bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of X‐Radiation on Lipid Peroxidation and Antioxidant Systems in Rats Treated with Saponin‐containing Compounds
Authors: Yalinkilic Omer , Enginar Huseyin
Published: July 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of three saponin‐containing plant species extracts (Aesculuc hippocastanum L. seed extract [AHE], Medicago sativa L. extract [MSE] and Spinacia oleracea L. extract [SOE]) on lipid peroxidation and on antioxidant systems in rats exposed to X‐rays (XR). The rats were divided into three categories. The first category served as controls and received only a standard diet. The second category served as the radiation group and received 5 and 10 Gy XR dose. The third category (XR+extract‐treated) received plant extracts (25.0 or 50.0 mg kg−1 live weight) and 5 or 10 Gy XR dose. Blood samples were analyzed for their content of malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), plasma vitamin C, β‐carotene and retinol. In animals receiving XR, the plasma MDA (P < 0.001) value significantly increased but the level of GSH (P < 0.01), vitamin C (P < 0.001), retinol and β‐carotene (P < 0.001) decreased significantly with increasing XR doses. In the XR+extract‐treated groups, the concentrations of MDA increased significantly with increasing radiation but their concentrations decreased significantly with increasing extract concentrations. Plasma concentrations of GSH, β‐carotene, retinol and vitamin C in XR+extract‐treated groups decreased significantly with increasing XR dose but their concentrations increased with increasing extract doses. Further, comparison of blood samples of XR+extract‐treated groups with those from the control group showed that GSH, β‐carotene, retinol and vitamin C values increased significantly but that MDA values decreased significantly. The results showed that all extracts have enhanced the antioxidant status and decreased the incidence of free radical‐induced lipid peroxidation in blood samples of rats exposed to XR. However, the antioxidant effect of AHE‐administered animals was more effective than that of MSE‐ and SOE‐administered whole‐body XR rats. We conclude that the supplementation with saponin‐containing extracts may serve to reinforce the antioxidant systems, thus having protective effect against cell damage by XR.
Mindful Belief: Accountability, Expertise and Cognitive Kinds
Authors: Toribio Josefa
Published: July 2010

Abstract: It is sometimes said that humans are unlike other animals in at least one crucial respect. We do not simply form beliefs, desires and other mental states, but are capable of caring about our mental states in a distinctive way. We can care about the justification of our beliefs, and about the desirability of our desires. This kind of observation is usually made in discussions of free will and moral responsibility. But it has profound consequences, or so I shall argue, for our conception of the very nature of beliefs and other mental states. Suitably developed, it allows us to draw a line between two distinct ways in which a creature may possess a belief, represent a scene, and fall into error. The first way (which I shall call the ‘mindless’ way) involves little more than an encoding of information in some way designed to guide appropriate response. This is the common heritage of humans, and many other animals. The second way (which I shall call the ‘mindful’ way) requires that the creature be capable in addition of a special kind of second‐order reflection, and (importantly) be expert at detecting the kinds of situation in which such reflection is called for. The differences between these two ways of ‘believing that P’ are sufficiently deep and significant to warrant (or so I claim) our treating them as two distinct classes of mental states. For it is only courtesy of the second layer of complexity, I shall argue, that it becomes proper to hold someone accountable for their beliefs or other mental states, and it is this fact of (something like) accountability that in turn raises the most significant challenge for philosophical attempts to give naturalized accounts of meaning, belief, and mentality.
Perspectives on Therapeutic Jurisprudence in Dependency Court in Cases Involving Battered Mothers
Authors: Maze Candice L. , Hannah Stefanie A.
Published: July 2010

A qualitative study was conducted involving clients, victim advocates, and judges participating in one of Miami‐Dade County's (Florida) “therapeutic” juvenile court based programs, the Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence (DCIPFV). The primary objective of this study was to assess how battered mothers’ perceptions of the dependency court judges’ actions impacted the women's motivation to take appropriate actions to promote their own, and their child(ren)'s safety.
Troubled Children and Children in Trouble: Redefining the Role of the Juvenile Court in the Lives of Children
Authors: Robbins Ann Reyes
Published: July 2010

This Essay considers the emerging research in the area of dual‐jurisdiction children, often referred to as “crossover kids”—those currently or previously involved in maltreatment proceedings who have also committed delinquent acts. Part I describes the development of the juvenile courts in the early twentieth century. Part II of this Essay questions the need to “track” children along one legal path or another and points to the pitfalls of providing services to some children through a criminal justice paradigm instead of treating all children through a social work paradigm. Finally, Part III advocates a redesign of the juvenile court—a return to its roots—to better enable a court to consider the needs of the whole child, in context with the needs of her/his family.
The Kamil Crater in Egypt
Authors: Folco Luigi , Di Martino Mario , El Barkooky Ahmed , D'Orazio Massimo , Lethy Ahmed , Urbini Stefano , Nicolosi Iacopo , Hafez Mahfooz , Cordier Carole , van Ginneken Matthias , Zeoli Antonio , Radwan Ali M. , El Khrepy Sami , El Gabry Mohamed , Gomaa Mahomoud , Barakat Aly A. , Serra Romano , El Sharkawi Mohamed
Published: July 2010

