bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The involvement of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase in the oxidative stress responses in plants
Authors: Amor Yehudit , Babiychuk Elena , Inzé Dirk , Levine Alex
Published: May 2003

In plants many biotic and abiotic stresses can cause secondary oxidative stress. Earlier work showed that, depending on the severity of the oxidative stress, plants can activate either cell protective genes or programmed cell death (PCD). Poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) has been implicated as one of the enzymes in the apoptotic pathways induced by DNA damaging agents or oxidative stress. We show that in cultured soybean cells, PARP is involved in responses to mild and severe oxidative stresses, by mediating DNA repair and PCD processes, respectively. Addition of PARP inhibitors reduced the degree of cell death triggered by H2O2. Two windows of NAD consumption after H2O2 treatment were detected. Experiments with transient overexpression of Arabidopsis PARP cDNA promoted DNA repair and inhibited cell death caused by mild oxidative stress. However, following severe stress PARP overexpression increased cell death. Expression of antisense PARP produced the opposite effects: an increase in DNA nicks and inhibition of cell death at high, but not mild doses of H2O2.
Glyoxylate cycle enzymes are present in liver peroxisomes of alloxan‐treated rats
Authors: Popov Vasily N , Volvenkin Sergei V , Eprintsev Alexander T , Igamberdiev Abir U
Published: May 2003

Key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, isocitrate lyase (ICL) and malate synthase (MS), have been detected in the liver of alloxan‐treated rats. The activity of ICL in rat liver was 0.040 μmol/min/mg protein and the activity of MS was 0.022 μmol/min/mg protein. These enzymes were associated with the peroxisomal fraction. The activities of citrate synthase, malate synthase and malate dehydrogenase detected in the peroxisomal fraction were also increased by alloxan treatment. Isocitrate lyase was partially purified and displayed catalytic and regulatory properties similar to those of the enzyme isolated from the liver of starved rats (Popov, V.N. et al. (1996) FEBS Lett. 391, 87–90).
Obtaining and characterization of EF‐hand mutants of recoverin
Authors: Alekseev Andrey M , Shulga-Morskoy Sergey V , Zinchenko Dmitry V , Shulga-Morskaya Svetlana A , Suchkov Dmitry V , Vaganova Svetlana A , Senin Ivan I , Zargarov Aminullah A , Lipkin Valery M , Akhtar Muhammad , Philippov Pavel P
Published: May 2003

Several EF‐hand recoverin mutants were obtained and their abilities to bind to photoreceptor membranes and to inhibit rhodopsin kinase were determined. The mutants with the ‘spoiled' 2nd, 3rd or (2nd+3rd) EF‐hand structures did not act upon the kinase activity in the μM range of Ca2+ concentrations. Mutations of the 4th EF hand, which ‘repaired' its Ca2+‐binding activity, resulted in recoverin with three ‘working' Ca2+‐binding sites. The latter mutant inhibited rhodopsin kinase even more effectively than the wild‐type recoverin, containing two working Ca2+‐binding structures.
Demonstration of thermal dissipation of absorbed quanta during energy‐dependent quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence in photosynthetic membranes
Authors: Yahyaoui Wafaa , Harnois Johanne , Carpentier Robert
Published: May 2003

When plant leaves or chloroplasts are exposed to illumination that exceeds their photosynthetic capacity, photoprotective mechanisms such as described by the energy‐dependent (non‐photochemical) quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence are involved. The protective action is attributed to an increased rate constant for thermal dissipation of absorbed quanta. We applied photoacoustic spectroscopy to monitor thermal dissipation in spinach thylakoid membranes together with simultaneous measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence in the presence of inhibitors of opposite action on the formation of ΔpH across the thylakoid membrane (tentoxin and nigericin/valinomycin). A linear relationship between the appearance of fluorescence quenching during formation of the ΔpH and the reciprocal variation of thermal dissipation was demonstrated. Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, which is known to prevent protonation of the minor light‐harvesting complexes of photosystem II, significantly reduced the formation of fluorescence quenching and the concurrent increase in thermal dissipation. However, the addition of exogenous ascorbate to activate the xanthophyll de‐epoxidase increased non‐photochemical fluorescence quenching without affecting the measured thermal dissipation. It is concluded that a portion of energy‐dependent fluorescence quenching that is independent of de‐epoxidase activity can be readily measured by photoacoustic spectroscopy as an increase in thermal deactivation processes.
Induction of outward current by orexin‐B in mouse peritoneal macrophages
Authors: Ichinose Mitsuyuki , Asai Masatoshi , Sawada Masashi , Sasaki Kazuo , Oomura Yutaka
Published: May 2003

To define effects of novel feeding regulating peptides, orexins, in immunocompetent cells, ion channel activity in mouse peritoneal macrophages was analyzed by the perforated patch‐clamp method. Orexin‐B (OX‐B) induced an outward current at smaller holding potentials than K+ equilibrium potentials. Reversal potentials of OX‐B induced current were dependent on external K+ concentrations but not on external Cl− concentration. Orexin‐A is less effective than OX‐B. Quinine blocked the outward current and tetraethylammonium partially suppressed the current. These results suggest that OX‐B can modulate macrophage functions through the activation of Ca2+‐dependent K+ channels.
Putative helices 3 and 5 of the human vitamin D3 receptor are important for the binding of calcitriol
Authors: Väisänen Sami , Rouvinen Juha , Mäenpää Pekka H
Published: May 2003

