bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Think of the Hippopotamus: Rights Consciousness in the Fat Acceptance Movement
Authors: Kirkland Anna
Published: May 2008

All the recent attention to the so-called obesity epidemic provides a fascinating context for understanding interactions between civil rights consciousness and the ordinary lives of fat people, who both deploy and resist the ideological formations that make up our most basic presumptions about who deserves rights protections. This study of fat acceptance advocates asks how stigmatized people who are excluded from legal protections muster descriptions of themselves as deserving inclusion in antidiscrimination laws. Analysis of in-depth interviews with fat acceptance advocates from around the United States reveals elaborate techniques for managing social life and enacting legality that coexist with more narrowly framed and contradictory arguments for rights. Culturally dominant logics for reasoning about what persons deserve prefigure what is possible to say in defense of fat people, in many ways even for fat advocates themselves. And yet in their struggles to overcome the limitations of the presumptions they are given, fat advocates reveal deep tensions in our antidiscrimination ethics and hint at a new way to think about difference.
Synchronizing Karma: The Internalization and Externalization of a Shared, Personal Belief
Authors: Carlisle Steven G.
Published: May 2008

AbstractWhen people internalize cultural materials, they do not absorb them as passive recipients but, rather, adapt and apply them in ways that satisfy personal needs while also expressing them in ways acceptable to the community. It is not just a process of moving things into the individual but one of synchronizing imaginings of experience. For Bangkok's Buddhists, karma is a concept that is both culturally shared and, often, deeply personal. Karmic experiences are understood individually and shared through personal karmic narratives. A set of shared standards determines which stories can be accepted as describing karmic experiences while also serving to shape the individual's interpretations of those experiences. Although social monitoring of interpretations of individual experiences makes belief in karma acceptable, the intersection of abstract doctrine with personal interpretations gives the doctrine a nearly undeniable veracity. Therefore, synchronized karmic beliefs thrive, despite Bangkok's rapid development and cultural change. Addressing dynamics of synchronization moves psychological anthropology beyond frameworks of acquisition and internalization to considerations of negotiating agency in the reproduction of culture. [Buddhism, internalization, karma, imagination, narrative]
Conceptualizing Spirit Possession: Ethnographic and Experimental Evidence
Authors: Cohen Emma , Barrett Justin L.
Published: May 2008

AbstractWe report the findings of a programmatic series of studies designed to investigate the cognitive underpinnings of cross‐culturally recurrent forms of possession belief. Possession phenomena are frequently portrayed in the anthropological literature as incompatible with common cultural assumptions and biases guiding Western notions of “self” and “personhood” and as resisting generalization and explication in comparative theoretical analysis. Our findings concerning the cognitive capacities and constraints that facilitate the emergence and transmission of possession concepts support the position that certain fundamental aspects of these concepts' forms are explainable in terms of ordinary, panhuman cognitive function. Ethnographic and experimental data indicate that successful possession concepts (e.g., those that entail the effective displacement of the host's agency by the possessing spirit's agency) emerge and spread, in part, because they effectively exploit universal cognitive mechanisms that deal with our everyday social and physical worlds and that this contributes to their enhanced incidence, communicability, memorability, and inferential potential relative to less “cognitively optimal,” less widespread possession concepts. [spirit possession, cognitive science of culture, cultural transmission, Afro‐Brazilian religion, mind‐body dualism]
Calmodulin Localization and its Effects on Endocytic and Phagocytic Membrane Trafficking in Paramecium multimicronucleatum
Authors: FOK AGNES K. , AIHARA MARILYNN S. , ISHIDA MASAKI , ALLEN RICHARD D.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT. In ciliates, calmodulin (CaM), as in other cells, has multiple functions, such as activation of regulatory enzymes and modulating calcium‐dependent cellular processes. By immunogold localization, CaM is concentrated at multiple sites in Paramecium. It is seen scattered over the cytosol, but bound to its matrix, and is concentrated at the pores of the contractile vacuole complexes and with at least three microtubular arrays. It was localized peripheral to the nine‐doublet microtubules of the ciliary axonemes. The most striking localization was on the akinetic side only of the cytopharyngeal microtubular ribbons opposite the side where the discoidal vesicles, acidosomes and the 100‐nm carrier vesicles bind and move. CaM was also present at the periphery of the postoral microtubular bundles along which the early vacuole moves and was associated with the cytoproct microtubules that guide the spent digestive vacuoles to the cytoproct. It was not found on the membranes of, or in the interior of nuclei, mitochondria, phagosomes, and trichocysts, and was only sparsely scattered over the cytosolic sides of discoidal vesicles, acidosomes, lysosomes, and digestive vacuoles. Together the associations with specific microtubular arrays and the effects of trifluoperazine and calmidazolium indicate that CaM is involved (i) in vesicle transport to the cytopharynx area for vacuole formation and subsequent vacuole acidification, (ii) in early vacuole transport along the postoral fiber, and (iii) in transporting the spent vacuole to the cytoproct. Higher CaM concentrations subjacent to the cell's pellicle and close to the decorated tubules of the contractile vacuole complex may support a role for CaM in ion traffic.
α‐ and β‐Tubulin Phylogenies Support a Close Relationship Between the Microsporidia Brachiola algerae and Antonospora locustae
Authors: LEE RENNY C.H. , WILLIAMS BRYONY A.P. , BROWN AMANDA M.V. , ADAMSON MARTIN L. , KEELING PATRICK J. , FAST NAOMI M.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT. Microsporidia are a large and diverse group of intracellular parasites related to fungi. Much of our understanding of the relationships between microsporidia comes from phylogenies based on a single gene, the small subunit (SSU) rRNA, because only this gene has been sampled from diverse microsporidia. However, SSUrRNA trees are limited in their ability to resolve basal branches and some microsporidian affiliations are inconsistent between different analyses. Protein phylogenies have provided insight into relationships within specific groups of microsporidia, but have rarely been applied to the group as a whole. We have sequenced α‐ and β‐tubulins from microsporidia from three different subgroups, including representatives from what have previously been inferred to be the basal branches, allowing the broadest sampled protein‐based phylogenetic analysis to date. Although some relationships remain unresolved, many nodes uniting subgroups are strongly supported and consistent in both individual trees as well as a concatenate of both tubulins. One such relationship that was previously unclear is between Brachiola algerae and Antonospora locustae, and their close association with Encephalitozoon and Nosema. Also, an uncultivated microsporidian that infects cyclopoid copepods is shown to be related to Edhazardia aedis.
A New Divergent Type of Eukaryotic Methionine Adenosyltransferase is Present in Multiple Distantly Related Secondary Algal Lineages
Authors: SANCHEZ‐PEREZ GABINO F. , HAMPL VLADIMIR , SIMPSON ALASTAIR G. B. , ROGER ANDREW J.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT. S‐adenosylmethionine is one of the most important metabolites in living cells and is synthesized in a single reaction catalyzed by methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT). At the sequence and structural level, this enzyme is one of the most conserved proteins known. Here we show that some representatives of three distantly related eukaryotic lineages—dinoflagellates, haptophytes, and euglenids—possess a highly divergent type of MAT, which we call MATX. Even though MATX contains all the sites known to be involved in catalysis and the association of monomers, it also has four insertions throughout the protein that are not observed in other MAT homologs. The phylogenetic distribution and affinities of MATX suggest that it originated in a single eukaryotic lineage and was spread via multiple events of eukaryote‐to‐eukaryote lateral gene transfer. We suggest a tentative model in which the origin of MATX is connected with the progression of secondary endosymbiosis.
Microstructure–Thermal Conductivity Relationships for Plasma‐Sprayed Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia Coatings
Authors: Chi Weiguang , Sampath Sanjay , Wang Hsin
Published: May 2008

