bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parametric inference for biological sequence analysis
Authors: Pachter Lior , Sturmfels Bernd
Published: November 2004

One of the major successes in computational biology has been the unification, by using the graphical model formalism, of a multitude of algorithms for annotating and comparing biological sequences. Graphical models that have been applied to these problems include hidden Markov models for annotation, tree models for phylogenetics, and pair hidden Markov models for alignment. A single algorithm, the sum-product algorithm, solves many of the inference problems that are associated with different statistical models. This article introduces the
polytope propagation algorithm
for computing the Newton polytope of an observation from a graphical model. This algorithm is a geometric version of the sum-product algorithm and is used to analyze the parametric behavior of maximum
a posteriori
inference calculations for graphical models.
Higher-order assembly of microtubules by counterions: From hexagonal bundles to living necklaces
Authors: Needleman Daniel J. , Ojeda-Lopez Miguel A. , Raviv Uri , Miller Herbert P. , Wilson Leslie , Safinya Cyrus R.
Published: November 2004

Cellular factors tightly regulate the architecture of bundles of filamentous cytoskeletal proteins, giving rise to assemblies with distinct morphologies and physical properties, and a similar control of the supramolecular organization of nanotubes and nanorods in synthetic materials is highly desirable. However, it is unknown what principles determine how macromolecular interactions lead to assemblies with defined morphologies. In particular, electrostatic interactions between highly charged polyelectrolytes, which are ubiquitous in biological and synthetic self-assembled structures, are poorly understood. We have used a model system consisting of microtubules (MTs) and multivalent cations to examine how microscopic interactions can give rise to distinct bundle phases in biological polyelectrolytes. The structure of these supramolecular assemblies was elucidated on length scales from subnanometer to micrometer with synchrotron x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and differential interference contrast microscopy. Tightly packed hexagonal bundles with controllable diameters were observed for large trivalent, tetravalent, and pentavalent counterions. Unexpectedly, in the presence of small divalent cations, we have discovered a living necklace bundle phase, comprised of 2D dynamic assemblies of MTs with linear, branched, and loop topologies. This new bundle phase is an experimental example of nematic membranes. The morphologically distinct MT assemblies give insight into general features of bundle formation and may be used as templates for miniaturized materials with applications in nanotechnology and biotechnology.
Selenophosphate synthetase genes from lung adenocarcinoma cells:
Sps1
for recycling
l
-selenocysteine and
Sps2
for selenite assimilation
Authors: Tamura Takashi , Yamamoto Shinpei , Takahata Muneaki , Sakaguchi Hiromich , Tanaka Hidehiko , Stadtman Thressa C. , Inagaki Kenji
Published: November 2004

A labile selenium donor compound monoselenophosphate is synthesized from selenide and ATP by selenophosphate synthetase (SPS). In the present study,
Sps1
and
Sps2
were cloned from a cDNA library prepared from human lung adenocarcinoma cells (NCIH441). The human lung
Sps1
has been cloned as an ORF of 1,179 bp, identical in sequence to that of the recently revised human liver
Sps1
. The in-frame TGA codon of the lung
Sps2
was genetically altered to TGT (Cys) to obtain the
Sps2Cys
gene. Expression of the recombinant plasmids containing
Sps1
or
Sps2Cys
was highly toxic to
Escherichia coli
host cells grown aerobically. Accordingly, the human lung
Sps
homologs were characterized by an
in vivo
complementation assay using a
selD
mutant strain. An added selenium source and a low salt concentration (0.1-0.25% NaCl) in the medium were required for reproducible and sensitive
in vivo
complementation.
Sps2Cys
effectively complemented the
selD
mutant, and the resulting formate dehydrogenase H activity was as high as that of WT
E. coli
MC4100. In contrast, only a weak complementation of the
selD
mutant by the
Sps1
gene was observed when cells were grown in selenite media. Better complementation with added
l
-selenocysteine suggested involvement of a selenocysteine lyase for mobilization of selenium. Based on this apparent substrate specificity of the
Sps1
and
Sps2
gene products we suggest that the
Sps1
-encoded enzyme depends on a selenium salvage system that recycles
l
-selenocysteine, whereas the
Sps2
enzyme can function with a selenite assimilation system.
Neurogenesis of corticospinal motor neurons extending spinal projections in adult mice
Authors: Chen Jinhui , Magavi Sanjay S. P. , Macklis Jeffrey D.
Published: November 2004

