied it to 22 mitochondrial and chloroplast gene pairs, which last shared common ancestry some 2 billion years ago. We found evidence of recurrent conversion of short patches of mitochondrial genes by chloroplast homologs during angiosperm evolution, but no evidence of gene conversion in the opposite direction. All 9 putative conversion events involve the
atp1/atpA
gene encoding the alpha subunit of ATP synthase, which is unusually well conserved between the 2 organelles and the only shared gene that is widely sequenced across plant mitochondria. Moreover, all conversions were limited to the 2 regions of greatest nucleotide and amino acid conservation of
atp1/atpA
. These observations probably reflect constraints operating on both the occurrence and fixation of recombination between ancient homologs. These findings indicate that recombination between anciently related sequences is more frequent than previously appreciated and creates functional mitochondrial genes of chimeric origin. These results also have implications for the widespread use of mitochondrial
atp1
in phylogeny reconstruction.
Sulforaphane destabilizes the androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells by inactivating histone deacetylase 6
Authors: Gibbs Angela , Schwartzman Jacob , Deng Vivianne , Alumkal Joshi
Published: September 2009

High consumption of cruciferous vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer in epidemiological studies. There is preliminary evidence that sulforaphane, derived from glucoraphanin found in a number of crucifers, may prevent and induce regression of prostate cancer and other malignancies in preclinical models, but the mechanisms that may explain these effects are not fully defined. Recent reports show that sulforaphane may impair prostate cancer growth through inhibition of histone deacetylases, which are up-regulated in cancer. Indeed, one of these enzymes, histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), influences the acetylation state of a key androgen receptor (AR) chaperone, HSP90. AR is the central signaling pathway in prostate cancer, and its inhibition is used for both prevention and treatment of this disease. However, it is not known whether the effects of sulforaphane involve suppression of AR. We hypothesized that sulforaphane treatment would lead to hyperacetylation of HSP90 and that this would destabilize AR and attenuate AR signaling. We confirmed this by demonstrating that sulforaphane enhances HSP90 acetylation, thereby inhibiting its association with AR. Moreover, AR is subsequently degraded in the proteasome, which leads to reduced AR target gene expression and reduced AR occupancy at its target genes. Finally, sulforaphane inhibits HDAC6 deacetylase activity, and the effects of sulforaphane on AR protein are abrogated by overexpression of HDAC6 and mimicked by HDAC6 siRNA. The inactivation by sulforaphane of HDAC6-mediated HSP90 deacetylation and consequent attenuation of AR signaling represents a newly defined mechanism that may help explain this agent's effects in prostate cancer.
Order of lipid phases in model and plasma membranes
Authors: Kaiser Hermann-Josef , Lingwood Daniel , Levental Ilya , Sampaio Julio L. , Kalvodova Lucie , Rajendran Lawrence , Simons Kai
Published: September 2009

Lipid rafts are nanoscopic assemblies of sphingolipids, cholesterol, and specific membrane proteins that contribute to lateral heterogeneity in eukaryotic membranes. Separation of artificial membranes into liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered phases is regarded as a common model for this compartmentalization. However, tight lipid packing in Lo phases seems to conflict with efficient partitioning of raft-associated transmembrane (TM) proteins. To assess membrane order as a component of raft organization, we performed fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy with the membrane probes Laurdan and C-laurdan. First, we assessed lipid packing in model membranes of various compositions and found cholesterol and acyl chain dependence of membrane order. Then we probed cell membranes by using two novel systems that exhibit inducible phase separation: giant plasma membrane vesicles [Baumgart et al. (2007)
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
104:3165–3170] and plasma membrane spheres. Notably, only the latter support selective inclusion of raft TM proteins with the ganglioside GM1 into one phase. We measured comparable small differences in order between the separated phases of both biomembranes. Lateral packing in the ordered phase of giant plasma membrane vesicles resembled the Lo domain of model membranes, whereas the GM1 phase in plasma membrane spheres exhibited considerably lower order, consistent with different partitioning of lipid and TM protein markers. Thus, lipid-mediated coalescence of the GM1 raft domain seems to be distinct from the formation of a Lo phase, suggesting additional interactions between proteins and lipids to be effective.
25-Hydroxycholesterol secreted by macrophages in response to Toll-like receptor activation suppresses immunoglobulin A production
Authors: Bauman David R. , Bitmansour Andrew D. , McDonald Jeffrey G. , Thompson Bonne M. , Liang Guosheng , Russell David W.
Published: September 2009