An unusually well-preserved 45-meter-diameter crater provides ground truth for small-scale meteorite impacts on Earth.
Cellotriose and Cellotetraose as Inducers of the Genes Encoding Cellobiohydrolases in the Basidiomycete
Phanerochaete chrysosporium
Authors: Suzuki Hitoshi , Igarashi Kiyohiko , Samejima Masahiro
Published: July 2010

The wood decay basidiomycete
Phanerochaete chrysosporium
produces a variety of cellobiohydrolases belonging to glycoside hydrolase (GH) families 6 and 7 in the presence of cellulose. However, no inducer of the production of these enzymes has yet been identified. Here, we quantitatively compared the transcript levels of the genes encoding GH family 6 cellobiohydrolase (
cel6A
) and GH family 7 cellobiohydrolase isozymes (
cel7A
to
cel7F/G
) in cultures containing glucose, cellulose, and cellooligosaccharides by real-time quantitative PCR, in order to evaluate the transcription-inducing effect of soluble sugars. Upregulation of transcript levels in the presence of cellulose compared to glucose was observed for
cel7B
,
cel7C
,
cel7D
,
cel7F/G
, and
cel6A
at all time points during cultivation. In particular, the transcription of
cel7C
and
cel7D
was strongly induced by cellotriose or cellotetraose. The highest level of
cel7C
transcripts was observed in the presence of cellotetraose, whereas the highest level of
cel7D
transcripts was found in the presence of cellotriose, amounting to 2.7 × 10
6
and 1.7 × 10
6
copies per 10
5
actin gene transcripts, respectively. These numbers of
cel7C
and
cel7D
transcripts were higher than those in the presence of cellulose. In contrast, cellobiose had a weaker transcription-inducing effect than either cellotriose or cellotetraose for
cel7C
and had little effect in the case of
cel7D
. These results indicate that cellotriose and cellotetraose, but not cellobiose, are possible natural cellobiohydrolase gene transcription inducers derived from cellulose.
Presence of
Mycobacterium avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
in Environmental Samples Collected on Commercial Dutch Dairy Farms
Authors: Eisenberg Susanne W. F. , Koets Ad P. , Hoeboer Jeroen , Bouman Marina , Heederik Dick , Nielen Mirjam
Published: July 2010

Mycobacterium avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
, the causative agent of Johne's disease in cattle, was identified in settled-dust samples of Dutch commercial dairy farms, both in the dairy barn and in the young stock housing. Bioaerosols may play a role in within-farm
M. avium
subsp.
paratuberculosis
transmission.
Biotransformation of Flurbiprofen byCunninghamellaSpecies
Authors: Amadio Jessica , Gordon Katherine , Murphy Cormac D.
Published: July 2010

The biotransformation of the fluorinated anti-inflammatory drug flurbiprofen was investigated inCunninghamellaspp. Mono- and dihydroxylated metabolites were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the major metabolite 4′-hydroxyflurbiprofen was isolated by preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).Cunninghamella elegansDSM 1908 andC. blakesleeanaDSM 1906 also produced a phase II (conjugated) metabolite, which was identified as the sulfated drug via deconjugation experiments.
New Method for Counting Bacteria Associated with Coral Mucus
Authors: Garren Melissa , Azam Farooq
Published: July 2010

The ability to count bacteria associated with reef-building corals in a rapid, reliable, and cost-effective manner has been hindered by the viscous and highly autofluorescent nature of the coral mucus layer (CML) in which they live. We present a new method that disperses bacterial cells by trypsinization prior to 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining and quantification by epifluorescence microscopy. We sampled seawater and coral mucus from
Porites lobata
from 6 reef sites influenced by wastewater intrusion and 2 reef sites unaffected by wastewater in Hawaii. Bacterial and zooxanthella abundances and cell sizes were quantified for each sample. Bacteria were more abundant in coral mucus (ranging from 5.3 × 10
5
± 1.0 × 10
5
cells ml
−1
to 1.8 × 10
6
± 0.2 × 10
6
cells ml
−1
) than in the surrounding seawater (1.9 × 10
5
± 0.1 × 10
5
cells ml
−1
to 4.2 × 10
5
± 0.2 × 10
5
cells ml
−1
), and the mucus-associated cells were significantly smaller than their seawater counterparts at all sites (
P
< 0.0001). The difference in cell size between mucus- and seawater-associated bacteria decreased at wastewater-influenced sites, where simultaneously mucus bacteria were larger and seawater bacteria were smaller than those at uninfluenced sites. The abundance of zooxanthellae in mucus ranged from 1.1 × 10
5
± 0.1 × 10
5
cells ml
−1
to 3.4 × 10
5
± 0.3 × 10
5
cells ml
−1
. The frequency of dividing cells (FDC) was higher in the surrounding seawater than in mucus, despite finding that a 1,000-fold-higher zooxanthella biovolume than bacterial biovolume existed in the CML. Establishment of a standardized protocol for enumeration will provide the field of coral microbial ecology with the urgently needed ability to compare observations across studies and regions.
Scent of Danger: Floc Formation by a Freshwater Bacterium Is Induced by Supernatants from a Predator-Prey Coculture
Authors: Blom Judith F. , Zimmermann Yannick S. , Ammann Thomas , Pernthaler Jakob
Published: July 2010

