bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Global patterns in the biogeography of bacterial taxa
Authors: Nemergut Diana R. , Costello Elizabeth K. , Hamady Micah , Lozupone Catherine , Jiang Lin , Schmidt Steven K. , Fierer Noah , Townsend Alan R. , Cleveland Cory C. , Stanish Lee , Knight Rob
Published: August 2010

Bacteria control major nutrient cycles and directly influence plant, animal and human health. However, we know relatively little about the forces shaping their large‐scale ecological ranges. Here, we reveal patterns in the distribution of individual bacterial taxa at multiple levels of phylogenetic resolution within and between Earth's major habitat types. Our analyses suggest that while macro‐scale habitats structure bacterial distribution to some degree, abundant bacteria (i.e. detectable using 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods) are confined to single assemblages. Additionally, we show that the most cosmopolitan taxa are also the most abundant in individual assemblages. These results add to the growing body of data that support that the diversity of the overall bacterial metagenome is tremendous. The mechanisms governing microbial distribution remain poorly understood, but our analyses provide a framework with which to test the importance of macro‐ecological environmental gradients, relative abundance, neutral processes and the ecological strategies of individual taxa in structuring microbial communities.
Risk factors for, and management of anastomotic leakage in rectal surgery
Authors: Moran B. J. , Heald R. J.
Published: August 2010

Anastomotic leakage is one of the most serious early complications of any rectal anastomosis. Proximal defunctioning mitigates the consequences of leakage but does not abolish the risk. The lower the anastomosis the higher the risks of leakage. There is evidence that a short colon pouch reduces the risks of leakage. A high index of suspicion is required to detect the early non‐specific signs of anastomotic leakage. Urgent surgical intervention is usually required to avert a life threatening situation. Reports of the demise of temporary defunctioning of the low anastomosis are premature, and judicious use of faecal diversion should never be regarded as surgical temerity.
Choosing the correct side for Karydakis flap
Authors: Kulacoglu H.
Published: August 2010

Objective  Choosing the correct side for Karydakis flap in treatment of pilonidal disease in certain cases.

Method  When the cyst or diseased tissues appear deep into the opposite side it may create some annoying problems, like too thin skin edge, dead space and wound failure. Herein, a simple modification of skin incision marking to over‐come this potential problem is described.

Conclusion  This simple technical offer could be useful when dealing with sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease in daily surgical practice.
Stratum corneum keratin structure, function and formation – a comprehensive review
Authors: Norlén L.
Published: August 2010

Synopsis

A comprehensive review on stratum corneum keratin organization, largely based on the recently published cubic rod‐packing and membrane templating model [J. Invest. Dermatol., 123, 2004, 715], is presented. Keratin is the major non‐aqueous component (wt/wt) of stratum corneum. As 90–100% of the stratum corneum water is thought to be located intracellularly one may presume that keratin also is a major factor (together with filaggrin‐derived free amino acids) determining stratum corneum hydration level and water holding capacity. This water holding capacity depends in turn on the structural organization of the corneocyte keratin intermediate filament network. The cubic rod‐packing model for the structure and function of the stratum corneum cell matrix postulates that corneocyte keratin filaments are arranged according to a cubic‐like rod‐packing symmetry. It is in accordance with the cryo‐electron density pattern of the native corneocyte keratin matrix and could account for the swelling behaviour and the mechanical properties of mammalian stratum corneum. The membrane templating model for keratin dynamics and for the formation of the stratum corneum cell matrix postulates the presence in viable epidermal cellular space of a highly dynamic small lattice parameter (<30 nm) membrane structure with cubic‐like symmetry, to which keratin is associated. It further proposes that membrane templating, rather than spontaneous self‐assembly, is responsible for keratin intermediate filament formation and dynamics. It is in accordance with the cryo‐electron density patterns of the native keratinocyte cytoplasmic space and could account for the characteristic features of the keratin network formation process, the dynamic properties of keratin intermediate filaments, the close lipid association of keratin, the insolubility in non‐denaturating buffers and pronounced polymorphism of keratin assembled in vitro, and the measured reduction in cell‐volume and hydration level between stratum granulosum and stratum corneum.
Discount factors and the performance of alternative fisheries governance systems
Authors: Sumaila Ussif Rashid , Domínguez‐Torreiro Marcos
Published: August 2010

