bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rectal gland morphology of freshwater and seawater acclimated bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas
Authors: Pillans R. D. , Good J. P. , Anderson W. G. , Hazon N. , Franklin C. E.
Published: April 2008

To compare rectal gland morphology of bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas, animals captured in the freshwater reaches of the Brisbane River, Australia, were acclimated to sea water over 17 days with 1 week in the final salinity. A control group was left in fresh water for 17 days. Animals in fresh water and sea water were strongly hyper‐ and hypo‐ionic with respect to plasma Na+ and Cl–, respectively. This difference necessitates NaCl secretion by the rectal gland in sea water and conservation of NaCl in fresh water. Structural differences in the rectal gland of freshwater and seawater acclimated bull sharks were limited. There was no difference in rectal gland cross‐sectional area, lumen area, rectal gland vein area, number of secretory tubules or secretory cells per secretory tubule in freshwater and seawater acclimated animals. At a cellular level, there was no difference between the degree of basolateral and lateral folding, number of mitochondria or number of desmosomes per tight junction. Tight junction width was significantly greater in seawater acclimated animals. The number of red blood cells in the interstitial tissue was also significantly higher in seawater acclimated animals, possibly as a result of increased blood perfusion of the secretory epithelia. The lack of major structural changes in the rectal glands of bull sharks acclimated to fresh water and sea water most likely represents the salinity gradient in the Brisbane River where animals are found throughout the river and can experience large fluctuations in salinity over short distances. Differences in rectal gland morphology of bull sharks in fresh water and sea water are discussed in terms of their relevance to osmoregulation in elasmobranchs.
Monthly indices of the post‐smolt growth of Atlantic salmon from the Drammen River, Norway
Authors: McCarthy J. L. , Friedland K. D. , Hansen L. P.
Published: April 2008

Indices of the monthly post‐smolt growth of three maturity groups of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from the Drammen River in Norway were examined. Scale samples were collected from 1983 to 2003, providing a retrospective growth history for 2854 individuals. Overall post‐smolt growth of all three maturity groups decreased throughout the study period. When the post‐smolt year was segmented into 8 monthly indices, there was a significant decline in growth during the fourth and fifth month, typically months of maximum growth. The pre‐fishery abundance of one and two sea‐winter fish from Norway also showed a decline throughout the study period and was positively correlated to the post‐smolt growth of fish returning to the Drammen River. Freshwater growth was negatively correlated to the pre‐fishery abundance, thus indicating that factors affecting post‐smolt growth during the fourth and fifth months at sea may be responsible for declining return numbers in Norway.
Do Norwegian Atlantic salmon feed in the northern Barents Sea? Tag recoveries from 70 to 78° N
Authors: Rikardsen A. H. , Hansen L. P. , Jensen A. J. , Vollen T. , Finstad B.
Published: April 2008

Three tagged Atlantic salmon Salmo salar were recaptured as subadults or adults (1·4–3 kg) between 70·5 and 78° N in the western Barents Sea, two of which originated from the Alta Fjord region in northern Norway and one from the Drammen River, south‐eastern Norway. An additional tag was recovered from the stomach of a Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides captured south‐west of Bear Island at >600 m depth; this tag was from a smolt released in the River Alta 1 month earlier. These are the northernmost tag recoveries reported for Atlantic salmon, and indicate that Norwegian Atlantic salmon, especially the fish from northern populations, may use the northern Barents Sea as a feeding area during part of their life cycle.
Acute stress response of Kootenai River white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus Richardson reflected in peritoneal fluid and blood plasma
Authors: Zuccarelli M. D. , Kusakabe M. , Nakamura I. , Prentice E. F. , Young G. , Ingermann R. L.
Published: April 2008

To evaluate whether stress‐response indicators in blood plasma (BP) are similarly reflected in the peritoneal fluid (PF) white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus were stressed by a 30 min air exposure and pH, PCO2, osmolality, cortisol, glucose and lactate levels measured. Changes in certain stress indicators in the BP (pH, PCO2, osmolality and glucose) also occurred in the PF, while stressor‐induced changes in cortisol and lactate were restricted to the BP. Data suggest that PF is a modified ultrafiltrate of the blood and potentially a useful indicator of animal stress.
Preliminary indications of climate‐induced change in a warm‐temperate South African estuarine fish community
Authors: James N. C. , Whitfield A. K. , Cowley P. D.
Published: April 2008

The fishes of the warm‐temperate East Kleinemonde Estuary (South Africa) have been sampled bi‐annually, in summer and winter, using seine and gillnets since December 1995 and a total of 19 families, represented by 38 species were recorded between December 1995 and July 2006. Indicative of a warming trend, six new species of tropical fishes (Valamugil cunnesius, Valamugil robustus, Liza alata, Liza macrolepis, Glossogobius giuris and Terapon jarbua) were recorded in the catches from 1999 onwards, with V. cunnesius and L. macrolepis recorded in catches almost every year after 2002. Mean annual sea‐surface temperatures recorded along the adjacent coast have been increasing during the past decade and this may have facilitated the southward extension of tropical marine fishes into the warm‐temperate biogeographic zone.
Freshwater bathing alters the mucous layer of marine Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L.
Authors: Roberts S. D. , Powell M. D.
Published: April 2008