The microstructures of plasma‐sprayed yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings are complex, contributing to challenges in establishing microstructure–thermal conductivity relationships. Furthermore, the dynamic evolution of microstructure and properties during service offers a significant challenge in defining design strategies and extended coating performance. In this paper, the relationship between microstructure and thermal conductivity is investigated for three sets of plasma‐sprayed YSZ coating systems prepared using different morphology powders, different particle size distributions, and controlled modification of particle states through plasma torch parameters. Both ambient and temperature‐dependent thermal conductivity were conducted in the as‐sprayed and thermally aged states. The results suggest that a range of thermal conductivities can be achieved from the coatings, offering potential for microstructural tailoring for desired performance. The results also demonstrate that different as‐deposited microstructures display varying propensity for sintering and these attributes need to be considered in the design and manufacturing cycle. This expansive study of a range of coatings has also allowed synthesis of the results through thermal conductivity–porosity maps and has allowed elucidation of the contributing microstructural components for both the ambient and high‐temperature thermal conductivity. Considering that the operating thermal transport mechanisms are different at these two temperature extremes, such mapping strategies are of value to both science and technology.
Scholarship in Emergency Medicine in an Environment of Increasing Clinical Demand: Proceedings from the 2007 Association of American Medical Colleges Annual Meeting
Authors: Schrader Chet , Barsan William G. , Gordon James A. , Hollander Judd , King Brent R. , Lewis Roger , Richardson Lynne D. , Sklar David
Published: May 2008

Academic emergency medicine can benefit by broadening the way in which scholarship is defined to include teaching, integration of knowledge, application of knowledge to practical clinical problems and as discovery of new knowledge. A broad view of scholarship will help foster innovation and may lead to new areas of expertise. The creation of a scholarly environment in emergency medicine faces the continued challenge of an increasing clinical demand. The solution to this dilemma will likely require a mix of clinical staff physicians and academic faculty who are appreciated, nurtured and rewarded in different ways, for the unique contributions they make to the overall success of the academic program.
Who Can Speak for the Emergently Ill? Testing a Method to Identify Communities and Their Leaders
Authors: Merchant Raina M. , Rubright Jonathan D. , Pryor John P. , Karlawish Jason H. T.
Published: May 2008

Objectives: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires researchers to consult with the community prior to conducting research with exception from informed consent, but little is known about whether people support this and, if they do, who researchers should consult. We sought to determine if people could identify communities and leaders of those communities who researchers should consult with to represent their views about research that requires an exception from informed consent.

Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional interview study using a convenience sample of patients seeking care in an urban emergency department (ED) to determine if people belonged to specific communities and, if they did, if they could identify communities and leaders appropriate for consultation. Descriptive statistics were used to represent our findings.

Results: Most of the 262 participants approached for the study completed the interview (199; 76%). Of those interviewed, 122 (61%) were African American, 54 (27%) were white, 83 (42%) were male, and the mean (±standard deviation [SD]) age was 36.2 ± 14.4 years. Most, (194; 97%), identified that they belonged to a community and most (177; 89%), said that researchers could consult at least one of their communities for consultation about an exception from informed consent study. Participants typically named geographic and religious‐affiliated communities and leaders as appropriate for consultation.

Conclusion: Most participants identified a community and a leader of that community who researchers could consult about research with exception from informed consent. Geographic and faith‐based organizations could play an important role in consultation.
Therapeutic Effects and Anti‐inflammatory Mechanisms of Heparin on Acute Lung Injury in Rabbits
Authors: Wang Meitang , He Jian , Mei Bin , Ma Xiuqiang , Huo Zhenglu
Published: May 2008

Objectives:  The objectives were to investigate the potential beneficial effects and molecular mechanisms of heparin and low‐molecular‐weight heparin (LMWH) on acute lung injury (ALI).

Methods:  Forty‐eight rabbits were randomized into four groups: normal control group (Group A), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group (Group B), LPS + heparin group (Group C), and LPS + LMWH group (Group D). The rabbit ALI model was established by intravenous (IV) injection with LPS. Alveolar–arterial O2 difference (PA‐aO2), serum tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α), circulating p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) levels, lung nuclear factor (NF)‐κB levels, and lung dry/wet (D/W) ratio were measured, and the lung injury scores were calculated.

Results:  Lipopolysaccharide caused significant increases in PA‐aO2, serum TNF‐α, expression of p38 MAPK in polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), the lung injury scores, and nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) activity in the lung tissue and caused a decrease in lung D/W ratio. A positive linear correlation was found between p38 MAPK and TNF‐α at 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours (r = 0.68, 0.92, 0.93, and 0.93, respectively) and between NF‐κB and p38 MAPK and TNF‐α at 6 hours (r = 0.94 and 0.83, respectively). IV heparin or LMWH given after LPS treatment attenuated these changes in inflammatory response, oxygenation, p38 MAPK expression, and NF‐κB activation.

Conclusions:  The anti‐inflammatory mechanisms of heparin in ALI may be inhibiting p38 MAPK and NF‐κB activities, and then TNF‐α overexpression, thus alleviating the inflammatory reaction.

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2008; 15:1–8 © 2008 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Start making scents: the challenge of integrating chemistry into pollination ecology
Authors: Raguso Robert A.
Published: May 2008

Although research on plant volatiles and pollination ecology has grown explosively over the past 15 years, there remains little dialogue between these fields. Here I examine the historical and cultural reasons for this impasse, focusing on the ways that questions in each field are addressed, and the potential for productive cross‐talk. The specialization–generalization debate in pollination has cast doubt on the importance of sensory biology in mediating plant–pollinator interactions on the community scale. However, chemical ‘filters’ of volatile or nectar‐borne repellents are likely to explain the absence of specific interactions in plant–pollinator webs. In addition, the omission of plant volatiles from path analyses measuring the relative impacts of herbivores and pollinators on plant fitness may be one reason for large unexplained variance terms in such models. Floral scent functions in concert with visual and gustatory cues by attracting pollinators from a distance, increasing approaches and landings, and mediating outcrossing rates through changes in visitation frequency and duration. All dimensions of floral chemistry, including ontogenetic and diel variation in scent emissions, have the potential to respond to balancing selection between herbivores and pollinators. The available data reveal that chemical aspects of floral phenotypes are important across the specialization–generalization spectrum, and thus are widely applicable to mainstream pollination ecology.
Plants, gall midges, and fungi: a three‐component system
Authors: Rohfritsch Odette
Published: May 2008

Larvae of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) induce the activation of plant cells, partial cell lysis, and differentiation of nutritive tissue. Specialized nutritive tissue is essential for larval development and plays a key role in gall organization. Midges of the tribes Lasiopterini and Asphondyliini, however, do not induce nutritive tissues as part of the formation of their galls. Instead, these ‘ambrosia galls’ contain fungal mycelia that line the interior surface of the chambers. The fungi not only provide Lasiopterini with nutrition, they also penetrate the stems, induce the lysis of the middle lamella of host cells, and open a channel to the vascular bundles. Larvae of Lasioptera arundinis (Schiner) (Lasiopterini) follow the fungus and feed on its mycelium along with adjoining stem cells of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. (Poaceae). Eggs together with fungal conidia are deposited by the imago on the host. Asphondyliini use a needle‐like ovipositor to introduce fungal conidia and eggs into the organs they attack. Larvae of Schizomyia galiorum Kieffer (Asphondyliini) are unable to initiate the gall or to develop in the flowers of Galium mollugo L. (Rubiaceae) without their fungal associate. In this article, I provide an overview of oviposition behaviour in the Asphondyliini, as well as descriptions of the ovipositor and the female post‐abdominal segments. Gall formation by Lasiopterini and Asphondyliini and the role of associated fungi are discussed, as is the role of the fungus as an inquiline or an organizer of gall tissues and a nutritive device.
Targeting of the Ring Exported Protein 1 to the Maurer’s Clefts is Mediated by a Two‐Phase Process
Authors: Dixon Matthew W. A. , Hawthorne Paula L. , Spielmann Tobias , Anderson Karen L. , Trenholme Katharine R. , Gardiner Donald L.
Published: May 2008

