bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protein C and S and inflammation in sickle cell disease
Authors: Schnog J.B. , Mac Gillavry M.R. , van Zanten A.P. , Meijers J.C.M. , Rojer R.A. , Duits A.J. , ten Cate H. , Brandjes D.P.M.
Published: April 2004

Reduced activity of naturally occurring anticoagulants (NOAC) protein C and protein S may contribute to vaso‐occlusion in sickle cell disease (SCD). We studied whether protein C and S are related to clinical vaso‐occlusion, hematological markers of disease severity (hemoglobin levels, leukocyte counts, and percentage of fetal hemoglobin), and inflammation in SCD. Protein C activity, protein S (free and total) antigen, endothelial activation markers (soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 [sVCAM‐1], von Willebrand antigen [vWF]), and high sensitive C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were measured in 30 HbSS and 20 HbSC patients and in race‐matched HbAA controls. NOAC levels were reduced in patients, and endothelial activation markers and hsCRP were elevated (except vWF in HbSC patients). Protein C activity and vWF levels were lower in HbSC patients who experienced painful crises compared to HbSC patients who were clinically asymptomatic. No other differences were observed between patients who did and did not experience vaso‐occlusive events (painful crises, stroke, acute chest syndromes) or leg ulcers. A significant positive correlation between total protein S with hemoglobin levels and a significant negative correlation between total and free protein S and sVCAM‐1 were detected in HbSS patients. Except perhaps for protein C in relation to painful crises in HbSC patients, these markers were not associated with the occurrence of clinical events. The protein S, hemoglobin, and sVCAM‐1 associations may suggest decreased endothelial protein S production due to the more severe endothelial perturbation in HbSS patients with lower hemoglobin levels. Am. J. Hematol. 76:26–32, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Morphology of polyimide fibers derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride and 4,4′‐oxydianiline
Authors: Zhang Qing‐Hua , Dai Mian , Ding Meng‐Xian , Chen Da‐Jun , Gao Lian‐Xun
Published: April 2004

As one member of high performance fibers, aromatic polyimide fibers possess many advantages, such as high strength, high modulus, high and low temperature resistance, and radiation resistance. However, the preparation of the high performance fibers is so difficult that the commercial fibers have not been produced except P84 with good flame retardancy. In this report, a polyimide was synthesized from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and the fibers were prepared from its solution by a dry‐jet wet‐spinning process. The formation of the as‐spun fibers in different coagulation bath composition was discussed. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to study the morphology of the as‐spun fibers. As a result, the remnant solvent existed in the as‐spun fibers generated from coagulation bath of alcohol and water. There were many fibrils and microvoids with the dimension of tens of nanometers in the fibers. One could observe the obvious fibrillation and the drawn fibers. The measurement for the mechanical properties of the fibers with a drawing ratio of 5.5 indicated that tensile strength and initial modulus were 2.4 and 114 GPa, respectively. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 669–675, 2004
Computational Investigation of Hydrogen Abstraction from 2‐Aminoethanol by the 1,5‐Dideoxyribose‐5‐yl Radical: A Model Study of a Reaction Occurring in the Active Site of Ethanolamine Ammonia Lyase
Authors: Semialjac Marija , Schwarz Helmut
Published: April 2004

Hydrogen abstraction from 2‐aminoethanol by the 5′‐deoxyadenosyl radical, which is formed upon CoC bond homolysis in coenzyme B12, was investigated by theoretical means with employment of the DFT (B3LYP) and ab initio (MP2) approaches. As a model system for the 5′‐deoxyadenosyl moiety the computationally less demanding 1,5‐dideoxyribose was employed; two conformers, which differ in ring conformation (C2‐ and C3‐endo), were considered. If hydrogen is abstracted from “free” substrate by the C2‐endo conformer of the 1,5‐dideoxyribose‐5‐yl radical, the activation enthalpy is 16.7 kcal mol−1; with the C3‐endo counterpart, the value is 17.3 kcal mol−1. These energetic requirements are slightly above the activation enthalpy limit (15 kcal mol−1) determined experimentally for the rate‐determining step of the sequence, that is, hydrogen delivery from 5′‐deoxyadenosine to the product radical. The activation enthalpy is lower when the substrate interacts with at least one amino acid from the active site. According to the computations, when a His model system partially protonates the substrate the activation enthalpy is 4.5 kcal mol−1 for the C3‐endo conformer and 5.8 kcal mol−1 for the C2‐endo counterpart. As hydrogen abstraction from the fully as well as the partially protonated substrate is preceded by the formation of quite stable encounter complexes, the actual activation barriers are around 13–15 kcal mol−1. A synergistic interaction of 2‐aminoethanol with two amino acids where His partially protonates the NH2 group and Asp partially deprotonates the OH group of the substrate results in an activation enthalpy of 12.4 kcal mol−1 for the C3‐endo conformer and 13.2 kcal mol−1 for the C2‐endo counterpart. However, if encounter complexes exist in the active site, the actual activation barriers are much higher (>25 kcal mol−1) than that reported for the rate‐determining step. These findings together with previous computations suggest that the energetics of the initial hydrogen abstraction decrease with an interaction of the substrate with only a protonating auxiliary, but for the rearrangement of the radical the synergistic effects of two auxiliaries are essential to pull the barrier below the limit of 15 kcal mol−1.
Predicting crashes in a model of evolving networks
Authors: Krause Andreas
Published: April 2004

