bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chitotriosidase plasma activity in nephropathic cystinosis
Authors: Xaidara A. , Karavitakis E. M. , Kosma K. , Emma F. , Dimitriou E. , Michelakakis H.
Published: May 2009

Chitotriosidase is a fully active chitinase produced and secreted by activated phagocytes. Plasma chitotriosidase activity is a well‐established marker of total disease burden in Gaucher disease that has proved useful in monitoring the response to both enzyme replacement and substrate reduction therapies in patients with Gaucher disease. Increased chitrotriosidase plasma activity has also been observed in several other lysosomal and non lysosomal disorders. Cystinosis, a rare multisystemic lysosomal storage disease, is characterized by the intralysosomal accumulation of free cystine in many cell types including phagocytes. We here report on plasma chitotriosidase activity in a child with nephropathic cystinosis. Increased plasma chitotriosidase activity (481nmol/h per ml; normal range 0—150 units) was found on diagnosis and prior to the initiation of oral cysteamine (Cystagon) treatment. Serial estimations of plasma chitotriosidase activity showed that it correlated with leukocyte cystine content and decreased to 100nmol/h per ml following 14months’ treatment. This novel observation suggests that cystinosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of disorders associated with increased plasma chitotriosidase activity. Furthermore, it suggests that serial estimations of plasma chitotriosidase activity could be of value in monitoring the response to oral cysteamine treatment in cystinosis.
Correlation Weights in Multiple Regression
Authors: Waller Niels G. , Jones Jeff A.
Published: May 2009

A general theory on the use of correlation weights in linear prediction has yet to be proposed. In this paper we take initial steps in developing such a theory by describing the conditions under which correlation weights perform well in population regression models. Using OLS weights as a comparison, we define cases in which the two weighting systems yield maximally correlated composites and when they yield minimally similar weights. We then derive the least squares weights (for any set of predictors) that yield the largest drop in R2 (the coefficient of determination) when switching to correlation weights. Our findings suggest that two characteristics of a model/data combination are especially important in determining the effectiveness of correlation weights: (1) the condition number of the predictor correlation matrix, Rxx, and (2) the orientation of the correlation weights to the latent vectors of Rxx.
Economic growth and fluctuation in the early Qing Dynasty: From the perspective of monetary circulation
Authors: Hongzhong YAN
Published: May 2009

The eighteenth century was the heyday of Chinese traditional economic development, that the monetization and sharp increase in the supply of silver stimulated long-distance trade and the rise of regional merchants groups, and increased industrial and agricultural production all reflecting the overall economic development of this period. Along with commoditization and monetization of the economy, monetary supplies and government financial behavior had increasing influence on the economy. The shortage of monetary supplies gave rise to three economic depressions: the early years of the Qing Dynasty, Jiaqing’s reign, and Daoguang’s reign. This study clearly indicates that the scholarly debate over the “stagnation” or “growth” of the Qing economy perhaps merely depends on the period of time and aspect of the economy one examines. The two viewpoints can be somewhat reconciled.
Reforming European competition policy
Authors: Calciano Filippo L.
Published: May 2009

Operating a complex competition policy, the EU intends to ensure undistorted competition within the Single Market. Today, with competition being increasingly necessary for Europe in order to combat the challenges of globalisation, the global crisis has shed light on some of the existing weaknesses in the system, especially regarding consumer welfare. In this article, the author brings to light the importance of implementing an economic approach to competition policy. This approach offers more consumer protection as well as giving businesses the opportunity to freely choose the most profitable commercial practices available to them.
Lung inflammation and endothelial cell damage are decreased after treatment with phototherapy (PhT) in a model of acute lung injury induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide in the rat
Authors: de Lima Mafra F. , Naves K.T. , Machado A.H. , Albertini R. , Villaverde A.B. , Aimbire F.
Published: May 2009

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mimics the symptoms of acute lung injury (ALI), which is characterized by the accumulation in the lungs of neutrophils producing inflammatory mediators. Because of the lack of information about phototherapy (PhT) effects on ALI, we investigated whether PhT (685 nm InGaAlP) attenuates LPS‐induced ALI. PhT reduced lung edema, the accumulation of TNF‐α in the lung, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. However, PhT was not efficient in reducing of TNF‐α concentration in both serum and neutrophils of blood after LPS. In another series of experiments, in vitro assays of the effects of PhT effect on mouse pulmonary arterial endothelium cells (MPAECs) after TNF‐α showed that the laser restores the MPAECs damage induced at 6 or 24 h after TNF‐α. These results suggest the PhT effect on ALI is partly due to inhibition of TNF‐α release from neutrophils and lung cells.
Gene expression and characterization of a stress‐induced tyrosine decarboxylase from Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Lehmann Thomas , Pollmann Stephan
Published: May 2009

TyrDC (uniprotkb:Q8RY79) and TyrDC (uniprotkb:Q8RY79) bind (MI:0407) by blue native page (MI:0276)
Functional conversion of fatty acyl‐CoA synthetase to firefly luciferase by site‐directed mutagenesis: A key substitution responsible for luminescence activity
Authors: Oba Yuichi , Iida Koichiro , Inouye Satoshi
Published: May 2009

