bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New ENF Test Specimen for the Mode II Delamination Toughness Testing of Stitched Woven CFRP Laminates
Authors: Wood Michael D.K. , Sun Xiannian , Tong Liyong , Luo Quantian , Katzos Anthony , Rispler Adrian
Published: July 2007

This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation on the effects of stitching distribution on the interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) using an end notch flexure (ENF) specimen. To avoid premature failure in bending, reinforcing tabs were bonded to either side of the ENF specimens to create a tabbed ENF (TENF) specimen. The effect of stitch distribution on mode II delamination toughness is investigated by considering several stitch distribution patterns. The experimental results indicate that the mode II delamination toughness of stitched TENF specimens can be effectively measured and that stitch distribution does not play a significant role in improving the steady-state mode II delamination toughness of stitched CFRPs. Numerical results are also obtained using both MSC/NASTRAN and an in-house software for the tested specimens. A reasonable correlation exists between the numerical and experimental results.
Effect of Filament Over-Feed Ratio on Surface Structure of Rotor-Spun Composite Yarns
Authors: Zhang Haixia , Xue Yuan , Wang Shanyuan
Published: July 2007

Different kinds of rotor-spun composite yarns are produced by combining staple fibers with filament yarns under various filament over-feed ratios on a modified open-end rotor spinning frame. The effects of filament over-feed ratio on the surface structure of composite yarns were studied and the results showed that the filament over-feed ratio had a remarkable effect on the pathway of the filament in the composite yarns. As the filament tension increased with decreasing filament over-feed ratio, the filament moved from the surface into the center of the composite yarn, the pitch of the filament pathway increased and the filament twist decreased gradually. The surface structure of the rotor-spun composite yarn was improved in comparison with the normal rotor-spun yarn.
Do religious or spiritual beliefs influence bereavement? A systematic review
Authors: Becker Gerhild , Xander Carola J. , Blum Hubert E. , Lutterbach Johannes , Momm Felix , Gysels Marjolein , Higginson Irene J
Published: July 2007

Background: Responses to bereavement may be influenced by characteristics such as age or gender, but also by factors like culture and religion. Aim: A systematic review was undertaken to assess whether spiritual or religious beliefs alter the process of grief and/or bereavement. Methods: Fifteen computerized databases were searched. Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Evidence was graded according to the standard grading system of the Clinical Outcomes Group and by the SIGNAL score. Results: In total, 5715 persons were examined: 69% women, 87% white, 83% protestant. Ninety-four percent of studies show some positive effects of religious/spiritual beliefs on bereavement, but there was a great heterogeneity regarding included populations and outcome measurements. Conclusion: Available data do not allow for a definite answer on whether religious/spiritual beliefs effectively influence bereavement as most studies suffer from weaknesses in design and methodological flaws. Further research is needed. Recommendations for further research are given. Palliative Medicine 2007; 21: 207—217
Dignified Death for Severely Impaired Infants: Beyond the Best-Interest Standard
Authors: Weisleder Pedro
Published: July 2007

The Baby Doe rules, a set of federal regulations on the treatment of extremely ill infants, went into effect in 1985. Some scholars have argued that these rules are inappropriate given that they fail to pay attention to the patient's suffering. Instead, researchers suggest that, when dealing with a severely impaired infant, the best-interest standard be used. Other ethicists have found the best-interest standard also insufficient, deeming it to be supported by weak arguments rooted on the beholder's beliefs. In this article, alternative viewpoints that might be used to complement the best-interest standard and help support the rights of severely impaired infants to a natural and dignified death are reviewed. The use of palliative instead of intensive care for severely impaired newborns is also considered.
Benefits and Costs of Shanghai's Environmental Citizen Complaints System
Authors: Warwick Mara , Ortolano Leonard
Published: July 2007

The Shanghai Municipal Government's environmental complaints system allows citizens to report environmental problems to local authorities and provides timely feedback regarding how the complaint was resolved. Using both statistical data and case studies, we conduct a qualitative analysis of the system's costs and benefits as of early 2002. The analysis shows that the complaints system is an important, yet somewhat unreliable source of information about the many environmental problems not otherwise detected by regulators. Moreover, the opportunity cost of the system is significant; the system is dominated by nuisance complaints that are either trivial or without significance to environmental quality except at a very limited geographical scale. Analysis of patterns in the case studies provides the basis for constructing hypotheses concerning whether a particular pollution problem is likely to be the subject of a complaint. This offers insights into how the system could be improved so that the benefits of citizen involvement could be enhanced.
Lisbon and social Europe: towards a European 'adult worker model' welfare system
Authors: Annesley Claire
Published: July 2007

