bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Hazardous Alcohol Consumption among Patients with Cluster Headache
Authors: Schürks M , Kurth T , Knorn P , Pageler L , Diener H-C
Published: April 2006

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of hazardous alcohol consumption in patients with cluster headache (CH). We investigated 246 German CH patients with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). The average daily alcohol consumption was 6.5 g. Predictors for hazardous drinking (AUDIT ≥ 5 points; 21.5% of patients) were male gender [odds ratio (OR) 4.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35, 12.71], episodic as opposed to chronic CH (OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.38, 16.67) and a low demanding job as opposed to a high demanding job (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.15, 4.51). Our data indicate that CH patients drink less alcohol compared with the German population and that CH seems to protect against hazardous alcohol consumption. Moreover, predictors for hazardous alcohol consumption in CH patients are not different from the general population.
Injury severity: Role of alcohol, substance use and risk‐taking
Authors: Watt Kerrianne , Purdie David M , Roche Ann M , McClure Rod
Published: April 2006

Objective:  The objective of the present study was to quantify the relationship between acute alcohol consumption and injury severity.

Methods:  A cross‐sectional study was conducted at the Gold Coast Hospital, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia between October 2000 and October 2001. Data were collected from a systematic sample of patients greater than 15 years of age who presented to the ED for treatment of an injury sustained less than 24 h prior to presentation. Study participants were interviewed face to face on‐site. Information obtained included: demographics details; situational variables relative to time of injury (i.e. location, activity and companions at time of injury); self‐reported alcohol consumption in the 6 and 24 h prior to time of injury; usual alcohol consumption patterns; self‐reported substance use in the 6 and 24 h prior to time of injury; and risk‐taking behaviour. Injury severity was coded from patient medical records using the New Injury Severity Score.

Results:  Of 789 eligible patients presenting during the study periods, 593 were interviewed (75.2%). Patients who reported drinking above low‐risk levels (odds ratio [OR] = 3.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–9.6) or who drank beer (OR = 3.54; 95% CI 1.1–11.1) in 6 h prior to injury were significantly more likely to sustain serious than minor injury. Drinking setting and usual drinking patterns were not significantly associated with injury severity, either in crude analyses, or after adjusting for relevant variables.

Conclusion:  The results of the present study support the conclusion that among injured patients who presented for treatment at a large metropolitan ED, although acute alcohol consumption does not appear to be associated with minor or moderate injury, there is some evidence to suggest that acute alcohol consumption is associated with serious injury.
On the ground in Nias in response to an earthquake – an emergency team's experience
Authors: Jackson Angela , Little Mark
Published: April 2006

Within a few short months of the tsunami, an earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale devastated the Indonesian island of Nias. The present paper describes the experiences of two emergency medicine staff deployed to the island operating in small teams on the remote western part of the island. It discusses the benefits of utilizing experienced emergency medicine staff and looks at lessons learnt from the deployment.
Analysis of Sugar Beet Pulp by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
Authors: Jiang Guilin , Husseini Ghaleb A. , Baxter Larry L. , Linford Matthew R.
Published: April 2006

Determining the chemical structure and composition of biomass fuels using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can provide fundamental knowledge of their structures that is useful in understanding and predicting their combustion behavior. Sugar beet pulp is an example of an agricultural residue (byproduct of food and feed production) of potential interest for biomass combustion. The XPS spectra of sugar beet pulp provide both its elemental composition and indications of its bonding. Traditional fuel analyses of this fuel are also provided. These include: ultimate analysis — the elemental composition of the overall fuel (C, H, N, S, and O); chlorine analysis — reported here as part of the ultimate analysis but formally a separate procedure; proximate analysis — the proximate composition of the fuel (moisture, fixed carbon, volatiles, and ash); heating value — the specific heat of combustion. These data are summarized with the XPS spectra.
The 6-Kilodalton Early Secreted Antigenic Target-Responsive, Asymptomatic Contacts of Tuberculosis Patients Express Elevated Levels of Interleukin-4 and Reduced Levels of Gamma Interferon
Authors: Demissie Abebech , Wassie Liya , Abebe Markos , Aseffa Abraham , Rook Graham , Zumla Alimuddin , Andersen Peter , Doherty T. Mark ,   the VACSEL Study Group
Published: April 2006

It is well known that the majority of healthy individuals exposed toMycobacterium tuberculosisdo not become clinically ill. We have previously shown that in recently exposed healthy contacts of tuberculosis (TB) patients, a strong immune response to theM. tuberculosis6-kDa early secreted antigenic target (ESAT-6) virulence factor correlated with a higher risk of subsequent disease, although the mechanism was unclear at that time. Inspired by recent reports that elevated expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4) in health care workers exposed toM. tuberculosisalso correlated with a higher risk of their subsequently developing disease, we examined expression of IL-4, its competitive antagonist IL-4δ2, and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) in healthy household contacts of TB patients from Ethiopia. We then compared cytokine expression to their recognition of ESAT-6 (which is largely restricted to members of the tuberculosis complex and which serves as a reliable marker of infection) or to Ag85A (an antigen that is conserved among the mycobacteria and serves as a nonspecific control). Our study shows that in these recently exposed individuals, there is a correlation between a strong response to ESAT-6 and elevated expression of IL-4. Further, elevated expression of IL-4 is associated with lower expression of its antagonistic splice variant IL-4δ2 and with the Th1 cytokine IFN-γ, suggesting that in these at-risk individuals, immunity is skewed away from a protective Th1 response, even before the development of clinical symptoms.
Administration of Antibody to the Lung Protects Mice against Pneumonic Plague
Authors: Hill Jim , Eyles Jim E. , Elvin Stephen J. , Healey Gareth D. , Lukaszewski Roman A. , Titball Richard W.
Published: April 2006