We investigated predator-prey interactions in a model system consisting of the bacterivorous flagellate
Poterioochromonas
sp. strain DS and the freshwater bacterium
Sphingobium
sp. strain Z007. This bacterial strain tends to form a subpopulation of grazing-resistant microscopic flocs, presumably by aggregation. Enhanced formation of such flocs could be demonstrated in static batch culture experiments in the presence of the predator. The ratio of aggregates to single cells reached >0.1 after 120 h of incubation in an oligotrophic growth medium. The inoculation of bacteria into supernatants from cocultures of bacteria and flagellates (grown in oligotrophic or in rich media) also resulted in a substantially higher level of floc formation than that in supernatants from bacterial monocultures only. After separation of supernatants on a C
18
cartridge, the aggregate-inducing activity could be assigned to the 50% aqueous methanolic fraction, and further separation of this bioactive fraction could be achieved by high-pressure liquid chromatography. These results strongly suggest the involvement of one or several chemical factors in the induction of floc formation by
Sphingobium
sp. strain Z007 that are possibly released into the surrounding medium by flagellate grazing.
Pseudohyphal Regulation by the Transcription Factor Rfg1p in Candida albicans
Authors: Cleary Ian A. , Mulabagal Priyadarshini , Reinhard Sara M. , Yadev Nishant P. , Murdoch Craig , Thornhill Martin H. , Lazzell Anna L. , Monteagudo Carlos , Thomas Derek P. , Saville Stephen P.
Published: July 2010

The opportunistic human fungal pathogen
Candida albicans
is a major cause of nosocomial infections. One of the fundamental features of
C. albicans
pathogenesis is the yeast-to-hypha transition. Hypha formation is controlled positively by transcription factors such as Efg1p and Cph1p, which are required for hyphal growth, and negatively by Tup1p, Rfg1p, and Nrg1p. Previous work by our group has shown that modulating
NRG1
gene expression, hence altering morphology, is intimately linked to the capacity of
C. albicans
to cause disease. To further dissect these virulence mechanisms, we employed the same strategy to analyze the role of Rfg1p in filamentation and virulence. Studies using a
tet-RFG1
strain revealed that
RFG1
overexpression does not inhibit hypha formation
in vitro
or in the mouse model of hematogenously disseminated candidiasis. Interestingly,
RFG1
overexpression drives formation of pseudohyphae under yeast growth conditions—a phenotype similar to that of
C. albicans
strains with mutations in one of several mitotic regulatory genes. Complementation assays and real-time PCR analysis indicate that, although the morphology of the
tet-RFG1
strain resembles that of the mitotic regulator mutants, Rfg1p overexpression does not impact expression of these genes.
A Developmentally Regulated Gene,
ASI2
, Is Required for Endocycling in the Macronuclear Anlagen of Tetrahymena
Authors: Yin Lihui , Gater Susan T. , Karrer Kathleen M.
Published: July 2010

Ciliated protozoa contain two types of nuclei, germ line micronuclei (Mic) and transcriptionally active macronuclei (Mac). During sexual reproduction, the parental Mac degenerates and a new Mac develops from a mitotic product of the zygotic Mic. Macronuclear development involves extensive endoreplication of the genome. The present study shows that endoreplication of macronuclear DNA in
Tetrahymena
is an example of endocyling, a variant of the mitotic cycle with alternating S and G phases in the absence of cell division. Thus, endocycling is conserved from ciliates to multicellular organisms. The gene
ASI2
in
Tetrahymena thermophila
encodes a putative signal transduction receptor.
ASI2
is nonessential for vegetative growth, but it is upregulated during development of the new Mac. Cells that lack
ASI2
in the developing Mac anlagen are arrested in endoreplication of the DNA and die. This study shows that
ASI2
is also transcribed in the parental Mac early in conjugation and that transcription of
ASI2
in the parental Mac supports endoreplication of the DNA during early stages of development of the Mac anlagen. Other molecular events in Mac anlage development, including developmentally regulated DNA rearrangement, occur normally in matings between
ASI2
knockouts, suggesting that
ASI2
specifically regulates endocycling in
Tetrahymena
.
The
UPC2
Promoter in Candida albicans Contains Two
cis
-Acting Elements That Bind Directly to Upc2p, Resulting in Transcriptional Autoregulation
Authors: Hoot Samantha J. , Brown Ryan P. , Oliver Brian G. , White Theodore C.
Published: July 2010