The adult mammalian CNS shows a very limited capacity to regenerate after injury. However, endogenous precursors, or stem cells, provide a potential source of new neurons in the adult brain. Here, we induce the birth of new corticospinal motor neurons (CSMN), the CNS neurons that die in motor neuron degenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and that cause loss of motor function in spinal cord injury. We induced synchronous apoptotic degeneration of CSMN and examined the fates of newborn cells arising from endogenous precursors, using markers for DNA replication, neuroblast migration, and progressive neuronal differentiation, combined with retrograde labeling from the spinal cord. We observed neuroblasts entering the neocortex and progressively differentiating into mature pyramidal neurons in cortical layer V. We found 20-30 new neurons per mm
3
in experimental mice vs. 0 in controls. A subset of these newborn neurons projected axons into the spinal cord and survived >56 weeks. These results demonstrate that endogenous precursors can differentiate into even highly complex long-projection CSMN in the adult mammalian brain and send new projections to spinal cord targets, suggesting that molecular manipulation of endogenous neural precursors
in situ
may offer future therapeutic possibilities for motor neuron degenerative disease and spinal cord injury.
Evolving protein functional diversity in new genes of
Drosophila
Authors: Zhang Jianming , Dean Antony M. , Brunet Frédéric , Long Manyuan
Published: November 2004

The mechanism by which protein functional diversity expands is an important evolutionary issue. Studies of recently evolved chimeric genes permit direct investigation of the origin of new protein functions before they become obscured by subsequent evolution. Found in several African
Drosophila
species,
jingwei
(
jgw
), a recently evolved gene with a domain derived from the still extant short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) through retroposition, provides an opportunity to examine this previously undescribed process directly. We expressed JGW proteins in a microbial expression system and, after purification, investigated their enzymatic properties. We found that, unexpectedly, positive Darwinian selection for amino acid replacements outside the active site of JGW produced a novel dehydrogenase with altered substrate specificity compared with the ancestral ADH. Instead of detoxifying and assimilating ethanol like its
Adh
parental gene, we observe that JGW efficiently utilizes long-chain primary alcohols found in hormone and pheromone metabolism. These data suggest that protein functional diversity can expand rapidly under the joint forces of exon shuffling, gene duplication, and natural selection.
Genes required for
Drosophila
nervous system development identified by RNA interference
Authors: Ivanov Andrej I. , Rovescalli Alessandra C. , Pozzi Paola , Yoo Siuk , Mozer Brian , Li Hsi-Ping , Yu Shu-Hua , Higashida Haruhiro , Guo Vicky , Spencer Michael , Nirenberg Marshall
Published: November 2004

RNA interference was used to screen 3,314
Drosophila
double-stranded RNAs, corresponding to ≈25% of
Drosophila
genes, for genes that affect the development of the embryonic nervous system. RNA-interference-mediated gene silencing in
Drosophila
embryos resulted in loss-of-function mutant phenotypes for 43 genes, which is 1.3% of the genes that were screened. We found 18 genes that were not known previously to affect the development of the nervous system. The functions of some of the genes are unknown. Other genes encode protein kinases, transcription factors, and signaling proteins, as well as proteins with other functions.
Thyroid hormone administration enhances remyelination in chronic demyelinating inflammatory disease
Authors: Fernandez Mercedes , Giuliani Alessandro , Pirondi Stefania , D'Intino Giulia , Giardino Luciana , Aloe Luigi , Levi-Montalcini Rita , Calzà Laura
Published: November 2004