We investigate the performance of different governance arrangements (command‐and‐control, self‐governance and co‐management) in terms of sustainability and conservation when the discount factor of the regulator is different from the discount factor of fishers. For exogenous discount factors, self‐governance management regimes do better than command‐and‐control in terms of the long‐term sustainability of the fish resources, if the fisher’s discount factor is higher than that of the regulator, and vice versa if the discount factor of the regulator is higher. Under the assumption of endogenous discount factors, the decision whether to promote a command‐and‐control management system or a self‐governance or co‐management structure will depend on: (i) the magnitude of the intertemporal preferences of both the fishers and the regulator; and (ii) the relative weight or political influence of the fishers on the regulators’ decision‐making process. Hence, this contribution highlights the possibility that command‐and‐control can be less sustainable than self‐governance and vice versa. It is therefore important to explicitly take account of intertemporal preferences in the decision‐making process if a governance system for a given fishery is to succeed. For many fisheries, it is difficult to know the ‘true’ discount factors of both fishers and governments, hence, the practical message from this paper is that to guide against over exploitation of fishery resources, it is prudent to put in place co‐management arrangements, since both discount factors, whatever they may be, will be weighted into the decision‐making process.
Is more similar, better? Interacting effect of the cognitive‐style congruency and tacitness of knowledge on knowledge transfer in the mentor–protégé dyad
Authors: Lin Chia‐Wu , Kao Mei‐Chin , Chang Kuo‐I
Published: August 2010

This study explored the effects of cognitive‐style congruency on knowledge transfer in the mentor–protégé dyadic relationship and the moderating effect of tacitness of knowledge in this relationship. Using data from 148 sales personnel dyads, we found that the more congruent the cognitive style between a mentor and a protégé, the more effective the knowledge transfer between them. Moreover, the tacitness of knowledge moderated this association as expected. When the knowledge to be transferred was organized, systematic, and clear, this positive relationship was weakened. This relationship was particularly strong when the knowledge to be transferred was tacit, ambiguous, and unclear.
Democracy, Veto Players and the Depth of Regional Integration
Authors: Mansfield Edward D. , Milner Helen V. , Pevehouse Jon C.
Published: August 2010

We examine how domestic political factors influence the type of regional integration arrangement (RIA) that states enter. States can pursue at least five types of RIA, in order of their depth of policy integration: preferential trade agreements, free trade areas, customs unions, common markets and economic unions. We argue that a country's regime type and the number of institutional ‘veto players’ strongly affect the type of arrangement that states choose. Democracies are more likely to form an RIA than other states, a tendency that becomes more pronounced as the proposed level of integration in an arrangement rises. However, all democracies are not the same. As the number of veto players rises, the likelihood of a democracy entering an RIA declines. Furthermore, veto players are expected to have a larger effect on the odds of a democracy forming an RIA, the greater is the extent of integration that the arrangement aims to achieve. A series of statistical tests, based on analysis of all pairs of countries from 1950 to 2000, support our arguments.
Sequencing Regional Trade Integration and Cooperation Agreements
Authors: Estevadeordal Antoni , Suominen Kati
Published: August 2010

Trade integration agreements and other international cooperation agreements have proliferated in recent years around the world. Rather than being spurred by exogenous forces alone, the two phenomena are likely to be both path‐dependent and endogenous to one another. However, the theoretical and empirical understanding of the relationships between agreements forged in different domains of cooperation remains nascent. The purpose of this paper is to describe a new, extensive dataset on international agreements that can be employed to start mending the gaps in the literature, and to develop ‘best practices’ of sequencing international agreements to obtain higher pay‐offs from cooperation. Of particular interest here is the relationship between trade integration and other cooperation agreements; the data provide preliminary grounds for hypothesising that trade integration agreements can be a particularly likely catalyst for further cooperation between states.
Missed Opportunities: The WTO Trade Policy Review for the East African Community
Authors: Morrissey Oliver , Jones Chris
Published: August 2010

The East African Community (EAC), comprising Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, came into force on 7 July 2000 with a Common External Tariff (CET) established in January 2005. This Trade Policy Review (TPR) of the EAC is timely as all three countries had implemented significant trade liberalisation since the late 1980s while the CET represented an asymmetric change – Kenya and Tanzania essentially reduced tariffs whereas Uganda increased tariffs. The TPR provides considerable information on the CET and on trade and related policies in each of the member countries. However, the EAC and the TPR missed a number of opportunities: the EAC included no coordinated export promotion or investment provisions, while the TPR says little on the potential for intra‐regional trade, and nor does it address the position of the EAC in the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) being negotiated with the EU. This review concentrates on these omissions to explore the implications of the EAC for developments in trade policy in the region.
Liberalising Trends in Israel's Trade Policy: Trade Policy Review of Israel
Authors: Tovias Alfred
Published: August 2010