Intratracheal delivery of aerosolized monoclonal antibodies with specificity for
Yersinia pestis
LcrV and F1 antigens protected mice in a model of pneumonic plague. These data support the utility of inhaled antibodies as a fast-acting postexposure treatment for plague.
Glucose transporters in animal models of diabetes and hypertension
Authors: Schaan Beatriz D’Agord , Machado Ubiratan Fabres
Published: April 2006

Renal tubular glucose reabsorption is mediated by facilitative glucose transporter (GLUT) proteins and energy-dependent sodium glucose luminal transporters. Glucose transport in the diabetic kidney is upregulated and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of progressive diabetic nephropathy. Hyperglycemia, hypertension, and activation of the renin-angiotensin system are believed important in the development of the disease. The present study examines the renal expression of the facilitative glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT12 in rat models of diabetic nephropathy. Sprague-Dawley and transgenic (mRen-2)27 rats received either streptozotocin-induced diabetes or vehicle. GLUT12 expression and localization were determined by immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, in situ hybridization, and confocal immunofluorescence. GLUT1 immunolabeling was detected on the basolateral membrane throughout the nephron. GLUT12 was localized to the distal tubules and collecting ducts. A significant increase in GLUT12 immunolabeling was measured in Ren-2 controls and Ren-2 diabetic animals compared with Sprague-Dawley controls. GLUT12 expression was higher in Ren-2 diabetic compared with Sprague-Dawley diabetic rats. Long-term diabetes resulted in significant increases in GLUT1 levels in the renal proximal tubules and expression was higher in Ren-2 diabetic than Sprague-Dawley diabetic rats. GLUT12 protein was localized to the cytoplasm and to the apical membrane of human and rat distal tubules and collecting ducts. The apical localization of GLUT12 in the distal tubules and collecting ducts suggests that it could contribute to additional glucose reabsorption in the late nephron. Levels of both GLUT1 and GLUT12 are elevated in animal models of hypertension and diabetic nephropathy.
Activated Peroxide for Enzymatic Control of Wool Shrinkage Part I: Elucidation
Authors: Cardamone Jeanette M. , Nuñez Alberto , Ashby Richard , Dudley Robert
Published: April 2006

The ARS process combines activated peroxide for pretreatment and enzyme for subsequent treatment to provide bleached, biopolished, and shrinkage-resistant wool. The pretreatment step is of particular interest because it combines dicyandiamide (DD) with alkaline peroxide to form peroxycarboximidic acid, a stable and powerful bleaching agent that is stabilized by gluconic acid (GA) when applied at pH 11.5 for 30 minutes at 30 ° C. Analytical methods of analysis provided information showing that the active bleaching component, peroxycarboximidic acid, is formed immediately upon the combination of DD with alkaline H2O2 and that cyanamide forms concomitantly as a co-product. The peroxide pretreatment bath was stable at room temperature for up to 4.5 hours with only 10% peroxide consumed. It should therefore be possible to reconstitute the bleaching bath for further utilization. The eventual alkaline hydrolysis of cyanamide to form urea and the recombination of urea with peroxycarboximidic acid formed the end-product, guanylurea, shown by high performance liquid chromatography associated with electron impact mass spectrometry (LC/EI-MS), Fourier transforminfrared (FT-IR), and 13C NMR. Differential scanning calorimetry and peroxide titration of pretreatment baths provided evidence that GA stabilizes the activated peroxide. Activated DD peroxide pretreatment is essential to the ARS process for it provides a high level of whiteness without loss in fabric properties and it prepares the wool fiber for enzymatic treatment designed to selectively modify the scales of wool to biopolish the fabric surface and provide itch-free, machine-washable wool.
The Mechanism of the Air-Jet Texturing: The Role of Wetting, Spin Finish and Friction in Forming and Fixing Loops
Authors: Acar M. , Bilgin S. , Versteeg H. K. , Dani N. , Oxenham W.
Published: April 2006