Mucous glucose, protein and osmolality significantly decreased in freshwater bathed marine Atlantic salmon by 1 h, irrespective of water hardness. Mucous viscosity significantly decreased in soft fresh water by 1 h, while hard fresh water significantly decreased mucous viscosity by 3 h.
Coordinate suppression of Sdpr and Fhl1 expression in tumors of the breast, kidney, and prostate
Authors: Li Xun , Jia Zhenyu , Shen Yongquan , Ichikawa Hitoshi , Jarvik Jonathan , Nagele Robert G. , Goldberg Gary S.
Published: April 2008

The Src tyrosine kinase associates with the focal adhesion adaptor protein Cas (Crk‐associated substrate) to suppress the expression of potential tumor suppressor genes. For example, Src utilizes Cas to suppress the expression of the LIM‐only protein Fhl1 (four and a half LIM domains 1), in order to promote non‐anchored tumor‐cell growth and migration. Here, we report that the promoter region of the Fhl1 gene was methylated more in Src‐transformed cells than non‐transformed cells. In addition, global expression analysis indicates that Fhl1 induced expression of serum deprivation response factor (Sdpr) in Src‐transformed cells. Moreover, Fhl1 and Sdpr was expressed in approximately 87% and 40% of samples obtained from non‐transformed breast, 100% of samples obtained from non‐transformed kidney, and over 60% of samples obtained from non‐transformed prostate. In contrast, Fhl1 and Sdpr was detected in approximately 40% and 7% of matched samples from mammary carcinoma, less than 11% of matched samples from kidney carcinoma, and in less than 22% of matched samples from prostate carcinoma. These data indicate that Fhl1 and Sdpr expression was significantly reduced in tumors of the breast (P < 0.02 and P < 0.001), kidney (P < 0.01), and prostate (P < 0.05). In addition, although Src can activate mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) to promote tumor‐cell growth, our data indicate that Src did not rely on MAPK activity to suppress the expression of Fhl1 and Sdpr in transformed cells. Thus, Src induced methylation of the promoter region of the Fhl1 gene; Src suppressed Fhl1 and Sdpr expression independent of mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity; Fhl1 induced the expression of Sdpr in Src‐transformed cells; and Fhl1 and Sdpr expression was suppressed in tumors of the breast, kidney, and prostate. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1326–1333)
Individual tumorigenesis pathways of sporadic colorectal adenocarcinomas are associated with the biological behavior of tumors
Authors: Kim Jin C. , Cho Young K. , Roh Seon A. , Yu Chang S. , Gong Gyungyub , Jang Se J. , Kim Seon Y. , Kim Yong S.
Published: April 2008

Clinicopathologic features of sporadic colorectal adenocarcinomas were compared using integrated data from 244 patients subjected to curative resection. Individual steps in the tumorigenesis pathway, that is, adenomatosis polyposis coli (APC), Wnt‐activated, base excision repair mutations, mismatch repair defects, RAF‐mediated, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐b‐suppressed, bone morphogenic protein (BMP)‐suppressed, and p53 alterations, were examined in terms of genetic and epigenetic changes, as well as protein expression. Genetic and molecular alterations of right colon cancers were distinct from those of left colon and rectal cancers. Rectal cancers showed the attenuated phenotype of left colon cancers. Tumors most frequently displayed either TGF‐b‐ or BMP‐suppressed alterations (81.2%), followed by RAF‐mediated alterations (78.6%), and mismatch repair defects (38.4%), constituting a total of 24 integrated pathways. Tumors lacking APC mutations or carrying the RAF alteration (V600E) were frequently associated with lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Poorly differentiated or mucinous adenocarcinomas were generally associated with high level microsatellite instability, Axin2 suppression, TGF‐b1 or BMPR1A suppression, loss of heterozygosity of D18S46 or D18S474, and absence of base excision repair mutations (P < 0.0001–0.05). Early tumor recurrence was significantly correlated with lack of APC mutations (P = 0.036). Moreover, tumors that concurrently displayed APC/Wnt‐activated, TGF‐b/BMP‐suppressed, and p53 alterations were significantly predisposed to early recurrence (P = 0.026). Our data clearly indicate that particular steps or pathways of colorectal tumorigenesis are closely associated with characteristic clinicopathologic features that, in turn, determine biological behavior, such as tumor growth, invasion, and recurrence. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1348–1354)
Identification of an epitope derived from CML66, a novel tumor‐associated antigen expressed broadly in human leukemia, recognized by human leukocyte antigen‐A*2402‐restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes
Authors: Suemori Koichiro , Fujiwara Hiroshi , Ochi Toshiki , Azuma Taichi , Yamanouchi Jun , Narumi Hiroshi , Yakushijin Yoshihiro , Hato Takaaki , Hasegawa Hitoshi , Yasukawa Masaki
Published: April 2008