In
Candida albicans
, ergosterol biosynthetic genes, including
ERG11
, which encodes the target of azole antifungal drugs, are regulated by the transcriptional regulator Upc2p. To initially characterize the promoter of the
UPC2
gene, 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends was used to identify two transcriptional initiation sites upstream of the ATG codon. The regions within the
UPC2
promoter required for azole regulation of the
UPC2
promoter were then identified using nested deletions fused to a luciferase reporter which were tested for azole inducibility in wild-type (WT) and
upc2
Δ
/upc2
Δ strains. Two distinct regions important for azole induction were identified: a Upc2p-dependent region (UDR) between bp −450 and −350 upstream of the ATG codon and a Upc2p-independent region (UIR) between bp −350 and −250 upstream of the ATG codon. Within the UDR, loss or mutation of the sterol response element (SRE), so named because of homology to the
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Upc2p binding site, resulted in a decrease in both basal and induced expression in the WT strain but did not affect azole inducibility in the
upc2
Δ/
upc2
Δ deletion strain. Gel shift analyses using the DNA binding domain of Upc2p confirmed binding of the protein to two SRE-related sequences within the
UPC2
promoter, with strongest binding to the UDR SRE. Detailed gel shift analyses of the UDR SRE shows that Upc2p binds to a bipartite element within the
UPC2
promoter, including the previously identified SRE and a new, adjacent element, the short direct repeat (SDR), with partial homology to the SRE.
The Human Oral Microbiome
Authors: Dewhirst Floyd E. , Chen Tuste , Izard Jacques , Paster Bruce J. , Tanner Anne C. R. , Yu Wen-Han , Lakshmanan Abirami , Wade William G.
Published: July 2010

The human oral cavity contains a number of different habitats, including the teeth, gingival sulcus, tongue, cheeks, hard and soft palates, and tonsils, which are colonized by bacteria. The oral microbiome is comprised of over 600 prevalent taxa at the species level, with distinct subsets predominating at different habitats. The oral microbiome has been extensively characterized by cultivation and culture-independent molecular methods such as 16S rRNA cloning. Unfortunately, the vast majority of unnamed oral taxa are referenced by clone numbers or 16S rRNA GenBank accession numbers, often without taxonomic anchors. The first aim of this research was to collect 16S rRNA gene sequences into a curated phylogeny-based database, the Human Oral Microbiome Database (HOMD), and make it web accessible (
www.homd.org
). The HOMD includes 619 taxa in 13 phyla, as follows:
Actinobacteria
,
Bacteroidetes
,
Chlamydiae
,
Chloroflexi
,
Euryarchaeota
,
Firmicutes
,
Fusobacteria
,
Proteobacteria
,
Spirochaetes
, SR1,
Synergistetes
,
Tenericutes
, and TM7. The second aim was to analyze 36,043 16S rRNA gene clones isolated from studies of the oral microbiota to determine the relative abundance of taxa and identify novel candidate taxa. The analysis identified 1,179 taxa, of which 24% were named, 8% were cultivated but unnamed, and 68% were uncultivated phylotypes. Upon validation, 434 novel, nonsingleton taxa will be added to the HOMD. The number of taxa needed to account for 90%, 95%, or 99% of the clones examined is 259, 413, and 875, respectively. The HOMD is the first curated description of a human-associated microbiome and provides tools for use in understanding the role of the microbiome in health and disease.
Characterization of the PduS Cobalamin Reductase of
Salmonella
enterica
and Its Role in the Pdu Microcompartment
Authors: Cheng Shouqiang , Bobik Thomas A.
Published: July 2010

Salmonella enterica
degrades 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD) in a coenzyme B
12
(adenosylcobalamin, AdoCbl)-dependent fashion.
Salmonella
obtains AdoCbl by assimilation of complex precursors, such as vitamin B
12
and hydroxocobalamin. Assimilation of these compounds requires reduction of their central cobalt atom from Co
3+
to Co
2+
to Co
+
, followed by adenosylation to AdoCbl. In this work, the His
6
-tagged PduS cobalamin reductase from
S. enterica
was produced at high levels in
Escherichia coli
, purified, and characterized. The anaerobically purified enzyme reduced cob(III)alamin to cob(II)alamin at a rate of 42.3 ± 3.2 μmol min
−1
mg
−1
, and it reduced cob(II)alamin to cob(I)alamin at a rate of 54.5 ± 4.2 nmol min
−1
mg
−1
protein. The apparent
K

m

values of PduS-His
6
were 10.1 ± 0.7 μM for NADH and 67.5 ± 8.2 μM for hydroxocobalamin in cob(III)alamin reduction. The apparent
K

m

values for cob(II)alamin reduction were 27.5 ± 2.4 μM with NADH as the substrate and 72.4 ± 9.5 μM with cob(II)alamin as the substrate. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) indicated that each monomer of PduS contained one molecule of noncovalently bound flavin mononucleotide (FMN). Genetic studies showed that a
pduS
deletion decreased the growth rate of
Salmonella
on 1,2-PD, supporting a role in cobalamin reduction
in vivo
. Further studies demonstrated that the PduS protein is a component of the Pdu microcompartments (MCPs) used for 1,2-PD degradation and that it interacts with the PduO adenosyltransferase, which catalyzes the terminal step of AdoCbl synthesis. These studies further characterize PduS, an unusual MCP-associated cobalamin reductase, and, in conjunction with prior results, indicate that the Pdu MCP encapsulates a complete cobalamin assimilation system.
Pathogenicity-Associated Islands in Extraintestinal PathogenicEscherichia coliAre Fitness Elements Involved in Intestinal Colonization
Authors: Diard Médéric , Garry Louis , Selva Marjorie , Mosser Thomas , Denamur Erick , Matic Ivan
Published: July 2010

