bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distribution of ABO phenotypes in patients with congenital cardiac defects
Authors: Odegard Kirsten C. , Laussen Peter C. , Zurakowski David , Hornykewycz Stephan J. , Laussen Jonathan C. , Hansen Dolly D.
Published: May 2008

Background

Cardiac anomalies are among the most frequent congenital malformations, but the basic underlying causes for most cardiac defects remains undetermined. Some 40 years ago, a higher incidence of blood group B was reported in a small number of African-American children with congenital cardiac defects. In this study, we sought to re-evaluate this association using a larger population.

Methods and Results

We collected data from 1985 patients undergoing cardiac surgery from July, 2000, through December, 2004. We divided the patients into 6 subgroups according to their diagnosis. We then compared the prevalence of ABO phenotypes between the patients and the general population of the United States of America by chi-square analysis. There were no significant differences in the distribution of the ABO phenotypes amongst the subgroups of those with congenital cardiac disease, or any for subgroup compared to the general population.

Conclusion

While statistical significance is influenced by the size of the population within the United States of America and the small numbers within each of our subgroups of patients with congenital cardiac disease, we have been unable to show any relationship between the distribution of ABO phenotypes and the existence of congenital cardiac disease.
When could payments for environmental services benefit the poor?
Authors: ZILBERMAN DAVID , LIPPER LESLIE , MCCARTHY NANCY
Published: May 2008

Since modification of agricultural production choices in developing countries often provides positive environmental externalities to people in developed countries, payment for environmental services (PES) has become an important topic in the context of economic development and poverty reduction. We consider two broad categories of PES programs, land-diversion programs, where lands are diverted from agriculture to other uses, and working-land programs, where agricultural production activities are modified to achieve environmental objectives. PES programs are generally good for landowners. The distribution of land and land quality is critical in determining poverty impacts. Where ES and agricultural productivity are negatively correlated and the poor own lands of low agricultural quality, they stand to gain from PES programs. Consumers and wage laborers may lose where food supply is inelastic and programs reduce labor demand. Working-land programs may have better distributional effects than diversion programs.
Poverty, risk, and the supply of soil carbon sequestration
Authors: GRAFF-ZIVIN JOSHUA , LIPPER LESLIE
Published: May 2008

We explore poor farmers' incentives to adopt production systems that increase soil carbon sequestration, focusing on the impact of risk. A dynamic optimization model of conservation agriculture adoption is presented, where farmers optimize over expected utility of profits from agriculture and carbon sequestration. Adoption impacts on agricultural productivity are modeled as a combination of the technological effects of the new system, and productivity effects of changes in soil carbon on agricultural output. Comparative static results indicate increases in soil carbon sequestration price and the discount rate have unambiguous impacts on equilibrium soil carbon levels; the former leading to higher, and the latter to lower, carbon levels. Increases in the price of agricultural output and risk aversion have ambiguous impacts, depending on the relative strength of the productivity and technology effects. The paper concludes with a discussion of designing soil carbon payment mechanisms to benefit low income farmers.
The role of deforestation risk and calibrated compensation in designing payments for environmental services
Authors: ALIX-GARCIA JENNIFER , DE JANVRY ALAIN , SADOULET ELISABETH
Published: May 2008

This paper discusses the gain in efficiency from including deforestation risk as a targeting criterion in payments for environmental services (PES) programs. We contrast two payment schemes that we simulate using data from Mexican common property forests: a flat payment scheme with a cap on allowable hectares per enrollee, similar to the program implemented in many countries, and a payment that takes deforestation risk and heterogeneity in land productivity into account. We simulate the latter strategy both with and without a budget constraint. Using observed past deforestation, we find that while risk-targeted payments are far more efficient, capped flat payments are more egalitarian. We also consider the characteristics of communities receiving payments from both programs. We find that the risk-weighted scheme results in more payments to poor communities, and that these payments are more efficient than those made to non-poor ejidos. Finally, we show that the risk of deforestation can be predicted quite precisely with indicators that are easily observable and that cannot be manipulated by the community.
ASSESSMENT OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GROWTH AND INEQUALITY: MICRO EVIDENCE FROM THAILAND
Authors: Jeong Hyeok
Published: May 2008

This paper shows that growth and income distribution dynamics are closely linked through occupation, financial intermediation, and education. We use micro data from Thailand for 1976–1996. The compositional changes across these characteristics account for half of the Thai inequality increase and 40% of the Thai growth and poverty reduction. Financial deepening and educational expansion contributed to increasing inequality, whereas occupational transformation contributed to poverty alleviation. The changes in income gaps across the income–status groups, that is, divergence and then convergence, give rise to inverted-U inequality dynamics. These two growth-related components of inequality dynamics, composition and income-gap dynamics, explain virtually all the change in overall inequality, except its initial rise. Thus, inequality dynamics can be viewed as an integral part of the wider process of growth, as Kuznets speculated.
Making money at the blessed place of Manila: Armenians in the Madras–Manila trade in the eighteenth century
Authors: Bhattacharya Bhaswati
Published: May 2008

The question of ‘nodes’ in the Armenian commercial network, it is argued here, cannot be separated from a larger process, which helped places such as Madras to rise as alternatives to New Julfa, from as early as the beginning of the eighteenth century. The network of Armenian commerce did not have a single strong centre with many peripheries, but a chain of multiple nodes functioning as crucial linking points. This paper focuses on one particular trade route, from Madras to Manila, in the eighteenth century. The Philippines attracted Spanish American silver, which was then pumped into various regional economies of Asia – China and India in particular – in the shape of investment. A Spanish ban on European shipping at Manila made Armenians (and Indians) indispensable partners for European trade to Manila. This gave Armenian trade to Manila a strong European flavour. Armenians helped to camouflage this trade, and enriched themselves from it at the same time, operating often independently of New Julfa.

