bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimating the Accuracy of Jury Verdicts
Authors: Spencer Bruce D.
Published: June 2007

Average accuracy of jury verdicts for a set of cases can be studied empirically and systematically even when the correct verdict cannot be known. The key is to obtain a second rating of the verdict, for example, the judge's, as in the recent study of criminal cases in the United States by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). That study, like the famous Kalven‐Zeisel study, showed only modest judge‐jury agreement. Simple estimates of jury accuracy can be developed from the judge‐jury agreement rate; the judge's verdict is not taken as the gold standard. Although the estimates of accuracy are subject to error, under plausible conditions they tend to overestimate the average accuracy of jury verdicts. The jury verdict was estimated to be accurate in no more than 87 percent of the NCSC cases (which, however, should not be regarded as a representative sample with respect to jury accuracy). More refined estimates, including false conviction and false acquittal rates, are developed with models using stronger assumptions. For example, the conditional probability that the jury incorrectly convicts given that the defendant truly was not guilty (a “Type I error”) was estimated at 0.25, with an estimated standard error (s.e.) of 0.07, the conditional probability that a jury incorrectly acquits given that the defendant truly was guilty (“Type II error”) was estimated at 0.14 (s.e. 0.03), and the difference was estimated at 0.12 (s.e. 0.08). The estimated number of defendants in the NCSC cases who truly are not guilty but are convicted does seem to be smaller than the number who truly are guilty but are acquitted. The conditional probability of a wrongful conviction, given that the defendant was convicted, is estimated at 0.10 (s.e. 0.03).
Attention Felons: Evaluating Project Safe Neighborhoods in Chicago
Authors: Papachristos Andrew V. , Meares Tracey L. , Fagan Jeffrey
Published: June 2007

This research uses a quasi‐experimental design to evaluate the impact of Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) initiatives on neighborhood‐level crime rates in Chicago. Four interventions are analyzed: (1) increased federal prosecutions for convicted felons carrying or using guns, (2) the length of sentences associated with federal prosecutions, (3) supply‐side firearm policing activities, and (4) social marketing of deterrence and social norms messages through justice‐style offender notification meetings. Using individual growth curve models and propensity scores to adjust for nonrandom group assignment of neighborhoods, our findings suggest that several PSN interventions are associated with greater declines of homicide in the treatment neighborhoods compared to the control neighborhoods. The largest effect is associated with the offender notification meetings that stress individual deterrence, normative change in offender behavior, and increasing views on legitimacy and procedural justice. Possible competing hypotheses and directions for individual‐level analysis are also discussed.
Teaching & Learning Guide for: Jane Austen and the Public Sphere
Authors: Jones Chris
Published: June 2007

Author Recommends:

The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austen, edited by Edward Copeland and Juliet McMaster (Cambridge UP, 1997) has useful essays on ‘Class’ and ‘Money’ as well as ‘Style’ and on individual novels, reflecting a new awareness of Austen’s participation in a discourse rather wider than the initially domestic focus of her novels might suggest.

Edward Said’s reading of Mansfield Park in the contexts of its significant silence over the West Indian plantation owned by Sir Thomas Bertram is one of the most contentious attempts to bring politics to Austen’s world, seen by many critics as ignorant or uninterested in wider issues. Said’s Culture and Imperialism (Vintage, 1995) has been variously challenged, including in John Sutherland’s Is Heathcliff a Murderer?: Puzzles in Nineteenth‐Century Fiction (Oxford UP, 1996).

For a visual adaptation of the novel influenced by Said’s activation of its colonial subtext, see the film Mansfield Park directed by Patricia Rozema (1999).

The journal Eighteenth Century Studies special issue on ‘The Public and the Nation’ (29, 1995), includes a number of relevant essays, including Lawrence E. Klein’s investigation of ‘Gender and the Public/Private Distinction in the Eighteenth Century: Some Questions about Evidence and Analytic Procedure’: Klein genders the Habermasian model and critiques binary assumptions of private‐female public‐male.

Online Materials:

The refereed online journal Romanticism on the Net has scholarly articles and reviews: http://www.ron.umontreal.ca/

Jane Austen’s writings can be accessed online via http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/janewrit.html.
Type III secretion system translocator has a molten globule conformation both in its free and chaperone‐bound forms
Authors: Faudry Eric , Job Viviana , Dessen Andréa , Attree Ina , Forge Vincent
Published: June 2007

Type III secretion systems of Gram‐negative pathogenic bacteria allow the injection of effector proteins into the cytosol of host eukaryotic cells. Crossing of the eukaryotic plasma membrane is facilitated by a translocon, an oligomeric structure made up of two bacterial proteins inserted into the host membrane during infection. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a major human opportunistic pathogen, these proteins are PopB and PopD. Their interactions with their common chaperone PcrH in the cytosol of the bacteria are essential for the proper function of the injection system. The interaction region between PopD and PcrH was identified using limited proteolysis, revealing that the putative PopD transmembrane fragment is buried within the PopD/PcrH complex. In addition, structural features of PopD and PcrH, either individually or within the binary complex, were characterized using spectroscopic methods and 1D NMR. Whereas PcrH possesses the characteristics of a folded protein, PopD is in a molten globule state either alone or in the PopD/PcrH complex. The molten globule state is known to enable the membrane insertion of translocation/pore‐forming domains of bacterial toxins. Therefore, within the bacterial cytoplasm, PopD is preserved in a state that is favorable to secretion and insertion into cell membranes.
Interaction of the cysteine‐rich domain of snake venom metalloproteinases with the A1 domain of von Willebrand factor promotes site‐specific proteolysis of von Willebrand factor and inhibition of von Willebrand factor‐mediated platelet aggregation
Authors: Serrano Solange M. T. , Wang Deyu , Shannon John D. , Pinto Antonio F. M. , Polanowska‐Grabowska Renata K. , Fox Jay W.
Published: June 2007

Snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) have recently been shown to interact with proteins containing von Willebrand factor A (VWA) domains, including the extracellular matrix proteins collagen XII, collagen XIV, matrilins 1, 3 and 4, and von Willebrand factor (VWF) via their cysteine‐rich domain. We extended those studies using surface plasmon resonance to investigate the interaction of SVMPs with VWF, and demonstrated that jararhagin, a PIII SVMP containing a metalloproteinase domain followed by disintegrin‐like and cysteine‐rich domains, catrocollastatin C, a disintegrin‐like/cysteine‐rich protein, and the recombinant cysteine‐rich domain of atrolysin A (A/C) all interacted with immobilized VWF in a dose‐dependent fashion. Binding of VWF in solution to immobilized A/C was inhibited by ristocetin and preincubation of platelets with A/C abolished ristocetin/VWF‐induced platelet aggregation, indicating that the interaction of A/C with VWF is mediated by the VWA1 domain. Jararhagin cleaved VWF at sites adjacent to the VWA1 domain, whereas atrolysin C, a SVMP lacking the cysteine‐rich domain, cleaved VWF at dispersed sites. A/C and catrocollastatin C completely inhibited the digestion of VWF by jararhagin, demonstrating that the specific interaction of jararhagin with VWF via the VWA1 domain is necessary for VWF proteolysis. In summary, we localized the binding site of PIII SVMPs in VWF to the A1 domain. This suggests additional mechanisms by which SVMPs may interfere with the adhesion of platelets at the site of envenoming. Thus, specific interaction of cysteine‐rich domain‐containing SVMPs with VWF may function to promote the hemorrhage caused by SVMP proteolysis of capillary basements and surrounding stromal extracellular matrix.
Polymorphisms in CCR5 chemokine receptor gene in Japan
Authors: Liu H. , Nakayama E. E. , Theodorou I. , Nagai Y. , Likanonsakul S. , Wasi C. , Debre P. , Iwamoto A. , Shioda T.
Published: June 2007

Mutations in the human CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) gene may alter the expression or function of the protein product, thereby altering chemokine binding/signalling or human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) infection of the cells that normally express CCR5 protein. We performed a systematic survey of natural sequence variations in an 8.1‐kb region of the entire CCR5 gene as well as CCR2V64I in 50 Japanese subjects and evaluated the effects of those variations on CCR5 promoter activity. We also analysed CCR5 promoters and CCR2V64I in 80 more Japanese and 186 Thais. There was no 32‐bp deletion observed in Caucasians, but two types of non‐synonymous substitutions were found in CCR5 genes of Japanese. Our results showed several novel characteristics of the CCR2‐CCR5 haplotype structure that were not reported from studies on Caucasians and African‐Americans. Specifically, we were able to show that the G allele at position –2852 from the CCR5 open reading frame in Japanese and Thais is the representative of the CCR5 promoter haplotype that was reported to be associated with rapid progression to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in HIV‐1‐infected individuals. Furthermore, nearly all non‐synonymous polymorphisms in Japanese CCR5 occurred in haplotypes with elevated promoter activity. We thus hypothesized that there was a certain selective pressure favouring low levels of CCR5 expression during human evolution.
A putative gene located at the MHC class I region around the D6S105 marker contributes to the setting of CD8+ T‐lymphocyte numbers in humans
Authors: Vieira J. , Cardoso C. S. , Pinto J. , Patil K. , Brazdil P. , Cruz E. , Mascarenhas C. , Lacerda R. , Gartner A. , Almeida S. , Alves H. , Porto G.
Published: June 2007

Significant associations between human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐A and ‐B alleles and CD8+ T‐lymphocyte numbers have been reported in the literature in both healthy populations and in HFE‐haemochromatosis patients. In order to address whether HLA alleles themselves or alleles at linked genes are responsible for these associations, several genetic markers at the MHC class I region were typed on a population of 147 apparently healthy unrelated subjects phenotypically characterized for their CD8+ and CD4+ T‐lymphocyte numbers. By using a machine learning approach, a set of rules was generated that predict the number of CD8+ T‐lymphocyte numbers on the basis of the information of the D6S105 microsatellite alleles only. We demonstrate that the previously reported associations with HLA‐A and ‐B alleles are due to the presence of common long (up to 4 megabases long) haplotypes that increased in frequency recently due to positive selection and that encompass a region where a putative gene contributing to the setting of CD8+ T lymphocytes is located, in the neighbourhood of microsatellite locus D6S105, in the 6p21.3 region.
Association of polymorphisms of human leucocyte antigen‐DQA1 and DQB1 alleles with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese
Authors: Liu C. , Cheng B.
Published: June 2007