The virulence of many human pathogens does not seem to be an evolutionarily selected trait, but an accidental by-product of the selection that operates in another ecological context. We investigated the possibility that virulence of theextraintestinalpathogenicEscherichiacoli(ExPEC) strains, which frequently cause disease in the host in which they asymptomatically colonize the intestine, is the consequence of commensalism. Most of the ExPEC virulence factors are clustered on genomic islands calledpathogenicity-associatedislands (PAIs). We constructed and characterized several mutants of the ExPEC 536 strain with either (i) deletions of each single PAI or (ii) a complete deletion of all seven PAIs.In vitrophenotypic characterization of 536 mutants showed that the seven PAIs were dispensable for growth in the absence of external stress, as well as under a range of biologically relevant stressors, i.e., serum, bile, and oxidative, nitrosative, hyperosmotic, and acidic stress. However, challenge against the wild-type (WT) strain in a murine model shows that the deletion of all seven PAIs drastically reduces the fitness of 536 during persistent intestinal colonization. This defect seems to be linked to the hypermotility observed for mutants devoid of all seven PAIs. In addition, we show that PAIs diminish fitness of their carrier during growth in urine, suggesting that urinary tract infections are unlikely to provide selective pressure for the maintenance of ExPEC PAIs. Our results are in accordance with the coincidental-evolution hypothesis postulating that extraintestinalE. colivirulence is a by-product of commensalism.
A mathematical model of the murine ventricular myocyte: a data-driven biophysically based approach applied to mice overexpressing the canine NCX isoform
Authors: Li L. , Niederer S. A. , Idigo W. , Zhang Y. H. , Swietach P. , Casadei B. , Smith N. P.
Published: July 2010

Mathematical modeling of Ca2+dynamics in the heart has the potential to provide an integrated understanding of Ca2+-handling mechanisms. However, many previous published models used heterogeneous experimental data sources from a variety of animals and temperatures to characterize model parameters and motivate model equations. This methodology limits the direct comparison of these models with any particular experimental data set. To directly address this issue, in this study, we present a biophysically based model of Ca2+dynamics directly fitted to experimental data collected in left ventricular myocytes isolated from the C57BL/6 mouse, the most commonly used genetic background for genetically modified mice in studies of heart diseases. This Ca2+dynamics model was then integrated into an existing mouse cardiac electrophysiology model, which was reparameterized using experimental data recorded at consistent and physiological temperatures. The model was validated against the experimentally observed frequency response of Ca2+dynamics, action potential shape, dependence of action potential duration on cycle length, and electrical restitution. Using this framework, the implications of cardiac Na+/Ca2+exchanger (NCX) overexpression in transgenic mice were investigated. These simulations showed that heterozygous overexpression of the canine cardiac NCX increases intracellular Ca2+concentration transient magnitude and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+loading, in agreement with experimental observations, whereas acute overexpression of the murine cardiac NCX results in a significant loss of Ca2+from the cell and, hence, depressed sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+load and intracellular Ca2+concentration transient magnitude. From this analysis, we conclude that these differences are primarily due to the presence of allosteric regulation in the canine cardiac NCX, which has not been observed experimentally in the wild-type mouse heart.
Angiotensin-(1-7) and low-dose angiotensin II infusion reverse salt-induced endothelial dysfunction via different mechanisms in rat middle cerebral arteries
Authors: Durand Matthew J. , Raffai Gábor , Weinberg Brian D. , Lombard Julian H.
Published: July 2010

The goals of this study were to 1) determine the acute effect of ANG-(1-7) on vascular tone in isolated middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) from Sprague-Dawley rats fed a normal salt (NS; 0.4% NaCl) diet, 2) evaluate the ability of chronic intravenous infusion of ANG-(1-7) (4 ng·kg−1·min−1) for 3 days to restore endothelium-dependent dilation to acetylcholine (ACh) in rats fed a high-salt (HS; 4% NaCl) diet, and 3) determine whether the amelioration of endothelial dysfunction by ANG-(1-7) infusion in rats fed a HS diet is different from the protective effect of low-dose ANG II infusion in salt-fed rats. MCAs from rats fed a NS diet dilated in response to exogenous ANG-(1-7) (10−10–10−5M). Chronic ANG-(1-7) infusion significantly reduced vascular superoxide levels and restored the nitric oxide-dependent dilation to ACh (10−10–10−5M) that was lost in MCAs of rats fed a HS diet. Acute vasodilation to ANG-(1-7) and the restoration of ACh-induced dilation by chronic ANG-(1-7) infusion in rats fed a HS diet were blocked by the Mas receptor antagonist [d-ALA( 7 )]-ANG-(1-7) or the ANG II type 2 receptor antagonist PD-123319 and unaffected by ANG II type 1 receptor blockade with losartan. The restoration of ACh-induced dilation in MCAs of HS-fed rats by chronic intravenous infusion of ANG II (5 ng·kg−1·min−1) was blocked by losartan and unaffected by d-ALA. These findings demonstrate that circulating ANG-(1-7), working via the Mas receptor, restores endothelium-dependent vasodilation in cerebral resistance arteries of animals fed a HS diet via mechanisms distinct from those activated by low-dose ANG II infusion.
The physiological role of endoglin in the cardiovascular system
Authors: López-Novoa José M. , Bernabeu Carmelo
Published: July 2010