However an active network once frustrated always has a tendency to compensate for its losses. Driven out of one region, it may press its capital and the advantages it offers upon another. This seems at any rate to have been the rule whenever a really vigorous and accumulative form of capitalism was concerned.1
Globalization effects: mobility and nation in Imperial Germany, 1880–1914
Authors: Conrad Sebastian
Published: May 2008

The trajectories of German nationalism in the late nineteenth century were deeply affected by the process of globalization. While the literature on the subject has largely remained within the confines of a national history paradigm, this article uses the example of mobility and migration to show to what extent German nationalism was transformed under the auspices of global integration. Among the effects of cross-border circulation were the emergence of diasporic nationalism, the racialization of the nation, the implementation of new border regimes, and the hegemony of ideological templates that linked nationalist discourse to global geopolitics. This article is intended as a contribution to a ‘spatial turn’ in the historiography of nationalism, in arguing that not only the ‘nation form’ but also the way that the nation was defined, understood, and practised – the particular contents of nationalism – owed more to the global context in which it was constituted than is usually recognized.
Interaction between glutamate signalling and immune attack in damaging oligodendrocytes
Authors: Matute Carlos
Published: May 2008

Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS, but it is also a potent neurotoxin that can kill nerve cells. Glutamate damages oligodendrocytes, like neurons, by excitotoxicity which is caused by sustained activation of AMPA, kainate and NMDA receptors. Glutamate excitotoxicity depends entirely on Ca2+ overload of the cytoplasm and can be initiated by disruption of glutamate homeostasis. Thus, inhibition of glutamate uptake in isolated oligodendrocytes in vitro and in the optic nerve in vivo, is sufficient to trigger cell death which is prevented by glutamate receptor antagonists. In turn, activated, but not resting microglia, can compromise glutamate homeostasis and induce oligodendrocyte excitotoxicity, which is attenuated either by AMPA/kainate antagonists or by the blockade of the system xc_ antiporter present in microglia. By contrast, non-lethal, brief, activation of glutamate receptors in oligodendrocytes rapidly sensitizes these cells to complement attack. Intriguingly, these effects are exclusively mediated by kainate receptors which induce Ca2+ overload of the cytosol and the generation of reactive oxygen species. In conjunction, these observations reveal novel mechanisms by which neuroinflammation alters glutamate homeostasis and triggers oligodendrocyte death. Conversely, they also show how glutamate signaling in oligodendrocytes might induce immune attack. In both instances direct activation of glutamate receptors present in oligodendrocytes plays a pivotal role in either initiating or executing death signals, which might be relevant to the pathogenesis of white matter disorders.
Time in Applied Psychology
Authors: Roe Robert A.
Published: May 2008

Against the background of a growing awareness of time among researchers, this articles sets out to assess the current position of time in applied psychological theory and research. A critical analysis of recent publications in The Journal of Applied Psychology and Applied Psychology, An International Review reveals that with some noticeable exceptions, the role of time in human behavior is still largely neglected. It is posited that this state of affairs can be explained by a conceptual bias among researchers, which makes them think in terms of “what is” rather than “what happens.” A proposal is made for an alternative way of conceptualizing, designated as temporalism, which starts from the concept of phenomenon, which is defined dynamically and operationalized with the help of time. A plea is made for a research strategy that comprises the identification of the dynamic features of phenomena, an analysis of their temporal relations, and an assessment of long term stability and changes of temporal parameters. It is argued that such an approach leads to theoretical innovations and to a substantial expansion of possibilities for intervention. This is illustrated by a discussion of three prototypical patterns of development referred to as improvement, bifurcation, and relapse, which underlie a broad range of practical problems known from social and organizational settings. Finally, attention is directed to the role that time plays when psychological knowledge is applied to such practical problems. It is concluded that time should not only be addressed in the study of behavior of other people but also in the complex interactions between psychologists and clients involved in the application of psychology.
Psychology and Psychotherapy in Health Care
Authors: Van Broeck Nady , Lietaer Germain
Published: May 2008