To investigate whether human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class II DQA1 and DQB1 gene polymorphisms are associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and development of HBV‐related liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we detected the DQA1 and DQB1 allele polymorphisms in 168 HBV carriers (including 48 chronic hepatitis B, 42 LC and 78 HCC patients) and 100 controls who had recovered from HBV infection by using polymerase chain reaction amplification with sequence‐specific primers (PCR‐SSP). Our data suggest that DQA1*0102 and DQA1*0104 were associated with protection from chronic HBV infection (Pc = 0.003) and development of LC (Pc = 0.001), respectively, whereas DQB1*0201 conferred susceptible effect on chronic HBV infection (Pc = 0.008). We also found that DQA1*0601, DQB1*0601 and DQA1*0201 showed some susceptible effect on chronic HBV infection and LC, respectively, however, these associations were no longer significant after Bonferroni correction (Pc = 0.390, Pc = 0.475 and Pc = 0.140, respectively). No significant association has been found between DQA1 and DQB1 alleles and development of HCC. These results indicate that different subtypes of HLA‐DQA1 and DQB1 are associated with development of chronic HBV infection and LC, respectively, in Han Chinese population.
Influence of HLA‐DR2 on perforin‐positive cells in pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Rajeswari D. N. , Selvaraj P. , Raghavan S. , Jawahar M. S. , Narayanan P. R.
Published: June 2007

Perforin is one of the key effector molecules of cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells. The influence of HLA‐DRB1 alleles on peripheral blood perforin‐positive CD4, CD8, CD16 and CD56 cells was studied by flow cytometry. HLA‐DRB1 typing was done in normal healthy subjects (NHS: n = 156) and patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB: n = 102) by polymerase chain reaction‐based sequence‐specific oligonucleotide hybridization method. We observed a significantly decreased percentage of total perforin‐positive cells (per+) (P = 0.0004); CD8+/Per+ (P = 0.0005); CD16+/Per+ (P = 0.05) and CD56+/Per+ cells (P = 0.001) in HLA‐DR2‐positive PTB patients compared to non‐DR2 patients. Subtyping of HLA‐DR2‐positive subjects at the allelic level revealed that the percentage of CD8+/Per+ cells did not differ among DRB1*1501 and DRB1*1502 patients while a trend towards a decreased percentage of CD16+/Per+ and CD56+/Per+ cells was noticed in DRB1*1501 patients compared to DRB1*1502 patients. The present study suggests that HLA‐DR2 may be associated with down‐regulation of perforin‐positive cytotoxic lymphocytes and natural killer cells in pulmonary tuberculosis.
EFFECT OF SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE AND SOY FIBER ON COLOR, PHYSICAL AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF BAKED PRODUCTS
Authors: BREWER M. SUSAN , POTTER SUSAN M. , SPROULS GUY , REINHARD MONA
Published: June 2007

Quick breads were formulated to contain 0%, 40%, 50% or 60% Soy Protein Isolate and Fiber (SPI/Fiber), and yeast breads were formulated to contain 0%, 14%, 21% or 28% SPI/Fiber replacement for wheat flour. Physical and sensory data were collected. As SPI/fiber level increased, muffin batter specific gravity, baked product air cell number, Instron peak force to compress by 75%, a value, beany flavor, grain‐like flavor, aftertaste, moistness and denseness increased while muffin peak height at the crown, baked volume, L and b values, hue angle, sweetness and crumbliness decreased. There were significant negative correlations between increased level of SPI/fiber in muffins and acceptability of flavor and texture, as well as willingness to purchase or purchase the product at a higher price. As SPI/fiber level increased, bread dough pH after fermentation, air cell number, Instron peak force to compress by 75%, a and b values, beany flavor, grain‐like flavor, and aftertaste increased while loaf volume, peak height at the crown, L value, hue angle, cohesiveness and crumbliness decreased. There were significant negative correlation coefficients between level of SPI/fiber and acceptability of flavor and texture, as well as willingness to purchase the product or to purchase it at a higher price.
TEXTURAL AND SENSORY ATTRIBUTES OF CURRIED RAW JACK FRUIT, FRIED AND PRESSURE COOKED
Authors: JOHN P. JACOB , SARVAMANGALA G. K. , NARASIMHAM P.
Published: June 2007

Studies were conducted to improve the texture and sensory qualities of raw jack fruit. Diced tender jack fruit was subjected to steam cooking (1 kg cm‐2 for 20 min) and oil frying at 150 ± 30C for 5 min and 180 ± 20C for 5 min, respectively. Minced mutton at 5% (w/w) of the jack fruit dice was incorporated into the curried recipe prepared from dice fried in oil at 150C to impart mutton flavor and tested for texture. The firmness of fried dice increased significantly as measured by peak force of 11.06 and 11.49 kg. cm‐2 compared to 0.33 kg. cm‐2 of steamcooked dice. Further, the sensory evaluation for texture and flavor of the samples in the curried recipe also revealed that the fry‐treated samples (at 150 ± 30C) were better in quality than steam‐cooked samples. The frying treatment of raw jack fruit dice increased the oil content of the dice (8.26% on FWB) compared to 0.6% in steamed dice. However, the treatment did not affect salt pick up.
SAFFRON: QUALITY EVALUATION BY SENSORY PROFILE AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
Authors: NARASIMHAN SHANTHI , CHAND NAGIN , RAJALAKSHMI D.
Published: June 2007

Saffron the valuable stigma from flowers of Crocus sativus L, valued essentially for delicate flavor has specific testing methods for physical, chemical, microscopic parameters, in addition to pigments, and bitter principle but not for flavor. The flavor profile pattern as cob‐web diagrams are reported. The dose‐response relationship for saffron flavor (due to the principal flavor component, safranal) is established with n = 0.75 for a modified Stevens' equation. Importance of examination of flavor is highlighted for grading in view of new developments in postharvest technology and synthetic safranal entering the market. The GC peak identification of safranal by liquid and headspace GC and GC‐MS is demonstrated and confirmed from bioassay at the exit port by sniffing.
EFFECT OF POSTHARVEST HOT AIR AND FUNGICIDE TREATMENTS ON THE QUALITY OF ‘MARADOL’ PAPAYA (CARICA PAPAYA L.)
Authors: PÉREZ‐CARRILLO ESTHER , YAHIA ELHADI M.
Published: June 2007