Israeli authorities have been generally efficient in implementing gradual, mostly unilateral, liberalisation of their country's trade policy regime, with agriculture and related activities being the only major exceptions to the rule. This trend reflects a broad consensus among major political parties in Israel in pursuing liberal trade policy reforms. An alternative interpretation of the liberalising trend is that protectionist pressures from organised sectoral lobbies were either weak or inefficient.
Creativity and accessibility in written professional discourse1
Authors: BHATIA VIJAY K.
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT:  Recent work on genre analysis suggests that professional genres and professional practices complement each other, in that they are co‐constructed in specific contexts. However, in most language‐based investigations of intelligibility, accessibility, and creativity in the use and interpretation of professional genres, the emphasis has always been on the use of linguistic resources, in particular the use of formal properties of language, with very little emphasis on text‐external considerations, i.e. interdiscursivity and other socio‐pragmatic factors. This paper seeks to widen the scope of such concerns with intelligibility, accessibility, interpretability, and creativity to the socio‐pragmatic space within which professional genres invariably operate, and to consider critically how expert professionals exploit socio‐pragmatic space to create new and hybrid forms across disciplinary, institutional, and cultural boundaries.
Repair of non‐understanding in English in international communication
Authors: WATTERSON MATTHEW
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT: The international use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) – i.e. between non‐native speakers of different nationalities, in situations where no native English speakers are present – has become an important feature of business, diplomacy, education, and personal relationships around the world. Nowhere is this more true than in Northeast Asia, where cultural, economic, and educational interchanges between Korea, Japan, China, and other countries in the region are increasingly conducted in English. This paper discusses an exploratory study on the use of ELF by a small group of university students in Seoul, South Korea, with a focus on the communication strategies used to repair non‐understanding between the participants. After summarising findings from previous ELF research, the paper outlines the methodology of the current study, which was conducted by videotaping, transcribing, and analysing interactions in the group, comprising one Mongolian and five Korean participants. The study's findings on the participants' use of repair strategies are then discussed; finally, the paper outlines some tentative conclusions from the study and makes recommendations for future research.
African Englishes: acoustic analysis of vowels
Authors: MUTONYA MUNGAI
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT:  This paper focuses on acoustic analysis of African English (AfrE) vowels produced by a controlled sample of speakers from Kenya, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. Adopting quantitative methods of data sampling and analysis, and holding dialectal factors as homogeneous as possible, this exploratory study subjects Schmied's (1991a) claim – that a major source of regional variation is the ‘deviation’ in the production of RP central vowel [] (as in bird) – to empirical scrutiny. Schmied contends that [] backs and lowers to [] in West African English, fronts and lowers to [a] or fronts to [e] in East African English, while in (Black) South African English it fronts to [e]. However, analysis of acoustic waveforms of AfrE vowels, produced by educated speakers of Bantu and Kwa languages, partially corroborate Schmied's contention. For instance, Ghanaian and Zimbabwean respondents in this study front the RP vowel [] to [e], while Kenyans lower it to [a]. The paper provides a methodological framework that will at least address some research concerns voiced over the years: lack of “objective, systematic study” (Abdulaziz 1991: 393), “deficiency in methodology” (Adegbija 1994: 53), and “overgeneralization” (Simo Bobda 2000: 264). Sustained empirical studies could eventually lead to a fresh perspective on AfrE's phonological variation.
Attitudes towards non‐standard English in Singapore1
Authors: TAN PETER K.W. , TAN DANIEL K. H.
Published: August 2010

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the problem of a curriculum which promotes a standard linguistic variety in a context where non‐standardisms are common in the learners' milieu. There have been curricula which try to incorporate the non‐standard and have its function discussed; some have considered the non‐standard a stepping‐stone towards the standard; and yet others have tried to keep the non‐standard out of the school context. We examine the Singaporean context with reference to English in the classroom, where the last option seems to be the implicit one. We focus in particular on the views of 260 upper secondary pupils in five non‐elite schools, elicited through survey questionnaires. The results show that there is clear appreciation of the value of Standard English; it is, however, also clear that that the non‐standard, Singlish, plays an important social role in the community; and we suggest that it might be possible to harness the non‐standard in a curriculum that promotes the standard.
Children in Prisons and Remand Centres
Authors: Pope Patrick J.
Published: August 2010

Industrial and Reformatory Schools were established in the middle of the nineteenth century largely as the result of the considerable public anxiety being expressed about the numbers of children held at the time in prisons primarily concerned with the detention of adults. In the remaining years of the century as the schools gained in number and size the practice of sentencing children in this way declined steadily until by 1914‐15 there were only six actually in prison. The Children Act of 1908 by abolishing imprisonment altogether for those children aged less than fourteen, and only permitting those aged between fourteen and seventeen to be remanded with a special certificate, set the seal on these trends as well as laying the foundation for the legislation that governs the present situation.
A National Activity Survey of Police Work
Authors: BENNETT TREVOR , LUPTON RUTH
Published: August 2010