The Lisbon Process, launched in 2000 and relaunched in 2005, revived the debate about the existence of a European social model. This article argues that the Lisbon agenda presents a coherent vision of a social model which can be characterized as a Europe-wide Adult Worker Model (AWM). This is a system which assumes paid employment for all adults in order to secure their economic independence. The article identifies evidence of a development in this direction in the European Employment Strategy guidelines from 1997 through to the 2005 integrated macro-economic and employment guidelines. It concludes that this reorientation of the European social model is a vision of a supported AWM welfare system more akin to Sweden than the United States. However, the soft governance method used for social policy makes it vulnerable to changing political constellations in member states.
Social expenditure and the politics of redistribution
Authors: Castles Francis G. , Obinger Herbert
Published: July 2007

This article offers a critique and analysis of recent OECD research by Adema and Ladaique identifying the impact of taxes and private benefits on social spending. By using the techniques of multivariate modelling, we show that both gross public and net private expenditures are strongly influenced by partisan incumbency, although in opposite directions, and that the more we net out the effect of taxes, the less politics matters and the more spending is shaped by socio-economic forces. In a second stage of the analysis, we show that the crucial mechanism of welfare state redistribution is the taxation of gross social expenditure and demonstrate that this effect is almost entirely political in nature.
Living With Moderate or Severe Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Jumisko Eija , Lexell Jan , Söderberg Siv
Published: July 2007

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has long-lasting consequences not only for the individual with the injury but also for family members. The aim of this study is to elucidate the meaning of family members' experiences of living with an individual with moderate or severe TBI. The data have been collected by means of qualitative research interviews with 8 family member participants. A phenomenological hermeneutic interpretation (Ricouer, 1976) of the data reveal that family members struggle with their own suffering while showing compassion for the injured person. Their willingness to assume care for the injured person is derived from their feeling of natural love and the ethical demand to be responsible for the other. Hope and natural love from close relatives, the afflicted person, and other family members give the family members strength. It is important that professionals pay more attention to the suffering of close relatives.
Control of a Space Rigidizable Inflatable Boom Using Macro-fiber Composite Actuators
Authors: Tarazaga Pablo A. , Inman Daniel J. , Wilkie W. Keats
Published: July 2007

An experimental investigation of vibration testing and active control of a space rigidizable inflatable composite boom containing embedded piezoelectric composite actuators was conducted. Inflatable deployable space structures offer reduced mass, higher packaging efficiency, lower life cycle cost, simpler design with fewer parts, and higher deployment reliability for many large deployable spacecraft structures applications. Enhancing deployed precision and repeatability for these structures is an ongoing research area, in particular for rigidizable inflatable material systems. In this study, in situ vibration testing and active damping using piezoelectric macro-fiber composite actuators embedded within a typical space-rigidizable deployable composite boom are investigated The embedded macro-fiber composites are shown to be capable of surviving integration, packaging, deployment and thermal rigidization in vacuum, and subsequently operating at their full actuation capability. Positive position feedback controllers using accelerometer, laser vibrometer, and strain gage feedback signals are designed and experimentally evaluated. Velocity-proportional and acceleration-proportional controllers are shown to be capable of attenuating fundamental bending response significantly using only modest control authority (—23dB with 10% of available voltage).
Parallel Languages and Compilers: Perspective From the Titanium Experience
Authors: Yelick K. , Hilfinger P. , Graham S. , Bonachea D. , Su J. , Kamil A. , Datta K. , Colella P. , Wen T.
Published: July 2007

We describe the rationale behind the design of key features of Titanium—an explicitly parallel dialect of Java for high-performance scientific programming—and our experiences in building applications with the language. Specifically, we address Titanium's partitioned global address space model, single program multiple data parallelism support, multi-dimensional arrays and array-index calculus, memory management, immutable classes (class-like types that are value types rather than reference types), operator overloading, and generic programming. We provide an overview of the Titanium compiler implementation, covering various parallel analyses and optimizations, Titanium runtime technology and the GASNet network communication layer. We summarize results and lessons learned from implementing the NAS parallel benchmarks, elliptic and hyperbolic solvers using adaptive mesh refinement, and several applications of the immersed boundary method.
An Approach To Data Distributions in Chapel
Authors: Diaconescu R.E. , Zima H.P.
Published: July 2007

A key characteristic of today's high performance computing systems is a physically distributed memory, which makes the efficient management of locality essential for taking advantage of the performance enhancements offered by these architectures. Currently, the standard technique for programming such systems involves the extension of traditional sequential programming languages with explicit message-passing libraries, in a processor-centric model for programming and execution. It is commonly understood that this programming paradigm results in complex, brittle, and error-prone programs, because of the way in which algorithms and communication are inextricably interwoven.