Early development of Plasmodium falciparum within the erythrocyte is characterized by the large‐scale export of proteins to the host cell. In many cases, export is mediated by a short sequence called the Plasmodium export element (PEXEL) or vacuolar transport signal; however, a number of previously characterized exported proteins do not contain such an element. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of export of the PEXEL‐negative ring exported protein 1 (REX1). This protein localizes to the Maurer’s clefts, parasite‐induced structures in the host‐cell cytosol. Transgenic parasites expressing green fluorescent protein–REX1 chimeras revealed that the single hydrophobic stretch plus an additional 10 amino acids mediate the export of REX1. Biochemical characterization of these chimeras indicated that REX1 was exported as a soluble protein. Inclusion of a sequence containing a predicted coiled‐coil motif led to the correct localization of REX1 at the Maurer’s clefts, suggesting that association with the clefts occurs at the final stage of protein export only. These results indicate that PEXEL‐negative exported proteins can be exported in a soluble state and that sequences without any apparent resemblance to a PEXEL motif can mediate export across the parasitophorous vacuole membrane.
Protein and Energy Interactions Throughout Life1
Authors: YOUNG VERNON R. , YU YONG‐MING , FUKAGAWA NAOMI K.
Published: May 2008

We review selected aspects of the interactions between protein and energy in human metabolism and nutrition. Following a short account of the underlying metabolic basis for the effects of energy on protein metabolism, the contribution made by whole body protein turnover to the metabolic rate is discussed, including the relationship between protein turnover and energy metabolism at different phases of life. The effects of changes in energy metabolism and intake on the nitrogen economy of the host are also reviewed briefly and we explore the relationship between amino acid oxidation and requirements for indispensable amino acids. Interactions between energy and protein metabolism need to be investigated in greater detail and also they must be considered in relation to further attempts to establish more precisely energy and amino acid requirements of people under various circumstances.
Dietary Allowances: What to Recommend
Authors: WHITEHEAD R. G.
Published: May 2008

Within recent years Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) have come to play a major role in a wide range of governmental, health and industrial affairs. Each of these applications, however, sets different specific requirements. All too frequently the basic RDA values end up by becoming processed in ways which exceed the limits of the science on which the recommendations were formulated. Currently, the same sets of RDAs are being applied to functions as varied as food labelling, public health assessments of populations, agricultural planning, the organisation of diets for institutional feeding and the diagnosis of under‐nutrition or malnutrition. In order that these actions can be carried out effectively and meaningfully, a knowledge of how RDAs are derived and expressed is essential.
Teeth for the Future
Authors: GEDDES D. A. M.
Published: May 2008

The main dietary influences on teeth are, with the exception of ingested fluoride, local rather than systemic. The frequent use of carbohydrates which can be rapidly fermented by dental plaque micro‐organisms is the major factor in dental decay. Sweetened and/or highly acidic soft drinks or medicines sweetened with sugars may damage the teeth. Similarly infant's comforters also have their dangers if they provide prolonged exposure of the teeth to cariogenic conditions. Although dental caries is primarily a disease of children many adults still develop new lesions and adults who have lost gingival tissue through periodontal disease may develop root surface caries. Pathological conditions of the oral mucosa can arise from nutritional disorders or inappropriate dietary habits. Health education is most effective when it carries a positive message so encouraging patients to eat the right kind of tasty snacks and to round off meals with sugar‐free products or a modicum of cheese should in healthier eating without conflicting with general health guidelines.
Bones for the Future
Authors: BOYLE I. T.
Published: May 2008

In the course of the present century the major metabolic bone problem in the West of Scotland and Northern Europe in general has changed from that of rickets/osteomalacia with its attendant deformity and loss of stature, to osteoporosis and a consequent epidemic of fractures in older people. Advances in understanding the intermediary metabolism of vitamin D have resulted in a better appreciation of the role of air pollution in the rickets pandemic during the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, but the persistence of the problem in Asian immigrants and in certain special clinical situations has led to a reappraisal of the importance of dietary constituents other than vitamin D itself. Technical advances in the measurement of bone mass have permitted a closer examination of the aetiological factors influencing bone mass and fracture incidence. It seems likely that there is a relationship between increased dietary calcium intake in childhood and adolescence and peak bone mass in the fourth decade, but the definition of “adequate” and “optimum” remains insecure. The most important reason for women becoming at risk of fracture in later life relates to the dramatic reduction in bone mass consequent upon the menopause—a feature which can be arrested by the administration of oestrogen but hardly at all by calcium. The bulk of evidence supports the view that the negative calcium balance found in post menopausal osteoporosis is a consequence rather than a cause, and that dietary calcium can only—if at all—influence the course of events if pushed up to unusually—and for many, intolerably—high levels. Although other life style components such as exercise, alcohol consumption or cigarette smoking may also have a role, the principal impact on reducing the problem of post menopausal fracture is likely to be through the wider acceptance of hormone replacement therapy.
Place of Birth and Adult Cardiovascular Disease: The British Regional Heart Study
Authors: SHAPER A. G. , ELFORD JONATHAN
Published: May 2008