25-Hydroxycholesterol is produced in mammalian tissues. The function of this oxysterol is unknown. Here we describe a central role for 25-hydroxycholesterol in regulating the immune system. In initial experiments, we found that stimulation of macrophage Toll-like receptors (TLR) induced expression of cholesterol 25-hydroxylase and the synthesis of 25-hydroxycholesterol. Treatment of naïve B cells with nanomolar concentrations of 25-hydroxycholesterol suppressed IL-2-mediated stimulation of B cell proliferation, repressed activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) expression, and blocked class switch recombination, leading to markedly decreased IgA production. Consistent with these findings, deletion of the mouse cholesterol 25-hydroxylase gene caused an increase in serum IgA. Conversely, inactivation of the CYP7B1 oxysterol 7α-hydroxylase, which degrades 25-hydroxycholesterol, decreased serum IgA. The suppression of IgA class switching in B cells by a macrophage-derived sterol in response to TLR activation provides a mechanism for local and systemic negative regulation of the adaptive immune response by the innate immune system.
Assessing source material difficulty for consecutive interpreting
Authors: Liu Minhua , Chiu Yu-Hsien
Published: September 2009

Motivated by the need for better control of standards of a certification examination for interpreters in Taiwan, this exploratory study aimed at identifying indicators that may be used to predict source material difficulty for consecutive interpreting. A combination of quantifiable measures — readability level, information density and new concept density — was used to examine different aspects of three English source materials. Expert judgment was also used as a more holistic method of judging source material difficulty. The results of these analyses were compared with two groups of student interpreters’ performance on consecutive interpreting of the source materials into Mandarin Chinese. The participants’ assessment of speech difficulty after the interpreting task was also compared with the other measures and the expert judgment. The quantifiable measures all failed statistically in predicting source material difficulty, possibly due to the very small sample size of the materials or to the fact that the materials were very similar in the aspects assessed by these measures. A trend emerged to suggest that information density and sentence length may be potentially useful indicators for predicting source material difficulty. It was also shown that source material difficulty affected the performance of lower-skilled interpreters more than that of higher-skilled interpreters.
Interpreter training and research in mainland China
Authors: Wang Binhua  , Mu Lei
Published: September 2009

Against a background of favorable socio-economic conditions and the development of Translation Studies into an autonomous discipline, translation and interpreting programs are mushrooming in mainland China. This article reports on the development of interpreter training and research here in recent years through an overview of different types of training programs, curriculum designs, training models or paradigms, new textbooks and interpreter accreditation tests. Some salient examples of interpreting research in mainland China are also critically reviewed.
Un hybride sémiotique
Authors: Petit Gerard
Published: September 2009

A lexical approach of the trademark names integrates to the scope of lexicology a type of sequence which usually is disregarded. The formal structure of the items is bound to restraints which are imposed to the signifier by the juridical statute of the name (capital letter, absence of plural mark, question of graphic variant...). It results, on semiotic plan, an ambiguous functionning coming under terminology and proper noun. A lot of graphemics transgressions effect, for the items, a categorial transfer towards common vocabulary. This instability presents an original feature because it doesn’t cancel the efficience of the juridical rule whiche defines the use of the word, and because it sets the (illegal) conditions to a stabilization and normalization of the linguistical statute of the items (the inclining to lexeme releases them from the ambiguity term vs proper noun).

On semantic plan, the interpretation of this type of names infers the presence of a notion or of an individual concept. However, the transfer of category which comes with the spreading of the items inside of the common vocabulary produces the emergence of a signified. Then is set the question of an possible polysemization of the name, and particularly the question of the definitions criterions which make the nomination possible. The lexicographic definitions have, for a large part of them, the structure of a metalinguistical text refering at the statute of trademark name of the définite item. Under such circumstances, far from appearing as a proper noun, a lexeme or a term, the trademark name reveals its partially sui-referential, intrinsically deictic and quasi-unamenable to a categorial definition nature.
Du coup et les connecteurs de conséquence dans une perspective dynamique
Authors: Rossari Corinne , Jayez Jacques
Published: September 2009

Summary

« Du coup » and the consequence discourse markers in a dynamic perspective

Du coup is a French discourse marker (DM) which signals that a consequence relation obtains between two propositions. In this respect it is in the same class as the other consequence French DM, such as donc, alors, par conséquent, de ce fait or aussi. Those different DM’s impose different constraints on the syntactic and semantic environments where they occur. In this paper, we describe the constraints which are particular to du coup.

First, we propose a global description of the consequence DM, in order to emphasize the different dimensions along which the DM’s of this kind can be classified. This leads us to a first characterization of du coup. We show that, unfortunately, du coup eludes any analysis in these terms and calls for a more fine-grained description. We then show that the properties of this DM are aspectual and epistemic and we formulate a constraint which allows one to derive the aspectual properties from the epistemic ones, by resorting to the notion of omission in information states.