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) fruit is very perishable with a maximum postharvest life of 4 weeks. The effect of forced moist (100% RH) or dry (50%) hot air with or without Thiabendazole (TBZ at 1.2 g active ingredient/L) on the chilling injury (CI), fungi development and quality of ‘Maradol’papaya fruit stored at 5C or 20C for up to 42 days was investigated. Moist hot air at 48.5C or 50C for 4 h caused fruit injury. Dry air at 48.5C for 4 h, alone or in combination with TBZ, decreased CI intensity and fungi development, and the best effect was achieved by combining dry heat treatment and TBZ, without causing negative effects on fruit quality and without causing heat injury. Hot air treatment, especially in combination with TBZ, decreased growth of inoculated Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Trehalose was not detected in papaya, probably due to the presence of trehalase. Hot water treatment, with or without TBZ, did not cause any negative effect on the content of β‐carotene and lycopene.
QUALITY OF PACKED AND BIN STORED ‘ANJOU’ PEARS AS INFLUENCED BY STORAGE ATMOSPHERE AND TEMPERATURE
Authors: DRAKE S.R. , ELFVING D.C.
Published: June 2007

Packed pears (Pyrus communis‘d’‘Anjou’) were stored under four individual controlled atmosphere (CA) storage conditions (#1: CA of 1.5% O2 and < 1% CO2 at −1.5C; #2: CA of 1.5% O2 and < 1% CO2 at + 1.5C; #3: CA of 1.5% O2 and 3.0% CO2 at −1.5C; #4: CA of 1.5% O2 and 3.0% CO2 at + 1.5C). Loose pears in bins were stored under three CA storage conditions (#1: CA of 1.5% O2 and <1% CO2 at −1.5C; #2: CA of 1.5% O2 and 3.0% CO2 at −1.5C; #3: CA of 1.5% O2 and 3.0% CO2 at +1.5C). For packed pears, increased CO2 in the storage atmosphere resulted in retention of peel color, reduced firmness loss and enhanced subjective scores, particularly for finish and stem condition. Pears stored loose in bins, prior to packing in late January in an atmosphere containing 3.0% CO2 aided firmness retention, reduced scald and greatly enhanced subjective quality scores for appearance, finish and scuffing. Storing ‘Anjou’pears in a 3.0% CO2 atmosphere allows for storing pears loose in bin and packing in late January with little or no quality losses compared with using the standard 1.0% CO2 in the storage atmosphere.
QUALITY OF SHRIMP SOLD IN THE MARKETS OF HYDERABAD, INDIA
Authors: JONNALAGADDA PADMAJA R. , BHAT RAMESH V.
Published: June 2007

The quality of brackish water pond cultured shrimp purchased from wholesale markets and retail sale points at the time of sale in Hyderabad city was studied. The various hygienic practices followed during the chain of commercial operations were also studied. All the samples collected from either markets had heavy filth. Out of 35 samples collected from the wholesale markets, light filth ranged from 2% to 28%, and it ranged from 8 to 22% in retail market samples. All the shrimp samples purchased from either source contained Staphylococcus spp, and 51% of the shrimp from wholesale markets were found to be contaminated with coliforms, 11% with Salmonella spp and 5% with Vibrio spp whereas 48% of the retail market samples contained coliforms, 11%Salmonella spp and 25% had Proteus spp. None of the samples collected from either source were contaminated with Listeria spp. The extent of bacterial contamination (cfu/g) was more for the samples purchased from the retail sale points than that of the wholesale markets.
EFFECT OF ACTIVATED CHARCOAL ON WATER‐SOLUBLE VITAMIN CONTENT OF APPLE JUICE
Authors: KADAKAL ÇETIN , POYRAZOGLU E. SINAN , ARTIK NEVZAT , NAS SEBAHATTIN
Published: June 2007

The effect of activated charcoals (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 g/L of powdered and granular activated charcoals) on the content of several water‐soluble vitamins in apple juice was studied. Apple juice samples with activated carbon added were mixed for 0 (control), 5, 10, 20, and 30 min, respectively. The content of water‐soluble vitamins was analyzed by HPLC. Considerable reduction in ascorbic acid (Vit C), niacin, pyridoxine (Vitamin B6), thiamine (Vitamin B1) and biotin concentrations was found while there was a dramatic improvement in the color and clearness of apple juice. The highest decrement in water‐soluble vitamins was obtained at 3.0 g/L powdered activated charcoal. Statistical analysis of the data showed highly significant differences (P |< 0.05, P < 0.01) in the water soluble vitamins, color and clearness of the apple juice samples between the dosages of activated charcoals but no significant differences induced by the mixing periods.
Promises of Biomarkers in Drug Development – A Reality Check
Authors: Marrer Estelle , Dieterle Frank
Published: June 2007