We consider an evolving network of interacting species which exhibits self‐organization. The system is characterized by repeated crashes in which a large number of species are extinct and subsequent recoveries. We investigate the macroscopic properties of this system before such crashes, concentrating on the variance of the relative population sizes of species and its evolution over time. A simple score function is constructed to determine the probability of a crash within a certain time interval to be used as a predictor for crashes. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 9: 24–30, 2004
Navier‐Stokes Neutral and Plasma Fluid Modelling in 3D
Authors: Riemann J. , Borchardt M. , Schneider R. , Mutzke A. , Rognlien T. D. , Umansky M.
Published: April 2004

The 3D finite volume transport code BoRiS is applied to a system of coupled plasma and neutral fluid equations in a slab. Demonstrating easy implementation of new equations, a new parallel BoRiS version is tested on three different models for the neutral fluid – diffusive, parallel Navier‐Stokes and full Navier‐Stokes – and the results are compared to each other. Typical effects like density enhancement by ionization of recycled neutrals in front of a target plate can be seen and differences are linked to the neutral models in use. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Computational atomic physics for plasma edge modeling
Authors: Schultz D. R. , Krstic P. S. , Minami T. , Pindzola M. S. , Robicheaux F. J. , Colgan J. P. , Loch S. D. , Griffin D. C. , Ballance C. P. , Badnell N. R. , Summers H. P.
Published: April 2004

Atomic processes play important roles in the physics of the edge plasma and in enabling diagnostics. In this paper we illustrate a number of recent projects undertaken to expand or remediate the existing atomic database required for modeling and related studies. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The influence of molecular dynamics on divertor detachment in TCV
Authors: Wischmeier M. , Pitts R. A. , Alfier A. , Andrebe Y. , Behn R. , Coster D. , Horacek J. , Nielsen P. , Pasqualotto R. , Reiter D. , Zabolotsky A.
Published: April 2004

If vibrationally excited molecules are discretised into individual species and proper account is taken of the toroidal geometry in simulating neutrals, some improvement can be made in simulating the anomalous detachment behaviour seen at the outer target of TCV single‐null lower L‐mode discharges. This contribution discusses the inclusion of these options into SOLPS5.0 (B2.5/Eirene) simulations of TCV discharges previously modelled with the SOLPS4.0 package, but demonstrates that current physics contained within the simulations is still by a large margin insufficient to describe the experimental measurements. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Upper beak truncation in chicken embryos with the cleft primary palate mutation is due to an epithelial defect in the frontonasal mass
Authors: MacDonald Mary E. , Abbott Ursula K. , Richman Joy M.
Published: April 2004

In this study, we used the chicken mutant strain known as cleft primary palate (cpp) to study the mechanisms of beak outgrowth. cpp mutants have complete truncation of the upper beak with normal development of the lower beak. Based on structural analysis and grafts of facial prominences, we localized the defect to the frontonasal mass and its derivatives. Several explanations that would account for the outgrowth defect were investigated, including abnormal expression of genes in the frontonasal epithelium, intrinsic defects in epithelium and/or mesenchyme defects in epithelial–mesenchymal signalling, a localized decrease in cell proliferation or a localized increase in programmed cell death. One of the genes expressed in the frontonasal epithelial growth zone, Fgf8, failed to down‐regulate and was maintained for at least 48 hr beyond the time when down‐regulation normally occurs. Recombination experiments further illustrated that the frontonasal mass epithelium was abnormal in the cpp mutants, whereas mutant mesenchyme was capable of normal outgrowth when combined with wild‐type epithelium. Cell proliferation was not decreased in mutant embryos nor was cell death initially increased. Later, at stages 31–32, when the prenasal cartilage begins directed outgrowth, there was an increase in cell death within the mutant upper but not lower beak cartilage. The cpp beak truncation, therefore, is due to an epithelial defect in the frontonasal mass that is coincident with a failure to down‐regulate expression of Fgf8. Developmental Dynamics 230:335–349, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
HMG box transcription factor gene Hbp1 is expressed in germ cells of the developing mouse testis
Authors: Smith James M. , Bowles Josephine , Wilson Megan , Koopman Peter
Published: April 2004

HMG box containing protein 1 (HBP1) is a high mobility group domain transcriptional repressor that regulates proliferation in differentiated tissues. We have found mouse Hbp1 to be expressed strongly in the embryonic mouse testis from approximately 12.5 days post coitum, compared with low levels of expression in the embryonic ovary. Expression of Hbp1 is maintained in the developing testis beyond the onset of spermatogenesis after birth. Whole‐mount in situ hybridisation analysis showed that expression of Hbp1 in the XY gonad is localized within the developing testis cords, the precursors of the seminiferous tubules. Expression of Hbp1 is not apparent in testis cords of gonads from homozygous We mutant embryos, which lack germ cells. In situ hybridisation analysis on cryosectioned embryonic testis indicated that Hbp1 expression resembles that of the germ cell marker Oct4. We conclude that Hbp1 is up‐regulated specifically in germ cells of the developing XY gonad. The expression of Hbp1 in XY germ cells appears to correlate with the onset of mitotic arrest in these cells. Developmental Dynamics 230:366–370, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Time course of programmed cell death in Ciona intestinalis in relation to mitotic activity and MAPK signaling
Authors: Tarallo Raffaella , Sordino Paolo
Published: April 2004