During the last 20 years, psychological interventions and psychotherapy have acquired a modest but significant place in health care. The lack of a uniform legal definition of these professional activities in the domain of health care hampers quality control of training programs and delivered services and complicates coordination of care. Training requirements are not always made explicit, and often there are no mechanisms for quality control or for monitoring compliance with ethical codes of conduct. In this review, the legal regulation of the professional activity of psychologists in health care and of psychotherapists in 17 European countries is examined. Eleven of these have adopted a legal regulation the title and the professional activities of psychologists in health care. Seven have an additional law regulating the title and the professional activities of psychotherapists. In five countries, professionals other than psychologists and medical doctors can obtain a legally protected title and license to practice as a psychotherapist. Conclusions are drawn concerning the available models of regulation of psychotherapy and their respective consequences.
The Science of Emotional Intelligence
Authors: Zeidner Moshe , Roberts Richard D. , Matthews Gerald
Published: May 2008

Almost from its inception, the emotional intelligence (EI) construct has been an elusive one. After nearly 2 decades of research, there still appears to be little consensus over how EI should be conceptualized or assessed and the efficacy of practical applications in real life settings. This paper aims at providing a snapshot of the state-of-the-art in research involving this newly minted construct. Specifically, in separate sections of this article, we set out to distinguish what is known from what is unknown in relation to three paramount concerns of EI research, i.e., conceptualization, assessment, and applications. In each section, we start by discussing assertions that may be made with some degree of confidence, elucidating what are essentially sources of consensus concerning EI. We move then to discuss sources of controversy; those things for which there is less agreement among EI researchers. We hope that this “straight talk” about the current status of EI research will provide a platform for new research in both basic and applied domains.
The Relationship Between the Keirsey Temperament Sorter and the Short-Form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire
Authors: Francis Leslie J. , Craig Charlotte L. , Robbins Mandy
Published: May 2008

The two models of personality proposed by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS) and by the short-form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR-S) both propose measures of extraversion-introversion, but in other respects the two models are quite different. While the KTS proposes measures of sensing-intuition, thinking-feeling, and judging-perceiving, the EPQR-S proposes measures of neuroticism, psychoticism, and a lie scale. In order to test the comparability of the two indices of extraversion-introversion and the independence of the other constructs, a sample of 554 undergraduate students attending a university-sector college in South Wales, in the United Kingdom, completed the KTS and the EPQR-S. The data demonstrate that the Keirsey Temperament Sorter scales map in quite a complex way onto the model of personality proposed by the EPQR-S.
A high‐resolution survey of DMS, CO2, and O2/Ar distributions in productive coastal waters
Authors: Nemcek Nina , Ianson Debby , Tortell Philippe D.
Published: May 2008

We present continuous, high‐resolution measurements of surface dimethylsulfide (DMS), pCO2, and O2/Ar obtained in coastal waters off British Columbia, Canada, using membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS). Sampled underway at a frequency of twice per minute (every ∼160 m at 10 knots cruising speed), our data reveal fine‐scale structure in gas variability and its covariance with a number of hydrographic parameters. All parameters exhibited large ranges (pCO2, 200–747 ppm; DMS, <1–29 nM; chl a, <0.1–33 μg L−1), highlighting the dynamic nature of the study area. A strong anticorrelation between pCO2 and O2/Ar was observed across the survey region, with the distributions of these gases influenced by biology and its interplay with physical processes. In contrast, DMS levels, which varied dramatically over short distances, showed no significant correlations with any single variable for the full, high‐resolution data set. However, when measurements were binned to a much coarser spatial resolution, we found a linear relationship between surface DMS and the chlorophyll/mixed layer depth ratio. The slope of this relationship differed significantly from that previously derived from open ocean data. We used several statistical techniques to estimate the spatial variability of gases and hydrographic parameters and the inherent sampling errors associated with low‐frequency sampling approaches. These analyses emphasize the importance of high‐resolution sampling in coastal areas, particularly for DMS.
Input uncertainty propagation methods and hazard mapping of geophysical mass flows
Authors: Dalbey K. , Patra A. K. , Pitman E. B. , Bursik M. I. , Sheridan M. F.
Published: May 2008

This paper presents several standard and new methods for characterizing the effect of input data uncertainty on model output for hazardous geophysical mass flows. Note that we do not attempt here to characterize the inherent randomness of such flow events. We focus here on the problem of characterizing uncertainty in model output due to lack of knowledge of such input for a particular event. Methods applied include classical Monte Carlo and Latin hypercube sampling and more recent stochastic collocation, polynomial chaos, spectral projection and a newly developed extension thereof named polynomial chaos quadrature. The simple and robust samplings based Monte Carlo type methods are usually computationally intractable for reasonable physical models, while the more sophisticated and computationally efficient polynomial chaos method often breaks down for complex models. The spectral projection and polynomial chaos quadrature methods discussed here produce results of quality comparable to the polynomial chaos type methods while preserving the simplicity and robustness of the Monte Carlo‐type sampling based approaches at much lower cost. The computational efficiency, however, degrades with increasing numbers of random variables. A procedure for converting the output uncertainty characterization into a map showing the probability of a hazard threshold being exceeded is also presented. The uncertainty quantification procedures are applied first in simple settings to illustrate the procedure and then subsequently applied to the 1991 block‐and‐ash flows at Colima Volcano, Mexico.
Global 3‐D land‐ocean‐atmosphere model for mercury: Present‐day versus preindustrial cycles and anthropogenic enrichment factors for deposition
Authors: Selin Noelle E. , Jacob Daniel J. , Yantosca Robert M. , Strode Sarah , Jaeglé Lyatt , Sunderland Elsie M.
Published: May 2008