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is almost certainly a nutritional disorder related to the quality and quantity of dietary fats and mediated by blood and tissue lipid concentrations. There is current controversy as to when the underlying process of atherosclerosis is initiated and whether the critical susceptibility to CHD may be established in utero or infancy. Blood pressure and hypertension may also be nutritionally based, and the age at which the rate of rise in blood pressure with age is determined is also controversial.

The British Regional Heart Study (BRHS) involves 7735 middleaged men from 24 towns in England, Wales and Scotland and reveals that average blood cholesterol levels in these towns show no relationship to CHD mortality but all are high by international standards. Blood pressure levels vary markedly between the 24 towns and relate strongly to CHD mortality patterns, which are highest in Scotland and lowest in the South of England.

The hypothesis relating adult blood pressures and CHD mortality to foetal and infant life circumstances has been examined using the data on birthplace and place of examination of the BRHS men. Regardless of where they were born, men living and examined in the South had lower mean blood pressures than men living in Scotland. The highest mean blood pressures were observed in Scotland, irrespective of where the men had been born. For CHD, regardless of their place of birth, men living in the South had a lower risk of CHD than men living elsewhere. The geographic zone of examination appeared to be more important than the zone of birth in determining the risk of CHD and the level of blood pressure.

While patterns of nutrition during pregnancy, in infancy and childhood may be of importance for some outcomes, such as height, it seems that exposure to risk factors during adult life predominantly determine the outcome in cardiovascular disease.
The Nutritional Consequences of Gastrointestinal Disease in Adolescence
Authors: BOOTH IAN W.
Published: May 2008

The growth spurt of adolescence, during which body weight nearly doubles and height increases by 16%, demands an increased delivery of nutrients by the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic disorders of digestion and absorption at this age, therefore have a potentially profound effect upon growth, skeletal maturation and sexual development. Moreover, the emotional climate of adolescence, which requires affiliation with peer groups, and a distancing from authority figures such as doctors and parents, is often associated with a deterioration in drug and dietary compliance and with erratic clinic attendance. Nutritional problems in adolescent patients with Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis and coeliac disease are the most common. About one third of adolescents with Crohn's disease experience growth failure and delayed sexual development, probably as a consequence of long‐term undernutrition. There is a strong argument for the care of these patients being in the hands of paediatric gastroenterologists. Enteral nutrition, often administered overnight, is successful in inducing catch‐up growth, and reducing steroid dosage, although resection of diseased gut is often followed by good growth, and surgery should not be overlooked. Cystic fibrosis in adolescence is commonly complicated by protein‐energy malnutrition. Pathogenesis includes anorexia, maldigestion and an increase in resting energy expenditure. Malnutrition has been treated by a number of enteral regimens. In general, there is no place for repeated, short‐term interventions of less than 6 months. Long‐term studies have all shown good nutritional repletion and growth, but results with respect to improved respiratory function are conflicting. More prospective control trials are needed before the precise indications for enteral nutrition in cystic fibrosis can be accurately defined. Once started it is difficult to stop, although preoperative treatment of patients awaiting heart‐lung transplantation seems entirely appropriate. The major problem in the managment of coeliac disease in adolescence is dietary compliance. Even those patients who claim to have good dietary compliance often have jejunal biopsy evidence of gluten ingestion and tend to be underweight. This is particularly worrying, as after 5 years adherence to a gluten free diet, the increased risk of gastrointestinal malignancy appears to return to normal.
Protein interactions in the sumoylation cascade – lessons from X‐ray structures
Authors: Tang Zhongshu , Hecker Christina M. , Scheschonka Astrid , Betz Heinrich
Published: May 2008

Sumoylation is a multi‐step protein modification reaction in which SUMO (small ubiquitin‐like modifier) proteins are covalently attached to lysine residues of substrate proteins. Here, we compare the sequences and structures of modifiers and enzymes involved in sumoylation with those of the related ubiquitination and neddylation cascades. By using available structural data on modifier/enzyme/substrate interactions, we discuss and model sumoylation complexes that include SUMO‐1 and the E1 and E2 enzymes Aos1‐uba2 and ubc9, or SUMO‐1 and E2 together with the E3 ligase RanBP2 and its substrate RanGAP1. Their comparison provides insight into the protein interactions underlying sumoylation, and suggests how SUMO proteins may be translocated between enzymes during the various steps of the protein modification reaction.
Spatio‐temporal distribution of fatty acid‐binding protein 6 (fabp6) gene transcripts in the developing and adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Authors: Alves‐Costa Fernanda A. , Denovan‐Wright Eileen M. , Thisse Christine , Thisse Bernard , Wright Jonathan M.
Published: May 2008