Endoglin (CD105) is an integral membrane glycoprotein that serves as a coreceptor for members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily of proteins. A major role for endoglin in regulating transforming growth factor-β-dependent vascular remodeling and angiogenesis has been postulated based on the following: 1) endoglin is the gene mutated in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 1, a disease characterized by vascular malformations; 2) endoglin knockout mice die at midgestation because of defective angiogenesis; 3) endoglin is overexpressed in neoangiogenic vessels, during inflammation, and in solid tumors; and 4) endoglin regulates the expression and activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, which is involved in angiogenesis and vascular tone. Besides the predominant form of the endoglin receptor (long endoglin isoform), two additional forms of endoglin have been recently reported to play a role in the vascular pathology and homeostasis: the alternatively spliced short endoglin isoform and a soluble endoglin form that is proteolytically cleaved from membrane-bound endoglin. The purpose of this review is to underline the role that the different forms of endoglin play in regulating angiogenesis, vascular remodeling, and vascular tone, as well as to analyze the molecular and cellular mechanisms supporting these effects.
Cell Selection as Driving Force in Lung and Colon Carcinogenesis
Authors: Schöllnberger Helmut , Beerenwinkel Niko , Hoogenveen Rudolf , Vineis Paolo
Published: July 2010

Carcinogenesis is the result of mutations and subsequent clonal expansions of mutated, selectively advantageous cells. To investigate the relative contributions of mutation versus cell selection in tumorigenesis, we compared two mathematical models of carcinogenesis in two different cancer types: lung and colon. One approach is based on a population genetics model, the Wright-Fisher process, whereas the other approach is the two-stage clonal expansion model. We compared the dynamics of tumorigenesis predicted by the two models in terms of the time period until the first malignant cell appears, which will subsequently form a tumor. The mean waiting time to cancer has been calculated approximately for the evolutionary colon cancer model. Here, we derive new analytic approximations to the median waiting time for the two-stage lung cancer model and for a multistage approximation to the Wright-Fisher process. Both equations show that the waiting time to cancer is dominated by the selective advantage per mutation and the net clonal expansion rate, respectively, whereas the mutation rate has less effect. Our comparisons support the idea that the main driving force in lung and colon carcinogenesis is Darwinian cell selection. Cancer Res; 70(17); 6797–803. ©2010 AACR.
The Women's Movement and the Transformation of the Family Law in South Korea. Interactions Between Local, National and Global Structures
Authors: Nam Sanghui
Published: July 2010

This paper examines the revision of the family law and the abolition of the head-of-family system in South Korea in 2005. Although the 1948 constitution guaranteed gender equality and women's suffrage, the family law remained male-oriented and discriminatory. Fifty years of struggle for the revision of the family law show that the patrilineal familial hierarchy is not merely a product of 'outdated' values, but deeply rooted and continually practised in Korean society. The landmark reform of the family law will be analysed in connection with the local women's movement, national politics and international organisations. In the beginning, the women's movement was led by pioneer feminists who established local women's organisations and submitted petitions to national lawmakers. In the early 1970s, feminist groups began to continuously mobilise the grassroots. After the transition to democracy in the late 1980s, public approval for the abolition of the head-of-family system began to grow at the local level. At the same time, the government increasingly signed up to international treaties and adjusted to global norms. With expanding political opportunities locally and globally, the women's movement was able to increase the pressure on the national government. Finally, the National Assembly voted for the abolition of the head-of-family system.
Hegel, the Tiananmen Incident and Falun Gong
Authors: Lai Amy
Published: July 2010

This paper explores Chinese people's pursuit of human rights through the Hegelian lenses of abstract rights and the master–slave dialectic. By juxtaposing the 1989 Tiananmen Incident and the Falun Gong movement, it illuminates how Chinese people's struggles for human rights have been informed by Confucianism and other Chinese philosophies, although they have also looked to the West for inspiration and endorsement. Moreover, Hegel's very own dialectic reassures us that Chinese people do not need to have an affirmative, conscious knowledge of 'rights' before they pursue them. While the student protests in 1989 were fuelled by a nationwide economic crisis, the Falun Gong movement was the result of an increasingly prosperous but spiritually blighted society. In both cases, the people, like slaves, struggled against their master, the Chinese government, for freedom and recognition so as to attain a full self-consciousness. Thus, this paper appropriates Hegelian concepts and his dialectical view of history to add to the existing criticisms of his Orientalist views, namely his belief that China is a stagnant nation and its people have no independent personality but only a servile consciousness.
Jesus and the Politics of Roman Palestine
Authors: Horsley Richard
Published: July 2010

In ancient Roman Palestine, politics and religion were inseparable in the power-relations between the Galilean and Judean peasants and their Roman, Herodian, and high priestly rulers. In contrast to the overly simple previous dichotomy between revolt and quiescence as the principal political options for Jesus, it may be possible to discern a range of forms in popular political-religious resistance on the basis of comparative studies of peasant politics. In order to appreciate how people under domination such as Jesus and his Galilean followers may have maneuvered politically, it is necessary to develop a more complex relational and contextual approach to 'Jesus-in-movement'. Special attention to such historical realities as the fundamental social forms of peasant life and political-economic pressures on families and village communities can help us appreciate disguised forms of popular resistance that are rooted in the cultivation of popular tradition. Critical attention to the communicative forms of the Gospel sources as sustained narratives and speeches on matters of importance to struggling peasants—in contrast to the previously standard attempts to generate 'data' from text-fragments—can enable us to discern, in Gospel narratives and speeches, how Jesus catalyzed a movement of renewal of covenantal communities and resistance to the high priests, the Temple, and Roman tribute that took more subtle forms than revolt or acquiescence.
Inter-Religious Declarations of Human Rights: Grounding Rights or Constructing ‘Religion’?
Authors: Amesbury Richard
Published: July 2010