We have introduced eleven point mutations into the human vitamin D receptor by site‐directed mutagenesis in order to identify some of the amino acid residues that are important for ligand binding. The amino acid residues Ser225, His229, Asp232, Val234, Ser235, Tyr236, Ser237, Lys240, Ile242, Lys246 (helix 3), and Ser275 (helix 5) of the human vitamin D receptor were substituted by alanine. We report here that His229, Asp232, and Ser237 have an important role in the binding of calcitriol. In addition, the amino acid residues Tyr236 and Ser275 also seem to participate in the ligand binding process.
Enhanced secretion of hydrophobic peptide fused lysozyme by the introduction of N‐glycosylation signal and the disruption of calnexin gene in Saccharomycescerevisiae
Authors: Arima Hiduyuki , Kinoshita Takeshi , Ibrahim Hisham Radan , Azakami Hiroyuki , Kato Akio
Published: May 2003

The insertion of a hydrophobic pentapeptide (Phe‐Phe‐Val‐Ala‐Pro) into the C‐terminus in hen egg white lysozyme by genetic modification resulted in an unstable structure which caused little secretion in a yeast expression system, although this modification is useful to enhance bactericidal action to Gram‐negative bacteria [Ibrahim et al. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 5059–5063]. To enhance the secretion of the unstable hydrophobic pentapeptide fused lysozymes (H5‐Lz), we attempted to introduce the signal sequence (Asn‐X‐Ser/Thr) of N‐linked glycosylation into lysozyme and to suppress the quality control of the unstable mutant in the yeast expression system. The polymannosyl hydrophobic fused lysozyme (H5/G49N‐Lz) having the N‐glycosylation signal sequence was expressed in the medium at 3.4 times that of unglycosylated lysozyme. Further, the secretion of the unstable mutant lysozyme was done in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae disrupted calnexin gene to avoid the degradation of the unstable mutant by the quality control. Although disruption of the calnexin gene did not lead to gross effects on the levels of growth of S. cerevisiae (W303‐1b), the secretion amount of H5/G49N‐Lz in calnexin disrupted S. cerevisiae was 2.5 times larger than that in wild type S. cerevisiae. These results suggest that the secretion of unstable glycosylated lysozyme (H5/G49N) was suppressed by the quality control function of calnexin and that the disruption of calnexin is effective to increase the secretion of unstable glycosylated protein.
Metal coordination of azurin in the unfolded state
Authors: Romero Carmen , Moratal José Marı́a , Donaire Antonio
Published: May 2003

1H NMR data applied to the paramagnetic cobalt(II) derivative of azurin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa have made it possible to show that the metal ion is bound to the protein in the unfolded state. The relaxation data as well as the low magnetic anisotropy of the metal ion indicate that the cobalt ion is tetrahedral in the unfolded form. The cobalt ligands have been identified as the residues Gly45, His46, Cys112 and His117. Met121 is not coordinated in the unfolded state. In this state, the metal ion is not constrained to adopt a bipyramidal geometry, as imposed by the protein when it is folded. This is clear confirmation of the rack‐induced bonding mechanism previously proposed for the metal ion in azurin.
An upstream negative regulatory element in human granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor promoter is recognised by AP1 family members
Authors: Gramigni Claudia , Penco Silvana , Bianchi-Scarrà Giovanna , Ravazzolo Roberto , Garrè Cecilia
Published: May 2003

Granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) is a cytokine involved in haematopoiesis and host defence. Production of GM‐CSF has been detected in tumour cells including the U87MG astrocytoma cell line. Previous studies have been focused on the regulatory role of the proximal region of the GM‐CSF promoter. Our studies on the distal region of the promoter in U87MG cells identify a negative cis element (−1377/−1298) which contains a AP1‐like site able to bind c‐jun and c‐fos transcription factors, according to the results of DNA/protein binding assays. Mutagenesis of the AP1‐like site eliminates AP1 binding and the negative effect on promoter activity.
Molecular cloning, functional characterization and mRNA expression analysis of the murine chemokine receptor CCR6 and its specific ligand MIP‐3α1
Authors: Varona Rosa , Zaballos Angel , Gutiérrez Julio , Martı́n Pilar , Roncal Fernando , Albar Juan Pablo , Ardavı́n Carlos , Márquez Gabriel
Published: May 2003