We have determined the structure of the fatty acid‐binding protein 6 (fabp6) gene and the tissue‐specific distribution of its transcripts in embryos, larvae and adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). Like most members of the vertebrate FABP multigene family, the zebrafish fabp6 gene contains four exons separated by three introns. The coding region of the gene and expressed sequence tags code for a polypeptide of 131 amino acids (14 kDa, pI 6.59). The putative zebrafish Fabp6 protein shared greatest sequence identity with human FABP6 (55.3%) compared to other orthologous mammalian FABPs and paralogous zebrafish Fabps. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the zebrafish Fabp6 formed a distinct clade with the mammalian FABP6s. The zebrafish fabp6 gene was assigned to linkage group (chromosome) 21 by radiation hybrid mapping. Conserved gene synteny was evident between the zebrafish fabp6 gene on chromosome 21 and the FABP6/Fabp6 genes on human chromosome 5, rat chromosome 10 and mouse chromosome 11. Zebrafish fabp6 transcripts were first detected in the distal region of the intestine of embryos at 72 h postfertilization. This spatial distribution remained constant to 7‐day‐old larvae, the last stage assayed during larval development. In adult zebrafish, fabp6 transcripts were detected by RT‐PCR in RNA extracted from liver, heart, intestine, ovary and kidney (most likely adrenal tissue), but not in RNA from skin, brain, gill, eye or muscle. In situ hybridization of a fabp6 riboprobe to adult zebrafish sections revealed intense hybridization signals in the adrenal homolog of the kidney and the distal region of the intestine, and to a lesser extent in ovary and liver, a transcript distribution that is similar, but not identical, to that seen for the mammalian FABP6/Fabp6 gene.
The tetraspanin CD151 regulates cell morphology and intracellular signaling on laminin‐511
Authors: Yamada Masashi , Sumida Yasuhiro , Fujibayashi Akemi , Fukaguchi Kiyomitsu , Sanzen Noriko , Nishiuchi Ryoko , Sekiguchi Kiyotoshi
Published: May 2008

The tetraspanin CD151 forms a stable complex with integrin α3β1, a widely expressed laminin receptor, and is implicated in the regulation of integrin α3β1‐mediated cellular responses, including cell attachment, spreading and migration. However, the molecular mechanism by which CD151 regulates integrin α3β1 functions remains unclear. To address this issue, we knocked down CD151 expression in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells by RNA interference. When plated on laminin‐511 (laminin‐10), the CD151‐knocked‐down cells showed aberrant membrane protrusions and exhibited reductions in the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase, Src, p130Cas and paxillin. The formation of membrane protrusions was attenuated when the cells were either plated on surfaces coated with higher concentrations of laminin‐511 or treated with the integrin β1‐activating mAb TS2/16; however, neither treatment could rescue the reduced tyrosine phosphorylation. These results indicate that CD151 knockdown weakens the integrin α3β1‐mediated adhesion to laminin‐511 and thereby provokes an aberrant morphology, but this reduced adhesive activity is not involved in the decline of signaling events in CD151‐knocked‐down cells. Thus, our results suggest that CD151 regulates integrin α3β1 functions in two independent aspects: potentiation of integrin α3β1‐mediated cell adhesion and promotion of integrin α3β1‐stimulated signaling events involving tyrosine phosphorylation.
Microfabrication of Three‐Dimensional Photonic Crystals of SiO2–Al2O3 Ceramics and Their Terahertz Wave Properties
Authors: Chen Weiwu , Kirihara Soshu , Miyamoto Yoshinari
Published: May 2008

Dense three‐dimensional microphotonic crystals of SiO2–Al2O3 ceramics were fabricated using microstereolithography and successive sintering process. The forming dimensional tolerance for a 50 vol% ceramic paste is 10 μm and sintering shrinkage is around 12%. Diamond‐type photonic crystals with lattice constants of 500 and 125 μm were formed and sintered successfully. The band gaps of the samples were measured and compared with the theoretically calculated band diagram.
Net Shape Manufacturing of Three‐Dimensional SiCN Ceramic Microstructures Using an Isotropic Shrinkage Method by Introducing Shrinkage Guiders
Authors: Lim Tae Woo , Son Yong , Yang Dong‐Yol , Pham Tuan Anh , Kim Dong‐Pyo , Yang Byeong‐Il , Lee Kwang‐Sup , Park Sang Hu
Published: May 2008

The two‐photon cross‐linking (TPC) process using ceramic precursors is recognized as a unique fabrication means of real three‐dimensional (3D) ceramic microstructures. These structures can be applied to various microscale devices that are used in harsh conditions that demand high strength, high temperature endurance, and good chemical corrosion properties. However, the large shrinkage amount of 3D structures during pyrolysis is a serious limitation to the practical application of these structures; during pyrolysis, asymmetric distortion and shrinkage occur intrinsically. In an attempt to address this, a method is proposed for the precise fabrication of 3D ceramic microstructures that utilize shrinkage guiders to lead to isotropic shrinkage. SiCN ceramic woodpile structures were fabricated to show the efficiency and usefulness of the proposed method. In the results, the woodpiles showed no distortion after pyrolysis.
Immunohistochemical changes in the expression of HSP27 in exercised human vastus lateralis muscle
Authors: Folkesson M. , Mackey A. L. , Holm L. , Kjaer M. , Paulsen G. , Raastad T. , Henriksson J. , Kadi F.
Published: May 2008

Aim:  The role of HSP27 in the adaptive process of skeletal muscle to exercise, especially in humans, is not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate immunohistochemical changes in HSP27 expression in human vastus lateralis muscle following resistance and endurance exercises.