This article offers a critical analysis of four recent inter-religious declarations of human rights: (a) the 2008 Faith in Human Rights Statement; (b) the 1998 Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions; (c) the 1993 Declaration Toward a Global Ethic; and (d) the 1993 Universal Declaration of a Global Ethic. I argue that, although these declarations purport to provide human rights with religious support, they function in practice to define ‘religion’.
Religious Liberty and the Rawlsian Idea of Legitimacy: The French Laïcité Project between Comprehensive and Political Liberalisms
Authors: Daly Eoin
Published: July 2010

Kahn has argued that the French Laïcité project has degenerated, in some of its recent incarnations, into an illiberal public commitment to a ‘comprehensive’ doctrine of enlightened or emancipated autonomy. He suggests it can instead be conceived in a Rawlsian sense, a concept of right derived independently of ‘comprehensive’ conceptions of the good—thus, merely an institutional appendage to liberty of conscience, distinct from any deeper social goal. The attempt at separating out ‘political’ and ‘comprehensive’ secularisms is best viewed through the prism of the headscarved school-goer whom the liberal state deems unfree. Can such a state intervene to ensure the autonomy of its child-citizens with regard to comprehensive doctrines, or is this to impose a conception of the emancipated rational life, freely lived? Is this autonomy of conscience distinguishable from an idea of the good life, a merely ‘political’ guarantee of self-determination—or is this distinction even viable? The figure of the headscarved child-citizen ostensibly challenges the Rawlsian assumption that the state’s claim to neutrality between comprehensive doctrines can transcend or stand outside these doctrines, and represent anything other than an ends-oriented project of liberal emancipation. This arises because, on one view, the state must, in order to guarantee schoolchildren freedom to choose between ways of life, paradoxically first impose such a particular conception, of emancipation or rational autonomy. However, this article suggests that despite its ostensible allure, the dualism of ‘political’ and ‘comprehensive’ secularisms is not the best lens through which to critique the French Laïcité project.
Comment The 2006 Women Protection Act of Pakistan: An Analysis
Authors: Shah Niaz A.
Published: July 2010

This note argues that the 1979 Hudood laws of Pakistan, especially the Zina Ordinance were discriminatory and led to the violations of rights of men and women, but women were the hardest hit victims. The new legislation in 2006 has remedied the situation and the state of human rights violations on the basis of Zina Ordinance has changed.
BBC Arabic TV: Participation and the Question of Public Diplomacy
Authors: Alshaer Atef , Hill Andrew
Published: July 2010

This article analyzes the launch in 2008 of the BBC's Arabic television channel. Drawing upon the work of Lacan, and in particular his conceptions of the discourses of the master and the hysteric, it examines how the channel has sought to position itself as providing a forum for audience participation and debate, and asks why the channel has sought to configure itself in these terms. Underpinning these questions stands the relationship of the BBC World Service (within which BBC Arabic is located), with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The article takes as its focus the channel's 'flagship' discussion program Point of Debate. This program is contrasted with both traditional news broadcasting and Al-Jazeera's pioneering discussion program 'The Opposite Direction.' The paper examines how 'Point of Debate' has sought to encourage a form of questioning and debate that accords with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's public diplomacy objectives. It moves on to analyze the relationship between the intended appeal of the channel and the position it has sought to occupy in the crowded Arab news mediascape. The article concludes by assessing the challenges facing the channel as it attempts to achieve its aims.
Mapping Digital Diasporas @ BBC World Service: Users and Uses of the Persian and Arabic Websites
Authors: Gillespie Marie , Mackay Hugh , Andersson Matilda
Published: July 2010

This article presents research on two key BBC World Service websites, BBC Persian Online and BBC Arabic Online. It draws on in-house BBC data, supplemented by our own semi-structured interviews with online editors and other key World Service staff. It examines where users of the two sites are located, their demographic characteristics and their views on and uses of the sites. The data is analyzed in the context of debates about the politics of diasporic media and communication networks and changing collective identities, the UK government's Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) strategy of 'digital diplomacy' and the World Service's stated public purpose of fostering a 'global conversation.' Our research has shown how the majority of users of both BBC Arabic and Persian Online services reside outside the geographical areas that the BBC World Service targets and may be defined as diasporic. And these two websites are not exceptional. Diasporic groups make increasing use of the BBC's online foreign language news sites but these transnational communication networks are an unintended consequence of the BBC's activities. We highlight how the internet is changing configurations of audiences and users at the BBC World Service as geographically dispersed language groups can log on to the news services from anywhere in the world. We argue that the BBC World Service can no longer be seen as an international broadcaster pursuing the BBC's motto 'nation shall speak peace unto nation.' Rather, as one of the world's largest news providers, it is implicated in the formation of new kinds of transnational communities and communications which has as yet unforeseen consequences for national identifications and for strategies of public diplomacy.
The role of justice and social exchange relationships in workplace deviance: Test of a mediated model
Authors: El Akremi Assâad , Vandenberghe Christian , Camerman Julie
Published: July 2010