We demonstrated that firefly luciferase has a catalytic function of fatty acyl‐CoA synthesis [Oba, Y., Ojika, M. and Inouye, S. (2003) Firefly luciferase is a bifunctional enzyme: ATP‐dependent monooxygenase and a long chain fatty acyl‐CoA synthetase. FEBS Lett. 540, 251–254] and proposed that the evolutionary origin of beetle luciferase is a fatty acyl‐CoA synthetase (FACS) in insect. In this study, we performed the functional conversion of FACS to luciferase by replacing a single amino acid to serine. This serine residue is conserved in luciferases and possibly interacts with luciferin. The mutants of FACSs in non‐luminous click beetle Agrypnus binodulus (AbLL) and Drosophila melanogaster (CG6178) gave luminescence enhancement, suggesting that the serine residue is a key substitution responsible for luminescence activity.
Inhibition of adipocyte differentiation by RORα
Authors: Duez Hélène , Duhem Christian , Laitinen Saara , Patole Prashant S. , Abdelkarim Mouaadh , Bois-Joyeux Brigitte , Danan Jean-Louis , Staels Bart
Published: May 2009

Here we show that gene expression of the nuclear receptor RORα is induced during adipogenesis, with RORα4 being the most abundantly expressed isoform in human and murine adipose tissue. Over‐expression of RORα4 in 3T3‐L1 cells impairs adipogenesis as shown by the decreased expression of adipogenic markers and lipid accumulation, accompanied by decreased free fatty acid and glucose uptake. By contrast, mouse embryonic fibroblasts from staggerer mice, which carry a mutation in the RORα gene, differentiate more efficiently into mature adipocytes compared to wild‐type cells, a phenotype which is reversed by ectopic RORα4 restoration.
Loop residues of the receptor binding domain of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry11Ba toxin are important for mosquitocidal activity
Authors: Likitvivatanavong Supaporn , Aimanova Karlygash G. , Gill Sarjeet S.
Published: May 2009

Using a Cry11Ba toxin model, predicted loops in domain II were analyzed for their role in receptor binding and toxicity. Peptides corresponding to loops α8, 1 and 3, but not loop 2, competed with toxin binding to Aedes midgut membranes. Mutagenesis data reveal loops α8, 1 and 3 are involved in toxicity. Loops 1 and 3 are of greater significance in toxicity to Aedes and Culex larvae than to Anopheles. Cry11Ba binds the apical membrane of larval caecae and posterior midgut, and binding can be competed by loop 1 but not by loop 2 peptides. Cry11Ba binds the same regions to which anti‐cadherin antibody binds, and this antibody competes with Cry11Ba binding suggesting a possible role of cadherin in toxication.
MicroRNA‐21 protects from mesangial cell proliferation induced by diabetic nephropathy in db/db mice
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Peng Huimin , Chen Junxia , Chen Xin , Han Fei , Xu Xiaoming , He Xiaoyan , Yan Ning
Published: May 2009

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major diabetic complication. But the initiating molecular events triggering DN are unknown. Recent researches have addressed the role of microRNAs in diabetes and its complications. In this study, we looked for microRNAs expression during early DN, and showed microRNA‐21 (miR‐21) expression was downregulated in response to early DN in vitro and in vivo. Over‐expression of miR‐21 inhibited proliferation of mesangial cells and decreased the 24‐h urine albumin excretion rate in diabetic db/db mice. Moreover, we identified PTEN as a target of miR‐21. We also found PI3 K and p‐Akt increased in miR‐21 treated mesangial cells and db/db mice. Overall, these studies for the first time provide evidence for the potential role of miR‐21 in early DN.
Relationships Among Smoking, Drinking, Betel Quid Chewing and Pregnancy‐Related Nausea and Vomiting in Taiwanese Aboriginal Women
Authors: Chou Fan‐Hao , Yang Yi‐Hsin , Kuo Shih‐Hsien , Chan Te‐Fu , Yang Mei‐Sang
Published: May 2009

A cross‐sectional survey was conducted to investigate the associations among smoking, drinking, betel quid chewing and pregnancy‐related nausea and vomiting (N/V) in Taiwanese aboriginal women. A total of 901 aboriginal women from 11 hospitals were recruited into this study. A structured questionnaire on demographic and obstetric information, smoking history, alcohol consumption, betel quid chewing habits, and N/V by checklist was used to collect data. The findings of this study indicated that the prevalence of N/V, maternal smoking, drinking, and betel quid chewing were 75.6% (n = 682), 22.8% (n = 201), 31.9% (n = 287), and 34.7% (n = 313) respectively. Multiple logistic regression with adjustment for age, body mass index and antiemetics use revealed significant relationships between smoking habits and N/V before confirmation of pregnancy and during pregnancy. In comparison with those who did not smoke, women smoking in excess of 10 cigarettes a day before pregnancy were 1.65 times more likely to develop N/V; and women smoking in excess of 10 cigarettes a day during pregnancy were 2.79 times more likely to develop N/V. Based on the findings of this study, smoking was associated, with a dose‐response effect, with pregnancy‐related N/V. Reducing the intake of cigarettes could decrease the risk of pregnancy‐related N/V. Health care providers should help these women decrease their uncomfortable symptoms and improve their experiences of pregnancy and birth outcome during critical times.
Malignant Mesothelioma of the Tunica Vaginalis Testis: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Chen Jing‐Liang , Hsu Yung‐Hsiang
Published: May 2009

Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis is a rare but often fatal malignancy. Here, we report one patient with locally advanced disease who has a history of asbestos exposure. We review the literature concerning current management strategies of the disease. Radical surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy seems to provide the best results.
Oxcarbazepine‐induced Stevens‐Johnson Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Lin Lung‐Chang , Lai Ping‐Chin , Yang Sheau‐Fang , Yang Rei‐Cheng
Published: May 2009

Although carbamazepine (CBZ) is the most common cause of Stevens‐Johnson syndrome (SJS), a new anticonvulsant, oxcarbazepine, which is structurally related to carbamazepine, has been shown to induce SJS, although extremely rarely. Recently, a strong association was found between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B*1502 and CBZ‐induced SJS/TEN in a Han Chinese population. Here, we report a case with SJS, which was induced by oxcarbazepine. HLA genotyping in the patient showed HLA‐B*1518/B*4001. HLA‐B*1518 is a HLA‐B15 variant. The genetic significance of HLA‐B*1518 in association with oxcarbazepine‐induced SJS needs to be further studied.
Occult Colon Cancer in a Patient with Diabetes and RecurrentKlebsiella PneumoniaeLiver Abscess
Authors: Hsu Wen‐Hung , Yu Fang‐Jung , Chuang Chien‐Han , Chen Chin‐Fan , Lee Chien‐Ting , Lu Chien‐Yu
Published: May 2009

Klebsiella pneumoniae(Kp) is a well‐known leading cause of liver abscess in patients with diabetes, but recurrentKpliver abscess in such patients within a period of time is seldom seen. Here, we report a patient with diabetes who experienced three episodes ofKpliver abscess within 1 year. The patient was subsequently diagnosed to have an occult sigmoid cancer. The liver abscess did not recur after resection of the colonic tumor. Occult sigmoid colonic cancer may have played an important role in the recurrentKpliver abscess in our case. Therefore, further investigation of gastrointestinal malignancies, particularly of the colonic tract, is necessary in patients with diabetes andKpliver abscess.
Apparent bioavailability of isoflavones after intake of liquid and solid soya foods
Authors: Franke Adrian A. , Ashburn Leslie A. , Kakazu Kerry , Suzuki Shana , Wilkens Lynne R. , Halm Brunhild M.
Published: May 2009

Isoflavone (IFL) intake may provide numerous health benefits, but IFL bioavailability differences among soya foods remains uncertain. Urinary IFL excretion (UIE) was shown to provide a reliable surrogate for systemic IFL exposure and therefore can be used as a measure of ‘apparent bioavailability’ (AB). We investigated the AB of IFL in fourteen healthy adults, consuming two liquid and two solid soya foods in a crossover designed study. Volunteers consumed the foods with a self-selected breakfast, which was kept identical for all four soya items (soya nuts, soya milk, soya protein bar and soya protein powder drink in water; average 23·7 mg IFL, 88–96 % glycosides, by HPLC analysis) and collected all urine up to 26 h. Liquid foods showed initially higher UIE values than solid foods, but this difference was considerably reduced or disappeared entirely after 24–26 h. Conclusive AB results were obtained only after 24–26 h; earlier collections were not reliable. At 26 h, adjusted UIE values for daidzein (DE) were 20 μmol in the milk and bar and 17 μmol for the nut and powder; urinary genistein excretion was the highest in the milk group (10 μmol) followed by the nut, bar (both 6 μmol) and powder groups (5 μmol); the UIE for glycitein was the highest for bars (4 μmol), followed by powder and nuts (3 μmol), and milk (2 μmol). DE makes the largest contribution to urinary total IFL. The AB of IFL was found to be variable depending on the analyte and soya food consumed.
The effect of menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2) supplementation on osteocalcin carboxylation in healthy prepubertal children
Authors: van Summeren Marieke J. H. , Braam Lavienja A. J. L. M. , Lilien Marc R. , Schurgers Leon J. , Kuis Wietse , Vermeer Cees
Published: May 2009

Vitamin K contributes to bone health, probably through its role as cofactor in the carboxylation of osteocalcin. Intervention studies in adults have demonstrated that markedly higher osteocalcin carboxylation is obtained by intakes of vitamin K well above the current recommended dietary intake. However, the relationship between increased vitamin K2intake and enhanced osteocalcin carboxylation has never been shown in healthy children. The objective was to study the effect of 45 μg menaquinone-7 (MK-7; one of the vitamin K2species) on the circulating levels of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) and carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC) in healthy prepubertal children. We hypothesised that MK-7 supplementation will reduce the ucOC:cOC ratio (UCR), indicating an improved vitamin K status. The present study is a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial examining the effect of 8 weeks MK-7 supplementation on the carboxylation of osteocalcin in healthy children (n55). Serum levels of ucOC, cOC and MK-7 were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks, together with bone markers and coagulation parameters. The UCR was used as an indicator of vitamin K status. In the MK-7-supplemented group (n28), the circulating concentration of inactive ucOC reduced and the UCR improved whereas the concentration of MK-7 increased. Within the placebo group, ucOC, cOC, UCR and MK-7 did not significantly change over time. In both groups, bone markers and coagulation parameters remained constant over time. These findings demonstrate that in healthy, prepubertal children, modest supplementation with MK-7 increases circulating concentrations of MK-7 and increases osteocalcin carboxylation.
Effects of red grape juice polyphenols in NADPH oxidase subunit expression in human neutrophils and mononuclear blood cells
Authors: Dávalos Alberto , de la Peña Gema , Sánchez-Martín Carolina C. , Teresa Guerra M. , Bartolomé Begoña , Lasunción Miguel A.
Published: May 2009