Programmed cell death (PCD) in the ascidian species Ciona intestinalis (Tunicata; Chordata) is investigated from early larvae to juvenile stages, by means of digoxigenin‐based terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique. At first, PCD in the swimming larva affects trunk mesenchyme and central nervous system (CNS), then it participates extensively to metamorphosis, until it is restricted to developing organs of juveniles. Analysis of patterns of cell death and division in the larval CNS question old models on the genesis of the adult C. intestinalis brain. Upon performing immunochemical and functional assays for mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase kinase‐1 (MEKK1), MAPK kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2), c‐Jun NH2‐terminal kinase (JNK), and dual phosphorylated extracellular regulated kinase 1/2 (dpERK1/2), the neurogenic competence of the larval brain appears to rely on a combinatorial regulation of PCD by the mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling cascade. These results show that, in tunicates, PCD consists of a multistep program implicated in growth and patterning with various roles. Developmental Dynamics 230:251–262, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Characterization of triacsin C inhibition of short‐, medium‐, and long‐chain fatty acid:CoA ligases of human liver
Authors: Vessey Donald A. , Kelley Michael , Warren Robert S.
Published: April 2004

Short‐, medium‐, and long‐chain fatty acid:CoA ligases from human liver were tested for their sensitivity to inhibition by triacsin C. The short‐chain fatty acid:CoA ligase was inhibited less than 10% by concentrations of triacsin C as high as 80 μM. The two mitochondrial xenobiotic/medium‐chain fatty acid:CoA ligases (XM‐ligases), HXM‐A and HXM‐B, were partially inhibited by triacsin C, and the inhibitions were characterized by low affinity for triacsin C (KI values > 100 μM). These inhibitions were found to be the result of triacsin C competing with medium‐chain fatty acid for binding at the active site. The microsomal and mitochondrial forms of long‐chain fatty acid:CoA ligase (also termed long‐chain fatty acyl‐CoA synthetase, or long‐chain acyl‐CoA synthetase LACS) were potently inhibited by triacsin C, and the inhibition had identical characteristics for both LACS forms. Dixon plots of this inhibition were biphasic. There is a high‐affinity site with a KI of 0.1 μM that accounts for a maximum of 70% of the inhibition. There is also a low affinity site with a KI of 6 μM that accounts for a maximum of 30% inhibition. Kinetic analysis revealed that the high‐affinity inhibition of the mitochondrial and microsomal LACS forms is the result of triacsin C binding at the palmitate substrate site.

The high‐affinity triacsin C inhibition of both the mitochondrial and microsomal LACS forms was found to require a high concentration of free Mg2+, with the EC50 for inhibition being 3 mM free Mg2+. The low affinity triacsin C inhibition was also enhanced by Mg2+. The data suggests that Mg2+ promotes triacsin C inhibition of LACS by enhancing binding at the palmitate binding site. In contrast, the partial inhibition of the XM‐ligases by triacsin C, which showed only a low‐affinity component, did not require Mg2+. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 18:100–106, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20009
Cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin/paclitaxel combination in rats: Effect of sequence and timing of administration
Authors: Saad Sherif Y. , Najjar Tawfeeg A. O. , Alashari Mouied
Published: April 2004

The higher incidence of cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin (DOX)/paclitaxel (PTX) combination compared with DOX alone remains to be a major obstacle against effective chemotherapeutic treatment. We investigated the effect of sequence and time interval between administration of both drugs on the severity of cardiotoxicity of the combination. Male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups. DOX was administeded intraperitoneally (ip) at a single dose of 5 mg kg−1 every other 2 days, 2 doses per week for a total cumulative dose of 20 mg kg−1. PTX was administered by an ip route at a dose of 20 mg kg−1 every other 2 days. Both drugs were injected either alone or sequentially in combination. In one case, DOX preceded PTX by 30 min and 24 h and in the other case, PTX preceded DOX by 30 min and 24 h. Cardiotoxicity was evaluated by both biochemical and histopathological examination, 48 h after the last DOX dose. DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity was manifested by abnormal biochemical changes including marked increases in serum creatine phosphokinase isoenzyme (CK‐MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐Px), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity levels. Myocardial tissue from DOX‐treated rats showed significant increases in malondialdehyde (MDA) production and total nitrate/nitrite (NOx) levels, parallel with depletion of “endogenous antioxidant reserve,'' including GSH contents and GSH‐Px activity level. PTX treatment produced significant changes in the biochemical parameters measured by a lower magnitude than those changes produced by DOX alone. Combination of both drugs resulted in aggravation of DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity regardless the sequence and time interval between administration of either drug. Administration of PTX 30 min and 24 h after DOX treatment showed exaggeration of combination‐induced cardiotoxicity compared with the reverse sequence. This exacerbation was manifested by much more pronounced changes in serum and cardiac tissue parameters measured. Histopathological examination of ventricles of rat's heart revealed that DOX treatment produced myo‐cytolysis and myocardial necrosis. Administration of PTX following DOX treatment showed extensive myocardial necrosis compared with those rats treated with either DOX alone or the reverse sequence of administration. Moreover, rats treated with PTX 24 h after DOX treatment showed exaggeration of the combination‐induced cardiotoxicity. In conclusion, PTX might synergistically aggravate DOX‐induced cardiotoxicity. The effect might be much more pronounced with those rats treated with PTX 24 h after DOX treatment. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 18:78–86, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.20012
Efficient synthesis of 6‐chloro‐3‐((2‐(S)‐azetidinyl)methoxy)‐5‐((E)‐2‐(2‐[18F]fluoropyridin‐4‐yl)vinyl)pyridine ([18F]NIDA 52289), a very high affinity radioligand for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Authors: Zhang Yi , Hall Andrew W. , Horti Andrew G.
Published: April 2004