We develop a mechanistic representation of land‐atmosphere cycling in a global 3‐D ocean‐atmosphere model of mercury (GEOS‐Chem). The resulting land‐ocean‐atmosphere model is used to construct preindustrial and present biogeochemical cycles of mercury, to examine the legacy of past anthropogenic emissions, to map anthropogenic enrichment factors for deposition, and to attribute mercury deposition in the United States. Land emission in the model includes prompt recycling of recently deposited mercury (600 Mg a−1 for present day), soil volatilization (550 Mg a−1), and evapotranspiration (550 Mg a−1). The spatial distribution of soil concentrations is derived from local steady state between land emission and deposition in the preindustrial simulation, augmented for the present day by a 15% increase in the soil reservoir distributed following the pattern of anthropogenic deposition. Mercury deposition and hence emission are predicted to be highest in the subtropics. Our atmospheric lifetime of mercury against deposition (0.50 year) is shorter than past estimates because of our accounting of Hg(0) dry deposition, but recycling from surface reservoirs results in an effective lifetime of 1.6 years against transfer to long‐lived reservoirs in the soil and deep ocean. Present‐day anthropogenic enrichment of mercury deposition exceeds a factor of 5 in continental source regions. We estimate that 68% of the deposition over the United States is anthropogenic, including 20% from North American emissions (20% primary and <1% recycled through surface reservoirs), 31% from emissions outside North America (22% primary and 9% recycled), and 16% from the legacy of anthropogenic mercury accumulated in soils and the deep ocean.
Climatically driven loss of calcium in steppe soil as a sink for atmospheric carbon
Authors: Lapenis A. G. , Lawrence G. B. , Bailey S. W. , Aparin B. F. , Shiklomanov A. I. , Speranskaya N. A. , Torn M. S. , Calef M.
Published: May 2008

During the last several thousand years the semi‐arid, cold climate of the Russian steppe formed highly fertile soils rich in organic carbon and calcium (classified as Chernozems in the Russian system). Analysis of archived soil samples collected in Kemannaya Steppe Preserve in 1920, 1947, 1970, and fresh samples collected in 1998 indicated that the native steppe Chernozems, however, lost 17–28 kg m−2 of calcium in the form of carbonates in 1970–1998. Here we demonstrate that the loss of calcium was caused by fundamental shift in the steppe hydrologic balance. Previously unleached soils where precipitation was less than potential evapotranspiration are now being leached due to increased precipitation and, possibly, due to decreased actual evapotranspiration. Because this region receives low levels of acidic deposition, the dissolution of carbonates involves the consumption of atmospheric CO2. Our estimates indicate that this climatically driven terrestrial sink of atmospheric CO2 is ∼2.1–7.4 g C m−2 a−1. In addition to the net sink of atmospheric carbon, leaching of pedogenic carbonates significantly amplified seasonal amplitude of CO2 exchange between atmosphere and steppe soil.
Plagioclase preferred orientation in layered mylonites: Evaluation of flow laws for the lower crust
Authors: Mehl Luc , Hirth Greg
Published: May 2008

We evaluate the applicability of plagioclase and gabbro flow laws by comparing predicted and observed deformation mechanisms in gabbroic shear zones. Gabbros and layered gabbro mylonites were collected from the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR), Ocean Drilling Program Hole 735B. Deformation temperatures are constrained by two‐pyroxene thermometry, stress is estimated from grain size, and deformation mechanisms are analyzed by microstructure and the presence or absence of a lattice preferred orientation (LPO). Our analyses indicate that mylonite layers deformed at a strain rate in the range of 10−12 to 10−11 s−1, while coarse‐grained gabbro deformed at a strain rate of approximately 10−14 to 10−13 s−1. Plagioclase in pure plagioclase mylonite layers exhibit strong LPOs indicating that they deformed by dislocation creep. Plagioclase grain size in mixed plagioclase‐pyroxene mylonite layers is finer than in pure plagioclase layers and depends on the size and proportion of pyroxenes. Progressive mixing of pyroxene and plagioclase within gabbro mylonite layers is accompanied by weakening of the LPO, indicating that phase mixing promotes a transition to diffusion creep processes that involve grain boundary sliding. Our results indicate that experimental flow laws are accurate at geologic strain rates, although the strain rate for diffusion creep of fine‐grained gabbro may be underestimated. At the conditions estimated for the SWIR crust, our calculations suggest that strain localization leads to a factor of 2–4 decrease in lower crustal viscosity. Away from shear zones, the viscosity of lower gabbroic crust is predicted to be similar to that of dry upper mantle.
Formation of undular bores and solitary waves in the Strait of Malacca caused by the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Authors: Grue J. , Pelinovsky E. N. , Fructus D. , Talipova T. , Kharif C.
Published: May 2008