This paper describes a new approach to locality awareness, which focuses on data distributions in high-productivity languages. Data distributions provide an abstract specification of the partitioning of large-scale data collections across memory units, supporting coarse-grain parallel computation and locality of access at a high level of abstraction. Our design, which is based on a new programming language called Chapel, is motivated by the need to provide a high-productivity paradigm for the development of efficient and reusable parallel code. We present an object-oriented framework that allows the explicit specification of the mapping of elements in a collection to memory units, the control of the arrangement of elements within such units, the definition of sequential and parallel iteration over collections, and the formulation of specialized allocation policies as required for advanced applications. The result is a concise high-productivity programming model that separates algorithms from data representation and enables reuse of distributions, allocation policies, and data structures.
Hired as a Caregiver, Demanded as a Housewife
Authors: Akalin Ayşe
Published: July 2007

Women from post-socialist countries started migrating to Turkey in the second half of the 1990s to work in the domestic work sector. Migrant domestics have formed their niche as live-in caregivers, due to the disinclination of the existing local labour power to work in the care sector. Yet, the employer mothers, besides asking their live-in workers to tend their children, often demand that they also do the daily chores in the home, purposely leaving the heavy cleaning to their Turkish domestics. This way, live-in migrant domestics are promoted from the status of foreign employees to fictitious family members, to eventually embody `the ideal housewife'.
The journalist, the housewife, the citizen and the press
Authors: Ross Karen
Published: July 2007

The use of sources in news narratives is an extremely important part of not only the story's construction but also of its orientation and, ultimately, the point of view being supported in a given story. The sly deceit concealed within journalists' use of sources as apparently independent and authoritative commentators enables the journalist to masquerade as a mere conveyance of others' perspectives while actually peddling a particular viewpoint by the choice of speaker and the choice of quote. This study interrogates the content of three English regional newspapers over a 10-week period, up to, during and after the British general election in 2005, in order to identify gender differences in the sources used. It argues that, as with the national press, men are more than twice as likely as women to be quoted as sources and that women journalists are no more likely to source women than male colleagues. It concludes that a newsroom culture which privileges elite and other (white) male voices appears to exert a greater influence and conformity over who `counts' as an authoritative voice than any individual newsworker's proclivities to more accurately reflect their views of the diverse local community.
Social Policies in the World Bank
Authors: Hall Anthony
Published: July 2007

Social policies in the World Bank have evolved into three conceptually and operationally separate agendas: social welfare, social protection and social development. Welfare services and basic human needs, as well as social protection in the form of safety nets and social safeguards, together form the mainstay of what is generally regarded within the organization as constituting social policy. Social development reflects a broader if more fragmented view of social policy. Bank specialists have recently sought to widen the definition of social policy beyond welfare and protection, building upon longstanding academic discourse in this field. However, in attempting to pursue a more holistic and over-arching vision of social policy for development, they are likely to encounter major internal obstacles. Meeting this challenge will not be facilitated by the Bank reorganization announced in June 2006, which may serve to restrict the independence and remit of environmental and social specialists.
Origin and distribution of the BRCA2-8765delAG mutation in breast cancer
Authors: Palomba Grazia , Cossu Antonio , Friedman Eitan , Budroni Mario , Farris Antonio , Contu Antonio , Pisano Marina , Baldinu Paola , Sini Maria C , Tanda Francesco , Palmieri Giuseppe
Published: July 2007

Background

The BRCA2-8765delAG mutation was firstly described in breast cancer families from French-Canadian and Jewish-Yemenite populations; it was then reported as a founder mutation in Sardinian families. We evaluated both the prevalence of the BRCA2-8765delAG variant in Sardinia and the putative existence of a common ancestral origin through a haplotype analysis of breast cancer family members carrying such a mutation.

Methods

Eight polymorphic microsatellite markers (D13S1250, centromeric, to D13S267, telomeric) spanning the BRCA2 gene locus were used for the haplotype analysis. Screening for the 8765delAG mutation was performed by PCR-based amplification of BRCA2-exon 20, followed by automated sequencing.

Results

Among families with high recurrence of breast cancer (≥ 3 cases in first-degree relatives), those from North Sardinia shared the same haplotype whereas the families from French Canadian and Jewish-Yemenite populations presented distinct genetic assets at the BRCA2 locus. Screening for the BRCA2-8765delAG variant among unselected and consecutively-collected breast cancer patients originating from the entire Sardinia revealed that such a mutation is present in the northern part of the island only [9/648 (1.4%) among cases from North Sardinia versus 0/493 among cases from South Sardinia].