The NADPH oxidase enzyme system is the main source of superoxide anions in phagocytic and vascular cells. NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide generation has been found to be abnormally enhanced in several chronic diseases. Evidence is accumulating that polyphenols may have the potential to improve cardiovascular health, although the mechanism is not fully established. Consumption of concentrated red grape juice, rich in polyphenols, has been recently shown to reduce NADPH oxidase activity in circulating neutrophils from human subjects. In the present work we studied whether red grape juice polyphenols affected NADPH oxidase subunit expression at the transcription level. For this, we used human neutrophils and mononuclear cells from peripheral blood, HL-60-derived neutrophils and the endothelial cell line EA.hy926.Superoxide production was measured with 2′7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate or lucigenin, mRNA expression by real-time RT-PCR and protein expression by Western blot. Each experiment was performed at least three times. In all cell types tested, red grape juice, dealcoholised red wine and pure polyphenols decreased superoxide anion production. Red grape juice and dealcoholised red wine selectively reduced p47phox, p22phox and gp91phox expression at both mRNA and protein levels, without affecting the expression of p67phox. Pure polyphenols, particularly quercetin, also reduced NADPH oxidase subunit expression, especially p47phox, in all cell types tested. The present results showing that red grape juice polyphenols reduce superoxide anion production provide an alternative mechanism by which consumption of grape derivatives may account for a reduction of oxidative stress associated with cardiovascular and/or inflammatory diseases related to NADPH oxidase superoxide overproduction.
Rapid mapping of schistosomiasis and other neglected tropical diseases in the context of integrated control programmes in Africa
Authors: BROOKER S. , KABATEREINE N. B. , GYAPONG J. O. , STOTHARD J. R. , UTZINGER J.
Published: May 2009

There is growing interest and commitment to the control of schistosomiasis and other so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Resources for control are inevitably limited, necessitating assessment methods that can rapidly and accurately identify and map high-risk communities so that interventions can be targeted in a spatially-explicit and cost-effective manner. Here, we review progress made with (1) mapping schistosomiasis across Africa using available epidemiological data and, more recently, climate-based risk prediction; (2) the development and use of morbidity questionnaires for rapid identification of high-risk communities of urinary schistosomiasis; and (3) innovative sampling-based approaches for intestinal schistosomiasis, using the lot quality assurance sampling technique. Experiences are also presented for the rapid mapping of other NTDs, including onchocerciasis, loiasis and lymphatic filariasis. Future directions for an integrated rapid mapping approach targeting multiple NTDs simultaneously are outlined, including potential challenges in developing an integrated survey tool. The lessons from the mapping of human helminth infections may also be relevant for the rapid mapping of malaria as its control efforts are intensified.
Heligmosomoides bakeri: a model for exploring the biology and genetics of resistance to chronic gastrointestinal nematode infections
Authors: BEHNKE J. M. , MENGE D. M. , NOYES H.
Published: May 2009

The intestinal nematodeHeligmosomoides bakerihas undergone 2 name changes during the last 4 decades. Originally, the name conferred on the organism in the early 20th century wasNematospiroides dubius, but this was dropped in favour ofHeligmosomoides polygyrus, and then more recentlyH. bakeri, to distinguish it from a closely related parasite commonly found in wood mice in Europe.H. bakeritypically causes long-lasting infections in mice and in this respect it has been an invaluable laboratory model of chronic intestinal nematode infections. Resistance toH. bakeriis a dominant trait and is controlled by genes both within and outside the MHC. More recently, a significant QTL has been identified on chromosome 1, although the identity of the underlying genes is not yet known. Other QTL for resistance traits and for the accompanying immune responses were also defined, indicating that resistance toH. bakeriis a highly polygenic phenomenon. Hence marker-assisted breeding programmes aiming to improve resistance to GI nematodes in breeds of domestic livestock will need to be highly selective, focussing on genes that confer the greatest proportion of overall genetic resistance, whilst leaving livestock well-equipped genetically to cope with other types of pathogens and preserving important production traits.
Along a TNF-paved road from dead parasites in red cells to cerebral malaria, and beyond
Authors: CLARK I. A.
Published: May 2009