Deformation of the Indian Ocean tsunami moving into the shallow Strait of Malacca and formation of undular bores and solitary waves in the strait are simulated in a model study using the fully nonlinear dispersive method (FNDM) and the Korteweg‐deVries (KdV) equation. Two different versions of the incoming wave are studied where the waveshape is the same but the amplitude is varied: full amplitude and half amplitude. While moving across three shallow bottom ridges, the back face of the leading depression wave steepens until the wave slope reaches a level of 0.0036–0.0038, when short waves form, resembling an undular bore for both full and half amplitude. The group of short waves has very small amplitude in the beginning, behaving like a linear dispersive wave train, the front moving with the shallow water speed and the tail moving with the linear group velocity. Energy transfer from long to short modes is similar for the two input waves, indicating the fundamental role of the bottom topography to the formation of short waves. The dominant period becomes about 20 s in both cases. The train of short waves, emerging earlier for the larger input wave than for the smaller one, eventually develops into a sequence of rank‐ordered solitary waves moving faster than the leading depression wave and resembles a fission of the mother wave. The KdV equation has limited capacity in resolving dispersion compared to FNDM.
A physical model to estimate snowfall over land using AMSU‐B observations
Authors: Kim Min‐Jeong , Weinman J. A. , Olson W. S. , Chang D.‐E. , Skofronick‐Jackson G. , Wang J. R.
Published: May 2008

In this study, we present a physical model to retrieve snowfall rate over land using brightness temperature observations from NOAA's Advanced Microwave Sounder Unit‐B (AMSU‐B) at 89 GHz, 150 GHz, 183.3 ± 1 GHz, 183.3 ± 3 GHz, and 183.3 ± 7 GHz. The retrieval model is applied to the New England blizzard of 5 March 2001 which deposited about 75 cm of snow over much of Vermont, New Hampshire, and northern New York. In this physical model, prior retrieval assumptions about snowflake shape, particle size distributions, environmental conditions, and optimization methodology have been updated. Here, single scattering parameters for snow particles are calculated with the discrete‐dipole approximation (DDA) method instead of assuming spherical shapes. Five different snow particle models are considered. Snow particle size distributions are assumed to vary with air temperature and to follow aircraft measurements described by previous studies. Brightness temperatures at AMSU‐B frequencies for the New England blizzard are calculated using these DDA calculated single scattering parameters and particle size distributions. The vertical profiles of pressure, temperature, relative humidity and hydrometeors are provided by MM5 model simulations. These profiles are treated as the a priori database in the Bayesian retrieval algorithm. In algorithm applications to the blizzard data, calculated brightness temperatures associated with selected database profiles agree with AMSU‐B observations to within about ±5 K at all five frequencies. Retrieved snowfall rates compare favorably with the near‐concurrent National Weather Service (NWS) radar reflectivity measurements. The relationships between the NWS radar measured reflectivities Ze and retrieved snowfall rate R for a given snow particle model are derived by a histogram matching technique. All of these Ze‐R relationships fall in the range of previously established Ze‐R relationships for snowfall. This suggests that the current physical model developed in this study can reliably estimate the snowfall rate over land using the AMSU‐B measured brightness temperatures.
A model for frictional melt production beneath large rock avalanches
Authors: De Blasio Fabio Vittorio , Elverhøi Anders
Published: May 2008

Two puzzling traits of giant rock avalanches (sturzstroms) are the decrease of the effective friction coefficient as a function of the volume (volume effect) and the remarkable preservation of large geological structures during the flow, demonstrating that the upper cap of a sturzstrom travels coherently on top of a basal shear layer. Hence, frictional heat is rapidly produced along the shear layer, which could explain the formation of sheets of molten rock inside certain landslide deposits. It has been conjectured that a molten layer could potentially self‐lubricate the base of the sturzstrom. To theoretically investigate this scenario, we consider the model of a rock slab sliding on an inclined surface. We present a set of coupled differential equations to calculate the frictional heat produced, the properties of the molten layer (thickness, temperature, and velocity distribution), and the motion of the slab. Our simulations illustrate the onset of self‐lubrication and show the volume effect when the melt viscosity is low, corresponding to a simulated mafic composition of the rock. For a felsic composition (and to some extent also for intermediate melts) we find that the melting introduces more resistance at the beginning of the melting process, in close similarity with frictional melting in tectonic faults. However, in contrast to faults, the rock avalanche is capable of overcoming the initial resistance in at least two situations: if the rock is rigid and the landslide is sufficiently thick or else if the material of the landslide is disintegrated. The simulations also show that although self‐lubrication is a viable possibility to explain the runout of sturzstroms, there are rather stringent conditions for the formation of a molten layer of good lubricating qualities. More generally, we suggest that the properties of the Coulomb frictional law at the interfaces may change radically during sliding and that the assumption of constant friction does not represent a good model in landslide calculations.
Enhanced supply of fossil organic carbon to the Okinawa Trough since the last deglaciation
Authors: Kao S. J. , Dai M. H. , Wei K. Y. , Blair N. E. , Lyons W. B.
Published: May 2008