Chronic disabilities in multiple sclerosis are believed to be due to neuron damage and degeneration, which follow remyelination failure. Due to the presence of numerous oligodendrocyte precursors inside demyelination plaques, one reason for demyelination failure could be the inability of oligodendrocyte precursor cells to turn into myelinating oligodendrocytes. In this study, we show that thyroid hormone enhances and accelerates remyelination in an experimental model of chronic demyelination, i.e., experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in congenic female Dark Agouti rats immunized with complete guinea pig spinal cord. Thyroid hormone, when administered during the acute phase of the disease, increases expression of platelet-derived growth factor α receptor, restores normal levels of myelin basic protein mRNA and protein, and allows an early and morphologically competent reassembly of myelin sheaths. Moreover, thyroid hormone exerts a neuroprotective effect with respect to axonal pathology.
Reversion of the Jun-induced oncogenic phenotype by enhanced synthesis of sialosyllactosylceramide (GM3 ganglioside)
Authors: Miura Yutaka , Kainuma Mami , Jiang Hao , Velasco Hershey , Vogt Peter K. , Hakomori Senitiroh
Published: November 2004

In the mouse fibroblast cell line C3H 10T1/2 and the chicken fibroblast cell line DF1, the ganglioside GM3 is the major glycosphingolipid component of the plasma membrane. Expression of the viral oncoprotein Jun (v-Jun) induces transformed cell clones with greatly reduced levels of GM3 and GM3 synthase (lactosylceramide α2,3-sialyltransferase) mRNA in both 10T1/2 and DF1 cell cultures. Compared with nontransformed controls, v-Jun transfectants show enhanced ability of anchorage-independent growth, and their growth rates as adherent cells are increased. When the mouse GM3 synthase gene is transfected with the pcDNA vector into v-Jun-transformed 10T1/2 cells, the levels of GM3 synthase and corresponding mRNA are restored to those of control cells. Reexpression of GM3 correlates with a reduced ability of the cells to form colonies in nutrient agar. Similarly, when the newly cloned chicken GM3 synthase gene is transfected into v-Jun-transformed DF1 with the pcDNA vector, the GM3 synthase level is restored to that of control cells, and the ability of the cells to form agar colonies is reduced. The levels of GM3 in the cell also affect membrane microdomains. The complex of GM3 with tetraspanin CD9 and integrin α5β1 inhibits motility and invasiveness. The amounts of this complex are greatly reduced in transformed cells. Expression of GM3 and consequent reversion of the transformed phenotype results in increased levels of that microdomain complex.
Fly motion vision is based on Reichardt detectors regardless of the signal-to-noise ratio
Authors: Haag J. , Denk W. , Borst A.
Published: November 2004

The computational structure of an optimal motion detector was proposed to depend on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the stimulus: At low SNR, the optimal motion detector should be a correlation or “Reichardt” type, whereas at high SNR, the detector would employ a gradient scheme [Potters, M. & Bialek, W. (1994)
J. Physiol. (Paris)
4, 1755-1775]. Although a large body of experiments supports the Reichardt detector as the processing scheme leading to direction selectivity in fly motion vision, in most of these studies the SNR was rather low. We therefore reinvestigated the question over a much larger SNR range. Using 2-photon microscopy, we found that local dendritic [Ca
2+
] modulations, which are characteristic of Reichardt detectors, occur in response to drifting gratings over a wide range of luminance levels and contrasts. We also explored, as another fingerprint of Reichardt detectors, the dependence of the velocity optimum on the pattern wavelength. Again, we found Reichardt-typical behavior throughout the whole luminance and contrast range tested. Our results, therefore, provide strong evidence that only a single elementary processing scheme is used in fly motion vision.
Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice
Authors: Lutz Antoine , Greischar Lawrence L. , Rawlings Nancy B. , Ricard Matthieu , Davidson Richard J.
Published: November 2004

Practitioners understand “meditation,” or mental training, to be a process of familiarization with one's own mental life leading to long-lasting changes in cognition and emotion. Little is known about this process and its impact on the brain. Here we find that long-term Buddhist practitioners self-induce sustained electroencephalographic high-amplitude gamma-band oscillations and phase-synchrony during meditation. These electroencephalogram patterns differ from those of controls, in particular over lateral frontoparietal electrodes. In addition, the ratio of gamma-band activity (25-42 Hz) to slow oscillatory activity (4-13 Hz) is initially higher in the resting baseline before meditation for the practitioners than the controls over medial frontoparietal electrodes. This difference increases sharply during meditation over most of the scalp electrodes and remains higher than the initial baseline in the postmeditation baseline. These data suggest that mental training involves temporal integrative mechanisms and may induce short-term and long-term neural changes.
Associative learning shapes the neural code for stimulus magnitude in primary auditory cortex
Authors: Polley Daniel B. , Heiser Marc A. , Blake David T. , Schreiner Christoph E. , Merzenich Michael M.
Published: November 2004