CML66 is a newly identified differentiation antigen that is expressed broadly in human leukemia and solid tumors, but its physiological function remains unknown. In the present study, to clarify the feasibility of CML66‐targeted cancer immunotherapy, we attempted to identify cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes derived from CML66. An immunogenic CML66‐derived epitope (amino acid residues 76–84; YYIDTLGRI) capable of inducing human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐A*2402‐restricted CTL specific for this peptide was identified. CML66‐derived peptide‐specific CTL efficiently lysed human leukemia cells, but not normal cells, in a HLA‐A*2402‐restricted fashion. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction revealed that CML66 mRNA is expressed abundantly in primary acute myeloid leukemia cells, acute lymphoid leukemia cells, and chronic myelogenous leukemia cells in advanced phase, and that the expression level of CML66 mRNA in normal cells is low compared with that in leukemia cells. CML66‐specific CTL precursors were detected in the peripheral blood of patients with acute leukemia. These data indicate that the CML66‐derived epitope identified in the present study is a new target antigen for cellular immunotherapy of human leukemia. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1414–1419)
Alcohol screening and brief counseling in a primary care hypertensive population: a quality improvement intervention
Authors: Rose Heather Liszka , Miller Peter M. , Nemeth Lynne S. , Jenkins Ruth G. , Nietert Paul J. , Wessell Andrea M. , Ornstein Steven
Published: April 2008

Aims  To determine the effect of an intervention to improve alcohol screening and brief counseling for hypertensive patients in primary care.

Design  Two‐year randomized, controlled trial.

Setting/participants  Twenty‐one primary care practices across the United States with a common electronic medical record.

Intervention  To promote alcohol screening and brief counseling. Intervention practices received site visits from study personnel and were invited to annual network meetings to review the progress of the project and share improvement strategies.

Measurements  Main outcome measures included rates of documented alcohol screening in hypertensive patients and brief counseling administered in those diagnosed with high‐risk drinking, alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. Secondary outcomes included change in blood pressure among patients with these diagnoses.

Findings  Hypertensive patients in intervention practices were significantly more likely to have been screened after 2 years than hypertensive patients in control practices [64.5% versus 23.5%; adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 8.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7–38.2; P < 0.0087]. Patients in intervention practices diagnosed with high‐risk drinking, alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence were more likely than those in control practices to have had alcohol counseling documented (50.5% versus 29.6%; adjusted OR = 5.5, 95% CI 1.3–23.3). Systolic (adjusted mean decline = 4.2 mmHg, P = 0.036) and diastolic (adjusted mean decline = 3.3 mmHg, P = 0.006) blood pressure decreased significantly among hypertensive patients receiving alcohol counseling.

Conclusions  Primary care practices receiving an alcohol‐focused intervention over 2 years improved rates of alcohol screening for their hypertensive population. Implementation of alcohol counseling for high‐risk drinking, alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence also improved and led to changes in patient blood pressures.
Reactivity profile of anti‐factor VIII antibodies with designed synthetic peptides mimicking epitopes of the C2 and a1 domains
Authors: Chaves D. G. , Velloso‐Rodrigues C. , Moreau V. , Nguyen C. , Villard S. , Belisário A. R. , Granier C. , Santoro M. M.
Published: April 2008

Antibodies (Abs) that block factor VIII (FVIII) activity occur in hemophilia A patients treated with FVIII replacement therapy and severely impair treatment. In this work, we designed and synthesized ten peptides whose sequences are found in putative epitopes at the surface of a1 and C2 domains of the FVIII molecule. These peptides were screened for their ability to inhibit the binding of anti‐FVIII Abs from plasmas of hemophilia A patients to FVIII. All peptides were efficient in inhibiting anti‐FVIII Abs in plasma from patients with inhibitors, with however different efficiencies. It was found that each tested patient’s plasma had a different profile of reactivity with peptides, consistent with an individual anti‐FVIII Ab specificity. The profile of recognized peptides was also changing during the treatment of the patients. Three peptides were used in an affinity chromatography assay to attempt to remove anti‐FVIII Abs from patients’ plasma. Anti‐FVIII IgGs were significantly captured by the peptide‐Sepharose affinity matrixes as assessed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. However, due to the low level of Abs in the plasma samples, other methods (Chromogenic and Bethesda assays) were not sensitive enough to properly detect the reduction of inhibitors.
Characterization of six novel mutations in CYBA: the gene causing autosomal recessive chronic granulomatous disease*
Authors: Teimourian Shahram , Zomorodian Elham , Badalzadeh Mohsen , Pouya AliReza , Kannengiesser Caroline , Mansouri Davood , Cheraghi Taher , Parvaneh Nima
Published: April 2008

One of the rarest forms of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is caused by mutations in CYBA, which encodes the p22‐phox subunit of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase, leading to defective intracellular killing. This study investigated eight patients (six males and two females) from seven consanguineous, unrelated families with clinical CGD, positive family history and p22‐phox deficiency. Mutation analysis of CYBA showed six different novel mutations: deletion of exons 3, 4 and 5; a missense mutation in exon 6 (c.373G>A); a splice site mutation in intron 5 (c.369+1G>A); a frameshift in exon 6 (c.385delGAGC); a frameshift in exon 3 (c.174delG); and a frameshift in exon 4 (c.223delC).
Detection of different clonal EBV strains in Hodgkin lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues from the same patient
Authors: Rey J. , Xerri L. , Bouabdallah R. , Keuppens M. , Brousset P. , Meggetto F.
Published: April 2008