Conclusion

The BRCA2-8765delAG has an independent origin in geographically and ethnically distinct populations, acting as a founder mutation in North but not in South Sardinia. Since BRCA2-8765delAG occurs within a triplet repeat sequence of AGAGAG, our study further confirmed the existence of a mutational hot-spot at this genomic position (additional genetic factors within each single population might be involved in generating such a mutation).
Gradients of Antigen Expression and Developmental Potential in Hematopoiesis
Authors: KWAK JAE‐YONG , CHO SCOTT , SPANGRUDE GERALD J.
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  Prospective isolation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell subsets depends upon the premise that expression of combinations of surface antigens reflects developmental potential. During the process of differentiation, however, the loss of antigens associated with stem cells and the concomitant gain of those associated with progenitor cells often occurs as a continuum rather than by discrete binary steps. Coupled with the fact that assay conditions can profoundly influence the developmental fates of prospectively isolated cells, gradients of antigen expression during differentiation have led to a variety of interpretations of lineage commitment in hematopoiesis.
The Cdx‐Hox Pathway in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Formation from Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: LENGERKE CLAUDIA , McKINNEY‐FREEMAN SHANNON , NAVEIRAS OLAIA , YATES FRANK , WANG YUAN , BANSAL DIMPLE , DALEY GEORGE Q.
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) differentiated in vitro will yield a multitude of hematopoietic derivatives, yet progenitors displaying true stem cell activity remain difficult to obtain. Possible causes are a biased differentiation to primitive yolk sac‐type hematopoiesis, and a variety of developmental or functional deficiencies. Recent studies in the zebrafish have identified the caudal homeobox transcription factors (cdx1/4) and posterior hox genes (hoxa9a, hoxb7a) as key regulators for blood formation during embryonic development. Activation of Cdx and Hox genes during the in vitro differentiation of mouse ESCs followed by co‐culture on supportive stromal cells generates ESC‐derived hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) capable of multilineage repopulation of lethally irradiated adult mice. We show here that brief pulses of ectopic Cdx4 or HoxB4 expression are sufficient to enhance hematopoiesis during ESC differentiation, presumably by acting as developmental switches to activate posterior Hox genes. Insights into the role of the Cdx‐Hox gene pathway during embryonic hematopoietic development in the zebrafish have allowed us to improve the derivation of repopulating HSCs from murine ESCs.
Cartography of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Commitment Dependent upon a Reporter for Transcription Factor Activation
Authors: AKASHI KOICHI
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  A hierarchical hematopoietic developmental tree has been proposed based on the result of prospective purification of lineage‐restricted progenitors. For more detailed mapping for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) commitment, we tracked the expression of PU.1, a major granulocyte/monocyte (GM)‐ and lymphoid‐related transcription factor, from the HSC to the myelolymphoid progenitor stages by using a mouse line harboring a knockin reporter for PU.1. This approach enabled us to find a new progenitor population committed to GM and lymphoid lineages within the HSC fraction. This result suggests that there should be another developmental pathway independent of the conventional one with myeloid versus lymphoid bifurcation, represented by common myeloid progenitors and common lymphoid progenitors, respectively. The utilization of the transcription factor expression as a functional marker might be useful to obtain cartography of the hematopoietic development at a higher resolution.
LEF‐1 Is a Decisive Transcription Factor in Neutrophil Granulopoiesis
Authors: SKOKOWA JULIA , WELTE KARL
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  We found that lymphoid enhancer‐binding factor 1 (LEF‐1) is a decisive transcription factor in granulopoiesis controlling proliferation, proper lineage commitment, and granulocytic differentiation via regulation of its target genes C/EBP‐α, cyclin D1, c‐myc, and survivin. Myeloid progenitor cells of patients with severe congenital neutropenia (CN) showed a severe downregulation of LEF‐1 and its target genes expression. Expression of neutrophil elastase (NE) is also severely reduced in CN myeloid progenitors. Intriguingly, ELA2 gene promoter is positively regulated by direct binding of LEF‐1 or LEF‐1 target gene C/EBP‐α. In summary we demonstrated that LEF‐1 is not only crucial in lymphopoiesis, but also in myelopoiesis, documenting new functions of LEF‐1.
Endoglin is required for hemangioblast and early hematopoietic development
Authors: Perlingeiro Rita C. R.
Published: July 2007

Endoglin (ENG), an ancillary receptor for several members of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta superfamily, has a well-studied role in endothelial function. Here, we report that endoglin also plays an important role early in development at the level of the hemangioblast, an embryonic progenitor of the hematopoietic and endothelial lineages. Eng-/-, Eng+/- and Eng+/+ mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were differentiated as embryoid bodies (EBs) and assayed for blast colony-forming cells (BL-CFCs). Our results showed a profound reduction in hemangioblast frequency in the absence of endoglin. Furthermore, cell-sorting experiments revealed that endoglin marks the hemangioblast on day 3 of EB differentiation. When analyzed for hematopoietic and endothelial activity, replated Eng-/- BL-CFCs presented limited hematopoietic potential,whereas endothelial differentiation was unaltered. Analysis of hematopoietic colony formation of EBs, at different time points, further supports a function for endoglin in early hematopoiesis. Taken together, these findings point to a role for endoglin in both hemangioblast specification and hematopoietic commitment.
Recruitment of cells into theDrosophilawing primordium by a feed-forward circuit ofvestigialautoregulation
Authors: Zecca Myriam , Struhl Gary
Published: July 2007