This is a personal account of how tumour necrosis factor (TNF) the prototype of a group of host-origin mediators, often known as pro-inflammatory cytokines, came into parasitology, and was subsequently realised to be central to the pathogenesis of most disease pathology. This contribution summarizes an example of how a curiosity-driven outsider, with initially no intention of heading this way, and no relevant experience, and with no more than the simplest of plans but an ambition to read as widely as it takes, and (most importantly) allowed to follow his head, can be what is required to give fresh insight into understanding a disease. It also gives the author's views on aspects of how the field of malaria disease pathogenesis seems to be developing. The hope is to inspire another generation to follow a similarly original course.
Isospora hypoleucaesp. n. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae), a new coccidian parasite found in the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca)
Authors: DOLNIK O. V. , von RÖNN J. A. C. , BENSCH S.
Published: May 2009

A new Coccidia species is reported from the natural population of Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) in northern Germany. Sporulated oocysts were found in faeces from 6 of 8 sampled adults. The spherical oocysts of the newIsosporaspecies have a brownish, smooth, bi-layered wall. Average size of sporulated oocysts was 19·4×19·3 μm (17·5–22·8 μm×17·5–22·8 μm) with a shape index (length/width) of 1·0. The sporulated oocysts have no micropyle or residuum, but enclose several small polar granules that often cluster into 2–3 dumbbell-shaped formations. Sporocysts are slightly elongated, rounded at the end opposite the Stieda body, 15·3 μm×9·2 μm in size (13·8–16·1 μm× 8·5–10·3 μm), and have a shape index of 1·7 (1·6–1·8). The Stieda body has a prominent knob-like cap, whereas the substieda body is absent. Sporocysts contain a small compact sporocyst residuum and 4 sporozoites. COI haplotypes identical to those isolated from faecal oocysts were PCR amplified from the blood of 13-day-old nestlings, suggesting that the newly described species has extra-intestinal stages in blood. This represents the first description of a new avianIsosporaspecies supported by molecular sequence data from the same oocysts that are described morphologically.
Acanthocephalan size and sex affect the modification of intermediate host colouration
Authors: BENESH D. P. , SEPPÄLÄ O. , VALTONEN E. T.
Published: May 2009

For trophically transmitted parasites, transitional larval size is often related to fitness. Larger parasites may have higher establishment success and/or adult fecundity, but prolonged growth in the intermediate host increases the risk of failed transmission via natural host mortality. We investigated the relationship between the larval size of an acanthocephalan (Acanthocephalus lucii) and a trait presumably related to transmission, i.e. altered colouration in the isopod intermediate host. In natural collections, big isopods harboured larger worms and had more modified (darker) abdominal colouration than small hosts. Small isopods infected with a male parasite tended to have darker abdominal pigmentation than those infected with a female, but this difference was absent in larger hosts. Female size increases rapidly with host size, so females may have more to gain than males by remaining in and growing mutually with small hosts. In experimental infections, a large total parasite volume was associated with darker host respiratory operculae, especially when it was distributed among fewer worms. Our results suggest that host pigment alteration increases with parasite size, albeit differently for male and female worms. This may be an adaptive strategy if, as parasites grow, the potential for additional growth decreases and the likelihood of host mortality increases.
Paolo Conte: Italian ‘Arthouse Exotic’
Authors: ony Mitchell T
Published: May 2009

Paolo Conte is the most internationally successful of the Italian singer-songwriters who emerged in the 1960s and 1970s. He is also among the most idiosyncratic, eclectic and unusual exponents of what Franco Fabbri has defined as the canzone d’autore (author’s song). Nonetheless he remains a rather arcane, cult figure in the Anglophone world – an example of what Simon Frith has called ‘the unpopular popular’. A combination of apparent opposites – the provincial and the cosmopolitan – his music appropriates a global sweep of influences without being definable as ‘world music’. Characteristics of both his rough, untrained singing style and wry, ironic and opaque compositions have strong affinities with US singer-songwriters like Tom Waits and Randy Newman, and he draws heavily on early American jazz influences, although he remains quintessentially Italian. This makes him difficult to categorise in the world music market.
‘Putting a New Lens on the World’: the Art of Theatrical Alchemy
Authors: Ridley Philip , Sierz Aleks
Published: May 2009

Philip Ridley is one of the most imaginative and sensational playwrights working in Britain today. Born in 1964, he began by studying painting at St Martin's School of Art in London and wrote the highly acclaimed screenplay for The Krays (1990). He made his theatre debut at the Bush Theatre in 1991 with The Pitchfork Disney. Since then, other plays have included The Fastest Clock in the Universe (Hampstead, 1992), Ghost from a Perfect Place (Hampstead, 1994), Vincent River (Hampstead, 2000; Trafalgar Studios, 2007), and the highly controversial Mercury Fur (Paines Plough/Plymouth, 2005). This was followed by Leaves of Glass (Soho, 2007) and Piranah Heights (Soho, 2008). He's also written five plays for young people and many books for children, as well as directing two films from his own screenplays, The Reflecting Skin (1990) and The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995). Ridley continues to divide opinion: depending on your point of view, he's either Britain's sickest playwright or a singular, prolific, and amazingly visionary genius. What follows is an edited transcript of Aleks Sierz talking to Philip Ridley in one of the ‘Theatre Conversations’ series at Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre, University of London, on 25 October 2007. Aleks Sierz, a Contributing Editor of NTQ, is theatre critic of Tribune and author of the seminal study In-Yer-Face Theatre (Faber, 2001).
Silent Partners: the Marriage of Brecht and Bentley
Authors: Marowitz Charles
Published: May 2009