Abstract: The study comprises a national activity survey of the distribution of time spent on various policing tasks among a sample of over 1,600 community constables and general duty officers. The results of the survey show that about one‐third of a typical tour of duty of community constables and about two‐fifths of the typical duty tour of general duty officers is spent inside the station. When inside the station the major proportion of their time is spent on general administrative duties including paperwork and when outside the station the major proportion of their time is spent on routine patrol. A comparative analysis of activities across all forces shows considerable variation in the amount of time uniform officers spend on various tasks. An important difference among forces whose officers spend a large amount of time outside the station and forces whose officers spend a small amount of time outside the police station is the amount of time spent on general administrative duties including paperwork. The paper concludes that activity analyses can identify problems in the organisation and deployment of patrol officers and notes plans by HMIC and the Home Office to produce a standard activity sampling package and to encourage forces to use it.
Privatisation of Prisons in New South Wales and Queensland: A Review of Some Key Developments in Australia1
Authors: MOYLE PAUL
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Private contract management of prisons within Australia has taken hold in the past three years. In 1989 the Labour Government was elected in Queensland and reaf Jinned a contract entered into by the Libera National Party immediately prior to the Labour Party's election to manage Borallon Correctional Centre. At the time, there was some controversy about this decision as the Labour Party had expressed a policy which opposed private management of prisons. On 2 January 1990 Borallon commenced operations. This article will describe the involvement of private companies in punishment immediately prior to colonisation in Australia and in the early years in New South Wales. Against this background, a more detailed outline of the legislative and policy framework for contract management of prisons in Queensland and New South Wales is given. Emerging arguments about the advantages of priuate contract management are related to preliminary conclusions drawn from current field research at Borallon and Lotus Glen Correctional Centres. Finally, some reforms are suggested based on observations made whilst on this field research.
Multi‐Agency Crime Prevention: Some Barriers to Collaboration
Authors: GILLING DANIEL J.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This article considers some of the difficulties encountered by those seeking to develop a collaborative approach to the prevention of crime. It reflects on the vagueness and elasticity of the concept of crime prevention which, beyond the common sense appeal, encapsulates a variety of different and not necessarily complementary discourses. The multi‐agency approach seeks to force these discourses together, but the context of collaboration is such that certain discourses find themselves in a more privileged position, and others find it difficult to establish themselves
The Imposition of Conditions in Bail Decisions: From Summary Punishment to Better Behaviour on Remand
Authors: RAINE JOHN W. , WILLSON MICHAEL J.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: This article reports results from research on the effects of imposing conditions on defendants' bail. The research, which involved interviews with defendants, magistrates, police and probation officers, prosecuting and defence solicitors, explored the process of decision, the pattern of use of conditions, defendants' perceptions and responses while on bail, and reasons for these. The article concludes by highlighting priorities for more effective use of conditions; these including better monitoring and enforcement of the conditions imposed, more information to decision makers on the impact of different conditions, greater clarity of purpose in the decision process and greater consistency with the spirit and principles of the Bail Act.
After Homicide: Divided by Systems: A Comparison of Health Service and Probation Service Management of People Who Have Killed
Authors: STONE J. H. , CAMERON A. , TAYLOR P. J.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Among the many studies of the crime of homicide there is little evidence of interest in the practical management of those convicted. This study sought to compare two groups, identified within entirely different services, each with a different background of management. One was drawn from the probation service and the other from the health service. At the time of sentencing there were remarkably few group differences in demography, social or health status of the two groups of offenders, at least according to contemporaneous reports. The one significant difference was the higher rate of psychosis among those initially sent to hospital. Questions are raised about the diagnosis of personality disorder at the time of the trial and its effect on sentencing. Both hospital and probation staff seemed to be functioning on a dearth of important information. Closer liaison between probation and medical services, both within the prison and within the NHS, in assessing and planning the management of such people seems essential. Two case examples are included which illustrate the issues raised in the study. This study also provides further evidence of the need to review the mandatory life sentence for murder.
ON‐THE‐JOB SEARCH, PRODUCTIVITY SHOCKS, AND THE INDIVIDUAL EARNINGS PROCESS*
Authors: Postel‐Vinay Fabien , Turon Hélène
Published: August 2010

Individual labor earnings observed in worker panel data have complex, highly persistent dynamics. We investigate the capacity of a structural job search model with on‐the‐job search, wage renegotiation by mutual consent, and i.i.d. productivity shocks to replicate salient properties of these dynamics, such as the covariance structure of earnings, the evolution of individual earnings mean, and variance with the duration of uninterrupted employment, or the distribution of year‐to‐year earnings changes. Structural estimation of our model on a 12‐year panel of highly educated British workers shows that our simple framework produces a dynamic earnings structure that is remarkably consistent with the data.
GENDER DISCRIMINATION ESTIMATION IN A SEARCH MODEL WITH MATCHING AND BARGAINING*
Authors: Flabbi Luca
Published: August 2010

This article develops a search model of the labor market with matching, bargaining, and employers' taste discrimination in which—under necessary but standard distributional assumption—it is possible to separately identify gender discrimination and unobserved productivity differences. The equilibrium shows that both prejudiced and unprejudiced employers wage discriminate. Maximum likelihood estimates on CPS data indicate that half of the employers are prejudiced, average female productivity is 6.5% lower, and two‐third of the gender earning differential may be explained by prejudice. An affirmative action policy is implemented resulting in a redistribution of welfare from men to women at no cost for employers' welfare.
The effect of musical experience on emotional self‐reports and psychophysiological responses to dissonance
Authors: Dellacherie Delphine , Roy Mathieu , Hugueville Laurent , Peretz Isabelle , Samson Séverine
Published: August 2010