A comprehensive review of the roles played by the airflow, wetting and spin finish on the air-jet texturing process is given. The results of an experimental investigation of the air-jet texturing process using residual spin finish, yarn-to-yarn static and kinetic friction, filament strength, filament diameter, and on-line tension measurements and high-speed cine-photography are reported. Filament yarn motion in different regions of the texturing nozzle during dry and wet texturing was analyzed. During the study it was found that water acted as lubricant to reduce friction between the filaments in the wet texturing process as the filament yarn traveled through the nozzle enabling easier relative motion of the filaments resulting in enhanced entanglement. Wet texturing also reduced spin finish on the yarn surface, which in turn, caused an increase in static friction between the filaments of the textured yarn resulting in better fixing of the loops and consequently superior yarns.
The Impact of Ownership on Psychosocial Working Conditions: A Multilevel Analysis of 60 Workplaces
Authors: Höckertin Chatrine , Härenstam Annika
Published: April 2006

With the expansion of the service sector, working conditions have changed during recent decades and it has become more relevant to highlight psychosocial factors as a complement to physical aspects of work. The main scope of this article concerns legal forms of ownership (i.e. the public sector, public enterprises, private enterprises and cooperatives), different types of operations within the service sector, and whether these organizational characteristics create differences in psychosocial working conditions for the individual employee. A total of 1384 employees in 60 workplaces within 25 establishments participated, and the data consisted of both a survey answered by the employees and structured interviews conducted with the local managers in each participating organization. Multilevel analysis showed that a rather high degree of variance in working conditions could be attributed to factors outside/above the individual level, and furthermore, that both ownership and type of operation were significant and relevant variables in order to explain differences in working conditions.
Political Knowledge and Electoral Participation in the Netherlands: Comparisons with the Canadian Case
Authors: Howe Paul
Published: April 2006

Recent research suggests a significant connection between declining voter turnout among younger Canadian cohorts and diminished levels of political knowledge. This article seeks to develop these findings further by drawing contrasts with a country (the Netherlands) that has not witnessed a significant turnout decline among the young to see whether political knowledge levels have likewise remained stable. The results partly confound expectations: as in Canada, a growing knowledge gap between young and old is evident in the Netherlands. Voting among young Dutch cohorts has not been markedly affected, however, because knowledge has less impact on electoral participation than in Canada. Hypotheses that help explain these patterns, and which might be tested in further comparative research, are advanced.
Identity, Grievances, and Political Action: Recent Evidence from the Palestinian Community in Israel
Authors: Lowrance Sherry
Published: April 2006

In ethnically non-neutral states, why do some disadvantaged minorities protest their status, while others acquiesce? Given the difficult circumstances in many cases, why do they not protest more than they do, or turn to violence? This article argues that the key to ethnic protest is the identity that one holds: state-bound identities weaken the grievance– protest relationship. The closer one identifies with the state, the less likely one is to protest, even when significant grievances exist. The case of Israel and its Arab citizens is used to illustrate this relationship. When Arabs identify themselves as more “Israeli,” they are less protest-prone than other Arabs with more anti-establishment identities. This article provides empirical evidence that fostering state-friendly identities may be a desirable goal for many ethnically tense states.
Neuronal Networks Approach for Characterization of Softened Polymers
Authors: Erchiqui F. , Kandil N.
Published: April 2006

Recent progress in computer-aided polymer processing analysis demonstrates the need for an accurate description of the material behavior under the conjugated effect of applied stress and temperature. In this work, we are interested in the characterization of circular thermoplastic membranes, ABS and HIPS thermoforming grade, under biaxial deformation using the bubble inflation technique. Hyperelastic (Mooney-Rivlin, Ogden) models are considered. First, the governing equations for the inflation of a flat circular membrane are solved using a finite difference method with deferred corrections and thereafter, a neuronal algorithm (ANN model) is employed to determine the material constants.
Effect of Fly Ash Content on Impact, Compression, and Water Absorption Properties of Epoxy Toughened with Epoxy Phenol Cashew Nut Shell Liquid–Fly Ash Composites
Authors: Ramakrishna H. V. , Priya S. Padma , Rai S. K.
Published: April 2006

Fly ash, a waste product generated in a thermal power plant in huge quantities has been posing problems of disposal. The purpose of this study is to make a meaningful utilization of fly ash as the filler in pure epoxy resin matrix and 20% epoxy phenol cashew nut shell liquid (EPCNSL)toughened epoxy matrix. The properties under consideration are impact, compression, and water absorption. Composites are made with varying proportions of fly ash in epoxy resin and 20% EPCNSL-toughened epoxy resin. The compression properties are measured on a computerized universal testing machine according to ASTM procedure. The impact strength is determined using an izod impact tester for unnotched specimens. The toughened matrix filled with fly ash composites shows improved compression modulus over pure epoxy–fly ash composites. The toughened matrix composites show better water absorption property over pure epoxy–fly ash composites.
Internal Osmotic Pressure as a Mechanism of Retinal Attachment in a Vitreous Substitute
Authors: Foster William J. , Aliyar Hyder A. , Hamilton Paul , Ravi Nathan
Published: April 2006