6‐Chloro‐3‐((2‐(S)‐azetidinyl)methoxy)‐5‐((E)‐2‐(2‐[18F]fluoropyridin‐4‐yl)vinyl)pyridine ([18F]NIDA 52289), a very high affinity radioligand for studying nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) by positron‐emission tomography, was synthesized through Kryptofix 222 assisted no‐carrier‐added nucleophilic [18F]fluorination of 6‐chloro‐3‐((1‐(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)‐2‐(S)‐azetidinyl)methoxy)‐5‐((E)‐2‐(2‐bromopyridin‐4‐yl)vinyl)pyridine, followed by acidic deprotection. The overall radiochemical yield of the radiosynthesis was 10% (non‐decay‐corrected), the specific radioactivity was in the range of 93–326 GBq/µmol (2.5–8.8 mCi/µmol) and the radiochemical purity was greater than 99%. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Woman with a 26‐year history of parkinsonism, supranuclear ophthalmoplegia, and loss of postural reflexes
Authors: Gordon Paul H. , Fahn Stanley , Chin Steven , Golbe Lawrence I. , Lynch Timothy , Eidelberg David
Published: April 2004

A woman who had her first serious fall at age 48 years subsequently developed neurological symptoms. Her case is described, differential diagnoses are presented, pathology is discussed, and a final diagnosis is reached. © 2004 Movement Disorder Society
A new path‐following constraint for strain‐softening finite element simulations
Authors: Lorentz E. , Badel P.
Published: April 2004

The application of strain‐softening constitutive relations to model the failure modes of real‐life structures is faced to numerical difficulties related to instabilities that appear as sharp snap‐backs of the structural response. A path‐following method has to complement the solution algorithm to achieve convergence despite these critical points. Because of the sharpness of the snap‐backs, it is believed essential that the path‐following constraint distinguish between a purely elastic unloading and a dissipative path. For that purpose, a new constraint based on the maximal value of the elastic predictor for the yield function is proposed. As it is highly non linear, a specific solution algorithm is required. The robustness of this constraint is illustrated by three applications: the study of crack propagations by means of a cohesive zone model, the failure of a structure submitted to nonlocal damage and the simulation of a nonlocal strain‐softening plastic specimen. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multi‐lithology stratigraphic model under maximum erosion rate constraint
Authors: Eymard R. , Gallouët T. , Granjeon D. , Masson R. , Tran Q. H.
Published: April 2004

Non‐linear single lithology or multi‐lithology diffusion models have been widely used by sedimentologists and geomorphologists in the field of stratigraphic basin simulations to simulate the large scale depositional transport processes of sediments. Nevertheless, as noticed by many authors, erosion and sedimentation processes are non‐symmetric. Soil material must first be produced in situ by weathering processes prior to be transported by diffusion. This is usually taken into account through a prescribed maximum erosion rate of the sediments, but no mathematical description of the coupling with the diffusion model has been proposed so far. In this paper, we introduce a new mathematical formulation for the coupling of the weather limited erosion and the multi‐lithology diffusion models, which appears as a non‐standard free boundary problem for a new variable acting as a limitor of the fluxes.

One of the main advantages of this formulation, compared to existing discrete coupling models, is to enable the definition of efficient discretization schemes. A finite volume scheme with implicit time integration is introduced which is proved to be unconditionally stable in the l∞ norm for the sediment thickness, the sediment concentrations in the lithologies, and the flux limitor variables. A Newton algorithm with an iterative computation of the saturated constraints is used to solve efficiently the non‐linear system resulting from the discretization. The efficiency of the model and the numerical scheme is illustrated on 2D and 3D basin simulation examples. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization and location of post‐translational modifications on chromogranin B from bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin granules
Authors: Gasnier Claire , Lugardon Karine , Ruh Olivier , Strub Jean‐Marc , Aunis Dominique , Metz‐Boutigue Marie‐Hélène
Published: April 2004