The ubiquitous herpesvirus Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is linked to the development of several malignancies, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (UCNT) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Despite the well‐known oncogenic properties of the EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP‐1), the different oncogenic pathways involved in the pathogenesis of each disease remain unclear. This study reported, for the first time, the case of a patient with sequential development of UCNT and HL. Polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the LMP‐1 gene sequence and demonstrate that the two tumours contained different clonal viral genomes, suggesting a central and specific role of EBV infection.
Ratio of Wnt3a to BMP4 doses is critical to their synergistic effects on proliferation of differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells
Authors: Lin S.‐Y. , Chen C.‐L. , Wu Y.‐L. , Yang Y.‐C. , Hwu Y.‐M.
Published: April 2008

Abstract.Objectives: To investigate potential interactions between bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and Wnt signalling on differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC).Materials and methods: Mouse embryonic stem cells were cultured with differing combinations of Wnt3a, BMP4 and inhibitors of Wnt, BMP, PI‐3K (phosphoinositide 3‐kinase), p38, ERK1/2 (extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2) and JNK (c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase) pathways.Results: We found that Wnt3a synergized with BMP4 to promote mESC proliferation. Furthermore, the relative ratio of Wnt3a to BMP4 doses was critical to their synergistic effects, which could be abolished by using Dkk‐1, noggin or the inhibitors of PI‐3K, p38, ERK1/2 and JNK pathways. We also demonstrated that combination of Wnt3a and BMP4 could suppress ectodermal differentiation of mESCs. Moreover, inhibitors of PI‐3K, p38, ERK1/2 and JNK pathways could negate this effect.Conclusion: Relative ratio of Wnt3a to BMP4 doses is critical to their synergistic effect on differentiating mESC proliferation, which may work through PI‐3K, p38, ERK1/2 and JNK pathways.
Ghrelin in small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) newborn babies: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Méndez‐Ramírez Francisco , Barbosa‐Sabanero Gloria , Romero‐Gutiérrez Gustavo , Malacara Juan Manuel
Published: April 2008

Background  Small‐for‐gestational newborn babies may have long‐term metabolic consequences. Among the main hormones possibly involved in foetal growth regulation are the IGFs, IGFBPs and the recently described ghrelin.

Objective  To examine the levels of desacyl‐ghrelin, IGF‐1, IGFBP‐1 and IGFBP‐3 in children Small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) and children adequate‐for‐gestational age (AGA).

Design  This was a cross‐sectional and comparative study.

Subjects  We included 40 children SGA and 40 children AGA.

Measurements  Blood sample was taken a week after birth and measuring hormonal levels were done by ELISA.

Results  SGA babies had lower IGF‐1, IGFBP‐3 and leptin levels, but higher ghrelin and IGFBP‐1 levels. Birth weight was associated independently with ghrelin and IGFBP‐1 (negatively) and IGFBP‐3 (positively). Ghrelin circulating levels were associated negative and independently with IGFBP‐3 and triglycerides in the mother.

Conclusions  We interpreted these findings to indicate that diminished body weight in newborns induce different adaptive signals, some of them mediated by IGF‐1/IGFBP‐3, ghrelin or by IGFBP‐1. This regulation is congruent with the proposed role of ghrelin to adaptation to under‐nutrition favouring lipid accumulation. CONCyTEG grant number 05‐16‐K117‐028.
Marine biogeochemical response to a rapid warming in the main stream of the Kuroshio in the western North Pacific
Authors: AOYAMA MICHIO , GOTO HIROHITO , KAMIYA HITOMI , KANEKO IKUO , KAWAE SATOSHI , KODAMA HIROKI , KONISHI YASUSHI , KUSUMOTO KENN‐ICHI , MIURA HISATO , MORIYAMA EIICHI , MURAKAMI KIYOSHI , NAKANO TOSHIYA , NOZAKI FUTOSHI , SASANO DAISUKE , SHIMIZU TAKAO , SUZUKI HIROKI , TAKATSUKI YASUSHI , TORIYAMA AKITO
Published: April 2008

Impact of climate change on marine biogeochemical parameters and ecosystem is one of the important issues of our environment. Direct evidence of marine pelagic ecosystem changes is found with warming of sea water and sea‐level rise in the main stream of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea and the western North Pacific during these three decades based on the analysis of long‐term comprehensive hydrographic observations. In terms of annual mean, the warming rate of surface air temperature and sea surface temperature ranged from 0.15 to 0.21°C per decade in and around the main stream of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea, which exceed the global mean warming rate of 0.128 ± 0.026°C per decade during the period from 1956 to 2005 reported in IPCC 2007. One of the features in this rapid warming region is an increase of number of Pterosagitta draco, a cosmopolitan warm‐water zooplankton. Biogeochemical parameters, such as wet weight of zooplankton, plant pigment and nutrients concentration in the upper 200 m have been decreasing while dissolved oxygen content and seawater temperature have been increasing in the upper 200 m in the main stream of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea. These observed linear trends of the biogeochemical parameters would be foresights for temperate oceans in the future.
Patterns of molecular diversity in wild stocks of the redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) from northern Australia and Papua New Guinea: impacts of Plio‐Pleistocene landscape evolution
Authors: BAKER NATALIE , DE BRUYN MARK , MATHER PETER B.
Published: April 2008

1. Analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA (microsatellites) in 379 individuals, collected from 15 localities in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG), demonstrated that wild redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) populations consist of two highly divergent Australian lineages and two PNG lineages.