To study the influence of musical education on emotional reactions to dissonance, we examined self‐reports and physiological responses to dissonant and consonant musical excerpts in listeners with low (LE: n=15) and high (HE: n=13) musical experience. The results show that dissonance induces more unpleasant feelings and stronger physiological responses in HE than in LE participants, suggesting that musical education reinforces aversion to dissonance. Skin conductance (SCR) and electromyographic (EMG) signals were analyzed according to a defense cascade model, which takes into account two successive time windows corresponding to orienting and defense responses. These analyses suggest that musical experience can influence the defense response to dissonance and demonstrate a powerful role of musical experience not only in autonomic but also in expressive responses to music.
An Examination of the Involvement of Phospholipases A2and C in the α‐Adrenergic and γ‐Aminobutyric Acid Receptor Modulation of Cyclic AMP Accumulation in Rat Brain Slices
Authors: Duman R. S. , Karbon E. W. , Harrington C. , Enna S. J.
Published: August 2010

Abstract:Experiments were undertaken to define the role of two calcium‐associated enzyme systems in modulating transmitter‐stimulated production of cylic nucleotides in rat brain. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) accumulation was examined in cerebral cortical slices using a prelabeling technique. The enhancement of isoproterenol‐stimulated cAMP production by α‐adrenergic and γ‐aminobutyric acid‐B (GABAB) agonists was reduced by exposing the tissue to EGTA, a chelator of divalent cations, or quinacrine, a nonselective inhibitor of phospholipase A2. Likewise, chronic (2 weeks) administration of corticosterone decreased the α‐adrenergic and GABABreceptor modulation of second messenger production. Neither cyclooxygenase nor iipoxygenase inhibitors selectively influenced the facilitating response of α‐adrenergic and GABABagonists. Other experiments revealed that although norepinephrine and 6‐fluoronorepinephrine stimulated inositol phosphate (IP) production in cerebral cortical slices with potencies equal to those displayed in the cyclic nucleotide assay, selective α1,‐adrenergic agonists were less efficacious on IP formation and were without effect in the cAMP assay. Conversely, a selective α2‐adrenergic receptor agonist facilitated the cAMP response to a β‐adrenergic agonist without affecting IP formation. The rank orders of potency of a series of α‐adrenergic antagonists suggest that IP accumulation is mediated solely by α1‐adrenergic receptors, whereas the augmentation of cAMP accumulation is regulated by a mixed population of α‐adrenergic sites. The results suggest that the α‐adrenergic and GABABreceptor‐mediated enhancement of isoproterenol‐stimulated cAMP formation appears to be more closely associated with phospholipase A2than phospholipase C and may be mediated by arachidonate or some other fatty acid.
Effect of Altered Blood Plasma Osmolalities on Regional Brain Amino Acid Concentrations and Focal Seizure Susceptibility in the Rat
Authors: Baxter Claude F. , Wasterlain Claude G. , Hallden Kristine L. , Pruess Sharon F.
Published: August 2010

Abstract: Blood plasma hypo‐ or hyperosmolality alters significantly the concentration of some amino acids in brain tissues of the medial septum and hippocampus of adult Sprague‐Dawley rats. With some notable exceptions, brain amino acid concentrations decreased under hypoosmotic conditions and increased under hyperosmotic conditions. Osmotic changes and brain amino acid changes appear to be related to each other in an almost linear fashion. A comparison of rats and toads indicates that the patterns of changes in brain amino acid concentrations in response to a hypoosmotic plasma osmolality were almost identical for both species. Changes achievable under hyperosmotic conditions were considerably greater in toads. When rats with kindled epileptogenic foci were made hypoosmotic by water‐loading, seizure thresholds decreased dramatically. Our data suggest a possible relationship between the hypoosmotically induced biochemical changes in brain tissues (especially some amino acid neurotransmitters and neurotransmitter precursors) and the hypoosmotically induced increase in seizure susceptibility.
Effect of Modification of Membrane Phospholipid Composition on Phospholipid Methylation in Aggregating Cell Culture
Authors: Dainous Francine , Kanfer Julian N.
Published: August 2010

The effect of the presence of nitrogenous bases in the growth medium of fetal rat brain aggregating cell cultures was investigated. The presence of either N‐dimethylethanolamine (MME) or N,N‐dimethylethanolamine (DME) in the growth medium resulted in significant increase of the corresponding phospholipid, phosphatidyl‐N‐monomethylethanolamine (PMME) or phosphatidyl‐N,N‐dimethylethanolamine (PDME). They represented 28% and 32% of the total phospholipids, respectively. The presence of the new phospholipids was accompanied by a significant decrease of phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Cells grown in the presence of ethanolamine or choline had only barely detectable amounts of PMME and PDME. Intact cells previously grown with the bases were incubated with [methyl‐3H]methionine. Incubation of cells previously grown in presence of the bases MME and DME resulted in a marked increase of radioactivity in the corresponding phospholipids possessing one additional methyl group, PDME and PC respectively. The incorporation of S‐adenosyl[methyl−3H]methionine (AdoMet) was examined in cell homogenates incubated in presence or absence of either PMME or PDME acceptors. The addition of these exogenous phospholipids caused a three or fourfold stimulation of radioactivity incorporated into the total phospholipids of cells grown in the absence of nitrogen bases. The cells grown in presence of either MME or DME in the culture medium did not show an increased incorporation of methyl groups from AdoMet into the total phospholipids after addition of exogenous acceptors. This work suggests that MME and DME incorporated into the corresponding phospholipids function as effective substrates for phospholipid‐N‐methylation.
Metabotropic Excitatory Amino Acid Receptor Activation Stimulates Phospholipase D in Hippocampal Slices
Authors: Boss Valerie , Conn P. Jeffrey
Published: August 2010