We have cloned the murine CCR6 receptor and its ligand, the β‐chemokine mMIP‐3α. Calcium mobilization assays performed with mCCR6 transfectants showed significant responses upon addition of mMIP‐3α. Murine MIP‐3α RNA is expressed in thymus, small intestine and colon, whereas mCCR6 RNA is expressed in spleen and lymph nodes. RT‐PCR analysis of FACS‐sorted lymphoid and antigen presenting cell subsets showed mCCR6 expression mainly in B cells, CD8− splenic dendritic cells and CD4+ T cells. The cloning and functional characterization of the mCCR6 and mMIP‐3α will allow the study of the role of these proteins in mouse models of inflammation and immunity.
Identification of the three non‐identical subunits constituting human deoxyribonuclease II
Authors: Takeshita Haruo , Yasuda Toshihiro , Iida Reiko , Nakajima Tamiko , Hosomi Osamu , Nakashima Yoshimitsu , Mori Shinjiro , Nomoto Hiroshi , Kishi Koichiro
Published: May 2003

We purified DNase II from human liver to apparent homogeneity. The N‐terminal amino acid sequences of each of three components constituting the purified mature enzyme were then separately determined by automatic Edman degradation. A combination of this chemical information and the previously reported nucleotide sequence of the cDNA encoding human DNase II [Yasuda et al. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 2610–2626] allowed detailed elucidation of the enzyme's subunit structure: human DNase II was composed of three non‐identical subunits, a propeptide, proprotein and mature protein, following a signal peptide. Expression analysis of a series of deletion mutants derived from the cDNA of DNase II in COS‐7 cells suggested that although a single large precursor protein may not be necessary for proteolytic maturation, the propeptide region L17–Q46 may play an essential role in generating the active form of the enzyme.
The systematic position ofEquus hydruntinus,an extinct species of Pleistocene equid☆
Authors: Burke Ariane , Eisenmann Vera , Ambler Graeme K.
Published: May 2003

Palaeolithic people commonly huntedEquus hydruntinus,an extinct species of equid whose cursorial body proportions suggest an adaptation to semi-arid conditions. Despite the frequency with which it is encountered in fossil deposits, only partial cranial remains have been reported until now. As a result, the systematic affiliation of the species remains a subject of controversy. Two nearly completeE. hydruntinuscrania are presented here for the first time. These skulls show thatE. hydruntinusis a distinct species, more closely related to the hemiones (Asiatic asses) than to any other equid. This suggests that the social organisation ofE. hydruntinusfollowed one of two known equid sociotypes: resource defense territoriality.
Integrated design and new product success
Authors: Ettlie John E.
Published: May 2003

Do integrated approaches to design promote the commercial success of new products? Data from 126 U.S. manufacturers were used to test five hypotheses in a structural model of integrated design approaches which go beyond concurrent engineering. New product success was significantly associated with market need understanding which incorporates information, significantly, from integrated design into new product development. Integrated design was found to be significantly associated with early‐mover strategy, benchmarking best practices and, to a lesser extent, customized or proprietary hardware‐software systems.
Comparison of neuropathic pain induced by the application of normal and mechanically compressed nucleus pulposus to lumbar nerve roots in the rat
Authors: Kawakami Mamoru , Hashizume Hiroshi , Nishi Hideto , Matsumoto Takuji , Tamaki Tetsuya , Kuribayashi Koichi
Published: May 2003

We studied whether applying nucleus pulposus tissue, obtained from tail intervertebral discs that had been subjected to chronic mechanical compression, to the lumbar nerve roots produces hyperalgesia, which is thought to be a pain‐related behavior in the rat. An Ilizarov‐type apparatus was used for immobilization and chronically applied compression of the rat tail for eight weeks. Three weeks after application of extracted nucleus pulposus tissue on the lumbar nerve roots, motor function, sensitivity to noxious mechanical stimuli was measured. Eight weeks after application of the apparatus, the instrumented vertebrae were resected and sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin to evaluate degeneration of the intervertebral disc. Mechanical hyperalgesia observed in rats treated with the compressed nucleus pulposus tissue was greater and of longer duration than in the rats treated with normal and non‐compressed discs. The nucleus pulposus in the instrumented vertebrae showed some histological degeneration. In conclusion, chronic mechanical compression of nucleus pulposus, which resulted in degeneration to some extent, enhanced mechanical hyperalgesia, which was induced by application of nucleus pulposus on the nerve root in the rat. Degenerative intervertebral discs might induce more significant pain than normal intervertebral discs.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tendon cells produce gelatinases in response to type I collagen attachment
Authors: Ritty Timothy M. , Herzog Jeremy
Published: May 2003