Significantly older 14C ages by 2500–7900 years are found for sedimentary total organic carbon (TOC) when compared to ages of codeposited surface‐dwelling foraminifera in the southern Okinawa Trough. This age discrepancy increases with rising sea level since the Last Glacial Maximum. A progressive shift in TOC δ13C toward more negative values with rising sea level reflects an increasing fractional contribution of terrestrial organics (soil organics, plant debris, and/or fossil organics) to the buried organic pool. Organic matter previously stored on the East China Sea shelf during sea level lowstand and riverine material from Taiwan may be the sources that cause the δ13CTOC to shift to more terrestrial values. During the Holocene when sea level is above −40 m, δ13CTOC values stabilize within a narrow range (−22.3 to −22.8‰) while age discrepancies continue to increase and less chemically weathered sediments are deposited. The increase in age discrepancy between TOC and foraminifera in the Holocene may be due to a wetter climate that drove higher rates of physical weathering on Taiwan and greater transport rates of fossil organic C‐bearing lithogenic sediment to the ocean. The climate impact on the relative delivery of fossil and nonfossil TOC in depositional settings influenced by fluvial sources should be considered in interpretations of sedimentary C isotope records.
Crater FTEs: Simulation results and THEMIS observations
Authors: Sibeck D. G. , Kuznetsova M. , Angelopoulos V. , Glaßmeier K.‐H. , McFadden J. P.
Published: May 2008

The BATS‐R‐US magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model predicts flux transfer events (FTEs) with strong core magnetic fields embedded within a broadened current layer of weak magnetic field strengths on the equatorial dayside magnetopause during intervals of southward and duskward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation. Multipoint THEMIS observations at 2202 UT on June 20, 2007 of a southward‐moving FTE on the post‐noon magnetopause confirm the predictions of the model. THEMIS‐E and ‐A with large impact parameters simply observe enhanced magnetic field strengths in draped magnetosheath magnetic field lines, THEMIS‐B and ‐C with moderate impact parameters pass through the broadened current layer to observe crater FTEs with deep troughs bounding a strong core field, while THEMIS‐D with a very low impact parameter observes the core magnetic field strength enhancement embedded in the current layer.
Irrigation cooling effect on temperature and heat index extremes
Authors: Lobell David B. , Bonfils Celine J. , Kueppers Lara M. , Snyder Mark A.
Published: May 2008

Previous studies of the long‐term climate effects of irrigation have focused on average monthly temperatures. Given the importance of temperature (T) extremes to agriculture and human health, we evaluated irrigation induced changes in various metrics of T extremes using daily observations in California and Nebraska. In addition, simulations from a regional climate model were used to evaluate irrigation effects on T and heat index (HI; also known as the discomfort index) extremes in California, with the latter representing a combined measure of T and humidity. Contrary to our expectation that irrigation would have larger effects on hot days when sensible heat fluxes are higher, both observations and a regional climate model indicate that irrigation cools T on the hottest days of the year by a similar magnitude as on an average summer day. The HI is also reduced by irrigation, but by a much smaller magnitude than T because of the higher humidity above irrigated surfaces. Interestingly, HI is influenced less on the most extreme days than on average days, because of the nonlinear effect of humidity on HI at high T.
Subcutaneous late phase responses are augmented during local inhalational tolerance in a murine asthma model
Authors: Singh Anurag , Thrall Roger S , Guernsey Linda A , Carson William F , Secor Eric R , Cone Robert E , Rajan Thiruchandurai V , Schramm Craig M
Published: May 2008

Acute exposure of sensitized mice to antigen elicits allergic airway disease (AAD) characterized by Th2 cytokine‐dependent pulmonary eosinophilia, methacholine hyperresponsiveness and antigen‐specific IgE elevation. However, chronic exposure induces a local inhalational tolerance (LIT), with resolution of the airway responses but persistent systemic IgE production. To further determine if systemic immunologic responses were maintained during LIT, we assessed subcutaneous late phase responses to ovalbumin in this model. Sensitized and AAD mice developed small subcutaneous responses to ovalbumin, with footpad thickness increasing to 113.7 and 113.6% of baseline, respectively. In comparison, LIT mice developed marked foot swelling (141.6%). Histologic examination confirmed increased inflammation in the chronic animals, with a significant contribution by eosinophils. Thus, the resolution of airway inflammatory responses with chronic antigen inhalation is a localized response, not associated with loss of systemic responses to antigen.
Leptin responsiveness restored by amylin agonism in diet-induced obesity: Evidence from nonclinical and clinical studies
Authors: Roth Jonathan D. , Roland Barbara L. , Cole Rebecca L. , Trevaskis James L. , Weyer Christian , Koda Joy E. , Anderson Christen M. , Parkes David G. , Baron Alain D.
Published: May 2008