Biomarkers have been a buzz word in drug development for the last 5 years. But where do we stand now? This perspective article will demonstrate to which extent biomarkers have impacted drug development and the use of drugs. In particular, the different types of biomarkers, their identification, validation and use in different phases of drug development from drug discovery, to approval, to clinical application will be discussed as well as the state‐of‐the‐art biomarker technologies and promising future methods. The high interest in biomarkers has generated the need for development of new technologies and refinement of existing ones. Besides discussing their perspectives of applications, the present article also illustrates the future of biomarker development in terms of qualification for regulatory use and co‐development.
A Mechanistic QSAR Study on the Leishmanicidal Activity of Some 5‐Substituted‐1,3,4‐Thiadiazole Derivatives
Authors: Hemmateenejad Bahram , Miri Ramin , Niroomand Uranous , Foroumadi Alireza , Shafiee Abbas
Published: June 2007

Quantitative structure–activity relationship studies help chemist to find chemical facts about the mechanism of action and/or behavior of the system under study. In this study, quantitative structure–activity relationship was employed as a promising tool to investigate some chemical, electronic, and structural features affecting on the antileishmanial activity of 5‐substituted‐1,3,4‐thiadiazole derivatives. A data set, consisting of 21 thiadiazole derivatives with known in vitro leishmanicidal activity, was taken and semi‐empirical AM1 quantum chemical calculation was employed to find the optimum three‐dimensional geometry of the molecules. Multiple linear regression‐based quantitative structure–activity relationship models were obtained between the antileishmanial activity and electronic, chemical, and topological descriptors of the molecules. Model performances and predictivity were evaluated using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation method. The resulted models had good prediction ability (0.83 > q2 > 0.71) and thus they described the structure–activity relationships in a useful manner. It was obtained that LUMO molecular orbital energy represents significant impact on the leishmanicidal activity. This means that the molecules may act on the leishmania parasites through an electron transfer reaction. Further theoretical investigations suggested that one probable mechanism for the activity of the thiadiazole derivatives may be due to the reduction of –NO2 substituents of the molecules to –NO.
Studies on the morphometry of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Homoptera: Aphididae)
Authors: DEVI Potshangbam Bijaya , SINGH Thangjam Kameshwor
Published: June 2007

Aphids are one of the most important groups of phytophagous insects because of their polyphenism, host alternation, heteroecious behavior and reproductive habits. Laboratory culture of the aphid Myzus persicae on the host plant Brassica pekinensis Hubner was maintained seasonally for biometrical studies. The metric analysis revealed gradual developmental changes from the first instar nymph to the adult stage in size, shape, and a number of characters. The transitional changes were sufficiently distinct to allow differentiation of each of the life stages irrespective of the season. A key to the nymphal stages of the pest is provided.
Insecticidal effects of selected biological control agents on the larvae of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)
Authors: ERTÜRK Ömer
Published: June 2007

To identify a more effective and safe biological control agent against a common cabbage pest, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), the insecticidal effects of selected biological agents were evaluated. The highest insecticidal effects determined were 100, 73.5, 45.5, 47 and 55.3% using toxin HD‐1 (isolated from the Harry Dumagae strain of Bacillus thuringiensis), toxin BTS‐1 (isolated from the tenebrionis strain of B. thuringiensis), B. thuringiensis Berliner, B. thuringiensis israelensis and B. thuringiensis kurstaki, respectively.
Sphaeroliodes rufescens Portevin new to Korea (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Leiodinae)
Authors: PARK Sun‐Jae , AHN Kee‐Jeong
Published: June 2007

The genus and species of Sphaeroliodes rufescens Portevin are recorded for the first time in Korea. A habitus photo as well as description and illustrations of diagnostic characters are provided.
Applying insect transgenic technology: Scientific and regulatory experiences*
Authors: MILLER Thomas A.
Published: June 2007

Biotechnology affords opportunities to develop new tools to treat pest and disease problems. When a given pest or disease problem has no satisfactory cure or treatment, usually only a technological breakthrough can provide one, but the process whereby this happens can be undefined and unpredictable. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict which methods will work at the outset, meaning that it is also difficult for funding agencies to determine which proposals to support. When a proposed solution is new and may involve genetic manipulation, it may also be hard for the public, as represented by regulatory agencies, to accept. In addition, when the application market is small, funding is modest. When the problem is major but periodic, as in the case of migratory locusts, funding, interest and attention cannot be easily found, focused or sustained. It is only when a problem is severe and economically compelling, such as Pierce's Disease of grapevine in southern California, that it is possible to concentrate funding, attention and sustained interest long enough to have a chance of finding a lasting solution.
Human lymphatic pumping measured in healthy and lymphoedematous arms by lymphatic congestion lymphoscintigraphy
Authors: Modi S. , Stanton A. W. B. , Svensson W. E. , Peters A. M. , Mortimer P. S. , Levick J. R.
Published: June 2007

Axillary surgery for breast cancer partially obstructs lymph outflow from the arm, chronically raising the lymphatic smooth muscle afterload. This may lead to pump failure, as in hypertensive cardiac failure, and could explain features of breast cancer treatment‐related lymphoedema (BCRL) such as its delayed onset. A new method was developed to measure human lymphatic contractility non‐invasively and test the hypothesis of contractile impairment. 99mTc‐human IgG (Tc‐HIG), injected into the hand dermis, drained into the arm lymphatic system which was imaged using a gamma‐camera. Lymph transit time from hand to axilla, ttransit, was 9.6 ± 7.2 min (mean ±s.d.) (velocity 8.9 cm min−1) in seven normal subjects. To assess lymphatic contractility, a sphygmomanometer cuff around the upper arm was inflated to 60 mmHg (Pcuff) before 99mTc‐HIG injection and maintained for >> ttransit. When Pcuff exceeded the maximum pressure generated by the lymphatic pump (Ppump), radiolabelled lymph was held up at the distal cuff border. Pcuff was then lowered in 10 mmHg steps until 99mTc‐HIG began to flow under the cuff to the axilla, indicating Ppump≥Pcuff. In 16 normal subjects Ppump was 39 ± 14 mmHg. Ppump was 38% lower in 16 women with BCRL, namely 24 ± 19 mmHg (P= 0.014, Student's unpaired t test), and correlated negatively with the degree of swelling (12–56%). Blood radiolabel accumulation proved an unreliable measure of lymphatic pump function. Lymphatic congestion lymphoscintigraphy thus provided a quantitative measure of human lymphatic contractility without surgical cut‐down, and the results supported the hypothesis of lymphatic pump failure in BCRL.
A delayed response enhancement during hippocampal presynaptic plasticity in mice
Authors: Jensen Vidar , Walaas S. Ivar , Hilfiker Sabine , Ruiz Arnaud , Hvalby Øivind
Published: June 2007