Cells that carry out wound healing must be able to perform catabolic as well as anabolic functions. As the tendon is a tissue rich in extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, we hypothesized that cells which participate in tendon healing should be able to produce proteases that would allow the remodeling of such a tissue. To this end, we assessed the ability of endotenon cells isolated from canine flexor digitorum profundus tendon and from surrounding parietal sheath to produce the gelatinases MMP‐2 and MMP‐9. Endotenon and sheath cells cultured in vitro on polystyrene produced small amounts of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 was not detectable. When cultured on polystyrene coated with type I collagen, the cells upregulated MMP‐2 production and MMP‐9 production was induced. No other ECM protein elicited this response nor did other cell lines respond in this way after attachment to type I collagen. The two gelatinases were identified by immunological methods, ability to bind gelatin, size, metal ion requirement, serine protease inhibitor insensitivity, and APMA activation. For cells grown on collagen‐coated plastic, gelatinase upregulation was proportional to the amount of ligand present until saturation was reached. For any group of fresh tendon cells, MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 upregulation was greater in a three dimensional collagen gel than the highest response from the same group under two dimensional culture conditions. Attachment of the cells to type I collagen increased the ratio of active to inactive MMP‐2. Dexamethasone inhibited the upregulation of both MMP‐2 and MMP‐9. These results show that ECM proteins can influence both the production and the state of activation of these matrix metalloproteinases.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Osteon pullout in the equine third metacarpal bone: Effects of ex vivo fatigue
Authors: Hiller L. P. , Stover S. M. , Gibson V. A. , Gibeling J. C. , Prater C. S. , Hazelwood S. J. , Yeh O. C. , Martin R. B.
Published: May 2003

An important concept in bone mechanics is that osteons influence mechanical properties in several ways, including contributing to toughness and fatigue strength by debonding from the interstitial matrix so as to „bridge”︁ developing cracks. Observations of „pulled out„ osteons on fracture surfaces are thought to be indicative of such behavior. We tested the hypothesis that osteon pullout varies with mode of loading (fatigue vs. monotonic), cortical region, elastic modulus, and fatigue life. Mid‐diaphseal beams from the dorsal, medial, and lateral regions of the equine third metacarpal bone were fractured in four point bending by monotonic loading to failure under deflection control, with or without 105cycles of previous fatigue loading producing 5000 microstrain (15–20% of the expected failure strain) on the first cycle; or sinusoidal fatigue loading to failure, under load or deflection control, with the initial cycle producing 10,000 microstrain (30–40% of the expected failure strain). Using scanning electron microscopy, percent fracture surface area exhibiting osteon pullout (%OP.Ar) was measured. Monotonically loaded specimens and the compression side of fatigue fracture surfaces exhibited no osteon pullout. In load‐controlled fatigue, pullout was present on the tension side of fracture surfaces, was regionally dependent (occurring to a greater amount dorsally), and was correlated negatively with elastic modulus and positively with fatigue life. Regional variation in %OP.Ar was also significant for the pooled (load and deflection controlled) fatigue specimens. %OP.Ar was nearly significantly greater in deflection controlled fatigue specimens than in load‐controlled specimens (p< 0.059). The data suggest that tensile fatigue loading of cortical bone eventually introduces damage that results in osteonal debonding and pullout, which is also associated with increased fatigue life via mechanisms that are not yet clear.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Development of a motion‐controlled in vitro elbow testing system
Authors: Dunning Cynthia E. , Gordon Karen D. , King Graham J. W. , Johnson James A.
Published: May 2003

Joint simulators can be used to study motion pathways of a human joint, to investigate changes in joint stability following injury, and to formulate improved reconstructive and rehabilitative procedures. Our objectives were: to develop a laboratory‐based, motion‐controlled elbow testing apparatus capable of simulating tendon (muscle) loading and displacement in a cadaveric specimen; to describe its performance while testing stable and unstable elbows; and to compare its operation to that of a previously designed load‐controlled device. Velocity control of a pneumatic actuator was achieved using a custom‐written, closed‐loop feedback controller. This actuator was incorporated into an elbow testing system that used additional pneumatic actuators and a combination of motion‐ and load‐control to achieve desired motions. Simulations achieved with this apparatus demonstrated small magnitudes of error in actuator position and highly repeatable flexion pathways with the specimens positioned in vertical, varus, and valgus orientations. The repeatability in motion pathways generated in both a stable and unstable elbow model was equivalent to or better than for similar tests performed using the load‐controlled system, and the velocity of the resulting elbow motion was more reproducible.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biochemical markers of bone turnover and development of heterotopic ossification after total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Wilkinson J. Mark , Stockley Ian , Hamer Andrew J. , Barrington N. Ann , Eastell Richard
Published: May 2003

We studied biochemical markers of bone turnover markers in 20 men and women over 26 weeks after total hip arthroplasty (THA) in order to characterize the changes in bone metabolism associated with developing heterotopic ossification (HO). Transient increases in biochemical markers of both osteoclast and osteoblast activity occurred after surgery. Subjects developing HO (n = 9) had greater rises in the osteoclast marker C‐telopeptide of type‐I collagen (CTX‐I; ANOVA P = 0.004), and the osteoblast markers N‐terminal propeptide of type‐I procollagen (PINP; ANOVA P − 0.01) and osteocalcin (OC; ANOVA P − 0.02) than those who did not develop HO. A rise of > 42% in CTX‐I at one week after surgery had a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 82% for predicting HO development at week 26 (P < 0.05). Rises of > 57% in PINP and > 13% in OC at week 6 had sensitivities of 89% and 56%, and specificities of 82% and 91%, respectively for development of HO. Transient increases in osteoblast and osteoclast activity occur after THA. These changes are greater in patients developing HO than in those who do not develop HO. The potential applications of these markers are as a non‐invasive, radiation‐free tool for investigating the pathogenesis of HO, and as an early surrogate outcome marker for HO development in clinical trials of novel prophylaxis regimes for its prevention.