Bovine chromoganin B (CGB)/secretogranin I, an acidic protein with a sequence of 626 residues and an isoelectric point of 5.2 is a major member of the chromogranin/secretogranin (CG/Sg) family. The difference between the theoretical molecular mass (76 kDa) and the value estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results from post‐translational modifications (glycosylation, phosphorylation and sulfation) and from the abundance of acidic residues (D 4.6%, and E 16.5%). Although the sequence of CGB is known, the structural analyses of the post‐translational modifications have so far not been carried out. In the present study, using a combination of proteomic techniques including two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis, Western blot, high‐performance liquid chromatography purification, enzymatic digestion, sequencing, carbohydrate analysis, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐time of flight and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis, we have located 18 post‐translational modifications on bovine CGB, isolated from adrenal medulla chromaffin granules. Furthermore, we have identified at the molecular level the presence of a mutation M/V on position 577 of natural CGB. All together these data reflect the complex structure of this protein marker of the neuroendocrine system.
Special Materials in Pyrotechnics: III. Application of Lithium and its Compounds in Energetic Systems
Authors: Koch Ernst‐Christian
Published: April 2004

The application of lithium and its compounds in energetic systems and the behaviour of lithium species in flames is reviewed. Both lithium metal and its compounds and alloys are versatile materials in either oxidizer, fuel and modifier applications for energetic systems. 116 references to the literature are given. For part II see Ref. [1].
Protection of androgen‐dependent human prostate cancer cells from oxidative stress‐induced DNA damage by overexpression of clusterin and its modulation by androgen
Authors: Miyake Hideaki , Hara Isao , Gleave Martin E. , Eto Hiroshi
Published: April 2004

BACKGROUND

Recent studies reported that oxidative stress is one of the major factors associated with the progression of prostate cancer through the accumulation of DNA damage. In the present study, we investigated the effect of oxidative stress on cell injury using androgen‐dependent human prostate cancer LNCaP cells overexpressing clusterin, which has been shown to play crucial roles in the acquisition of resistance to several apoptotic stimuli.

METHODS

We introduced clusterin cDNA into LNCaP cells which do not express a detectable level of clusterin expression, and generated a clusterin‐overexpressing cell line (LNCaP/Cl) and a control vector only‐transfected cell line (LNCaP/Co). The effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment on the LNCaP sublines with and without the addition of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) were analyzed using the in vitro mitogenic assay and lipid peroxidation assay, and morphological changes in the LNCaP sublines after H2O2 treatment were examined by staining with Hoechst 33258. The degrees of DNA damage induced by H2O2 into the LNCaP sublines were evaluated by the measurement of 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG) level.

RESULTS

H2O2‐induced apoptosis in LNCaP/Cl was significantly suppressed compared with that in LNCaP/Co through the inhibition of membrane damage; however, the measurement of 8‐OHdG level demonstrated that DNA damage was more intensively accumulated in LNCaP/Cl cells than LNCaP/Co cells. Furthermore, DHT suppressed the incidence of apoptotic cell death and enhanced the formation of 8‐OHdG in both LNCaP/Cl and LNCaP/Co cells after H2O2 treatment in a dose‐dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that clusterin may contribute to conferring resistance to oxidative stress‐mediated cellular injury on prostate cancer cells, especially in the presence of androgen. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Epothilone induced cytotoxicity is dependent on p53 status in prostate cells
Authors: Ioffe Margarita L. , White Eileen , Nelson Deirdre A. , Dvorzhinski D. , DiPaola Robert S.
Published: April 2004

BACKGROUND

Epothilones are a promising class of drugs in clinical trials of prostate cancer that target the microtubules, similar to taxanes, and induce apoptosis in taxane resistant tumors. The tumor suppressor p53 is one important molecular mechanism of chemotherapy resistance that in some studies predicted tumor sensitivity to paclitaxel. We hypothesized that epothilone induced cytotoxicity would be influenced by the status of p53 in prostate cells.

METHODS

LNCaP, DU145, and a transformed rat prostate (RP) epithelial cell line with a temperature sensitive mutant p53 (val 135) were studied for the effect of epothilone on cell viability, cell cycle, and cell cycle checkpoint proteins.

RESULTS

Epothilone had greater cytotoxicity in p53 mutant cancer cells compared to wild type cells. We confirmed our findings by creating a transformed RP epithelial cell line with a temperature sensitive mutant p53 (val 135). Using a tetrazolium (MTT) assay we found that epothilone (100 nM) decreased cell viability in RP cells by 90% with mutant p53 compared to 45% with wild type p53 (P < 0.01). Epothilone induced G2/M arrest in 50% of cells with mutant p53 compared to 25% with wild type p53 (P < 0.01). To begin to understand mechanism of epothilone induced G2/M arrest, we assessed cell cycle checkpoint proteins. We found that the effect to enhance G2/M cell cycle arrest was associated with dephosphorylation of cdc2 in both p53 wild type and p53 mutant RP cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that epothilone is more active against transformed prostate epithelial cells with mutant compared to wild type p53. Epothilone is capable of dephosphorylation of cdc2 in both p53 wild type and mutant cells, which is associated with G2/M cell cycle arrest. These data provide a basis for further study of p53, and the phosphorylation status of cdc‐2, as markers for epothilone sensitivity in clinical studies. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Recombinant ATPases of the yeast 26S proteasome activate protein degradation by the 20S proteasome
Authors: Takeuchi Junko , Tamura Tomohiro
Published: April 2004