The Drosophila wing primordium is defined by expression of the selector gene vestigial (vg) in a discrete subpopulation of cells within the wing imaginal disc. Following the early segregation of the disc into dorsal (D) and ventral (V) compartments, vg expression is governed by signals generated along the boundary between the two compartments. Short-range DSL (Delta/Serrate/LAG-2)-Notch signaling between D and V cells drives vg expression in `border' cells that flank the boundary. It also induces these same cells to secrete the long-range morphogen Wingless(Wg), which drives vg expression in surrounding cells up to 25-30 cell diameters away. Here, we show that Wg signaling is not sufficient to activate vg expression away from the D-V boundary. Instead, Wg must act in combination with a short-range signal produced by cells that already express vg. We present evidence that this vg-dependent, vg-inducing signal feeds forward from one cell to the next to entrain surrounding cells to join the growing wing primordium in response to Wg. We propose that Wg promotes the expansion of the wing primordium following the D-V segregation by fueling this non-autonomous autoregulatory mechanism.
Control ofDrosophilawing growth by thevestigialquadrant enhancer
Authors: Zecca Myriam , Struhl Gary
Published: July 2007

Following segregation of the Drosophila wing imaginal disc into dorsal (D) and ventral (V) compartments, the wing primordium is specified by activity of the selector gene vestigial (vg). In the accompanying paper, we present evidence that vg expression is itself driven by three distinct inputs: (1) short-range DSL(Delta/Serrate/LAG-2)-Notch signaling across the D-V compartment boundary; (2)long-range Wg signaling from cells abutting the D-V compartment boundary; and(3) a short-range signal sent by vg-expressing cells that entrains neighboring cells to upregulate vg in response to Wg. Furthermore, we showed that these inputs define a feed-forward mechanism of vgautoregulation that initiates in D-V border cells and propagates from cell to cell by reiterative cycles of vg upregulation. Here, we provide evidence that this feed-forward mechanism is required for normal wing growth and is mediated by two distinct enhancers in the vg gene. The first is a newly defined `priming' enhancer (PE), that provides cryptic,low levels of Vg in most or all cells of the wing disc. The second is the previously defined quadrant enhancer (QE), which we show is activated by the combined action of Wg and the short-range vg-dependent entraining signal, but only if the responding cells are already primed by low-level Vg activity. Thus, entrainment and priming constitute distinct signaling and responding events in the Wg-dependent feed-forward circuit of vg autoregulation mediated by the QE. We posit that Wg controls the expansion of the wing primordium following D-V segregation by fueling this autoregulatory mechanism.
Challenging the taboo: the memory of West Germany's terrorist past in Andres Veiel's Black Box BRD (2001)
Authors: Homewood Chris
Published: July 2007

This essay considers the recent rediscovery of the terrorist activities of the Red Army Faction (RAF) in the 1970s as a topic for German film-makers today. Although hugely significant at the time, by the 1980s the topic had been largely forgotten by German culture. However, in recent
years there has been a renewed explosion of interest in this brief but turbulent period of history, at the vanguard of which has been the nation's film-makers. Specifically in this article I examine Andres Veiel's Black Box BRD (2001). I argue that through its recourse to what Jan Assmann
defines as communicative memory, Veiel's film seeks to challenge the them and us ideological deadlock that dominated contemporary presentations of the topic. Instead Veiel offers a more nuanced, complex reading of the past which troubles both the terrorist understanding of the reality of German
bourgeois capitalism as much as popular views of the activities of terrorists as a monstrous throwback to Germany's abhorrent past.
eXistenZ and the spectre of gender in the cyber-generation
Authors: Bowler Alexia L
Published: July 2007

Using the theories of Irigaray and Cyberculture, this article examines how science fiction film often seeks to reinstate the superiority of a gender politics grounded in the body. Focusing on Cronenberg's eXistenZ, the article discusses the way in which the film explores the
notion of our perceived ability to transcend gender in the much fted realm of cyberspace. The article maintains that Allegra's alignment with the world of cyberspace and multiplicity, and Pikul's association with the phallocentric rubric of our material world allows Cronenberg to mock phallocentricism.
However, the article argues that Cronenberg's film also elicits an ambiguity in his approximation of the freedoms of cyberspace and that the desire to transcend gender is riddled with uncertainty. Through reinstatement of essentialist tropes, Cronenberg ultimately confirms the negative transposition
of gender-norms in which we are haunted by the spectre of gender and corporeality, bolstering science fiction cinema's conservative approach to gender.
Serum biobank certification and the establishment of quality controls for biological fluids: examples of serum biomarker stability after temperature variation
Authors: Chaigneau Christine , Cabioch Thomas , Beaumont Katy , Betsou Fotini
Published: July 2007

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:1390–5.
Effect of in vitro fertilization on gene expression and development of mouse preimplantation embryos
Authors: Giritharan Gnanaratnam , Talbi Said , Donjacour Annemarie , Di Sebastiano Francesca , Dobson Anthony T , Rinaudo Paolo F
Published: July 2007