© 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
The healing medial collateral ligament following a combined anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament injury—a biomechanical study in a goat model
Authors: Abramowitch Steven D. , Yagi Masayoshi , Tsuda Eiichi , Woo Savio L.‐Y.
Published: May 2003

The ideal treatment of a combined anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury to the knee is still debated. In particular, the question of whether reconstruction of the ACL can provide the knee with sufficient multidirectional stability to allow for effective MCL healing needs to be better elucidated. Therefore, the first objective of this study was to quantify the changes in the function of goat knees between time‐zero and 6 weeks following a combined ACL/MCL injury treated with ACL reconstruction. Using a robotic/universal force–moment sensor testing system, the kinematics of the knee and in situ forces in the ACL/ACL graft as well as in the sham‐operated and healing MCL were evaluated in response to (1) a 67 N anterior–posterior (A–P) tibial load and (2) a 5 N m varus–valgus (V–V) moment. The second objective was to evaluate the structural properties of the healing femur–MCL–tibia complex (FMTC) and the mechanical properties of the healing MCL at 6 weeks under uniaxial tension.

In response to the 67 N A–P tibial load, the A–P translations for the experimental knee increased by as much as 4.5 times from time‐zero to 6 weeks (p < 0.05). Correspondingly, the in situ forces in the ACL graft decreased by as much as 45% (p < 0.05). There was no measurable changes of the in situ force in the healing MCL. In response to a 5 N m V–V moment, V–V rotations were twice as much as controls, but similar for both time periods. From time‐zero to 6 weeks, the in situ forces in the ACL graft dropped by over 71% (p < 0.05), while the in situ force in the healing MCL was as much as 35 ± 19 N.

In terms of the structural properties of the healing FMTC, the stiffness and ultimate load values at 6 weeks reached 53% and 29% of sham‐operated contralateral controls, respectively (p < 0.05). For the mechanical properties of the healing MCL substance, the values for tangent modulus and tensile strength were only 13% and 10% of sham‐operated controls, respectively (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the ACL graft stabilized the knee initially, but became loose over time. As a result, the healing MCL may have been required to take on excessive loads and was unable to heal sufficiently as compared to an isolated MCL injury. © 2003 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
The wealth effects from a subordinated debt policy: evidence from passage of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act
Authors: Chen Andrew H , Robinson Kenneth J , Siems Thomas F
Published: May 2003

Using an event study methodology which assumes that returns follow a GARCH (1,1) process, we estimate the wealth effects of a possible subordinated debt policy by examining the stock market reaction to the passage of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley (GLB) Act. A portfolio of banks with relatively high amounts of subordinated debt experienced positive and significant wealth effects associated with passage of the GLB. Portfolios made up of all banks, and those with no subordinated debt experience statistically insignificant wealth effects. We argue that these results suggest that policymakers should consider the use of subordinated debt as a way to enhance market discipline on banks.
“Liable to be anything”: The Creation of Joe Christmas in Faulkner's Light in August
Authors: ROBINSON OWEN
Published: May 2003

Joe Christmas, the central figure of William Faulkner's Light in August (1932), is in many ways the archetypal character of the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, largely because his engagement with so many regional and theoretical archetypes undermines the authority of any one of them while displaying dramatically their cumulative effect as a multiform, created life. Such is the complexity of his presence and role in Light in August and Yoknapatawpha, that he suggests himself strongly as a means of considering the personal manifestations of the county's sprawling network of readings and writings as a theoretical mass. Indeed, for one of the most apparent characters in Faulkner's work, in terms of the strength of his actions and their results, he is phenomenally hard to pin down; this, indeed, is at the root of many of his problems and the problems of those who try to define him. To an extreme extent, Christmas forces us to see creative activity on every level of the fictive process: Faulkner and his reader, Joe himself and the numerous interpreters he has in the novel, and, crucially, in the encounters and tensions between them. As such, he is a pertinent means of comprehending the analogous nature of the writing and reading to be found within Yoknapatawpha with that of the series of novels in which the county is sited. In attempting to understand Joe Christmas, therefore, we must abandon any hope of discovering any singular or defining answers, and engage with him on the dialogic terms he demands.
“Be Up and Doing”: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Poetic Labor
Authors: ANDERSON JILL
Published: May 2003

In the summer of 1838, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, then the Smith Professor of Modern Languages at Harvard, opened his public lectures on “Literature and Literary Life” by stating that he would be considering “Authors as Artists.” Asking that his auditors “Think not that thus I degrade the Poet's high vocation into a base handicraft,” Longfellow explained:

It was with no sarcastic meaning that the Icelanders of old called the Poet a Rhyme-Smith. He is God's workman; and amid the smoke and sparks about him, on his sound anvil forges the broad shield of Truth and weapons of her warfare.