Abstract:Metabotropic excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors are coupled to effector systems through G proteins. Because various G protein‐coupled receptors stimulate the hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine by phospholipase D (PLD), we examined the possibility that metabotropic EAA receptors exist that are coupled to the activation of PLD. We found that the selective metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonists 1S,3R‐amino‐1,3‐cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (ACPD) and 1S,3S‐ACPD, but not the inactive isomer, 1R,3S‐ACPD, induce a concentration‐dependent increase in PLD activity in hippocampal slices. Selective ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) antagonists did not block 1S,3R‐ACPD‐induced PLD stimulation. Furthermore, although selective iGluR agonists did not activate this response, the nonselective mGluR‐iGluR agonists, ibotenate and quisqualate, caused significant increases in PLD activity (all in the presence of iGluR antagonists). L‐2‐Amino‐3‐phosphonopropionic acid, which blocks the mGluR that is coupled to phosphoinositide hydrolysis in various brain regions, activates PLD to the same extent as the active isomers of ACPD. These data suggest that metabotropic EAA receptors exist in hippocampus that are coupled to PLD activation and are pharmacologically distinct from phosphoinositide hydrolysis‐coupled mGluRs.
Fat tissue, aging, and cellular senescence
Authors: Tchkonia Tamara , Morbeck Dean E. , Von Zglinicki Thomas , Van Deursen Jan , Lustgarten Joseph , Scrable Heidi , Khosla Sundeep , Jensen Michael D. , Kirkland James L.
Published: August 2010

Fat tissue, frequently the largest organ in humans, is at the nexus of mechanisms involved in longevity and age‐related metabolic dysfunction. Fat distribution and function change dramatically throughout life. Obesity is associated with accelerated onset of diseases common in old age, while fat ablation and certain mutations affecting fat increase life span. Fat cells turn over throughout the life span. Fat cell progenitors, preadipocytes, are abundant, closely related to macrophages, and dysdifferentiate in old age, switching into a pro‐inflammatory, tissue‐remodeling, senescent‐like state. Other mesenchymal progenitors also can acquire a pro‐inflammatory, adipocyte‐like phenotype with aging. We propose a hypothetical model in which cellular stress and preadipocyte overutilization with aging induce cellular senescence, leading to impaired adipogenesis, failure to sequester lipotoxic fatty acids, inflammatory cytokine and chemokine generation, and innate and adaptive immune response activation. These pro‐inflammatory processes may amplify each other and have systemic consequences. This model is consistent with recent concepts about cellular senescence as a stress‐responsive, adaptive phenotype that develops through multiple stages, including major metabolic and secretory readjustments, which can spread from cell to cell and can occur at any point during life. Senescence could be an alternative cell fate that develops in response to injury or metabolic dysfunction and might occur in nondividing as well as dividing cells. Consistent with this, a senescent‐like state can develop in preadipocytes and fat cells from young obese individuals. Senescent, pro‐inflammatory cells in fat could have profound clinical consequences because of the large size of the fat organ and its central metabolic role.
Decreased oxidative stress and greater bone anabolism in the aged, when compared to the young, murine skeleton with parathyroid hormone administration
Authors: Jilka Robert L. , Almeida Maria , Ambrogini Elena , Han Li , Roberson Paula K. , Weinstein Robert S. , Manolagas Starros C.
Published: August 2010