The 26S proteasome contains a proteolytic core, 20S proteasome, and its regulatory particle, 19S complex. That regulatory particle contains six ATPases that are involved in unfolding and translocation of substrates to the 20S proteasome's catalytic chamber. We expressed ATPase‐encoding genes of the regulatory particle of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and found that some recombinant ATPases can self‐assemble into a high‐molecular‐weight protein complex in Escherichia coli. Purification of the Rpt1Rpt2 hetero‐complex and the Rpt4 homo‐complex for functional characterization demonstrated their contribution to energy‐dependent protein degradation. Our finding, production of a functional subunit of the 19S regulatory particle in bacteria, is a simpler and technically advanced system to functionally characterize individual subunits.
Suppression of a phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase signal by a specific spliced variant of Drosophila PTEN
Authors: Maehama Tomohiko , Kosaka Natsuki , Okahara Fumiaki , Takeuchi Ken-ichi , Umeda Masato , Dixon Jack E. , Kanaho Yasunori
Published: April 2004

Drosophila PTEN (dPTEN) plays indispensable roles in the development of Drosophila melanogaster by controlling cell size and number. Although three potential spliced forms of dPTEN have been isolated, functional distinction among these forms remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that all spliced forms of dPTEN dephosphorylate phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5‐trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3); however, PI(3,4,5)P3‐dependent activation of Drosophila Akt is suppressed specifically by one of three spliced forms, dPTEN3. Further, dPTEN3 dramatically changes its expression during the Drosophila development, while the other forms are expressed throughout the development. Our results suggest that dPTEN3 is the predominant spliced form that participates in PI(3,4,5)P3‐mediated signaling pathways.
Bisperoxovanadium compounds are potent PTEN inhibitors
Authors: Schmid Annette C. , Byrne Richard D. , Vilar Ramón , Woscholski Rüdiger
Published: April 2004

The tumour suppressor phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) shares homology with protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). Similarly, bisperoxovanadium (bpV) molecules that are well‐established PTPase inhibitors were shown to inhibit PTEN, but at up to 100‐fold lower concentrations. The preference and potency of the bpVs towards PTEN was validated in vivo as demonstrated by: (i) an increase of Ser473 phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB) at similar low nanomolar doses, (ii) the lack of any effect on the PKB phosphorylation in the PTEN negative cell line UM‐UC‐3, (iii) the ability to rescue Ly294002‐induced phosphoinositide 3‐kinase inhibition and (iv) a lack of tyrosine phosphorylation at low nanomolar doses.
A novel family of carbohydrate‐binding modules identified with Ruminococcus albus proteins
Authors: Xu Qi , Morrison Mark , Nelson Karen E. , Bayer Edward A. , Atamna Nof , Lamed Raphael
Published: April 2004

We recently showed that some of the enzymes underpinning cellulose solubilization by Ruminococcus albus 8 lack the conventional type of dockerin module characteristic of cellulosomal proteins and instead, bear an “X” domain of unknown function at their C‐termini. We have now subcloned and expressed six X domains and showed that five of them bind to xylan, chitin, microcrystalline and phosphoric‐acid swollen cellulose, as well as more heterogenous substrates such as alfalfa cell walls, banana stem and wheat straw. The X domain that did not bind to these substrates was derived from a family‐5 glycoside hydrolase (Cel5G), which possesses two X domains in tandem. Whereas the internal X domain failed to bind to the substrates, the recombinant dyad exhibited markedly enhanced binding relative to that observed for the C‐terminal X domain alone. The evidence supports a distinctive carbohydrate‐binding role of broad specificity for this type of domain, and we propose a novel family (designated family 37) of carbohydrate‐binding modules that appear to be peculiar to R. albus.
THE SEXUAL ORIENTATION OF MEN WHO WERE BROUGHT UP IN GAY OR LESBIAN HOUSEHOLDS
Authors: JAMES WILLIAM H.
Published: April 2004

Elsewhere the author has suggested that adolescent and adult male homosexual orientation is, in some cases, causally associated with sexual or quasi-sexual experience in childhood (James, 2004). Here it is argued that the available data on men raised by same-sex parents cannot validly be interpreted as supporting or refuting this suggestion.
The Paul Trap Simulator Experiment
Authors: GILSON ERIK P. , DAVIDSON RONALD C. , EFTHIMION PHILIP C. , MAJESKI RICHARD , QIN HONG
Published: April 2004

The assembly of the Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX) is now complete and experimental operations have begun. The purpose of PTSX, a compact laboratory facility, is to simulate the nonlinear dynamics of intense charged particle beam propagation over a large distance through an alternating-gradient transport system. The simulation is possible because the quadrupole electric fields of the cylindrical Paul trap exert radial forces on the charged particles that are analogous to the radial forces that a periodic focusing quadrupole magnetic field exert on the beam particles in the beam frame. By controlling the waveform applied to the walls of the trap, PTSX will explore physics issues such as beam mismatch, envelope instabilities, halo particle production, compression techniques, collective wave excitations, and beam profile effects.
Simulations of energetic proton emission in laser–plasma
interaction
Authors: POMMIER LAURENT , LEFEBVRE ERIK
Published: April 2004