Charles Marowitz's Silent Partners, based on Eric Bentley's book The Brecht Memoir (1989) and on the author's subsequent interviews with Bentley, premiered under Marowitz's own direction at the Scena Theatre in Washington, DC, in 2006. Here, he describes the genesis of the play and the working relationship with Bentley which in turn explored Bentley's working relationship with Brecht. Charles Marowitz was a close collaborator with Peter Brook in the RSC's experimental work in the 1960s, and was founder and director of the Open Space Theatre in London, but now works permanently as a writer, director, and critic in the USA.
Acting Spaces and Carpenters' Tools: from the Fortune to the Theatre Royal, Bristol
Authors: Howell-Meri Mark
Published: May 2009

Against the received wisdom, Mark Howell-Meri argues here for a continuing tradition between Elizabethan and Restoration (or ‘long eighteenth-century’) playhouses. He bases his argument in part on measurements which suggest the common use of traditional building methods and relationships between measurements and spaces based on ad-quadratum geometry, as shared by theatre builders across the centuries; but also on his own experience as a performance-practitioner specializing in an historiographical approach to making sense of eighteenth-century plays for today's audiences in surviving (or reconstructed) eighteenth-century spaces. He was the first director to restore a three-sided stage front to the Georgian Theatre (now Theatre Royal) in Richmond, Yorkshire, in 1987 with his hit production of Garrick's Miss in her Teens (1747), and other research productions have included Robert Dodsley's The King and the Miller of Mansfield (1737), Colman the Younger's Inkle and Yarico (1787), Inchbald's The Midnight Hour (1787), again at the Georgian Theatre in Richmond, and Lillo's The London Merchant (1731). He is now completing his doctoral thesis, ‘Theatre and Liberty: Eighteenth-Century Play Production on the Three-Sided Stage’.
FUNDAMENTAL AND GRADIENT DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Herschensohn Julia
Published: May 2009

This article reexamines Bley-Vroman’s original (1990) and evolved (this issue) fundamental difference hypothesis that argues that differences in path and endstate of first language acquisition and adult foreign language learning result from differences in the acquisition procedure (i.e., language faculty and cognitive strategies, respectively). The evolved assessment of the theoretical and empirical developments of the past 20 years is taken into account with respect to Universal Grammar and parameters in generative theory and with respect to cognition and acquisition in data processing. This article supports the spirit of Bley-Vroman’s proposals in light of the discussion of three topics: pathway of acquisition, endstate age of acquisition effects, and language processing by monolinguals and bilinguals. I argue that the difference between child and adult language acquisition is, above all, quantitative not qualitative, a gradient continuum rather than a precipitous break.
SECOND LANGUAGE EPISTEMOLOGY
Authors: Dekydtspotter Laurent
Published: May 2009

This article presents evidence that supports the claim that second language (L2) grammars arise in a domain-specific, informationally encapsulated module with contents provided by Universal Grammar and enriched by native language knowledge, as entertained by Schwartz (1986, 1987, 1999) contra Bley-Vroman (1990). I consider state-of-the-art evidence representative of a body of research on the poverty of the stimulus (POS) that argues for the domain-specificity of L2 representations, with a main focus on interpretation. Then I examine interpretive evidence relevant to the role of informational encapsulation and compositionality in SLA. I seek to demonstrate that the acquisition of syntax-linked interpretive properties where the POS is severe provides opportunities for a type of fingerprinting of mental organization that can inform a variety of epistemologically relevant questions.
Pathogen burden and cortisol profiles over the day
Authors: STEPTOE A. , GYLFE Å. , SHAMAEI-TOUSI A. , BERGSTROM S. , HENDERSON B.
Published: May 2009

Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) regulation in adults is influenced by early psychosocial adversity, but the role of infectious disease history is poorly understood. We studied the association between cumulative pathogen burden and cortisol profile over the day in a sample of 317 healthy men and women aged 51–72 years. Cumulative pathogen burden was defined as positive serostatus for Chlamydia pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). Salivary cortisol was sampled repeatedly over the day. The cortisol slope was defined as the decrease across the day and evening. Age, gender, grade of employment, body mass index, smoking status, self-rated health, cardiovascular medication, depressed mood and time of waking were included as covariates. The pathogen burden averaged 1·76 (s.d.=0·92). The cortisol slope was inversely associated with pathogen burden after controlling for covariates. When individual pathogens were studied, only CMV was associated with flatter cortisol rhythms in isolation. We conclude that pathogen burden is independently associated with flatter cortisol slopes over the day, and may contribute to disturbed neuroendocrine regulation.
Differential modules onp-adic polyannuli
Authors: Kedlaya Kiran S. , Xiao Liang
Published: May 2009

We consider variational properties of some numerical invariants, measuring convergence of local horizontal sections, associated to differential modules on polyannuli over a nonarchimedean field of characteristic 0. This extends prior work in the one-dimensional case of Christol, Dwork, Robba, Young,et al. Our results do not require positive residue characteristic; thus besides their relevance to the study of Swan conductors for isocrystals, they are germane to the formal classification of flat meromorphic connections on complex manifolds.
Ballistocardiographic Responses to Dynamic Facial Displays of Emotion While Sitting on the EMFi Chair
Authors: Anttonen Jenni , Surakka Veikko , Koivuluoma Mikko
Published: May 2009