Longfellow offered an analogy between poet and smith which hinged on conscious effort and on the service provided by the tangible products of that labor. Poems were “forged” objects, artifacts consciously produced by “God's workman.” Two years later, in autumn 1840, Longfellow composed “The Village Blacksmith”; the poem concluded:

Thus at the flaming forge of life

Our fortunes must be wrought;

Thus on its sounding anvil shaped

Each burning deed and thought.

By 1840, Longfellow no longer explicitly identified the poet's labor with the active work of the blacksmith. Having witnessed or imagined a blacksmith at work, Longfellow organized his impressions into “The Village Blacksmith,” which presented a particular interpretation of those perceptions – the moral of the poem – for the instruction of its readers.
The analogy between the poet and smith turned only on the lesson that the fact of each man's labor could provide to others. The poet was no longer a Rhyme-Smith; instead, he was an instructor who created abstract moral imperatives rather than tangible products.
Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings, and the Question of Race: An Ongoing Debate
Authors: NICOLAISEN PETER
Published: May 2003

Not many private relationships in history have received as much press attention in recent years as that between Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings. First alleged in 1802 by the journalist James Callender, who based his account on stories that had been current in Virginia for some years, the affair has since then been debated both in the scholarly community and by the general public to an unparalleled degree. The results of the DNA tests on male descendants of the Jefferson and Hemings families that were published in 1998 have added fuel to the debate. Meanwhile, its focus has shifted. The majority of those who have publicly expressed an opinion on the case, including the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation which owns and administers Monticello, now seem to agree that a sexual relationship between Jefferson and Sally Hemings did exist, and that it resulted in a number of children. The questions addressed today primarily concern the implications of the affair. What does the liaison between Jefferson and Sally Hemings mean for our understanding of the man Thomas Jefferson, and how does it affect the accomplishments he has generally been credited with? Given the little we know about her, how do we view Sally Hemings's role in the relationship, and how do we come to understand her as an individual living out her life in bondage? What, if any, are the consequences the affair has for an evaluation of interracial relationships as they existed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries?
Evaluation of diagnostic procedures for subclinical mastitis in meat-producing sheep
Authors: Clements Archie CA , Taylor David J , Fitzpatrick Julie L
Published: May 2003

Samples of foremilk were collected from 261 clinically normal glands of 150 ewes, and tested using the California mastitis test (CMT). Further samples were collected from 195 of these glands for determination of automated somatic cell counts (SCC), and from 60 of these glands for bacteriological assessment. The sensitivity and specificity of CMT for detecting samples with SCC above different threshold levels and for CMT and SCC in determining bacteriological status were evaluated using two-graph receiver operating characteristics (TG-ROC). Milk samples were obtained subsequently from ten CMT positive, and five CMT negative first- and second-lactation ewes. Samples were cultured using a variety of media, incubation temperatures and atmospheric conditions, immediately after collection, and 1 week after storage at 4°C and −21°C. Results suggested that CMT is best used as a diagnostic test for ovine subclinical mastitis (SCM) with a cut-off of 3 (distinct gel formation), and that automated SCC thresholds of >1200×103 cells/ml are appropriate, especially where low prevalences are expected (e.g. <5%). Additionally, this study showed that routine bacteriological methods were appropriate for isolation of most species of pathogen responsible for ovine SCM, but storage of samples prior to culture, either at 4°C or −21°C, was detrimental to the isolation of several of these organisms.
Detection of Brucella spp. in soft cheese by semi-nested polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Tantillo Giuseppina M , Di Pinto Angela , Buonavoglia Canio
Published: May 2003

Brucellae are Gram-negative bacteria with a predilection for the reticuloendothelial system and the reproductive tract of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. In these species brucellosis is of great economic significance because of the resulting abortion and infertility (Samartino et al. 1993; Corbel, 1997; Altecruse et al. 1998). Human brucellosis, caused by contamination from infected animals (percutaneous, conjunctival or nasal infection), is very common and remains a serious health hazard in Mediterranean Europe, western Asia, and parts of Africa and South America (Boschiroli et al. 2001). Raw milk, butter, ice-cream and unpasteurized cheese are also potential vehicles for the transmission of Brucella.
Effects of lactoperoxidase and hydrogen peroxide on rheological properties of yoghurt
Authors: Özer Barbaros , Grandison Alistair , Robinson Richard , Atamer Metin
Published: May 2003

The effects of activation of the lactoperoxidase (LPO) system by H2O2–NaSCN and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the accessibility of sulphydryl groups (SH) in skimmed milk, and on the dynamic rheological properties of the resulting yoghurt were investigated. Four different concentrations of each reagent (20–80 mg H2O2–NaSCN/kg milk and 100–400 mg H2O2/kg milk) were compared. Clear negative correlations were noted between the accessibility of SH groups and both LPO activation rate and H2O2 concentration. Also the native PAGE pattern of the heat-treated samples showed that with increase in the H2O2–NaSCN and H2O2 concentrations, the level of interaction between β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) and κ-casein (κ-CN) decreased. The complex modulus (G*) of skimmed milk yoghurts declined gradually with the decrease in the concentration of accessible SH groups accordingly. Tan δ values of yoghurt samples were found to be different from the control, but close to each other, indicating that protein interaction forces taking place in the formation of gel networks of treated yoghurts were different from the control.
Chromosomal location of the genetic determinants for bacteriocins produced by Lactobacillus gasseri K7
Authors: Čanžek Majhenič Andreja , Bogovič Matijašić Bojana , Rogelj Irena
Published: May 2003