Methods:  Two different exercise protocols were used: (1) one‐leg ergometer cycling (EC, n = 6) consisting of two 30‐min bouts at 40% and 75% of peak oxygen uptake, respectively, and (2) leg extension resistance exercise (RE, n = 9) including 10 sets of eight repetitions at a load corresponding to 70% of one maximal repetition (1RM). Immunohistochemistry using specific monoclonal antibodies was used to determine the location of HSP27 protein in muscle biopsies from human vastus lateralis.

Results:  Our results show that RE, but not EC, induced a significant appearance of scattered accumulations of HSP27 protein in muscle fibres from five of nine subjects. The number of fibres with accumulation of HSP27 in RE ranged from 0% to 32% with a mean of 6.3% of the total number of fibres.

Conclusion:  We conclude that this rapid HSP27 protein relocation after RE is an important player in the cellular remodelling of human muscle fibres in response to exercise involving high‐force contractions, but not in response to endurance exercises.
A Lack of Amyloid β Plaques Despite Persistent Accumulation of Amyloid β in Axons of Long‐Term Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Chen Xiao‐Han , Johnson Victoria E. , Uryu Kunihiro , Trojanowski John Q. , Smith Douglas H.
Published: May 2008

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Additionally, TBI induces AD‐like amyloid β (Aβ) plaque pathology within days of injury potentially resulting from massive accumulation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in damaged axons. Here, progression of Aβ accumulation was examined using brain tissue from 23 cases with post‐TBI survival of up to 3 years. Even years after injury, widespread axonal pathology was consistently observed and was accompanied by intra‐axonal co‐accumulations of APP with its cleavage enzymes, beta‐site APP cleaving enzyme and presenilin‐1 and their product, Aβ. However, in marked contrast to the plaque pathology noted in short‐term cases post TBI, virtually no Aβ plaques were found in long‐term survivors. A potential mechanism for Aβ plaque regression was suggested by the post‐injury accumulation of an Aβ degrading enzyme, neprilysin. These findings fail to support the premise that progressive plaque pathology after TBI ultimately results in AD.
Analyzing the Sensory Characteristics and Taste‐Sensor Ions of MSG Substitutes
Authors: Jo M.‐N. , Lee Y.‐M.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT:  This study analyzed the sensory attributes of MSG substitutes to determine whether they exerted synergistic or inhibition effects on taste, and the correlation between sensory attributes (which are subjective measures) and the results of electronic‐tongue analysis (which are objective measures). Descriptive and electronic‐tongue analyses were conducted with 10 MSG substitutes comprising combinations of 3 commercial products, and with MSG. In the descriptive analysis, the sensory characteristics of MSG substitutes were evaluated using 16 attributes; and in the electronic‐tongue analysis, the taste‐sensor ions of MSG substitutes were evaluated using 10 taste‐sensor types. Principal components analysis was applied separately to the sensory evaluation data and the electronic‐tongue data to summarize the structure of each data set. Partial least‐squares regression was used to assess the relationship between the sensory evaluation data and the electronic‐tongue data. The MSG substitutes show different sensory attributes when they are used alone or in mixtures, suggesting the presence of synergistic or inhibitory effects between them. Therefore, when replacing MSG, the characteristics of each possible substitute should be determined in relation to the particular food system.
Textural Properties of Gelling System of Low‐Methoxy Pectins Produced by Demethoxylating Reaction of Pectin Methyl Esterase
Authors: Kim Y. , Yoo Y.‐H. , Kim K.‐O. , Park J.‐B. , Yoo S.‐H.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT:  After deesterification of commercial pectins with a pectin methyl esterase (PME), their gelling properties were characterized using instrumental texture analysis. The final degree of esterification (DE) of the high‐ and low‐methoxy pectins reached approximately 6% after the PME treatment, while deesterification of low‐methoxy amidated pectin stopped at 18% DE. Furthermore, DE of high‐methoxy pectin was tailored to be 40%, which is equivalent to the DE of commercial low‐methoxy pectin. As a result, significant changes in molecular weight (Mw) distribution were observed in the PME‐treated pectins. The texture profile analysis showed that PME modification drastically increased hardness, gumminess, and chewiness, while decreasing cohesiveness and adhesiveness of the pectin gels (P < 0.05). The pectin gel with relatively high peak molecular weight (Mp, 3.5 × 105) and low DE (6), which was produced from high‐methoxy pectin, exhibited the greatest hardness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience. The hardness of low‐methoxy amidated pectin increased over 300% after PME deesterification, suggesting that the effects of amide substitution could be reinforced when DE is even lower. The partial least square regression analysis indicated that the Mw and DE of the pectin molecule are the most crucial factors for hardness, chewiness, gumminess, and resilience of gel matrix.
Edible Coatings for Enhancing Microbial Safety and Extending Shelf Life of Hard‐Boiled Eggs