In this study, the possibility of using the internal osmotic pressure of intraocular polymeric hydrogel materials to attach the retina in the repair of a retinal tear or hole was investigated. This is in contrast to the conventional methods of retinal detachment repair (intraocular gas, polydimethylsiloxane, or n-perfluorooctane), which rely on surface tension and have recognized limits. The system selected for implementation of this scheme was based on an acrylamide copolymer that was crosslinked in an aqueous solution to provide a transparent hydrogel which allowed control of the swelling pressure. Synthetic hydrogels, such as those selected here, provide an alternative to materials currently used as vitreous prostheses.
Amorphous Calcium Phosphate Composites with Improved Mechanical Properties1
Authors: O'Donnell J. N. R. , Skrtic D. , Antonucci J. M.
Published: April 2006

Hybridized zirconium amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP)-filled methacrylate composites make good calcium and phosphate releasing materials for anti-demineralizing/remineralizing applications with low mechanical demands. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the particle size of the filler on the mechanical properties of these composites. Photo-curable resins were formulated from ethoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and methacryloxyethyl phthalate. Camphorquinone and ethyl 4-N, Ndimethylaminobenzoate were utilized as components of the photoinitiator system. After 2h of mechanical milling in isopropanol, an approximate 64% reduction in the median particle diameter was observed (27.48 μm vs. 9.98μm) for unmilled and milled wet ACP, respectively. Dry ACP showed a 43% reduction in particle size from pre- to post-milling. As well as dry composites, those that had been immersed in aqueous media were evaluated for their Young's Modulus, water sorption, biaxial tensile, three-point flexural and diametral tensile strength. Mechanical milling the filler increased the volume of fine particles in the composite specimens, resulting in a more homogeneous intra-composite distribution of ACP and a reduction in voids. Since less water diffused into the milled composites upon aqueous exposure, a marked improvement in biaxial flexure strength and a moderate improvement in flexural strength over composites with unmilled ACP was observed. This improvement in the mechanical stability of milled Zr-ACP composites may help extend their dental applicability.
Place and Space
Authors: Brown Emma J. , Smith Frances B.
Published: April 2006

Increasing drug use among rural African American women and its effect on children warrants investigation. This article describes drug-use locations of rural African American women who use cocaine and construct their lives to conceal it from children. During 4 years, a 30-respondent ethnography was conducted. Data from in-depth interviews and field notes were analyzed for recurrent themes and patterns of drug-use location using NVivo. Most respondents with children used most often outside their households. One third ( n = 10) used within their households when children were away or in designated spaces off limits to children. More respondents ( n = 11) without children at home used in non-designated spaces; in contrast, few respondents ( n = 2) with children at home used in non-designated spaces within the household. Most respondents thought they were successful at concealing their cocaine use. Implications for choice of space and place of drug use for themselves and their children are discussed.
Competition over the Tax Base in the State Sales Tax
Authors: Fletcher Jason M. , Murray Matthew N.
Published: April 2006

The sales tax shows wide variation across states. Rates differ, some states allow local options, and the base can vary dramatically. Consumer items like food are often afforded preferential treatment, and business purchases like manufacturing machinery are exempt in some states. There is no research that explores these and other sales tax base choices. This article provides an empirical examination of sales tax base choice on the part of states using a political economy framework and tools of spatial econometrics. The analysis accommodates tax competition among states, using a variety of alternative definitions of “competitors.” The authors find little evidence that consumer exemptions are linked to needy segments of the population, while equipment exemptions are more common in states with large industrial sectors. The results also show that the nature of the interstate tax competition process differs for different elements of the base and that nongeographic competition can be especially important.
Energy integration between the solitary polyps of the clonal coral Lobophyllia corymbosa
Authors: Brickner Itzchak , Oren Uri , Frank Uri , Loya Yossi
Published: April 2006

Clonal integration in the coral Lobophyllia corymbosa was studied from two perspectives: transfer of carbon among clonemates and allorecognition. This coral forms colonies in the early post-metamorphic stages. In later ontogeny, the tissues interconnecting polyps die,transforming the colony into a clone of solitary polyps. These polyps continue to live in close proximity but without tissue continuity. Isolated polyps labeled with radioactive carbon in the light showed oriented transfer of assimilates towards adjacent, injured polyps. No significant transfer of carbon was observed towards intact, isogeneic polyps or allogeneic polyps. Grafting of coral tissues resulted in intra-clonal fusion, but only when polyps were previously sectioned. Allogeneic sectioned grafts were always rejected. Intact polyps were unresponsive towards isogeneic and allogeneic counterparts when grafted. Our results show that isolated Lobophylliapolyps not only recognize their clonemates as such, but also help them when necessary, although no tissue continuity exists between them.
COX2 in a euryhaline teleost,Fundulus heteroclitus: primary sequence, distribution, localization, and potential function in gills during salinity acclimation
Authors: Choe Keith P. , Havird Justin , Rose Rachel , Hyndman Kelly , Piermarini Peter , Evans David H.
Published: April 2006