2. The disjunction between the two Australian lineages occurs over a distance of approximately 200 km in the south‐western corner of the Gulf of Carpenteria. These data conflict with an earlier study that detected no significant differentiation in 23 variable allozyme loci in redclaw sampled from northern Australia, but concur broadly with the previous recognition of two morphologically distinct species (C. quadricarinatus and C. bicarinatus) across northern Australia, and a third species in PNG (C. albertsii).

3. The inferred timing and patterns of divergence evident in the molecular data presented here closely align with a similar pattern reported in a co‐distributed freshwater decapod crustacean, and broadly reflect patterns in some vertebrate taxa with similar distributions across northern Australia and PNG.

4. These congruent patterns most probably reflect periodic Plio‐Pleistocene land and freshwater connections between Australia and New Guinea.
Business–IT fit in e‐procurement systems: evidence from high‐technology firms in China
Authors: Chang Hsin‐Lu , Wang Kai , Chiu Iris
Published: April 2008

Abstract.  Because of the influence of globalization and updated information technologies (IT), firms in China face an urgent need to adopt e‐procurement systems (EP) to deal with their daily procurement activities. However, implementing EP in China encounters various uncertainties from internal and external business environments. To address this issue, this research aims to examine the fit between business and the IT environment and to study its impact on system performance. The literature review allows the proposal of two internal business environmental uncertainties and two external business environmental uncertainties covering the perspectives of process, knowledge, partnership and environment. Based on a multiple‐case study performed in four Chinese firms that supply various personal computer components to a Taiwanese original equipment manufacturer via an EP, it was found that the firms’ external and internal uncertainty factors affected the performance of EP. In addition, an EP with a low level of integration – the EP type used most frequently in China – can only achieve great performance when the adopting firms faced a low uncertainty of environment, partnership and process, and had low levels of IT knowledge. It was also observed that lack of fit between the business environment and EP produced extra burdens and costs in the buyer–supplier relationship. This significantly reduced the system performance of the Chinese firms. Hence, the contribution of this research can be twofold. First, practitioners in China can use this framework to diagnose their environmental conditions and then choose the appropriate type of EP to implement. Second, researchers can build upon this model to further examine the impact of fit on EP performance and generalize the results.
Exploring the dynamics of blog communities: the case of MetaFilter
Authors: Silva Leiser , Goel Lakshmi , Mousavidin Elham
Published: April 2008

This paper explores the social processes and mechanisms that give form to a prominent type of online community: community blogs. We conducted an interpretive study that examines a particular community blog, MetaFilter, by drawing on the concepts of communities of practice as a theoretical lens. Theoretically, we contribute to the body of knowledge of online communities by identifying the structures of an emergent type of community that is brought together by blog technology. Our findings suggest that cohesion in a community blog is brought about by the following practices: (a) explicit ground rules regarding membership, (b) presence of moderators, (c) availability of profile information, (d) ‘net etiquette’, (e) tacit warrants for discerning pertinent posts, and (f) the deployment of specific techniques of discipline.
Use of a toasted durum whole meal in the production of a traditional Italian pasta: chemical, mechanical, sensory and image analyses
Authors: Baiano Antonietta , Fares Clara , Peri Giorgio , Romaniello Roberto , Taurino Antonella M. , Siciliano Pietro , Gambacorta Giuseppe , Lamacchia Carmela , Pati Sandra , Notte Ennio La
Published: April 2008

The characterisation of traditional Italian pasta obtained by mixing amounts of toasted whole meal with re‐milled semolina and other ingredients was obtained by means of physico‐chemical, rheological, mechanical, sensory and image analyses. The toasted meal showed higher ash, fibre and protein contents than re‐milled semolina. The replacement of percentages of re‐milled semolina with the toasted meal and soft flour increased tenacity and decreased extensibility and strength, making the dough less suitable for pasta‐making. The P/L values were indices of high starch damage. The replacement of part of re‐milled semolina and water with toasted whole wheat meal, soft flour and eggs increased the optimal cooking time and the amount of water absorbed during cooking but made the other cooking parameters worse. The image analysis provided evidence of the changes induced by the use of toasted wholemeal, soft flour and eggs in the microscopic structure of pasta protein and starch.
‘Hungry Eyes’: visual processing of food images in adults with Prader‐Willi syndrome
Authors: Key A. P. F. , Dykens E. M.
Published: April 2008

Background  Prader‐Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder associated with intellectual disabilities, compulsivity, hyperphagia and increased risks of life‐threatening obesity. Food preferences in people with PWS are well documented, but research has yet to focus on other properties of food in PWS, including composition and suitability for consumption. It is also unclear how food perceptions differ across the two major genetic subtypes of PWS.

Methods  This study examined neural responses to food stimuli in 17 adults with PWS, nine with paternal deletions and eight with maternal uniparental disomy (UPD), and in nine age‐matched typical controls. Visual event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in response to food images varying in food composition and suitability for consumption during a passive viewing paradigm.