Body weight is regulated by complex neurohormonal interactions between endocrine signals of long-term adiposity (e.g., leptin, a hypothalamic signal) and short-term satiety (e.g., amylin, a hindbrain signal). We report that concurrent peripheral administration of amylin and leptin elicits synergistic, fat-specific weight loss in leptin-resistant, diet-induced obese rats. Weight loss synergy was specific to amylin treatment, compared with other anorexigenic peptides, and dissociable from amylin's effect on food intake. The addition of leptin after amylin pretreatment elicited further weight loss, compared with either monotherapy condition. In a 24-week randomized, double-blind, clinical proof-of-concept study in overweight/obese subjects, coadministration of recombinant human leptin and the amylin analog pramlintide elicited 12.7% mean weight loss, significantly more than was observed with either treatment alone (
P
< 0.01). In obese rats, amylin pretreatment partially restored hypothalamic leptin signaling (pSTAT3 immunoreactivity) within the ventromedial, but not the arcuate nucleus and up-regulated basal and leptin-stimulated signaling in the hindbrain area postrema. These findings provide both nonclinical and clinical evidence that amylin agonism restored leptin responsiveness in diet-induced obesity, suggesting that integrated neurohormonal approaches to obesity pharmacotherapy may facilitate greater weight loss by harnessing naturally occurring synergies.
Dendritic cell-mediated NK cell activation is controlled by Jagged2–Notch interaction
Authors: Kijima Mika , Yamaguchi Takeshi , Ishifune Chieko , Maekawa Yoichi , Koyanagi Akemi , Yagita Hideo , Chiba Shigeru , Kishihara Kenji , Shimada Mitsuo , Yasutomo Koji
Published: May 2008

Natural killer (NK) cells regulate various immune responses by exerting cytotoxic activity or secreting cytokines. The interaction of NK cells with dendritic cells (DC) contributes to NK cell-mediated antitumor or antimicrobial responses. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms for controlling this interaction are largely unknown. Here, we show an involvement of Jagged2–Notch interaction in augmenting NK cell cytotoxicity mediated by DC. Enforced expression of Jagged2 on A20 cells (Jag2-A20 cells) suppressed their growth
in vivo
, which was abrogated by depleting NK cells. Moreover, Jag2-A20 cells exerted a suppression on the growth of nonmanipulated A20 cells in SCID mice in an NK-dependent manner. Consistently, coinoculation of A20 cells with DC overexpressing Jagged2 (Jag2-DC) suppressed the growth of A20 cells in mice. Stimulation of NK cells with Jagged2 directly enhanced their cytotoxicity, IFN-γ production, and proliferation. Ligation of Notch2 on NK cells enhanced their cytotoxic activity, and Jag2-DC or CpG-treated DC-mediated NK cell cytotoxicity was suppressed by a γ-secretase inhibitor. These results indicate that the Jagged2–Notch axis plays a crucial role in DC-mediated NK cell cytotoxicity. Furthermore, manipulation of this interaction may provide an approach to induce potent tumor immunity or to inhibit certain autoimmune diseases caused by NK cell activation.
Direct phylogenetic evidence for lateral transfer of elongation factor-like gene
Authors: Kamikawa Ryoma , Inagaki Yuji , Sako Yoshihiko
Published: May 2008

Genes encoding elongation factor-like (EFL) proteins, which show high similarity to elongation factor-1α (EF-1α), have been found in phylogenetically distantly related eukaryotes. The sporadic distribution of “EFL-containing” lineages within “EF-1α-containing” lineages indirectly, but strongly, suggests lateral gene transfer as the principal driving force in EFL evolution. However, one of the most critical aspects in the above hypothesis, the donor lineages in any putative cases of lateral EFL gene transfer, remained unclear. In this study, we provide direct evidence for lateral transfer of an EFL gene through the analyses of 10 diatom EFL genes. All diatom EFL homologues tightly clustered in phylogenetic analyses, suggesting acquisition of the exogenous EFL gene early in diatom evolution. Our survey additionally identified
Thalassiosira pseudonana
as a eukaryote bearing EF-1α and EFL genes and secondary EFL gene loss in
Phaeodactylum tricornutum
, the complete genome of which encodes only the EF-1α gene. Most importantly, the EFL phylogeny recovered a robust grouping of homologues from diatoms, the cercozoan
Bigelowiella natans
, and the foraminifer
Planoglabratella opecularis
, with the diatoms nested within the
Bigelowiella
plus
Planoglabratella
(Rhizaria) grouping. The particular relationships recovered are further consistent with two characteristic sequence motifs. The best explanation of our data analyses is an EFL gene transfer from a foraminifer to a diatom, the first case in which the donor–recipient relationship was clarified. Finally, based on a reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR assay and the genome information of
Thalassiosira
and
Phaeodactylum
, we propose the loss of elongation factor function in
Thalassiosira
EF-1α.
In vitro
reconstitution and crystal structure of
p
-aminobenzoate
N
-oxygenase (AurF) involved in aureothin biosynthesis
Authors: Choi Yoo Seong , Zhang Houjin , Brunzelle Joseph S. , Nair Satish K. , Zhao Huimin
Published: May 2008

p
-aminobenzoate
N
-oxygenase (AurF) from
Streptomyces thioluteus
catalyzes the formation of unusual polyketide synthase starter unit
p
-nitrobenzoic acid (pNBA) from
p
-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) in the biosynthesis of antibiotic aureothin. AurF is a metalloenzyme, but its native enzymatic activity has not been demonstrated
in vitro
, and its catalytic mechanism is unclear. In addition, the nature of the cofactor remains a controversy. Here, we report the
in vitro
reconstitution of the AurF enzyme activity, the crystal structure of AurF in the oxidized state, and the cocrystal structure of AurF with its product pNBA. Our combined biochemical and structural analysis unequivocally indicates that AurF is a non-heme di-iron monooxygenase that catalyzes sequential oxidation of aminoarenes to nitroarenes via hydroxylamine and nitroso intermediates.
Null mutations in human and mouse orthologs frequently result in different phenotypes
Authors: Liao Ben-Yang , Zhang Jianzhi
Published: May 2008