High frequency afferent stimulation of chemical synapses often induces short‐term increases in synaptic efficacy, due to increased release probability and/or increased supply of readily releasable synaptic vesicles. This may be followed by synaptic depression, often caused by vesicle depletion. We here describe an additional, novel type of delayed and transient response enhancement phase which occurred during prolonged stimulation at 5–20 Hz frequency of excitatory glutamatergic synapses in slices from the adult mouse CA1 hippocampal region. This second enhancement phase, which was most clearly defined at physiological temperatures and essentially absent at 24°C, was dependent on the presence of F‐actin filaments and synapsins I and/or II, and could not be ascribed to changes in presynaptic action potentials, inhibitory neurotransmission or glutamate receptor desensitization. Time course studies showed that the delayed response phase interrupted the synaptic decay 3–4 s after stimulus train initiation and continued, when examined at 5–10 Hz frequencies, for approximately 75 stimuli before decay. The novel response enhancement, probably deriving from a restricted pool of synaptic vesicles, may allow maintenance of synaptic efficacy during prolonged periods of excitatory synaptic activity.
Locomotor rhythmogenesis in the isolated rat spinal cord: a phase‐coupled set of symmetrical flexion–extension oscillators
Authors: Juvin Laurent , Simmers John , Morin Didier
Published: June 2007

The temporal properties of limb motoneuron bursting underlying quadrupedal locomotion were investigated in isolated spinal cord preparations (without or with brainstem attached) taken from 0 to 4‐day‐old rats. When activated either with differing combinations of N‐methyl‐d,l‐aspartate, serotonin and dopamine, or by electrical stimulation of the brainstem, the spinal cord generated episodes of fictive locomotion with a constant phase relationship between cervical and lumbar ventral root bursts. Alternation occurred between ipsi‐ and contra‐lateral flexor and extensor motor root bursts, and the cervical and lumbar locomotor networks were always active in a diagonal coordination pattern that corresponded to fictive walking. However, unlike typical locomotion in adult animals in which extensor motoneuron bursts vary more with cycle period than flexor bursts, in the isolated neonatal cord, an increase in fictive locomotor speed was associated with a decrease in the durations of both extensor and flexor bursts, at cervical and lumbar levels. To determine whether this symmetry in flexor/extensor phase durations derived from the absence of sensory feedback that is normally provided from the limbs during intact animal locomotion, EMG recordings were made from hindlimb‐attached spinal cords during drug‐induced locomotor‐like movements. Under these conditions, the duration of extensor muscle bursts increased with cycle period, while flexor burst durations now tended to remain constant. Moreover, after a complete dorsal rhizotomy, this extensor dominant pattern was replaced by flexor and extensor muscle bursts of similar duration. In vivo and in vitro experiments were also conducted on older postnatal (P10–12) rats at an age when body‐supported adult‐like locomotion occurs. Here again, characteristic extensor‐dominated burst patterns observed during intact treadmill locomotion were replaced by symmetrical patterns during fictive locomotion expressed by the chemically activated isolated spinal cord, further indicating that sensory inputs are normally responsible for imposing extensor biasing on otherwise symmetrically alternating extensor/flexor oscillators.
Activation of kainate receptors controls the number of functional glutamatergic synapses in the area CA1 of rat hippocampus
Authors: Vesikansa Aino , Sallert Marko , Taira Tomi , Lauri Sari E.
Published: June 2007

The expression and functions of kainate‐type glutamate receptors (KARs) in the hippocampus are developmentally regulated. In particular, presynaptic KARs depressing glutamate release are tonically activated during early postnatal development, and this activity is down‐regulated in parallel with maturation of the synaptic circuitry. In order to understand the physiological relevance of the tonic KAR‐mediated signalling, we have here studied the effect of long‐term pharmacological activation of KARs on glutamatergic synaptic connectivity in hippocampal slice cultures where presynaptic KARs are expressed but not endogenously activated. Prolonged (16–20 h) activation of the GluR5 subunit‐containing KARs using the agonist ATPA (1 μm) caused a specific and enduring increase in the number of glutamatergic synapses in area CA1, evidenced as an increase in the frequency of action potential‐independent spontaneous EPSCs (mEPSCs) and in immunostaining against synaptic marker proteins. The long‐term ATPA treatment had no detectable effect on GABAergic transmission or on glutamate release probability. Further, the effect of ATPA on synaptic density was independent of action potential firing and dependent on protein kinase C. A critical role of endogenous KAR activity in synaptic development was revealed by chronic treatment of the cultures with the selective GluR5 antagonist LY382884, which caused a significant impairment of glutamatergic transmission to CA1 pyramidal neurons. Together, these data suggest a role for the GluR5 subunit‐containing KARs in the formation and/or stabilization of functional glutamatergic synapses in area CA1.
Developmental changes in brain‐derived neurotrophic factor‐mediated modulations of synaptic activities in the pontine Kölliker–Fuse nucleus of the rat
Authors: Kron Miriam , Mörschel Michael , Reuter Julia , Zhang Weiqi , Dutschmann Mathias
Published: June 2007