Because of recent insights into the pathogenesis of age‐related bone loss, we investigated whether intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH) administration antagonizes the molecular mechanisms of the adverse effects of aging on bone. Parathyroid hormone produced a greater increase in vertebral trabecular bone mineral density and bone volume as well as a greater expansion of the endocortical bone surface in the femur of 26‐ when compared to 6 ‐month‐old female C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, PTH increased trabecular connectivity in vertebrae, and the toughness of both vertebrae and femora in old, but not young, mice. Parathyroid hormone also increased the rate of bone formation and reduced osteoblast apoptosis to a greater extent in the old mice. Most strikingly, PTH reduced reactive oxygen species, p66Shc phosphorylation, and expression of the lipoxygenase Alox15, and it increased glutathione and stimulated Wnt signaling in bone of old mice. Parathyroid hormone also antagonized the effects of oxidative stress on p66Shc phosphorylation, Forkhead Box O transcriptional activity, osteoblast apoptosis, and Wnt signaling in vitro. In contrast, administration of the antioxidants N‐acetyl cysteine or pegylated catalase reduced osteoblast progenitors and attenuated proliferation and Wnt signaling. These results suggest that PTH has a greater bone anabolic efficacy in old age because in addition to its other positive actions on bone formation, it antagonizes the age‐associated increase in oxidative stress and its adverse effects on the birth and survival of osteoblasts. On the other hand, ordinary antioxidants cannot restore bone mass in old age because they slow remodeling and attenuate osteoblastogenesis by interfering with Wnt signaling.
Changes in soil pH due to the storage of soils
Authors: Prodromou K.P. , Pavlatou‐Ve A.S.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. The pH of soil samples was remeasured after storage for 20 years in the laboratory. The pH decreases were minor in acid to neutral soils (‐0.3), but greater in alkaline soils (‐0.63). The pH differences were statistically significant only for alkaline soils. The decreases of pH with time are probably mainly due to the decomposition of organic matter, the CO2 produced, the hydroscopic water and the presence of CaCO3.
Evaluation of some systems for classifying soil sensitivity to acid deposition in the South African highveld
Authors: Dodds H.A. , Fey M.V
Published: August 2010

Abstract. The Skokloster and Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI) approaches were applied to the assessment of 145 soils of the South African highveld region in terms of sensitivity to acid deposition. The critical load class calculated by variants of these methods was compared with the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) determined by pH measurement of soil suspended in a dilute acetate buffer solution. This rapid index of ANC correlates well both with ANC determined by an established but more laborious method which involves titration and equilibration of soil with HCl, and with a number of soil properties related to base status. The correlation between Skokloster or SEI critical load classes and ANC was weak. It was concluded that ANC determination would be a preferable basis for classifying these soils in terms of their sensitivity to acid deposition, since the method is direct and integrates the contribution of various soil properties to acid sensitivity instead of requiring the relative contribution to be calculated according to somewhat arbitrary weightings given to broadly defined classes of soil properties.
Role of soil redox in growth and fertilizer nitrogen uptake by rice in Thailand paddy soils
Authors: Jugsujinda A. , Prasittikhet J. , DeLaune R.D. , Lindau C.W.
Published: August 2010

Abstract.In a laboratory study,15N ammonium fertilizer uptake and rice growth was determined in a non‐acid sulphate marine soil (Typic Tropaquept) and an acid sulphate soil (Sulfic Tropaquept). Acid sulphate sensitive (IR 26) and acid sulphate tolerant (IR 46) rice varieties were grown in soil suspensions incubated at four Eh levels (+500, +250, +50, and ‐150 mV) in microcosms for three weeks. The results showed that rice grown in non‐acid sulphate marine soils gave slightly better dry matter weight of 1.8g/pot, greater15N uptake of 12.8 mg N/pot, and higher total N uptake of 38.4 mg N/pot than under acid sulphate soil conditions indicating the non‐acid marine soil is more favourable to rice culture. Growth as measured by weight of dry matter was significantly reduced from 2.1g/pot under oxidized condition (+500 mV) to 0.8g/pot under highly reduced condition (‐150 mV). N uptake by rice was significantly reduced from 16.9 mg/pot at + 500 mV to 4.5 mg N/pot at ‐150 mV Total N uptake also decreased with decreasing Eh. Growth,15N uptake and total N uptake by acid sulphate tolerant rice, IR 46 were significantly higher than the acid sulphate sensitive rice variety, IR 26. Under highly reduced soil conditions (‐150 mV), growing rice in acid sulphate soil would require additions of lime, intermittent irrigation and/or mid season drainage in order to increase soil redox potential and remove toxic substances.
The effects of gypsum applied to a Natraquoll of the Flooding Pampas of Argentina
Authors: Costa J.L. , Godz P.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. The application of gypsum to a Natraquoll under pasture was evaluated in a humid area of the ‘Flooding Pampas’ of Argentina in a randomized block field design. Gypsum was incorporated at 0, 15, 35, and 60 t ha‐1. After the gypsum was mixed into the soil, the electrical conductivity of the soil solution was linearly related to the initial sodium adsorption ratio. The depth of reclamation depended on the amount of gypsum applied. Dry matter yield in all gypsum treatments was greater than the control without gypsum.
An analysis of the potential of precision farming in Northern Europe
Authors: Sylvester‐Bradley R. , Lord E. , Sparkes D.L. , Scott R.K. , Wiltshire J.J.J. , Orson J.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Precision farming is the process of adjusting husbandry practices within a field according to measured spatial variability. In this review, we explore the prospects for precision farming using the principles that underly conventional soil management and agronomy.

The cost‐effectiveness of precision farming is determined by the cost of defining zones within fields, the stability of zones through time, the difference in treatment between zones in terms of cost, and the responsiveness of the crop in terms of yield and quality to changes in treatment. Cost‐effective precision farming is most likely where prior knowledge indicates large heterogeneity and where treatment zones can be predicted, for example from soil type or field history.