Energetic protons are emitted from thin foils irradiated by short
laser pulses at high intensities. One- and two-dimensional
particle-in-cell simulations have been used to study the influence of
initial proton position, laser irradiance, and target density profile
on this ion acceleration. These simulations bring additional support to
the idea that protons are mainly accelerated from the rear side of the
target, by electrostatic fields associated with hot electrons escaping
into vacuum. The density scale length at the front of the target
appears to be the main parameter to increase proton energies when the
laser irradiance is fixed.
Large-amplitude plasma waves and 2ωp
emission driven by laser-generated electron jets in overdense plasma
layers
Authors: KUNZL Th. , LICHTERS R. , MEYER-TER-VEHN J.
Published: April 2004

The excitation of large-amplitude plasma waves by intense few-cycle
laser pulses in thin overdense plasma layers is studied using
one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. P-polarized
pulses generate relativistic electron pulses (jets) at the irradiated
surface that penetrate the layer and then oscillate back and forth due
to reflection by self-generated space charge fields building up in
front of the surfaces. Counterpropagating plasmons of large amplitude
are excited and start to emit radiation at 2ωp
and other harmonics of the plasma frequency. The analogy to type III
solar radio emission that is driven by electron bursts from deeper
layers of the solar corona is pointed out; it highlights the present
topic as another example of laboratory astrophysics with lasers.
Combined force and visual control of an industrial robot
Authors: Carelli Ricardo , Oliva Eduardo , Soria Carlos , Nasisi Oscar
Published: April 2004

This work proposes control structures that efficiently combine force control with vision servo control of robot manipulators. Impedance controllers are
considered which are based both on visual servoing and on physical or fictitious force feedback, the force and visual information being combined in the image space. Force and visual servo controllers included in extended hybrid control structures are also considered.
The combination of both force and vision based control allows the tasks range of the robot to be extended to partially structured environments. The proposed controllers, implemented on an industrial SCARA-type robot, are tested in tasks involving physical and virtual contact with the environment.
Forward-model-based control system for robot manipulators
Authors: Osypiuk Rafael , Finkemeyer Bernd , Wahl Friedrich M.
Published: April 2004

Although numerous sophisticated nonlinear control algorithms exist in literature, it is still state of the art to use simple linear joint controllers in industrial robotic systems. Most nonlinear concepts are based on a more or less accurate inverse model of the robot. In this paper a forward-model-based control system, the so-called Model Following Control (MFC), for robot manipulators is presented. Its theoretical basics and its
concept are explained. The quality and the applicability of the MFC control concept has been analyzed in many experiments. The MFC system is compared with classical linear controllers and nonlinear feedforward controllers with respect to robustness. Qualitative as well as
quantitative results are presented and discussed.
Beauty and the Market: Actress Postcards and their Senders in Early Twentieth-Century Australia
Authors: Kelly Veronica
Published: April 2004

A hundred years ago the international craze for picture postcards distributed millions of images of popular stage actresses around the world. The cards were bought, sent, and collected by many whose contact with live theatre was sometimes minimal. Veronica Kelly's study of some of these cards sent in Australia indicates the increasing reach of theatrical images and celebrity brought about by the distribution mechanisms of industrial mass modernity. The specific social purposes and contexts of the senders are revealed by cross-reading the images themselves with the private messages on the backs, suggesting that, once outside the industrial framing of theatre or the dramatic one of specific roles, the actress operated as a multiply signifying icon within mass culture – with the desires and consumer power of women major factors in the consumption of the glamour actress card. A study of the typical visual rhetoric of these postcards indicates the authorized modes of femininity being constructed by the major postcard publishers whose products were distributed to theatre fans and non-theatregoers alike through the post. Veronica Kelly is working on a project dealing with commercial managements and stars in early twentieth-century Australian theatre. She teaches in the School of English, Media Studies, and Art History at the University of Queensland, is co-editor of Australasian Drama Studies, and author of databases and articles dealing with colonial and contemporary Australian theatre history and dramatic criticism. Her books include The Theatre of Louis Nowra (1998) and the collection Our Australian Theatre in the 1990s (1998).
Ancestral and Authorial Voices in Lloyd Newson and DV8's ‘Strange Fish’
Authors: Lansdale Janet
Published: April 2004

Lloyd Newson has worked in Europe for some twenty-three years with DV8 Physical Theatre, creating powerful socio-political pieces which address sexuality and interpersonal relationships. These works are generally created with performers through workshop processes and collaboratively with composers. London's experimental dance and theatre scenes in the 1980s and early 1990s provided a challenging context for Lloyd Newson's early creative endeavours. Here, Janet Lansdale takes one work, Strange Fish, as the locus of her discussion on narrative positions in relation to dominant forms of modern dance and issues of sexuality, homophobia, and politics within physical theatre. She conceptualizes and contextualizes ‘voices’ as ‘authorial’ and ‘ancestral’, and traces their manifestation in readings of the work. Complementary and sometimes competing voices from author, text, reader, and cultural history are articulated through a range of intertextual perspectives. This is the second in a series of articles on this work. Janet Lansdale is Distinguished Professor in Dance Studies at the University of Surrey, where she was Head of Department, and later Head of the School of Performing Arts. She is the author and editor of four books on dance theory, history, and analysis, the most recent being Dancing Texts: Intertextuality in Interpretation (1999).
Stanislavsky's Second Thoughts on ‘The Seagull’
Authors: Senelick Laurence
Published: April 2004