In vitro culture (IVC) of preimplantation mouse embryos is associated with changes in gene expression. It is however, not known if the method of fertilization affects the global pattern of gene expression. We compared gene expression and development of mouse blastocysts produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) versus blastocysts fertilized in vivo and cultured in vitro from the zygote stage (IVC) versus control blastocysts flushed out of the uterus on post coital day 3.5. The global pattern of gene expression was assessed using the Affymetrix 430 2.0 chip. It appears that each method of fertilization has a unique pattern of gene expression and development. Embryos cultured in vitro had a reduction in the number of trophoblastic cells (IVF 33.5 cells, IVC 39.9 cells, and 49.6 cells in the in vivo group) and, to a lesser degree, of inner cell mass cells (12.8, 11.7, and 13.8 respectively). The inner cell mass nuclei were larger after culture in vitro (140 μm2, 113 μm2, and 86 μm2 respectively). Although a high number of genes (1912) was statistically different in the IVF cohort when compared with the in vivo control embryos, the magnitude of the changes in gene expression were low and only a minority of genes (29 genes) was changed more than fourfold. Surprisingly, IVF embryos were different from IVC embryos (3058 genes were statistically different, but only three changed more than fourfold). Proliferation, apoptosis, and morphogenetic pathways are the most common pathways altered after IVC. Overall, IVF and embryo culture have a profound effect on gene expression pattern and phenotype of mouse preimplantation embryos.
Effect of feed restriction during calfhood on serum concentrations of metabolic hormones, gonadotropins, testosterone, and on sexual development in bulls
Authors: Brito L F C , Barth A D , Rawlings N C , Wilde R E , Crews D H , Boisclair Y R , Ehrhardt R A , Kastelic J P
Published: July 2007

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects offeed restriction during calfhood on serum concentrations of metabolic hormones, gonadotropins, and testosterone, and on sexual development in bulls. Eight beef bull calves received a control diet from 10 to 70 weeks of age. An additional 16 calves had restricted feed (75% of control) from 10 to 26 weeks of age (calfhood), followed by either control or high nutrition (n=8/group) during the peripubertal period until 70 weeks of age. Restricted feed during calfhood inhibited the hypothalamic GnRH pulse generator, reduced the pituitary response to GnRH, impaired testicular steroidogenesis, delayed puberty, and reduced testicular weight at 70 weeks of age, regardless of the nutrition during the peripubertal period. Restricted feed reduced serum IGF-I concentrations, but concentrations of leptin, insulin, and GH were not affected. In conclusion, restricted feed during calfhood impaired sexual development in bulls due to adverse effects on every level of the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis and these effects were not overcome by supplemental feeding during the peripubertal period. Furthermore, based on temporal associations, the effects of restricted feed on the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis might be mediated by serum IGF-I concentrations. These results supported the hypotheses that the pattern of LH secretion during the early gonadotropin rise during calfhood is the main determinant of age of puberty in bulls and that gonadotropin-independent mechanisms involved in testicular growth during the peripubertal period are affected by previous LH exposure.
Determinants of sperm quality and fertility in domestic species
Authors: Petrunkina A M , Waberski D , Günzel-Apel A R , Töpfer-Petersen E
Published: July 2007

Fertilization success cannot be attributed solely to the absolute number of vital, motile, morphologically normal spermatozoa inseminated into the female but more especially to their functional competence. A range of in vitro tests has therefore been developed to monitor crucial aspects of sperm function: their ability to adapt to changing osmotic conditions, to bind to the oviductal epithelium, and to undergo capacitation in an appropriate and timely manner. The tests employ flow cytometry in conjunction with fluorescent techniques, electronic cell counting, and computer-assisted image area analysis. The highly quantitative analysis provided by electronic sizing and flow cytometry enables assessment of representative cell numbers in a very short time with high reproducibility. More importantly, it allows the detection of physiological heterogeneity within an ejaculate in terms of the development of cell subpopulations and enables the kinetic analysis of changes in living cell suspensions. The tests offer a promising strategy for evaluating fertility in domestic animals. The capability for volume regulation ensures that sperm recover from the tonic shocks experienced at ejaculation and during cryopreservation. Assessment of capacitation in vitro provides valuable information on both the sperm’s ability to respond to fertilizing conditions and the sequence and rates of ongoing capacitation/destabilization processes. The monitoring of response to capacitating conditions in kinetic terms allows the sensitive and adequate detection of sperm populations expressing fertilization attributes and their ability to respond to external stimuli in a timely manner. However, subfertility is likely to be associated with a suboptimal response (i.e. too high or too low) rather than a minimal response.
Is sperm evaluation useful in predicting human fertility?
Authors: Lewis Sheena E M
Published: July 2007