In the kidneys of mammals, cyclooxygenase type 2 (COX2) is expressed in medullary interstitial cells, the macula densa and epithelial cells of the cortical thick ascending limb where it generates prostaglandins that regulate hormone secretion, inhibit ion transport, and support cell survival during salt loading and dehydration. In teleosts, the gills are in direct contact with an aquatic environment and are the dominant site of osmoregulation. During transfers between salinities, specialized cells in the gills (chloride cells) rapidly regulate NaCl secretion for systemic osmoregulation while they simultaneously are exposed to acute osmotic shock. This study was conducted to determine if COX2 is expressed in the gills, and if so, to evaluate its function in cellular and systemic osmoregulation. Degenerate primers, reverse transcription–PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends were used to deduce the complete cDNA sequence of a putative COX2 enzyme from the gills of the euryhaline killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus). The 2738 base pair cDNA includes a coding region for a 610 amino acid protein that is over 70%identical to mammalian COX2. A purified antibody generated against a conserved region of mouse COX2 labeled chloride cells, suggesting that the enzyme may control NaCl secretion as an autocrine agent. Real-time PCR was then used to demonstrate that mRNA expression of the COX2 homologue was threefold greater in gills from chronic seawater killifish than in gills from chronic freshwater killifish. Expression of Na+/K+/2Cl–cotransporter and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator were also greater in seawater, suggesting that chronic COX2 expression in the gills is regulated in parallel to the key ion transporters that mediate NaCl secretion. Real-time PCR was also used to demonstrate that acute transfer from seawater to freshwater and from freshwater to seawater led to rapid, transient inductions of COX2 expression. Together with previous physiological evidence,the present molecular and immunological data suggest that constitutive branchial COX2 expression is enhanced in seawater, where prostaglandins can regulate NaCl secretion in chloride cells. Our data also suggest that branchial COX2 expression may play a role in cell survival during acute osmotic shock.
Functional characterization of the conserved amino acids in Pop1p, the largest common protein subunit of yeast RNases P and MRP
Authors: Xiao Shaohua , Hsieh John , Nugent Rebecca L. , Coughlin Daniel J. , Fierke Carol A. , Engelke David R.
Published: April 2006

RNase P and RNase MRP are ribonucleoprotein enzymes required for 5′-end maturation of precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNAs) and processing of precursor ribosomal RNAs, respectively. In yeast, RNase P and MRP holoenzymes have eight protein subunits in common, with Pop1p being the largest at >100 kDa. Little is known about the functions of Pop1p, beyond the fact that it binds specifically to the RNase P RNA subunit, RPR1 RNA. In this study, we refined the previous Pop1 phylogenetic sequence alignment and found four conserved regions. Highly conserved amino acids in yeast Pop1p were mutagenized by randomization and conditionally defective mutations were obtained. Effects of the Pop1p mutations on pre-tRNA processing, pre-rRNA processing, and stability of the RNA subunits of RNase P and MRP were examined. In most cases, functional defects in RNase P and RNase MRP in vivo were consistent with assembly defects of the holoenzymes, although moderate kinetic defects in RNase P were also observed. Most mutations affected both pre-tRNA and pre-rRNA processing, but a few mutations preferentially interfered with only RNase P or only RNase MRP. In addition, one temperature-sensitive mutation had no effect on either tRNA or rRNA processing, consistent with an additional role for RNase P, RNase MRP, or Pop1p in some other form. This study shows that the Pop1p subunit plays multiple roles in the assembly and function of of RNases P and MRP, and that the functions can be differentiated through the mutations in conserved residues.
Residues in two homology blocks on the amino side of the tRNase Z His domain contribute unexpectedly to pre-tRNA 3′ end processing
Authors: Zareen Neela , Hopkinson Angela , Levinger Louis
Published: April 2006

tRNase Z, which can endonucleolytically remove pre-tRNA 3′-end trailers, possesses the signature His domain (HxHxDH; Motif II) of the β-lactamase family of metal-dependent hydrolases. Motif II combines with Motifs III–V on its carboxy side to coordinate two divalent metal ions, constituting the catalytic core. The PxKxRN loop and Motif I on the amino side of Motif II have been suggested to modulate tRNase Z activity, including the anti-determinant effect of CCA in mature tRNA. Ala walks through these two homology blocks reveal residues in which the substitutions unexpectedly reduce catalytic efficiency. While substitutions in Motif II can drastically affect kcat without affecting kM, five- to 15-fold increases in kM are observed with substitutions in several conserved residues in the PxKxRN loop and Motif I. These increases in kM suggest a model for substrate binding. Expressed tRNase Z processes mature tRNA with CCA at the 3′ end ∼80 times less efficiently than a pre-tRNA possessing natural sequence of the 3′-end trailer, due to reduced kcat with no effect on kM, showing the CCA anti-determinant to be a characteristic of this enzyme.
Autoregulation of the mRNA export factor Yra1p requires inefficient splicing of its pre-mRNA
Authors: Preker Pascal J. , Guthrie Christine
Published: April 2006