The aim of the present paper was to study heart rate changes during a video stimulation depicting two actors (male and female) producing dynamic facial expressions of happiness, sadness, and a neutral expression. We measured ballistocardiographic emotion-related heart rate responses with an unobtrusive measurement device called the EMFi chair. Ratings of subjective responses to the video stimuli were also collected. The results showed that the video stimuli evoked significantly different ratings of emotional valence and arousal. Heart rate decelerated in response to all stimuli and the deceleration was the strongest during negative stimulation. Furthermore, stimuli from the male actor evoked significantly larger arousal ratings and heart rate responses than the stimuli from the female actor. The results also showed differential responding between female and male participants. The present results support the hypothesis that heart rate decelerates in response to films depicting dynamic negative facial expressions. The present results also support the idea that the EMFi chair can be used to perceive emotional responses from people while they are interacting with technology.
Model performance and parameter behavior for varying time aggregations and evaluation criteria in the WASMOD‐M global water balance model
Authors: Widén‐Nilsson E. , Gong L. , Halldin S. , Xu C.‐Y.
Published: May 2009

Global discharge estimates commonly range between 36.500 km3 a−1 and 44.500 km3 a−1, i.e., around 20%, and continental estimates differ much more. Data uncertainties are assumed to be a main cause of simulated runoff uncertainties, but model performance must also be addressed. The parsimonious WASMOD‐M global water balance model, using limited input data, was used to assess data and model uncertainty (contrary to models using much data but being modestly or not at all calibrated). A Monte Carlo technique based on 15,000 parameter value sets was used to evaluate the model against four criteria: observed snow and monthly, annual, and long‐term discharge. WASMOD‐M was overparameterized when evaluated only against long‐term average discharge but not against monthly discharge, and its snow algorithm could be simplified. Sequential calibration is suggested for confining the behavioral parameter space and minimizing model equifinality starting with snow, followed by long‐term volume error, and ending with discharge dynamics.
Operational validation of HAFv2's predictions of interplanetary shock arrivals at Earth: Declining phase of Solar Cycle 23
Authors: Smith Z. K. , Dryer M. , McKenna‐Lawlor S. M. P. , Fry C. D. , Deehr C. S. , Sun W.
Published: May 2009

This is the third in a series of papers showing the performance of the Hakamada‐Akasofu‐Fry version 2 (HAFv2) model in predicting, in the operational environment, the arrival of interplanetary shocks at Earth. The first and second studies covered the time of the rise and maximum of Solar Cycle 23. This study covers the declining phase, through December 2006. The prediction of shock arrivals is important in space weather applications because these events are often followed by geomagnetic disturbances that disrupt human technologies. The HAFv2 uses, for input, a continuously updating background solar wind onto which transient events (interplanetary shocks) are superimposed whenever near‐real‐time observations are reported of a metric type II radio burst and/or a halo or partial halo coronal mass ejection (CME). Supporting inputs are obtained from GOES 1–8 Å X‐ray data and solar images. We present the performance of the model in standard meteorological forecast metrics and compare the accuracy of the three phases of Solar Cycle 23. We find that the accuracy of the model is consistent between the three periods. For this third phase, we show the added confidence in model predictions provided by the presence of halo/partial halo observations. Halo/partial halo CMEs were found to accompany approximately one half of the events. The predictions of this subset of events have a higher level of confidence and success. Thus the observation of a large CME should not be a requirement for a forecast but rather an indication that when one is observed, the confidence in the prediction is greatly increased.
Tropospheric intrusions associated with the secondary tropopause
Authors: Pan L. L. , Randel W. J. , Gille J. C. , Hall W. D. , Nardi B. , Massie S. , Yudin V. , Khosravi R. , Konopka P. , Tarasick D.
Published: May 2009

Deep intrusions of tropospheric air into the lower stratosphere above the subtropical jet are investigated using new observations and meteorological analyses. These intrusions are characterized by low ozone concentration and low static stability. The low‐ozone layer is consistently observed from ozonesonde profiles and satellite remote sensing data from Aura/HIRDLS. The intruding layer occurs along and under the poleward extending tropical tropopause, which becomes the secondary tropopause in middle to high latitudes. The association of the ozone and the thermal structure provides evidence for the physical significance of the subtropical tropopause break and the secondary tropopause. The core of the intruding layer is typically between 370 and 400 K potential temperature (∼15 km), but the vertical extent of the intrusion can impact ozone above 400 K, the lower boundary of the overworld. Two intrusion events over the continental United States in the spring of 2007 are analyzed to show the spatial extent and the temporal evolution of the intruding air mass. These examples demonstrate the effectiveness of potential temperature lapse rate, i.e., static stability, as a diagnostic for the intrusion event. Comparison with the potential vorticity field is made to show the complementarity of the two dynamical fields. The static stability diagnostic provides a tool to map out the horizontal extent of the intruding layer and to investigate its evolution. Furthermore, the diagnostic makes it possible to forecast the intrusion event for field studies.
Climate evolution of Venus
Authors: Taylor F. , Grinspoon D.
Published: May 2009