Traditionally, the diagnosis of male infertility has relied upon microscopic assessment and biochemical assays to determine human semen quality. The conventional parameters given most importance have been the concentration, motility, and morphology of sperm in the ejaculate. Most laboratories also include ‘sperm suitability’ tests where the subpopulations of sperm more likely to finish the marathon journey to the oocyte are separated by density centrifugation. These tests are essential to provide the fundamental information on which clinicians base their initial diagnosis. However, none of these parameters addresses sperm function and their clinical value in predicting fertility is questionable. The advent of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has further reduced the significance and perceived need for sperm quality tests since ICSI requires only one sperm, not subject to classic, or indeed any, tests for the procedure to be successful. Over the past decade, a number of laboratory tests have been developed to determine properties of sperm function. These include quantitative sperm motion parameters, capacitation, basal and induced acrosome reactions, sperm–zona pellucida interactions and nuclear and mitochondrial sperm DNA but few have been adopted into routine clinical use. International collaborations should be initiated to develop clinically relevant molecular and functional tests with agreed protocols and clinical thresholds as a matter of urgency.
Interleukin-1β modulates endogenous thyroid hormone receptor α gene transcription in liver cells
Authors: Kwakkel J , Wiersinga W M , Boelen A
Published: July 2007

One of the main characteristics of nonthyroidal illness (NTI) is a decrease in serum triiodothyronine, partly caused by a decrease in liver deiodinase type 1 (D1) mRNA and activity. Proinflammatory cytokines have been associated with NTI in view of their capability to decrease D1 and thyroid hormone receptor (TR)β1 mRNA expression in hepatoma cells. Proinflammatory cytokine induction leads to activation of the inflammatory pathways nuclear factor (NF)κB and activator protein (AP)-1. The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β decreases thyroid hormone receptor (TR)β1 mRNA in an NFκB-dependent way. The aim of this study was to unravel the effects of IL-1β on endogenous TRα gene expression in an animal model and in a liver cell line. The TRα gene product is alternatively spliced in TRα1 and TRα2, TRα2 is capable of inhibiting TRα1-induced gene transcription. We showed that both TRα1 and TRα2 mRNA decreased not only after lipopolysaccharide administration in liver of mice, but also after IL-1β stimulation of hepatoma cells (HepG2). Using the NFκB inhibitor sulfasalazine and the AP-1 inhibitor SP600125, it became clear that the IL-1β-induced decrease in TRα mRNA expression in HepG2 cells can only be abolished by simultaneous inhibition of NFκB and AP-1. The IL-1β-induced TRα1 and TRα2 mRNA decrease in HepG2 cells is the result of decreased TRα gene promoter activity, as evident from actinomycin D experiments. Cycloheximide experiments showed that the decreased promoter activity is independent of de novo protein synthesis and therefore most likely due to posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation or subcellular relocalization.
Differential effects of histamine on Leydig cell and testicular macrophage activities in wall lizards: precise role of H1/H2 receptor subtypes
Authors: Khan Uniza W , Rai Umesh
Published: July 2007

The present study in the wall lizard, Hemidactylus flaviviridis, was aimed to understand the role of histamine (HA) in the regulation of Leydig cell and testicular macrophage activities, for the first time, in ectothermic vertebrates. Although HA did not affect the testosterone production from unstimulated Leydig cells, it had dual concentration-related effects, stimulatory at a low concentration of 10−10 M while inhibitory at a high concentration of 10−5 M, on FSH-induced testosterone production. This suggests that HA did not influence the basal Leydig cell steroidogenesis, but modulated the FSH-stimulated testosterone production in a biphasic manner depending upon its concentration. However, HA failed to affect the FSH-stimulated Leydig cell proliferation, indicating that HA modulated the testosterone production from Leydig cells without influencing their proliferation in wall lizards. HA, apart from Leydig cells, differentially regulated the testicular macrophage immune responses. It inhibited phagocytosis and superoxide production at high concentration (10−5 M), while stimulated superoxide production and could not affect phagocytosis at low concentration (10−10 M). Using selective H1 and H2 antagonists, pyrilamine and famotidine respectively, H1 receptor subtype was seen responsible for mediating the inhibitory effect of HA on Leydig cell steroidogenesis and testicular macrophage immune responses at high concentration, while H2 receptors were involved for the stimulation at low concentration.
C-reactive protein inhibits adiponectin gene expression and secretion in 3T3-L1 adipocytes
Authors: Yuan Guoyue , Chen Xia , Ma Qinyun , Qiao Jie , Li Rongying , Li Xuesong , Li Shengxian , Tang Jinfeng , Zhou Libin , Song Huaidong , Chen Mingdao
Published: July 2007

C-reactive protein (CRP) is considered as one of the most sensitive markers of inflammation. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of CRP on the production of adiponectin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Northern and western blot analysis revealed that CRP treatment inhibited adiponectin mRNA expression and secretion in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Co-incubation of adipocytes with rosiglitazone and CRP decreased induction of adiponectin gene expression by rosiglitazone. However, luciferase reporter assays did not show that CRP affected the activity of ~2.1 kb adiponectin gene promoter, which was increased by rosiglitazone alone. Pharmacological inhibition of phosphatidylinositol (PI)-3 kinase by LY294002 partially reversed inhibition of adiponectin gene expression by CRP. These results collectively suggest that CRP suppresses adiponectin gene expression partially through the PI-3 kinase pathway, and that decreased production of adiponectin might represent a mechanism by which CRP regulates insulin sensitivity.
Fasting-induced adipose factor identified as a key adipokine that is up-regulated in white adipose tissue during pregnancy and lactation in the rat
Authors: Josephs Tracy , Waugh Hayley , Kokay Ilona , Grattan David , Thompson Mary
Published: July 2007