Yra1p is an essential RNA-binding protein that couples transcription to export. The YRA1 gene is one of only ∼5% of genes that undergo splicing in budding yeast, and its intron is unusual in several respects, including its large size and anomalous branchpoint sequence. We showed previously that the intron is required for autogenous regulation of Yra1p levels, which cause a dominant negative growth phenotype when elevated. The mechanism of this regulation, however, remains unknown. Here we demonstrate that growth is inversely correlated with splicing efficiency. Substitution of a canonical branchpoint moderately improves splicing but compromises autoregulation. Shortening the intron from 766 to ∼350 nt significantly improves splicing but abolishes autoregulation. Notably, proper regulation can be restored by insertion of unrelated sequences into the shortened intron. In that the current paradigm for regulated splicing involves the binding of protein factors to specific elements in the pre-mRNA, the regulation of YRA1 expression appears to occur by a novel mechanism. We propose that appropriate levels of Yra1p are maintained by inefficient cotranscriptional splicing.
Expression of the DEAD-box/RNA Helicase rck/p54 in Mouse Tissues: Implications for Heterogeneous Protein Expression
Authors: Akao Yukihiro , Nakagawa Yoshihito
Published: April 2006

rck/p54, a DEAD-box RNA helicase, is closely associated with the basic modification of RNA molecules in the process of mRNA transport, RNA decay, and translation initiation. In the current study, Western blot analysis revealed that rck/p54 protein was ubiquitously expressed in mouse tissues. Interestingly, three different-sized rck/p54 proteins were detected by antibodies against mouse rck/p54, and these products were differentially expressed in the tissues. An immunohistochemical study revealed that rck/p54 was strongly expressed in basal cells of the crypt in the gastrointestinal tract and in neuronal bodies of the cerebral cortex, and was localized in epithelial cells of the convoluted tubules of the kidneys, suggesting that the heterogeneous rck/p54 may play pivotal roles in cells committed to become specialized in these tissues.
Protective Role of Polyphenols in Cyclosporine A-induced Nephrotoxicity During Rat Pregnancy
Authors: Rezzani Rita , Rodella Luigi Fabrizio , Tengattini Sandra , Bonomini Francesca , Pechánová Olga , Kojšová Stanislava , Andriantsitohaina Ramaroson , Bianchi Rossella
Published: April 2006

The aim of this study was to evaluate the adverse effects of cyclosporine A (CsA) toward renal morphogenesis and to test the renoprotective natural antioxidants such as provinol (PV). Pregnant rats were divided into four groups. Group I was injected SC with olive oil. Group II was treated with oral administration of PV and was used as control. Group III animals were injected SC daily with CsA, and group IV animals were injected daily with CsA and PV for 21 days of pregnancy. Five pups per litter were killed and the kidneys removed and treated by morphological and immunohistochemical (IHC) methods. IHC analysis considered two proteins responsible for nephrotoxicity in adult rats: inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2). Pregnancy outcomes among CsA-treated rats demonstrated a reduced number of pups. Pups that were exposed antenatally to CsA presented several pathologic findings in all immature parenchyma and an increase in iNOS and MMP2 expression. These side effects were not observed in kidney of litters born from CsA + PV-treated mothers. Our study indicates that CsA induces morphological alterations in renal parenchyma of neonates and that PV plays a protective role against these side effects.
Three-Dimensional Projection Bodies
Authors: Brannen Noah Samuel
Published: April 2006

The projection body is determined for selected three-dimensional convex bodies. The relationship between the volume of a convex body and the volume of its projection body is explored by calculating the value of an affine-invariant functional defined on the class of convex bodies, and conjectures are made as to the significance of these calculations.
Free Planes in Lattice Sphere Packings
Authors: Henk Martin
Published: April 2006

We show that for every lattice packing of n-dimensional spheres there exists an (n/log2(n))-dimensional affine plane which does not meet any of the spheres in their interior, provided n is large enough. Such an affine plane is called a free plane and our result improves on former bounds.
New counterexamples to A. D. Alexandrov’s hypothesis
Authors: Panina Gaiane
Published: April 2006

The paper presents a series of principally different C
∞ -smooth counterexamples to the following hypothesis on a characterization of the sphere: Let K ⊂ ℝ3 be a smooth convex body. If at every point of ∂K, we have R
1≤ C≤ R
2 for a constant C, then K is a ball. (R
1 and R
2 stand for the principal curvature radii of ∂K.)

The hypothesis was proved by A. D. Alexandrov and H. F. Münzner for analytic bodies. For the case of general smoothness it has been an open problem for years. Recently, Y. Martinez-Maure has presented a C
2-smooth counterexample to the hypothesis.
Removable singularities for p-harmonic maps: the subquadratic case
Authors: Gastel Andreas , Grotowski Joseph F. , Kronz Manfred
Published: April 2006

We prove a removable singularity theorem for p -harmonic maps in the
subquadratic case. The theorem states that an isolated singularity of a weakly
p -harmonic map is removable if the energy is sufficiently small in a
neighbourhood of the singularity.
On antipodes on a convex polyhedron
Authors: Rouyer Joël
Published: April 2006

We define an antipode of a point p as a
farthest point from p. In this paper we describe, on the surface of a
convex polyhedron endowed with its intrinsic metric, points admitting at least
two antipodes.
Die harmonischen Involutionen einer Möbiusebene
Authors: Mäurer Helmut
Published: April 2006