Soil related factors are likely to provide the main basis for precision farming because they tend to be stable through time and influence crop performance. In particular, soil mapping may usefully indicate the moisture available for crop growth, organic matter maps may be utilized for precision application of fertilizers and soil acting herbicides, and variation in soil pH can be mapped and used as a basis for variable lime application. However, comprehensive nutrient mapping is less likely to be economic with existing techniques of chemical analysis. The value of yield mapping lies in identifying zones which are sufficiently stable to be of use in determining future practices. Maps of grain quality and nutrient content would significantly augment the value of yield maps in guiding marketing decisions and future agronomy. Interactions between soil differences and seasonal weather are large, so yield maps show considerable differences from season to season. Interpretation of such maps needs to follow a careful, informed, analytical process.

Extensive and thorough field experimentation by crop scientists over many years has shown that yield variation arises as a result of a large and complex range of factors. It is highly improbable that simple explanations will be appropriate for much in‐field yield variation. However, the capacity to sense yield variability within fields as opposed to between fields, where there are many confounding differences, provides an opportunity for the industry to improve its understanding of soil‐based effects on crop performance. This should support its decision taking, whether through precision farming or through field‐by‐field agronomy.

The main obstacle to the adoption of precision farming is the lack of appropriate sensors. Optimal sensor configurations that will measure the specific needs identified by end‐users need to be developed.

The conclusions reached in this paper probably apply to farming throughout northern Europe.
Soil erosion in Guizhou province of China: a case study in Bijie prefecture
Authors: Jianping Zhang
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Guizhou province has one of the most severe soil erosion problems in China, with 44% of its total area affected. Within the province, Bijie prefecture is the most severely eroded with 63% of the total area affected. In recent decades this erosion is mainly caused by man's agricultural and industrial development. Not only is erosion restricting crop production, it is the cause of disastrous floods which recur with a frequency far greater than in the past. Reduced infiltration of rain has led to a third of the wells and a fifth of the streams running dry, depriving people and livestock of drinking water.

This unsustainable use of land can only be corrected by a combination of population control, prevention of slash and burn cultivation and return of steeply sloping land to forest and grassland. Greater appreciation of the need for soil and water conservation is an essential part of this process.
After the Kyoto Protocol: Can soil scientists make a useful contribution?*
Authors: Smith K.A.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Over 170 countries have ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which aims at ‘the stabilisation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system’. The Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997, commits the developed (‘Annex 1′) countries to a reduction in gaseous emissions. The global increase in atmospheric CO2, the main greenhouse gas, comes mainly from fossil fuels (6.5 Gt C yr−1), together with about 1.6 Gt C yr−1 from deforestation. The atmospheric increase is only 3.4 Gt C yr−1, however, due to a net sink in terrestrial ecosystems of about 2 Gt C yr−1, and another in the oceans. Increasing net carbon sequestration by afforestation of previously non‐forested land is one way of reducing net national emissions of CO2 that is permitted under the Kyoto Protocol. Future modifications may also allow the inclusion of carbon sequestration brought about by other forestry and agricultural land management practices. However, associated changes in net fluxes of two other greenhouse gases identified in the Protocol — nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) — will have to be taken into account. Growth of biomass crops can increase N2O emissions, and drainage of wetlands for forestry or agriculture also increases them, as well as emissions of CO2, while decreasing those of CH4. The problems of how to quantify these soil sources and sinks, to maximize soil C sequestration, and to minimize soil emissions of CH4 and N2O, will present a major scientific challenge over the next few years — one in which the soil science community will have a significant part to play.
Investigation into the effect of tillage on solute movement to drains through a heavy clay soil
Authors: Brown C.D. , Marshall V.L. , Carter A.D. , Walker A. , Arnold D. , Jones R.L.
Published: August 2010

Abstract. Eight lysimeters, each with a surface area of 0.5 m2 and a length of 60 cm, were taken over mole drains from a Denchworth soil and divided into two groups with either a standard agricultural tilth or a finer, deeper topsoil tilth. They were variously instrumented to measure soil moisture content at three depths and losses of nitrate, a bromide tracer and radiolabelled isoproturon, all of which were followed over a year. Leaching of isoproturon was initiated by artificial irrigation either 1 or 39 days after application. The finer tilth seemed to increase the water‐holding capacity of the topsoil, and this resulted in slower wetting of the subsoil, decreased flow volumes from the first events of the season and a delay of approximately four weeks in the time to the maximum concentration of the bromide tracer in leachate. The finer topsoil tilth also decreased maximum concentrations of isoproturon from 29 to 15 μg l−1 following irrigation 1 day after treatment and from 43 to 9 μg l−1 following irrigation 39 days after treatment. Total losses of isoproturon were three times larger with the standard agricultural tilth. Differences were attributed to a decrease in bypass flow through the topsoil with the finer tilth, particularly during events early in the season. There was a small decrease in total losses of nitrate in leachate from the finer tilth compared to that from the standard tilth.