Results  Group differences were observed for the N1 and P3 responses reflecting perceptual categorisation and motivational relevance respectively. The deletion group categorised food stimuli in terms of composition while the UPD group performed more similar to the controls, and focused on the suitability of food for consumption. Individual differences in N1 amplitude correlated with body mass index and scores on the Hyperphagia Questionnaire.

Conclusion  Differences are seen in how people with PWS because of deletion or UPD perceive visual food stimuli even within the first milliseconds of stimuli exposure. Implications are discussed for in vivo food behaviours and for future ERP or neuroimaging studies on hunger, satiety and food perception in PWS.
A potential habitat network for the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in Scotland
Authors: HETHERINGTON DAVID A. , MILLER DAVID R. , MACLEOD COLIN D. , GORMAN MARTYN L.
Published: April 2008

The severe and early destruction and fragmentation of woodland habitats due to human activities is thought to have been a leading factor in the extirpation from Britain of several large, forest‐dependent mammal species, such as the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx. However, during the 20th century, Scotland in particular has experienced rapid, large‐scale reafforestation. In order to assess if this reafforestation has been sufficient to permit the potential restoration of extirpated forest mammal species with large spatial requirements, a Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis of potential habitat of one species, the Eurasian lynx, was performed for the Scottish mainland.

A rule‐based analysis, incorporating data and expert opinion from Switzerland, an environmentally similar area where lynx now occur, was used to identify patches of suitable lynx habitat in Scotland. A connectivity analysis was used to investigate whether and how these patches are connected to form larger interconnected networks of potential lynx habitat that would allow lynx to sufficiently interact with one another to form a single interbreeding population.

Scotland has over 20 000 km2 of suitable lynx habitat split into two main networks of interconnected patches: the Highlands (c. 15 000 km2) and the Southern Uplands (c. 5000 km2). A further 800 km2 of potential habitat, contiguous with the Southern Uplands lynx habitat network, lies across the border in England. Although connectivity between the Highlands and Southern Uplands networks is currently weak, the implementation of measures to mitigate the barrier effects of busy roads in central Scotland could facilitate the movement of lynx between the two areas.

Based on the availability of prey resources, Scotland could support around 400 adult and subadult lynx in the Highlands and around 50 in the Southern Uplands. A Scottish population of this size would be the fourth largest lynx population in Europe considering current population estimates.
Rarity and decline in palaeoendemic Martino's vole Dinaromys bogdanovi
Authors: KRYŠTUFEK BORIS , BUŽAN ELENA V.
Published: April 2008

Martino's vole Dinaromys bogdanovi is the only living member of the Tertiary genus Dinaromys, and probably also the only surviving member of the Pliomys lineage. The range of the genus Dinaromys has historically been small and its rate of evolution has been low.

Martino's vole shows all three attributes of rarity in accordance with Rabinowitz's ‘seven forms of rarity’ model: (i) its range is estimated at 43 545 km2 but the area of occupancy is <5200 km2; (ii) its habitat requirements are narrow and the species is strictly tied to exposed, karstified bedrock; and (iii) current populations are invariably small and frequently isolated.

The Pleistocene range of Martino's vole exceeded the recent one, at least in the north‐western part of the Balkans, and its shrinkage continued into the Holocene.

Martino's vole may be in competition with the European snow vole Chionomys nivalis, which has a very similar morphology and presumably identical habitat requirements, but is shifted towards an r‐selected life‐history strategy. Long‐term sympatry of these voles has probably resulted in competitive exclusion of the relatively K‐selected Martino's vole by the relatively r‐selected European snow vole.

Martino's vole consists of two deeply divergent (about one million years ago) phylogeographical lineages, which may represent distinct cryptic species. Rarity is particularly pronounced in the north‐western lineage to the west of the Neretva River, where rocky habitats are largely occupied by the European snow vole.

In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals, Martino's vole is classified as ‘near threatened’. However, the north‐western lineage, which is phylogeographically most divergent and has the greatest genetic diversity, is classed as a ‘vulnerable’ evolutionary significant unit on the basis of its small area of occupancy (<2000 km2). Long‐term population monitoring is an essential step in evaluating the conservation needs of Martino's vole.
Post‐glacial history of the dominant alpine sedge Carex curvula in the European Alpine System inferred from nuclear and chloroplast markers
Authors: PUŞCAŞ M. , CHOLER P. , TRIBSCH A. , GIELLY L. , RIOUX D. , GAUDEUL M. , TABERLET P.
Published: April 2008

The alpine sedge Carex curvula ssp. curvula is a clonal, dominant graminoid found in the European Alps, the Carpathians, the Pyrenees and in some of the Balkan Mountains. It is a late‐successional species of acidophilous alpine meadows that occurs on sites that were covered by ice during the last glacial maximum (LGM). By applying the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequencing, we attempted to identify the recolonization routes followed by the species after the last ice retreat. We relied on the genetic diversity of 37 populations covering the entire distributional range of the species. As a wind‐pollinated species, C. curvula is characterized by a low level of population genetic differentiation. Nuclear and chloroplast data both support the hypothesis of a long‐term separation of Eastern (Balkans and Carpathians) and Western (Alps and Pyrenees) lineages. In the Alps, a continuum of genetic depauperation from the east to the west may be related to a recolonization wave originating in the eastern‐most parts of the chain, where the main glacial refugium was likely located. The Pyrenean populations are nested within the western Alps group and show a low level of genetic diversity, probably due to recent long‐distance colonization. In contrast to the Alps, we found no phylogeographical structure in the Carpathians. The combination of reduced ice extension during the Würm period and the presence of large areas of siliceous substrate at suitable elevation suggest that in contrast to populations in the Alps, the species in the Carpathians underwent a local vertical migration rather than extinction and recolonization over long distance.
Contrasting patterns of variation in MHC loci in the Alpine newt
Authors: BABIK W. , PABIJAN M. , RADWAN J.
Published: April 2008