An involutory automorphism of an inversive plane with
exactly two fixed points is called an harmonic involution. In this paper we
study inversive planes with sufficiently many harmonic involutions satisfying an
analog of the theorem about the three reflections.
Irony aptness
Authors: Giora Rachel , Federman Shani , Kehat Arnon , Fein Ofer , Sabah Hadas
Published: April 2006

In this paper, we test the hypothesis that irony aptness is sensitive to both ironiness and sophistication. In a previous study, we established irony gradedness as a function of narrowing the gap between what is said and what is referred to (Giora et al. 2005b). Experiments 1A and 1B show that the higher the ironiness of a target, the more apt it is. This has been replicated for echoic ironies (Sperber and Wilson 1986) as well. Indeed, in Experiment 2, we show that echoic ironies rated as highly ironic due to the accessibility (rather than explicitness, see Gibbs 1986; Yus 2001) of the source of their echo are also evaluated as highly apt. In addition, we show that sophistication (as defined by Raskin and Triezenberg 2003) and aptness ratings are highly correlated, though ironiness and sophistication are not.
The current state and legal framework of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in Japan
Authors: Nishizawa Mariko
Published: April 2006

Because of the rapid advances currently taking place in reproductive technology, Japan is being pressed to adjust its conventional approach to reproductive medicine. One example of the innovations in the technology is the reproductive technique known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD (

PGD is seen by some as a reproductive technique that can help couples who are at high risk of passing on serious genetic disorders to their offspring. However, it is a contested technology. Concerns are increasingly being raised about the lack of sufficient public debate and policy discussion concerning the test's ethical and social implications. The need for policy discussions and a comprehensive legal system to control all areas of reproductive medicine, including PGD, should be more widely addressed.
The Coexistence of Genetically Modified Crops with Other Forms of Farming: The Regulation by EU Member States in the Light of EC Law
Authors: Herdegen Matthias
Published: April 2006

Contents

Introduction

 The regulatory approach of EC Law

Operator obligations of evaluation and monitoring

Prevention

Liability for the adventitious presence of GMOs in neighbouring crops

Effects of authorized releases of GMOs on neighbouring crops

Supervision under rules of environmental law

Summary
Heavy Burden: Promoting Public Policy through the Use of Material Transfer Agreements for Plant Genetic Resources
Authors: Fowler Cary
Published: April 2006

Introduction

Plant genetic resources – seeds and other genetic materials containing functional units of heredity of actual or potential use – are the biological foundation of agriculture, the raw material of plant breeding, and an increasingly important component in biotechnology research and product development. The conditions under which plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) may be accessed and used is therefore of critical importance to broad segments of the economy, to academic and applied researchers, to the legal profession, and to important social concerns such as achieving food security. Each year, hundreds of thousands of samples of PGRFA are distributed to researchers and breeders by genebanks and crop breeding programmes, arguably making this resource the most commonly exchanged of biological materials for research and development purposes in the academic and commercial world.
Life Sciences and Biotechnology
Authors: European Commission
Published: April 2006

Introduction

In January 2002, the Commission adopted a Strategy for Europe on Life Sciences and Biotechnology, consisting of two parts – policy orientations and a 30-point plan to transform policy into action. It sets out what is needed from the Commission and the other European Institutions, while also recommending actions for other public and private stakeholders.

The Commission intends to report regularly on the progress made. The Commission adopted its second progress report on 7 April 2004, which highlighted the progress made but also pointed out delays in some areas.

This Communication is the third such response. As last year, this report is supported by a Commission Staff Working Paper, which provides detailed information on the implementation of the action plan.
Exploring the common ground: Sensus communis, humor and the interpretation of comic poetry
Authors: Pettersson Bo
Published: April 2006

Sensus communis is originally a Roman notion of the shared ‘communal sense’ that facilitates communicative understanding. The most important philosophers of the modern age who have discussed it at length are Giambattista Vico, Anthony, Earl of Shaftesbury (as the basis for wit and humor), Immanuel Kant and Hans-Georg Gadamer. The different ways they (and others) have discussed it might help literary scholars to explore the common ground in literary interpretation. Since there is much disagreement on the very notion of sensus communis, this paper takes its cue from Shaftesbury by briefly examining the relation between understanding humor and agreeing on a particular literary interpretation. Its test case is the American writer Ogden Nash and his rather misanthropic view of various others (wives/husbands, children, old people, various animals, etc.) in his comic poetry. The claim is advanced that readers are amused by Nash's poetry because they too harbour misanthropic sentiments and are well aware that it is taboo to let it show. Hence, despite its apparent misanthropy Nash's poetry is based on and most likely strengthens a kind of sensus communis. This paper also argues that the incongruous combination of satirical and literary techniques is crucial for the effect of comic poetry and that incongruities are often unresolved in ironical and satirical texts.
Interpretive Representation: A Relevance-Theoretic Analysis of the Opening Paragraph of Carlyle's Chartism
Authors: Keeble David
Published: April 2006