The processes in the atmosphere, interior, surface, and near‐space environment that together maintain the climate on Venus are examined from the specific point of view of the advances that are possible with new data from Venus Express and improved evolutionary climate models. Particular difficulties, opportunities, and prospects for the next generation of missions to Venus are also discussed.
Tomographic filtering of high‐resolution mantle circulation models: Can seismic heterogeneity be explained by temperature alone?
Authors: Schuberth B. S. A. , Bunge H.‐P. , Ritsema J.
Published: May 2009

High‐resolution mantle circulation models (MCMs) together with thermodynamic mineralogical models make it possible to construct 3‐D elastic mantle heterogeneity based on geodynamic considerations. Recently, we have shown that in the presence of a strong thermal gradient across D″ and corresponding large temperature variations in the lower mantle, the heterogeneity predicted from isochemical whole mantle flow agrees well with tomographic models in terms of magnitudes of S wave velocity (vs) variations. Here, we extend the comparison of geodynamic and tomographic structures by accounting explicitly for the limited resolving power of tomography. We focus on lateral variations in vs and use the resolution operator associated with S20RTS to modify our geodynamic models so that they reflect the long‐wavelength (>1000 km) nature and the effects of heterogeneous data coverage and damping inherent to the tomographic inversion. Prior to the multiplication with , the geodynamic models need to be reparameterized onto the basis of S20RTS. The magnitude reduction introduced by this reparameterization is significant and needs careful assessment. We attempt a correction of the reparameterization effects and find that the inherent tomographic filtering alone then leads to a magnitude reduction by a factor of ∼2 in the lower mantle. Our tomographically filtered models with strong core heating agree well with S20RTS, which resolves maximum negative anomalies of around −1.5% in the lowermost mantle. Temperature variations on the order of +1000 K, corresponding to perturbations of around −3% in vs in the unfiltered model, would be seen as −1.5% when “imaged” with the data and damping of S20RTS. This supports our earlier finding that isochemical whole mantle flow with strong core heating and a pyrolite composition can be reconciled with tomography. In particular, the large lateral temperature variations associated with lower mantle plumes are able to account for the slow seismic anomalies in the large low‐velocity zones under Africa and the Pacific. We also find that strong gradients in shear wave velocity of 2.25% per 50 km in our unfiltered models compare well with the sharp sides of the African superplume.
Variability of high latitude amplification of anthropogenic warming
Authors: Stott Peter A. , Jones Gareth S.
Published: May 2009

Climate models have long predicted that the high latitude response of near‐surface air temperatures should be greater than at lower latitudes as a result of snow/ice feedbacks. Here we show that a regression analysis of observed global surface temperatures and anthropogenic and natural forcings could misleadingly suggest that climate models fail to capture the observed zonal mean pattern of response to anthropogenic forcings. A better approach to detecting changes and to determine consistency of climate models and observations is to use multiple features of the response pattern derived from physically‐based climate models, as has been done in optimal detection studies. We show that multi‐variable fingerprints can more easily detect anthropogenic changes thereby offering the potential to more robustly quantify anthropogenic influence on aspects of the climate system such as the cryosphere and the hydrological cycle.
Present and future atmospheric blocking and its impact on European mean and extreme climate
Authors: Sillmann Jana , Croci‐Maspoli Mischa
Published: May 2009

Atmospheric blocking plays an important role in the mid‐latitude climate variability and can be responsible for anomalous mean and/or extreme climate. In this study, a potential vorticity based blocking indicator is used to investigate the representation of Euro‐Atlantic atmospheric blocking events in the ECHAM5/MPI‐OM climate model. The impact of blocking events on present and future mean and extreme climate is studied by means of composite maps and correlation analyses. In comparison to ERA‐40 re‐analysis, the model represents the blocking frequency and seasonal distribution well. We show that European blocking events have a sustained influence particularly on anomalous cold winter temperatures in Europe. In a future climate, the blocking frequency is slightly diminished but the influence on the European winter climate remains robust. Due to a northeastward shift of the blocking pattern and an increase in maximum blocking duration, cold winter temperature extremes can still be expected in a future climate.
SUMOylation enhances DNA methyltransferase 1 activity
Authors: Lee Bongyong , Muller Mark T.
Published: May 2009

DNA methylation regulates gene expression through a complex network of protein–protein and protein–DNA interactions in chromatin. The maintenance methylase, DNMT1 (DNA methyltransferase 1), is a prominent enzyme in the process that is linked to DNA replication and drives the heritable nature of epigenetic modifications. The mechanistic details that explain how DNMT1 catalytic action is directed and regulated in chromatin are important in our overall understanding of gene control. In this work, we show that DNMT1 is modified by SUMOylation and we have mapped these SUMOylation sites by defined mutations. SUMOylated DNMT1 is catalytically active on genomic DNA in vivo and we find that SUMOylation significantly enhances the methylase activity of DNMT1 both in vitro and in chromatin. These data suggest that SUMOylation modulates the endogenous activity of a prominent epigenetic maintenance pathway in somatic cells.