Adipokines, which are expressed and secreted from white adipose tissue (WAT), are potential factors that could contribute to the changes in energy homeostasis that occurs in pregnancy and lactation to meet the nutrient demands of fetal growth and milk production. The aim was to identify adipokines that could be involved by measuring the pattern of their mRNA expression in adipose tissue. Adipokine mRNAs were measured by quantitative RT-PCR in RNA isolated from white and brown adipose tissue (BAT) of rats at days 7, 14 and 21 of pregnancy, day 7 of lactation and virgin at dioestrus phase. The results for leptin, adiponectin and resistin expression in WAT essentially confirmed previous studies and it is unlikely that they are directly involved in the metabolic adaptations. The relative amounts of the mRNAs of the adipokines in BAT were comparable with those in WAT, but the patterns of expression did not follow those in WAT, except for apelin. Visfatin mRNA in WAT was elevated 2.5-fold only at day 21 of pregnancy. Apelin mRNA in WAT was increased 2.2-fold at day 7 of pregnancy. Retinol-binding protein 4 mRNA in WAT decreased to 46% of control at day 14 of pregnancy. Fasting-induced adipose factor (FIAF) mRNA in WAT was 2.2- to 2.5-fold higher throughout pregnancy and lactation. The marked induction of FIAF identifies this adipokine as a potential regulator of the metabolic adaptations that occur during pregnancy and lactation.
Cortisol regulation of ion transporter mRNA in Atlantic salmon gill and the effect of salinity on the signaling pathway
Authors: Kiilerich Pia , Kristiansen Karsten , Madsen Steffen S
Published: July 2007

Based on real-time RT-PCR, analysis of transcripts of selected ion-regulatory proteins (Na+, K+-ATPase α1a and α1b subunit, Na+, K+, 2Cl− cotransporter, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), and H+-ATPase B-subunit), the regulatory role of cortisol and the associated receptor signaling pathway (glucocorticoid (GR) versus mineralocorticoid (MR)) of cortisol was investigated in the salmon gill. Using a gill organ culture technique, the effect of cortisol with and without addition of specific hormone receptor antagonists (RU486 and spironolactone) was analyzed in gills from freshwater (FW) and seawater (SW) acclimated fish. The effect of cortisol was highly dependent on acclimation to salinity. In FW, cortisol stimulated the transcript levels of CFTR-I and Na+, K+-ATPase α1a and α1b. Addition of RU486 totally abolished the cortisol effects on CFTR-I and Na+, K+-ATPase α1b, suggesting that signaling was mediated via GR. Interestingly, both spironolactone and RU486 were able to inhibit the cortisol effect on Na+, K+-ATPase α1a indicating a role for both MR and GR in regulation of this target gene. In SW, cortisol increased the transcript levels of CFTR-I, CFTR-II, Na+, K+-ATPase α1a and α1b, and NKCC. Interestingly, the effect of cortisol on CFTR-I and Na+, K+-ATPase α1a was mediated through GR and MR respectively, while both GR and MR signaling were required in the regulation of CFTR-II and Na+, K+-ATPase α1b. In FW gills, GR1 and MR transcript levels were not significantly affected by cortisol. In SW gills, GR1 and MR transcripts were downregulated by cortisol; GR1 was regulated via the MR and MR regulation was mediated via GR.
Methane Oxidation in Freely and Poorly Drained Grassland Soils and Effects of Cattle Urine Application
Authors: Li Zheng , Kelliher Francis M.
Published: July 2007

A sink for atmospheric methane (CH4) is microbial oxidation in soils. We report CH4 oxidation rates in freely and poorly drained soils on an intensively managed dairy farm. Following cattle urine application to half the plots (650 kg of nitrogen [N] ha−1) 31 chamber measurements were made over 100 d during autumn and winter. In the control plots, the freely and poorly drained soils' integrated CH4 oxidation rates averaged 1.8 ± 0.2 and 0.6 ± 0.1 kg CH4 ha−1 yr−1, respectively. In the poorly drained soil, the highest CH4 oxidation rates occurred when water‐filled pore space (WFPS) < 56% and CH4 oxidation rate declined by ninefold to near zero as WFPS increased from 56 to 68%. Urine application induced the freely and poorly drained soils' CH4 oxidation rates to decline for up to 2 mo by 0.7 ± 0.2 and 0.4 ± 0.1 kg CH4 ha−1 yr−1, respectively. The two soils' responses were thus not significantly different. After urine application, soil pore space CH4 concentration profiles suggested a simultaneous inhibition of bacteria that were CH4 oxidizers and stimulation of CH4 producers.