This paper demonstrates the capacity of relevance theory to illuminate the stylistic features of a complex piece of literary prose and in particular to shed light on the level of coherence inherent in the text examined. Taking some independent critical observations of the writer's style as a point of departure, it provides a close analysis of the opening paragraph of Thomas Carlyle's essay Chartism (1840), and places these observations on a firmer theoretical footing using the relevance-theoretic concept of interpretive representation. In particular, it accounts for a number of inferences that are called for in relation to the interpretation of referential expressions that link the propositions expressed in the text with further propositions likely to be evoked in the reader. The analysis provided offers insight into Carlyle's style and supplies a criterion for constraining interpretations of the text as a whole.
Formes narratives de l’action et dangers de dérives en narratologie
Authors: Baroni Raphaël
Published: April 2006

Cet article vise à définir précisément la forme
que prend l’action quand elle fait l’objet d’une mise en intrigue par un récit,
de manière à éviter certaines dérives dans l’interprétation du phénoméne de la
narrativité et de sa fonction anthropologique. Deux formes de dérives ou de
réductionnisme sont d’abord envisagées : d’une part, la narratologie
structuraliste a eu tendance à analyser de manière autonome les structures
actionnelles formant la ‘fable’ des récits, ce qui l’a amenée à perdre de vue la
fonction que remplissaient ces actions au niveau de l’interaction narrative et à
généraliser la théorie de l’action ainsi dégagée ; d’autre part, les travaux
d’orientation cognitiviste, bien qu’ils aient ‘décloisonné’ l’analyse des
structures narratives, ont eu tendance à se fonder sur un modèle schématique de
l’action planifiée à la fois trop général et trop simpliste pour parvenir à
cerner la fonction proprement narrative que remplissent les actions narrées.
L’auteur propose de mettre en évidence, au niveau de l’interaction discursive,
la fonction que remplissent certaines formes d’action narrées dans la mise en
intrigue, notamment par le biais des effets de suspense et de curiosité qu’elles
contribuent à produire. La mise en évidence du rôle fondamental que jouent les
actions polémiques dans la dynamique du récit permet de conclure en opposant
deux points de vue complémentaires sur l’action : alors que les approches
‘narratives’ mettent en évidence la singularité de l’événement narré, son
caractère inédit, surprenant ou sous-déterminé, d’autres formes d’analyse ou de
textualisation de l’action cherchent au contraire à cerner la règle ou la
régularité derrière l’apparente ‘nouveauté’ de l’événement.
A Note on ‘‘Cyclic Linearization’’
Authors: Williams Edwin
Published: April 2006

‘‘Cyclic Linearization’’ (CL) is similar in its intent to my own ‘‘Representation Theory’’ (Williams 1998, 2003) (RT) in that it seeks to explain some parallelism constraints in terms of general architecture, and in fact both were inspired by Holmberg’s generalization and the general properties of Object Shift in the formulation of central tenets. But here, I will explore a difference in the models that has more to do with WH movement.
Copula sentences and entailment relations
Authors: Dölling Johannes
Published: April 2006

In her proposal Claudia Maienborn attempts to provide evidence above all for the following basic claims:

First, stative verbal expressions, regardless of whether they represent stage-level or individual-level predicates, pattern with eventive expressions in introducing a hidden referential argument which can be located in time and may serve as an antecedent for anaphoric reference. What separates statives from eventives is that their arguments are not dynamic but static entities, that is, states.
Kimian states and the grammar of predicative adjectives
Authors: Engelberg Stefan
Published: April 2006

Maienborn (this volume) presents a proposal on how to deal with stative expressions which makes the following claims:

(i) There are two types of stative expressions, those denoting Davidsonian states (sit, stand, sleep), which constitute a subtype of Davidsonian eventualities, and Kimian states (know, hate, resemble, and all expressions introduced by the copula), which are of a different ontological sort. This distinction is not tied to a distinction between stage-level and individual-level predicates.

(ii) Expressions introducing Davidsonian states behave like eventdenoting expressions and are different from expressions introducing Kimian states with respect to a number of linguistic phenomena (embedding under perception verbs, modification by locative, manner, and instrumental adverbials, interpretation of certain degree modifiers). Kimian states can be temporally modified, anaphorically referred to, and in German they can enter the dabei- construction.

(iii) While Davidsonian eventualities are spatio-temporal entities, Kimian states have a more abstract nature. In contrast to the more concrete ontological sort of eventualities, they don’t have a spatial dimension, and in contrast to the more abstract ontological sort of facts, they have a temporal dimension. Maienborn conceives of Kimian states as ‘‘abstract objects for the exemplification of a property P at a holder x and a time t.’’

(iv) The grammatical category of verbs is not confined to a particular sort of referential argument. While verbs are either Davidsonian or Kimian predicates, lexical predicates that depend on a copula don’t make ontological choices on their own. It is always the copula that introduces a Kimian state argument.

In the following section I mainly want to comment on (iii) and (iv). In doing that, I will try to refine some ideas about the ontological nature of Kimian states and I will challenge the assumption that it is the copula which introduces the state argument.