The Kölliker–Fuse nucleus (KF), part of the respiratory network, is involved in the modulation of respiratory phase durations in response to peripheral and central afferent inputs. The KF is immature at birth. Developmental changes in its physiological and anatomical properties have yet to be investigated. Since brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is of major importance for the maturation of neuronal networks, we investigated its effects on developmental changes in the KF on different postnatal days (neonatal, P1–5; intermediate, P6–13; juvenile, P14–21) by analysing single neurones in the in vitro slice preparation and network activities in the perfused brainstem preparation in situ. The BDNF had only weak effects on the frequency of mixed excitatory and inhibitory spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs) in neonatal slice preparations. Postnatally, in the intermediate and juvenile age groups, a significant augmentation of the sPSC frequency was observed in the presence of 100 pm BDNF (+23.5 ± 12.6 and +76.7 ± 28.4%, respectively). Subsequent analyses of BDNF effects on evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) revealed significant enhancement of eEPSC amplitude of +20.8 ± 7.0% only in juvenile stages (intermediates, −13.2 ± 4.8%). On the network level, significant modulation of phrenic nerve activity following BDNF microinjection into the KF was also observed only in juveniles. The data suggest that KF neurones are subject to BDNF‐mediated fast synaptic modulation after completion of postnatal maturation. After maturation, BDNF contributes to modulation of fast excitatory neurotransmission in respiratory‐related KF neurones. This may be important for network plasticity associated with the processing of afferent information.
Evidence of intercellular coupling between co‐cultured adult rabbit ventricular myocytes and myofibroblasts
Authors: Chilton Lisa , Giles Wayne R. , Smith Godfrey L.
Published: June 2007

Intercellular coupling between ventricular myocytes and myofibroblasts was studied by co‐culturing adult rabbit ventricular myocytes with previously prepared layers of cardiac myofibroblasts. Intercellular coupling was examined by: (i) tracking the movement of the fluorescent dye calcein; (ii) immunostaining for connexin 43 (Cx43); and (iii) measurement of intracellular [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i). The effects of stimulating ventricular myocytes on the underlying myofibroblasts was examined by confocal measurements of [Ca2+]i using fluo‐3. When ventricular myocytes were preloaded with calcein and co‐cultured with myofibroblasts for 24 h, calcein fluorescence was detected in 52 ± 4% (n= 8 co‐cultures) of surrounding myofibroblasts. Treatment with the gap junction uncoupler heptanol significantly reduced the movement of calcein (12 ± 3%, n= 6 co‐cultures). Immunostaining showed expression of Cx43 in co‐cultured myofibroblasts and myocytes. Field stimulation of ventricular myocytes co‐cultured with myofibroblasts increased myofibroblast [Ca2+]i, no response was observed after treatment with heptanol or stimulation of fibroblasts in the absence of ventricular myocytes. Action potential parameters of ventricular myocytes in co‐culture were similar to control values. However, application of the hormone sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S‐1‐P) to the co‐culture caused a depolarization of ventricular myocytes to approximately −20 mV. Sphingosine‐1‐phosphate had no effect on ventricular myocytes alone. Voltage‐clamp measurements of isolated myofibroblasts indicated that S‐1‐P activated a significant quasi‐linear current with a reversal potential of approximately −40 mV. In conclusion, this study shows that stimulation of the ventricular myocyte influences the intracellular Ca2+ of the linked myofibroblast via connexons. These intercellular links also allow the myofibroblasts to influence the electrical activity of the myocyte. This work indicates the nature of the gap junction‐mediated bi‐directional interactions that occur between ventricular myocyte and myofibroblast.
Store‐operated Ca2+ entry during intracellular Ca2+ release in mammalian skeletal muscle
Authors: Launikonis Bradley S. , Ríos Eduardo
Published: June 2007

Store‐operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) is activated following the depletion of internal Ca2+ stores in virtually all eukaryotic cells. Shifted excitation and emission ratioing of fluorescence (SEER) was used to image mag‐indo‐1 trapped in the tubular (t) system of mechanically skinned rat skeletal muscle fibres to measure SOCE during intracellular Ca2+ release. Cytosolic Ca2+ transients were simultaneously imaged using the fluorescence of rhod‐2. Spatially and temporally resolved images of t system [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]t‐sys) allowed estimation of Ca2+ entry flux from the rate of decay of [Ca2+]t‐sys. Ca2+ release was induced pharmacologically to activate SOCE without voltage‐dependent contributions to Ca2+ flux. Inward Ca2+ flux was monotonically dependent on the [Ca2+] gradient, and strongly dependent on the transmembrane potential. The activation of SOCE was controlled locally. It could occur without full Ca2+ store depletion and in less than a second after initiation of store depletion. These results indicate that the molecular agonists of SOCE must be evenly distributed throughout the junctional membranes and can activate rapidly. Termination of SOCE required a net increase in [Ca2+]SR. Activation and termination of SOCE are also demonstrated, for the first time, during a single event of Ca2+ release. At the physiological [Ca2+]t‐sys, near 2 mm (relative to t system volume), SOCE flux relative to accessible cytoplasmic volume was at least 18.6 μm s−1, consistent with times of SR refilling of 1–2 min measured in intact muscle fibres.
Neonatal maternal separation and enhancement of the hypoxic ventilatory response in rat: the role of GABAergic modulation within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus
Authors: Genest Sophie‐Emmanuelle , Balon Norbert , Laforest Sylvie , Drolet Guy , Kinkead Richard
Published: June 2007