Stanislavsky's first production of The Seagull is well documented in English, in The Seagull Produced by Stanislavsky, edited by S. D. Balukhaty in 1952. But little is known of his exploratory work on an intended second production almost two decades later amidst the turmoil of the revolutionary period, and the rehearsal notes made by Stanislavsky's assistant Pyotr Sharov remained unpublished even in Russian until 1987. Here, Laurence Senelick provides the first English translation of these notes, contextualizing them with an account of the difficulties under which Stanislavsky and the Art Theatre were working at the time. Laurence Senelick is Fletcher Professor of Drama and Oratory at Tufts University, and a long-time contributor to TQ and NTQ, which published his articles on the Craig–Stanislavsky Hamlet, serf theatre in Russia, and Wedekind and Lenin at the music hall. His last book, The Changing Room: Sex, Drag, and Theatre, won the George Jean Nathan award as the best work of dramatic criticism of 2000–01, and his previous book, The Chekhov Theatre: a Century of Plays in Production, won the Barnard Hewitt award of the American Society of Theatre Research. He is currently translating and editing the complete plays and dramatic fragments of Anton Chekhov for Norton Publishers.
TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF LINEAR BIRTH–DEATH PROCESSES WITH
IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRATION
Authors: Zheng* Yuxi , Chao[dagger] Xiuli , Ji Xiaomei
Published: April 2004

Linear birth–death processes with immigration
and emigration are major models in the study of population processes of
biological and ecological systems, and their transient analysis is
important in the understanding of the structural behavior of such
systems. The spectral method has been widely used for solving these
processes; see, for example, Karlin and McGregor [11]. In this article, we provide an
alternative approach: the method of characteristics. This method yields
a Volterra-type integral equation for the chance of extinction and an
explicit formula for the z-transform of the transient
distribution. These results allow us to obtain closed-form solutions
for the transient behavior of several cases that have not been
previously explicitly presented in the literature.
ACTUARIAL VALUATION OF PERISHABLE INVENTORY SYSTEMS
Authors: Nahmias Steven , Perry David , Stadje Wolfgang
Published: April 2004

The aim of this article is to derive the income and cost functionals
required to determine the actuarial value of certain types of
perishable inventory system. In the basic model, the arrival times of
the items to be stored and the ones of the demands for those items form
independent Poisson processes. The shelf lifetime of every item is
finite and deterministic. Every demand is for a single item and is
satisfied by the oldest item on the shelf, if available. The price of
an item depends on its shelf age. For an actuarial valuation, it is
important to know the distribution of the total value of the items in
the system and the expected (discounted) total income and cost
generated by the system when in steady state. All of these functionals
are determined explicitly. As extensions of the original model, we also
deal with the case of batch arrivals and general renewal interdemand
times; in both cases, closed-form solutions are obtained.
A comparison of immunocytochemical markers to identify bipolar cell types in human and monkey retina
Authors: HAVERKAMP SILKE , HAESELEER FRANCOISE , HENDRICKSON ANITA
Published: April 2004

As more human retinas affected with genetic or immune-based diseases become available for morphological analysis, it is important to identify immunocytochemical markers for specific subtypes of retinal neurons. In this study, we have focused on bipolar cell markers in central retina. We have done single and double labeling using several antisera previously utilized in macaque monkey or human retinal studies and two new antisera (1) to correlate combinations of antisera labeling with morphological types of bipolar cells in human retina, and (2) to compare human labeling patterns with those in monkey retina. Human bipolar cells showed a wide range of labeling patterns with at least ten different bipolar cell types identified from their anatomy and marker content. Many bipolar cell bodies in the outer part of the inner nuclear layer contained combinations of protein kinase C alpha (PKCα), Islet-1, glycine, and Goα. Bipolar cells labeled with these markers had axons terminating in the inner half of the inner plexiform layer (IPL), consistent with ON bipolar cells. Bipolar cell bodies adjacent to the amacrine cells and with axons in the outer half of the IPL contained combinations of recoverin, glutamate transporter-1, and PKCβ, or CD15 and calbindin. Bipolar cells labeled with these markers were presumed OFF bipolar cells. Calcium-binding protein 5 (CaB5) labeled both putative ON and OFF bipolar cells. Using this cell labeling as a criteria, most cell bodies close to the horizontal cells were ON bipolar cells and almost all bipolar cells adjacent to the amacrine cells were OFF with a band in the middle 2–3 cell bodies thick containing intermixed ON and OFF bipolar cells. Differences were found between human and monkey bipolar cell types labeled by calbindin, CaB5, and CD15. Two new types were identified. One was morphologically similar to the DB3, but labeled for CD15 and CaB5. The other had a calbindin-labeled cell body adjacent to the horizontal cell bodies, but did not contain any accepted ON markers. These results support the use of macaque monkey retina as a model for human, but caution against the assumption that all labeling patterns are identical in the two primates.