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are essential in pathogen recognition and triggering an adaptive immune response. Although they are the most polymorphic genes in vertebrates, very little information on MHC variation and patterns of evolution are available for amphibians, a group known to be declining rapidly worldwide. As infectious diseases are invoked in the declines, information on MHC variation should contribute to devising appropriate conservation strategies. In this study, we examined MHC variation in 149 Alpine newts (Mesotriton alpestris) from three allopatric population groups in Poland at the northeastern margin of the distribution of this species. The genetic distinctiveness of the population groups has previously been shown by studies of skin graft rejection, allozymes and microsatellites. Two putative expressed MHC II loci with contrasting levels of variation and clear evidence of gene conversion/recombination between them were detected. The Meal‐DAB locus is highly polymorphic (37 alleles), and shows evidence of historical positive selection for amino acid replacements and substantial geographical differentiation in allelic richness. On the contrary, the Meal‐DBB locus exhibits low polymorphism (three alleles differing by up to two synonymous substitutions) and a uniform distribution of three alleles among geographical regions. The uniform frequencies of the presumptively neutral Meal‐DBB alleles may be explained by linkage to Meal‐DAB. We found differences in allelic richness in Meal‐DAB between regions, consistent with the hypothesis that genetic drift prevails with increasing distance from glacial refugia. Pseudogene loci appear to have evolved neutrally. The level of DAB variation correlated with variation in microsatellite loci, implying that selection and drift interplayed to produce the pattern of MHC variation observed in marginal populations of the Alpine newt.
Antigen selection for future anti‐Trichuris vaccines: a comparison of cytokine and antibody responses to larval and adult antigen in a primary infection
Authors: DIXON H. , JOHNSTON C. E. , ELSE K. J.
Published: April 2008

Trichuriasis, caused by the whipworm Trichuris trichiura, is endemic in tropical and subtropical areas, affecting approximately 1 billion people. Child anthelminthic treatment programmes are being implemented but repeated treatments are costly, may prevent the development of acquired immunity and can lead to the development of drug resistant parasites. Thus, the development of a vaccine which would lead to the acquisition of immunity at an earlier age and reduce community faecal egg output would be beneficial. Development of subunit vaccines requires the identification of protective antigens and their formulation in a suitable adjuvant. Trichuris muris is an antigenically similar laboratory model for T. trichiura. Subcutaneous vaccination with adult excretory–secretory products (ES) protects susceptible mouse strains from T. muris. Larval stages may contain novel and more relevant antigens which when incorporated in a vaccine induce worm expulsion earlier in infection than the adult worm products. This study finds negligible difference in the cellular and humoral immune response to T. muris adult and third stage larva(e) (L3) ES during a primary T. muris infection, but identifies high molecular weight proteins in both adult and L3 ES as potential vaccine candidates.
CLINICAL STUDY: Abnormalities in cortical and transcallosal inhibitory mechanisms in subjects at high risk for alcohol dependence: a TMS study
Authors: Muralidharan Kesavan , Venkatasubramanian Ganesan , Pal Pramod K. , Benegal Vivek
Published: April 2008

Central nervous system (CNS) hyperexcitability and a resulting state of behavioral undercontrol are thought to underlie the vulnerability to early‐onset alcohol dependence (AD). The aim of this study was to explore the differences in the functioning of cortical inhibitory systems, utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in subjects at high risk (HR) and low risk (LR) for AD and to examine the relationship between CNS inhibition and behavioral undercontrol. Right‐handed HR (n = 15) and LR (n = 15) subjects, matched for age, gender, height, weight and education, were assessed for psychopathology and family history of alcoholism using the Semi‐Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism and the Family Interview for Genetic Studies. Following single‐pulse TMS, an electromyogram recorded from the right opponens pollicis muscle was used to measure the silent periods at different stimulus intensities. HR subjects had significantly shorter contralateral and ipsilateral (iSP) silent periods and a relatively higher prevalence of ‘absent’ iSP. They had significantly higher mean externalizing symptoms scores (ESS) than LR subjects, and there was a significant negative correlation between iSP duration and ESS. These preliminary findings suggest that HR subjects have relative impairments in corticocortical and transcallosal inhibitory mechanisms. The consequent state of CNS hyperexcitability may be etiologically linked to the excess of externalizing behaviors observed in this population, which is thought to be a predisposition to a higher risk of developing early‐onset alcoholism.
The endocannabinoid system: emotion, learning and addiction
Authors: Moreira Fabrício A. , Lutz Beat
Published: April 2008