Authors: Kim K.W. , Daeschel M. , Zhao Y.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT:  Hard‐boiled eggs were coated with chitosan–lysozyme (CL), whey protein isolate (WPI), or Bake sheen (BS), inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella enterica Ser. Enteritidis at 104 CFU/g, and stored for 4 wk at 10 °C. Microbial populations were enumerated weekly. Two nonchallenge studies were also conducted with hard‐boiled eggs: coated shell‐on eggs packaged in plastic containers or peeled eggs coated and vacuum‐packaged. Total plate counts (TPC), coliforms, yeasts, molds, weight loss, pH, and color of eggs were determined during the 10‐wk storage at 10 °C. Uncoated eggs served as controls. All the coatings were not effective in inhibiting the growth of L. monocytogenes, but CL coating controlled the growth of S. Enteritidis. At the end of 4‐wk storage, the numbers of S. enteritidis on CL‐coated eggs were about 4‐log10 CFU/g less than that of the controls. Coatings reduced (P < 0.05) the populations of coliforms and TPC, and completely inhibited mold growth during the 10‐wk storage. Coatings also reduced (P < 0.05) the weight loss of eggs, 4.1% to 4.8% on coated eggs compared with 7.5% in uncoated ones at the end of 10‐wk storage. The pH of CL‐coated eggs remained stable throughout the storage period, while the control eggs increased from 7.6 to 8.6. Color changes in CL‐ and WPI‐coated eggshells were less (P < 0.05) than those of BS‐coated and the control. The CL coating effectively suppressed the numbers of TPC, coliforms, yeasts, and molds on peeled eggs during the 6‐wk storage (P < 0.05). The results suggest that CL coating on hard‐boiled eggs can control the growth of S. Enteritidis and reduce undesirable changes in the interior quality of eggs.
Tuna Pepsin: Characteristics and Its Use for Collagen Extraction from the Skin of Threadfin Bream (Nemipterus spp.)
Authors: Nalinanon S. , Benjakul S. , Visessanguan W. , Kishimura H.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT:  Pepsin from the stomach of albacore tuna, skipjack tuna, and tongol tuna was characterized. Pepsin from all tuna species showed maximal activity at pH 2.0 and 50 °C when hemoglobin was used as a substrate. Among the stomach extract of all species tested, that of albacore tuna showed the highest activity (40.55 units/g tissue) (P < 0.05). Substrate‐Native‐PAGE revealed that pepsin from albacore tuna and tongol tuna consisted of 2 isoforms, whereas pepsin from skipjack tuna had only 1 form. The activity was completely inhibited by pepstatin A, while EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), SBTI (soybean trypsin inhibitor), and E‐64 (1‐(L‐trans‐epoxysuccinyl‐leucylamino)‐4‐guanidinobutane) exhibited negligible effect. The activity was strongly inhibited by SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) (0.05% to 0.1%, w/v). Cysteine (5 to 50 mM) also showed an inhibitory effect in a concentration dependent manner. ATP, molybdate, NaCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2 had no impact on the activity. When tuna pepsin (10 units/g defatted skin) was used for collagen extraction from the skin of threadfin bream for 12 h, the yield of collagen increased by 1.84‐ to 2.32‐fold and albacore pepsin showed the comparable extraction efficacy to porcine pepsin. The yield generally increased with increasing extraction time (P < 0.05). All collagen obtained with the aid of tuna pepsin showed similar protein patterns compared with those found in acid‐solubilized collagen. Nevertheless, pepsin from skipjack tuna caused the degradation of α and β components. All collagens were classified as type I with large portion of β‐chain. However, proteins with molecular weight (MW) greater than 200 kDa were abundant in acid‐solubilized collagen.
Quality Grading of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) by Computer Vision
Authors: Misimi E. , Erikson U. , Skavhaug A.
Published: May 2008

ABSTRACT: In this study, we present a promising method of computer vision‐based quality grading of whole Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Using computer vision, it was possible to differentiate among different quality grades of Atlantic salmon based on the external geometrical information contained in the fish images. Initially, before the image acquisition, the fish were subjectively graded and labeled into grading classes by a qualified human inspector in the processing plant. Prior to classification, the salmon images were segmented into binary images, and then feature extraction was performed on the geometrical parameters of the fish from the grading classes. The classification algorithm was a threshold‐based classifier, which was designed using linear discriminant analysis. The performance of the classifier was tested by using the leave‐one‐out cross‐validation method, and the classification results showed a good agreement between the classification done by human inspectors and by the computer vision. The computer vision‐based method classified correctly 90% of the salmon from the data set as compared with the classification by human inspector. Overall, it was shown that computer vision can be used as a powerful tool to grade Atlantic salmon into quality grades in a fast and nondestructive manner by a relatively simple classifier algorithm. The low cost of implementation of today's advanced computer vision solutions makes this method feasible for industrial purposes in fish plants as it can replace manual labor, on which grading tasks still rely.