Using data collected on two occasions spaced apart by three months ( N = 602), we examined the relationships between a) distributive, procedural, informational, and interpersonal justice (measured at Time 1) and b) perceived organizational support (POS), leader—member exchange (LMX), and organization- and supervisor-directed deviance (measured at Time 2). We found that POS fully mediated the relationship of procedural justice but not distributive justice to organization-directed deviance. In addition, LMX fully mediated the relationships of informational justice and interpersonal justice to both supervisor-directed deviance and organization-directed deviance. The implications of these findings for the study of justice and social exchange relationships as predictors of workplace deviance are discussed.
Urban African American Males’ Perceptions of School Counseling Services
Authors: Owens Delila , Simmons Robert W. , Bryant Rhonda M. , Henfield Malik
Published: July 2010

Using a qualitative framework, researchers explored urban African American male students’ perceptions of their school counselors and the ways to improve school counseling services. While participants reported positive feelings toward their school counselors, they identified specific services school counselors can offer them to optimize academic and personal/social performance. The authors discuss the findings’ implications on urban school counseling service delivery.
Estimation and Analysis of Preference Heterogeneity in Residential Choice Behaviour
Authors: Hoshino Tadao
Published: July 2010

Effective and efficient planning and development of residential environments require clarifying the nature of residential preferences. In reality, residential preferences are heterogeneous, so the standard econometric models that assume only one type of preference are not optimal. In this study, conjoint choice experiment methods are employed with a mixed logit approach. The findings reveal significant heterogeneity with regard to some residential attributes. The determinants of preference heterogeneity were also investigated by conducting regression analyses on the attributes that were valued heterogeneously. Overall, the relationships observed between the explanatory variables and the heterogeneity in the valuations were understandable. However, coefficient of determination values for each model were low, indicating that the bulk of preference heterogeneity results from unobservable factors.
Alone in the Ivory Tower
Authors: Wolfinger Nicholas H. , Goulden Marc , Mason Mary Ann
Published: July 2010

The authors use data from the 2000 Census Public Use Microdata Sample to examine the likelihood of a birth event, defined as the household presence of a child younger than 2 years, for male and female professionals. Physicians have the highest rate of birth events, followed in order by attorneys and academics. Within each profession men have more birth events than women. For men, occupational variation in birth events can be explained by marital status, income, and spousal employment. These factors only partially account for occupational differences in birth events for women.
The importance of open and closed styles of energy research
Authors: Sovacool Benjamin K.
Published: July 2010

This paper explores the styles of research associated with wind turbines, ethanol and fuel cells in six countries. The concept of a ‘research style’ emphasizes that values and interests, along with deeper historical and cultural influences, shape research and get built into technology. Open research styles are epitomized by a broad inclusion of actors in the research process, participatory ownership of its results, cooperation among stakeholders and users, and experimentation and flexibility. Closed research styles are distinguished by limited access and ownership, competition among researchers, centralization of the research process and rigidity in dictating programme goals and preferences. The paper uses the concept of open and closed research styles to compare the experiences of Denmark, Brazil and China (open) with those in the USA, France and Norway (closed).
Childhood Cerebral X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy More Than 5 Years After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: The First Case From Serbia and Southeastern Europe
Authors: Potic Ana , Rovelli Attilio M. , Uziel Graziella , Kozic Dusko , Mladenovic Jelena , Milic-Rasic Vedrana
Published: July 2010

We report the clinical course, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy findings in a boy with childhood cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy whose neurological disease keeps progressing more than 5 years after conventional hematopoietic cell transplantation with full donor-derived engraftment accomplishment. The described clinical and radiological findings follow all phases of this childhood cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy: from the clinically asymptomatic pretransplant stage to the present day. This is the first patient not only from Serbia but from the entire area of Southeastern Europe who underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation for childhood cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. The presented disease course and the posttransplant outcome in the only case of transplanted adrenoleukodystrophy from Serbia enhances the overwhelming appeal for better X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy screening, earlier disease detection, and contributes to the well-known anticipation of the refined hematopoietic cell transplantation eligibility criteria in future adrenoleukodystrophy treatment.
Spontaneous Asymptomatic Rupture of Cystic Craniopharyngioma in a Child: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Kumar Amandeep , Kasliwal Manish K. , Suri Ashish , Sharma Bhawani S.
Published: July 2010

Spontaneous rupture of craniopharyngioma is a rare condition described mainly in adults. Chemical meningitis or improvements in clinical symptomatology are the usual events heralding such rupture. Spontaneous rupture of a craniopharyngioma cyst in a child is uncommon; such a rupture being asymptomatic being exceptionally rare. Four cases of craniopharyngioma cyst rupture in the pediatric population have been reported in the literature, only 1 of them being asymptomatic. The authors report a case of spontaneous asymptomatic craniopharyngioma cyst rupture in a 13-year-old child which was diagnosed when repeat imaging was performed before operative intervention. Although rare, such rupture is of clinical significance as it can lead to alterations in management strategy.