The identification of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1 receptor) was the milestone discovery in the elucidation of the behavioural and emotional responses induced by theCannabis sativaconstituent Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol. The subsequent years have established the existence of the endocannabinoid system. The early view relating this system to emotional responses is reflected by the fact thatN‐arachidonoyl ethanolamine, the pioneer endocannabinoid, was named anandamide after the Sanskrit word ‘ananda’, meaning ‘bliss’. However, the emotional responses to cannabinoids are not always pleasant and delightful. Rather, anxiety and panic may also occur after activation of CB1 receptors. The present review discusses three properties of the endocannabinoid system as an attempt to understand these diverse effects. First, this system typically functions ‘on‐demand’, depending on environmental stimuli and on the emotional state of the organism. Second, it has a wide neuro‐anatomical distribution, modulating brain regions with different functions in responses to aversive stimuli. Third, endocannabinoids regulate the release of other neurotransmitters that may have even opposing functions, such as GABA and glutamate. Further understanding of the temporal, spatial and functional characteristics of this system is necessary to clarify its role in emotional responses and will promote advances in its therapeutic exploitation.
New host and country records of the Dothistroma needle blight pathogens from Europe and Asia
Authors: Barnes I. , Kirisits T. , Akulov A. , Chhetri D. B. , Wingfield B. D. , Bulgakov T. S. , Wingfield M. J.
Published: April 2008

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB) is a serious disease of pines (Pinus spp.), with a worldwide distribution. It is caused by the ascomycete fungi Dothistroma septosporum (teleomorph: Mycosphaerella pini) and Dothistroma pini (teleomorph unknown). Recently, DNB was found on Pinus peuce in Austria, Pinus pallasiana in Ukraine and the European part of south‐western Russia, as well as on Pinus radiata and Pinus wallichiana in Bhutan. Based on DNA sequence comparisons of the internal transcribed spacer and β‐tubulin gene regions, isolates from Austria and Bhutan were identified as D. septosporum, while isolates from Ukraine and south‐western Russia were identified as D. pini. Additional isolates studied from Pinus mugo in Hungary confirmed the presence of D. septosporum in this country. The record of D. septosporum on exotic P. peuce in Austria represents a new host report of this needle blight pathogen in Europe. Likewise, DNB and the associated pathogen, D. septosporum are reported from Bhutan, eastern Himalayas, for the first time. In addition, D. pini was found in two European countries and on a new host, P. pallasiana. These European records represent the only reports of D. pini from outside the north‐central USA. Morphological examination of selected specimens from different hosts and countries showed that D. septosporum and D. pini overlap in the length of their conidia, while the width is slightly wider in D. pini than in D. septosporum. The differences in conidial width are so small, however, that identification of the two Dothistroma species solely based on morphology is virtually impossible. The new host and country records provided here are consistent with the continuing trend of reports of the DNB pathogens from new hosts and new geographical areas during the last two decades, particularly in the northern hemisphere.
Importance of Cryphonectria parasitica stromata production and intermediate‐pigmented isolates in spread of Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 on grafted American chestnut trees
Authors: Hogan E. P. , Griffin G. J.
Published: April 2008

Large, surviving American chestnut trees, grafted in 1980, were inoculated in 1982 and 1983 with four ‘white’ European (French and Italian) hypovirulent strains of Cryphonectria parasitica infected with Cryphonectria hypovirus 1 (CHV1). Spread of Italian CHV1‐Euro7, indicated by nucleotide sequence analysis of CHV1 isolates, and a high level of blight control, occurred on these trees for over 20 years. However, the means by which CHV1 spreads and the possible role of stromata production in that spread are unknown. In this study, 249 C. parasitica isolates were recovered from stromata excised from natural cankers on the grafted trees and plated on an agar medium; 5.2% of the stromata yielded white phenotype isolates, 9.2% yielded intermediate‐pigmented isolates (30–70% pigmentation) and the remainder were normal‐pigmented isolates. For comparison, cankers artificially established on blight‐free, forest‐clear‐cut American chestnut trees, following inoculation with three Italian white hypovirulent strains, were evaluated in a similar manner. Of 241 C. parasitica isolates recovered from stromata, 66.4% had a white colony phenotype, 19.1% had an intermediate‐pigmented phenotype and the remainder were normal‐pigmented isolates. For single conidia collected from stromata and plated, nearly equal frequencies of only white and intermediate‐pigmented colony phenotypes were obtained. Following dsRNA extraction and electrophoresis, 21 of 33 intermediate‐pigmented isolates were positive for CHV1. Some normal pigmented isolates also were positive for CHV1. Single‐sporing a CHV1‐positve, normal‐pigmented, natural‐canker, stroma isolate (Str 1) from the grafts resulted in several deeply red‐orange pigmented (JR) isolates as well as some white isolates. The dsRNA in the JR isolate was extracted and cDNAs made by reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) for part of a region (p29) in ORF A. Nucleotide sequencing indicated 100% identity to CHV1 present in the inoculated Italian white strain, Ep 47. The results indicate that stromata production on the grafted trees may contribute to CHV1 spread, and the presence of CHV1 in intermediate‐pigmented isolates and some normal pigmented isolates indicates these isolates, often overlooked, may be important in CHV1 spread and the high level of blight control on the grafted trees.