One-to-one orthologous genes of relatively closely related species are widely assumed to have similar functions and cause similar phenotypes when deleted from the genome. Although this assumption is the foundation of comparative genomics and the basis for the use of model organisms to study human biology and disease, its validity is known only from anecdotes rather than from systematic examination. Comparing documented phenotypes of null mutations in humans and mice, we find that >20% of human essential genes have nonessential mouse orthologs. These changes of gene essentiality appear to be associated with adaptive evolution at the protein-sequence, but not gene-expression, level. Proteins localized to the vacuole, a cellular compartment for waste management, are highly enriched among essentiality-changing genes. It is probable that the evolution of the prolonged life history in humans required enhanced waste management for proper cellular function until the time of reproduction, which rendered these vacuole proteins essential and generated selective pressures for their improvement. If our gene sample represents the entire genome, our results would mean frequent changes of phenotypic effects of one-to-one orthologous genes even between relatively closely related species, a possibility that should be considered in comparative genomic studies and in making cross-species inferences of gene function and phenotypic effect.
Genomic and epigenetic alterations deregulate microRNA expression in human epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Zhang Lin , Volinia Stefano , Bonome Tomas , Calin George Adrian , Greshock Joel , Yang Nuo , Liu Chang-Gong , Giannakakis Antonis , Alexiou Pangiotis , Hasegawa Kosei , Johnstone Cameron N. , Megraw Molly S. , Adams Sarah , Lassus Heini , Huang Jia , Kaur Sippy , Liang Shun , Sethupathy Praveen , Leminen Arto , Simossis Victor A. , Sandaltzopoulos Raphael , Naomoto Yoshio , Katsaros Dionyssios , Gimotty Phyllis A. , DeMichele Angela , Huang Qihong , Bützow Ralf , Rustgi Anil K. , Weber Barbara L. , Birrer Michael J. , Hatzigeorgiou Artemis G. , Croce Carlo M. , Coukos George
Published: May 2008

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of small noncoding RNAs that function as negative gene regulators. miRNA deregulation is involved in the initiation and progression of human cancer; however, the underlying mechanism and its contributions to genome-wide transcriptional changes in cancer are still largely unknown. We studied miRNA deregulation in human epithelial ovarian cancer by integrative genomic approach, including miRNA microarray (
n
= 106), array-based comparative genomic hybridization (
n
= 109), cDNA microarray (
n
= 76), and tissue array (
n
= 504). miRNA expression is markedly down-regulated in malignant transformation and tumor progression. Genomic copy number loss and epigenetic silencing, respectively, may account for the down-regulation of ≈15% and at least ≈36% of miRNAs in advanced ovarian tumors and miRNA down-regulation contributes to a genome-wide transcriptional deregulation. Last, eight miRNAs located in the chromosome 14 miRNA cluster (
Dlk1-Gtl2
domain) were identified as potential tumor suppressor genes. Therefore, our results suggest that miRNAs may offer new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in epithelial ovarian cancer.
Centrosomal RNA correlates with intron-poor nuclear genes in
Spisula
oocytes
Authors: Alliegro Mark C. , Alliegro Mary Anne
Published: May 2008

The evolutionary origin of centriole/kinetosomes, centrosomes, and other microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs), whether by direct filiation or symbiogenesis, has been controversial for >50 years. Centrioles, like mitochondria and chloroplasts, duplicate independently of the nucleus and constitute a heritable system independent of chromosomal DNA. Nucleic acids endogenous to the MTOC would support evolutionary origin by symbiogenesis. To date, most reports of centrosome-associated nucleic acids have used generalized reagents such as RNases and nucleic acid dyes. Here, from a library of RNAs extracted from isolated surf clam (
Spisula solidissima
) centrosomes, we describe a group of centrosome-associated transcripts representing a structurally unique intron-poor collection of nuclear genes skewed toward nucleic acid metabolism. Thus, we resolve the debate over the existence of centrosome-associated RNA (cnRNA). A subset of cnRNAs contain functional domains that are highly conserved across distant taxa, such as nucleotide polymerase motifs.
In situ
localization of cnRNA65, a molecule with an RNA polymerase domain, showed it is present in the intact oocyte nucleus (germinal vesicle). Its expression, therefore, precedes the appearance of γ-tubulin-containing centrosomes. At this stage, the
in situ
signal resembles the nucleolinus, a poorly understood organelle proposed to play a role in spindle formation. After oocyte activation and germinal vesicle breakdown, cnRNA65 persists as a cytoplasmic patch within which γ-tubulin-stained centrosomes can be seen. These observations provoke the question of whether cnRNAs and the nucleolinus serve as cytological progenitors of the centrosome and may support a symbiogenetic model for its evolution.