The production of similar or even identical bacteriocins by different lactic acid bacteria is not a rare event. To take advantage of this finding, genetic determinants of the Lactobacillus K7 bacteriocins were tested for putative homologies with previously described bacteriocins of the Lactobacillus acidophilus group through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Among specific primer pairs of seven known bacteriocins, derived from their respective sequences, only acidocin LF221 A and B primers amplified fragments in chromosomal DNA of K7 strain that revealed strong similarity over small regions of LF221 bacteriocins. Treatment of Lactobacillus K7 with ethidium bromide and mitomycin C was ineffective in generating non-bacteriocinogenic derivatives and had no impact on plasmid loss either. Classification studies elucidated Lactobacillus K7 as a member of the Lactobacillus gasseri species.
Grammaticalization and modality: the emergence of a case-marked pronoun in Israeli Sign Language
Authors: MEIR IRIT
Published: May 2003

This paper focuses on the role of modality in determining certain properties of
grammaticalization processes in signed vs. spoken languages. The process examined here is the
evolution of a case-marked pronoun in the pronominal system of Israeli Sign Language. This pronoun
is shown to have evolved from the homophonous noun PERSON. The grammaticalization path leading
to the evolution of a case distinction is compared to the evolution of case markers in spoken
languages. This comparison reveals that languages in different modalities target different words
as sources for grammaticalization. Case markers in spoken languages usually evolve from certain
nouns or verbs denoting spatial relations, while in sign languages this is not the case. It is
suggested that this difference might be attributed to the scarcity of prepositions in sign
languages, and to the iconicity of spatial predicates, which may restrict the possible
grammaticalization processes in which they may participate.
False leads in the Franklin search
Authors: Ross W. Gillies
Published: May 2003

The strenuous and costly measures undertaken by the British Admiralty and others to find the missing expedition of Sir John Franklin during the period 1847–59 were hindered by malicious deceptions, misleading rumours, corrupted translations, unfortunate misunderstandings, and premature conclusions. The false leads included fake messages from Franklin, invented reports of his safety or death in various places, clairvoyant statements that placed him in several widely separated locations, discoveries of objects supposedly associated with his expedition, and distorted reports from Indians and Eskimos. The Admiralty had to investigate all leads, and this took time away from the planning and execution of more important measures.
Lack of association between depressive symptoms and markers of immune and vascular inflammation in middle-aged men and women
Authors: STEPTOE A. , KUNZ-EBRECHT S. R. , OWEN N.
Published: May 2003

Background. Disturbed immune activity and vascular inflammation are associated both with clinical depression and coronary atherogenesis, and may constitute a mechanism through which depression contributes to coronary heart disease. If this is the case, then non-clinical depressive symptoms and psychological distress should be associated with immune activation and vascular inflammation. We tested this hypothesis in a healthy middle-aged sample.

Method. Measures of depressive symptoms and hopelessness were obtained from 226 volunteers (122 men, 104 women) aged 47–59 years, drawn from the Whitehall II epidemiological cohort. C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, plasma interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, and T- and B-lymphocyte, and natural killer cells numbers and percentages were assessed.

Results. There were no associations between measures of depressive symptoms or hopelessness and markers of immune activation or inflammatory response.

Conclusions. Factors such as the measures of depressive symptoms, the choice of inflammatory and immune indices, and sample size, are unlikely to be responsible for these null effects. Associations may be confined to clinically depressed or older age populations, but there are problems of confounding by co-morbidity and health compromising behaviours in this literature. We conclude that disturbances of immune function and inflammatory processes are unlikely to be primarily responsible for the associations between depressive symptoms and coronary heart disease described in the literature, and that other pathways are involved.
Psychoendocrine antecedents of persistent first-episode major depression in adolescents: a community-based longitudinal enquiry
Authors: GOODYER I. M. , HERBERT J. , TAMPLIN A.
Published: May 2003

Background. This longitudinal study investigated whether patterns of cortisol and DHEA that precede the onset of an episode of major depression influence time to recovery in a community ascertained sample of adolescents meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depression.

Method. Sixty adolescents aged 12 to 16 at high risk for psychiatric disorders were followed for 24 months. At 12 months, 30 had experienced an episode of major depression and 30 had not. The second follow-up repeated the psychiatric evaluations with all participants completing the Kiddie-SADS Schedule for Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders. Hormone characteristics and self-reports completed at entry (the Mood and Feelings questionnaire and the Ruminations scale) together with intervening undesirable life events in the 12 months prior to onset, were used to determine the best pattern of psychosocial and endocrine features to predict persistent major depression.