Neonatal maternal separation (NMS) affects respiratory control development as adult male (but not female) rats previously subjected to NMS show a hypoxic ventilatory response 25% greater than controls. The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) is an important modulator of respiratory activity. In the present study, we hypothesized that in awake rats, altered GABAergic inhibition within the PVN contributes to the enhancement of hypoxic ventilatory response observed in rats previously subjected to NMS. During normoxia, the increase in minute ventilation following microinjection of bicuculline (1 mm) within the PVN is greater in NMS versus control rats. These data show that regulation of ventilatory activity related to tonic inhibition of the PVN is more important in NMS than control rats. Microinjection of GABA or muscimol (1 mm) attenuated the ventilatory response to hypoxia (12% O2) in NMS rats only. The higher efficiency of microinjections in NMS rats is supported by results from GABAA receptor autoradiography which revealed a 22% increase in GABAA receptor binding sites within the PVN of NMS rats versus controls. Despite this increase, however, NMS rats still show a larger hypoxic ventilatory response than controls, suggesting that within the PVN the larger number of GABAA receptors either compensate for (1) a deficient GABAergic modulation, (2) an increase in the efficacy of excitatory inputs converging onto this structure, or (3) both. Together, these results show that the life‐long consequences of NMS are far reaching as they can compromise the development of vital homeostatic function in a way that may predispose to respiratory disorders.
Propofol inhibits HCN1 pacemaker channels by selective association with the closed states of the membrane embedded channel core
Authors: Lyashchenko Alex K. , Redd Kacy J. , Yang Jay , Tibbs Gareth R.
Published: June 2007

Activation of native IH pacemaker channels and channels formed on heterologous expression of some isoforms of their pore forming HCN (hyperpolarization‐activated, cyclic nucleotide‐regulated) subunits is inhibited by the intravenous general anaesthetic propofol (2,6‐diisopropylphenol). Here, we show that inhibition of homomeric HCN1 channels is mediated through anaesthetic association with the membrane embedded channel core, a domain that is highly conserved between this isoform and the relatively insensitive HCN2 and 4 subunits. Decoupling of HCN channel gating from cAMP and internal protons reveals that changes in these second messengers are neither necessary nor sufficient to account for propofol's actions. Modelling of the equilibrium and kinetic behaviour of HCN1 channels in the absence and presence of anaesthetic reveals that (1) gating is best described by models wherein closed and open states communicate via a voltage‐independent reaction with no significant equilibrium occupancy of a deactivated open state at non‐permissive voltages, and (2) propofol modifies gating by preferentially associating with closed–resting and closed–activated states but a low affinity interaction with the activated open state shapes the effect of the drug under physiological conditions. Our findings illuminate the mechanism of HCN channel gating and provide a framework that will facilitate development of propofol derivates that have altered pharmacological properties and therapeutic potentials.
Protein–protein interactions between triadin and calsequestrin are involved in modulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release in cardiac myocytes
Authors: Terentyev Dmitry , Viatchenko‐Karpinski Serge , Vedamoorthyrao Srikanth , Oduru Sridhar , Györke Inna , Williams Simon C. , Györke Sandor
Published: June 2007

In cardiac muscle, intracellular Ca2+ release is controlled by a number of proteins including the ryanodine receptor (RyR2), calsequestrin (CASQ2), triadin‐1 (Trd) and junctin (Jn) which form a complex in the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane. Within this complex, Trd appears to link CASQ2 to RyR2 although the functional significance of this interaction is unclear. In this study, we explored the functional importance of Trd–CASQ2 interactions for intracellular Ca2+ handling in rat ventricular myocytes. A peptide encompassing the homologous CASQ2 binding domain of Trd (residues 206–230 in the rat; TrdPt) was expressed in the lumen of the SR to disrupt Trd–CASQ2 interactions. Myocytes expressing TrdPt exhibited increased responsiveness of SR Ca2+ release to activation by ICa as manifested by flattened and broadened voltage dependency of the amplitude of cytosolic Ca2+ transients. Rhythmically paced, TrdPt‐expressing myocytes exhibited spontaneous arrhythmogenic oscillations of intracellular Ca2+ and membrane potential that was not seen in control cells. In addition, the frequency of spontaneous Ca2+ sparks and Ca2+ waves was significantly increased in TrdPt‐expressing, permeabilized myocytes. These alterations in SR Ca2+ release were accompanied by a significant decrease in basal free intra‐SR[Ca2+] and total SR Ca2+ content in TrdPt‐expressing cells. At the same time a synthetic peptide corresponding to the CASQ2 binding domain of Trd produced no direct effects on the activity of single RyR2 channels incorporated into lipid bilayers while interfering with the ability of CASQ2 to inhibit the RyR2 channel. These results suggest that CASQ2 stabilizes SR Ca2+ release by inhibiting the RyR2 channel through interaction with Trd. They also show that intracellular Ca2+ cycling in the heart relies on coordinated interactions between proteins of the RyR2 channel complex and that disruption of these interactions may represent a molecular mechanism for cardiac disease.