Results. Compared to the never depressed (N=30) and remitted adolescents (N=19), persistently depressed cases (N=11) had a raised morning cortisol/DHEA ratio at entry. Only persistent cases had higher levels of self-reported depressive symptoms and ruminations at entry compared to never depressed. There was no difference in exposure to undesirable life events before onset of disorder between remitted and persistent groups. Logistic regression techniques showed that only the cortisol/DHEA ratio predicted persistence.

Conclusions. In community adolescents at high risk for psychiatric disorder persistent major depression may be distinguished from sporadic forms by the 08.00 h salivary cortisol/DHEA ratio prior to onset.
The perception of emotional chimeric faces in patients with depression, mania and unilateral brain damage
Authors: KUCHARSKA-PIETURA KATARZYNA , DAVID ANTHONY S.
Published: May 2003

Background. Judgements made on chimeric faces elicit reliably a perceptual bias to the left hemispace, presumed to be due to right hemisphere dominance for emotional processes. Major depressive illness has been shown to attenuate this bias. The aim of this work was to examine lateral perceptual bias in bipolar I and II patients in a hypomanic state and unipolar depressed patients and those with unilateral hemisphere damage following stroke.

Method. Sixty patients with DSM-IV affective disorder (30 bipolar I or II, currently hypomanic, 30 unipolar depressives), 30 right brain-damaged patients, 30 left brain-damaged patients and 30 healthy controls were given the Happy–Sad Chimeric Faces Test.

Results. Right hemisphere damaged and unipolar depressed patients both showed a significantly reduced left hemispatial bias (LHB) compared to controls, bipolars and left brain-damaged patients. No significant difference in mean LHB between controls and both hypomanics and left brain-damaged patients was found. There was no significant association between LHB and clinical variables.

Conclusions. The results suggest a physiological distinction between bipolar and unipolar depression. The significantly diminished left hemifacial bias in depressed patients suggests right hemisphere dysfunction.
Slow binocular rivalry in bipolar disorder
Authors: MILLER S. M. , GYNTHER B. D. , HESLOP K. R. , LIU G. B. , MITCHELL P. B. , NGO T. T. , PETTIGREW J. D. , GEFFEN L. B.
Published: May 2003

Background. The rate of binocular rivalry has been reported to be slower in subjects with bipolar disorder than in controls when tested with drifting, vertical and horizontal gratings of high spatial frequency.

Method. Here we assess the rate of binocular rivalry with stationary, vertical and horizontal gratings of low spatial frequency in 30 subjects with bipolar disorder, 30 age- and sex-matched controls, 18 subjects with schizophrenia and 18 subjects with major depression. Along with rivalry rate, the predominance of each of the rivaling images was assessed, as was the distribution of normalized rivalry intervals.

Results. The bipolar group demonstrated significantly slower rivalry than the control, schizophrenia and major depression groups. The schizophrenia and major depression groups did not differ significantly from the control group. Predominance values did not differ according to diagnosis and the distribution of normalized rivalry intervals was well described by a gamma function in all groups.

Conclusions. The results provide further evidence that binocular rivalry is slow in bipolar disorder and demonstrate that rivalry predominance and the distribution of normalized rivalry intervals are not abnormal in bipolar disorder. It is also shown by comparison with previous work, that high strength stimuli more effectively distinguish bipolar from control subjects than low strength stimuli. The data on schizophrenia and major depression suggest the need for large-scale specificity trials. Further study is also required to assess genetic and pathophysiological factors as well as the potential effects of state, medication, and clinical and biological subtypes.
Family study of co-morbidity between major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders
Authors: KLEIN D. N. , LEWINSOHN P. M. , ROHDE P. , SEELEY J. R. , SHANKMAN S. A.
Published: May 2003

Background. Numerous studies have documented high rates of co-morbidity between major depressive disorder (MDD) and the anxiety disorders (ANX). However, the reason for this is unclear. Family studies provide one potentially useful approach for addressing this issue.

Method. We explored six explanations of the co-morbidity between MDD and ANX using a family study of a large community sample of young adults and their first-degree relatives. Participants included 112 probands with a lifetime history of both MDD and one or more ANX, 290 probands with a history of MDD but no ANX, 43 probands with a history of one or more ANX but no MDD, 352 probands with no lifetime history of either MDD or ANX, and the probands' 2608 first-degree relatives. Probands were assessed using semi-structured diagnostic interviews on two occasions in adolescence and a third time at age 24. Diagnostic data on relatives were collected using both direct and family history interviews.

Results. Compared with controls, MDD aggregated in the families of probands with MDD, whether or not they had co-morbid ANX; ANX aggregated in the families of probands with ANX, regardless of whether they had co-morbid MDD; and co-morbid MDD/ANX aggregated only in the families of probands with both MDD and ANX. The relatives of probands with ANX alone had a significantly higher rate of ANX than the relatives of probands with MDD alone, although none of the other comparisons between the depressed and anxious groups were significant.

Conclusions. This pattern of findings is largely, although not completely, consistent with the view that MDD and ANX are transmitted independently within families, and suggests that the co-morbidity between MDD and ANX is caused by non-familial aetiological factors.