Since the dawn of experimental psychology, researchers have sought an understanding of the fundamental relationship between the amplitude of sensory stimuli and the magnitudes of their perceptual representations. Contemporary theories support the view that magnitude is encoded by a linear increase in firing rate established in the primary afferent pathways. In the present study, we have investigated sound intensity coding in the rat primary auditory cortex (AI) and describe its plasticity by following paired stimulus reinforcement and instrumental conditioning paradigms. In trained animals, population-response strengths in AI became more strongly nonlinear with increasing stimulus intensity. Individual AI responses became selective to more restricted ranges of sound intensities and, as a population, represented a broader range of preferred sound levels. These experiments demonstrate that the representation of stimulus magnitude can be powerfully reshaped by associative learning processes and suggest that the code for sound intensity within AI can be derived from intensity-tuned neurons that change, rather than simply increase, their firing rates in proportion to increases in sound intensity.
Differential activation of NFκB/RelA‐p50 and NFκB/p50‐p50 in control and alcohol‐drinking rats subjected to carrageenin‐induced pleurisy
Authors: Singh Ashok K. , Jiang Yin
Published: November 2004

BACKGROUND: Carrageenin (CAR) injection into the pleural cavity causes local inflammation called carrageenin‐induced pleurisy (CAR‐IP). Inflammation onset is characterized by an activation of pro‐inflammatory NFκB, RelA‐p50, while inflammation resolution is characterized by an activation of an anti‐inflammatory NFκB, p50‐p50, that re‐establishes homeostasis, an essential process for an organism′s survival. Although chronic alcohol intake disrupts inflammation, the mechanism behind the development of inflammatory disorder in alcoholics is not yet known. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to study the effects of ethanol intake on CAR‐IP and NFκB activation in pleural fluid neutrophils in P rats.

Methods: Alcohol‐preferring, P rats were given free choice of alcohol (15% ethanol) and water or water alone (for control) for 15 days. Then, each rat was injected with 0.2 ml of 2% CAR into the pleural cavity under light ether anesthesia. At different time intervals after the CAR injection, rats were anesthetized and their blood and pleural fluid samples were collected. Pleural fluid inflammatory cells were identified with Turk′s or Wright‐Giemsa staining. Different cell types were sorted using a fluorescence‐activated cell sorter. Pleural fluid neutrophils were examined for apoptosis and activation of the two NFκB subspecies.

Results: In control rats, fluid began to accumulate in the pleural cavity 0.5 h after, which peaked 24 h after, CAR injection. Then, the values declined gradually. The increase in pleural fluid correlated with RelA‐p50 activation, while the decline in pleural fluid correlated with p50‐p50 activation and apoptosis in neutrophils. In alcohol‐drinking rats, pleural fluid remained elevated for up to 6 days after CAR injection. Neutrophils from alcohol‐drinking rats exhibited suppressed apoptosis, augmented RelA‐p50 activation, and suppressed p50‐p50 activation.

Conclusions: Alcohol intake prolonged inflammation in P rats. An alcohol‐induced upregulation of RelA‐p50 activation and downregulation of p50‐p50 activation may be causally related to the alcohol‐induced inflammation dysregulation.
Effects of ′casoparan′, a peptide isolated from casein hydrolysates with mastoparan‐like properties
Authors: Lebrun Ivo , Cavallaro Valéria , Juliano Luiz , Juliano Maria A. , e Silva Maria C. C. de Sousa
Published: November 2004

CASEIN, a protein found in milk of several species, is divided into different chains from 19 to 25 kDa. Casein is also considered as a source of amino acids and generating peptides with biological activities such as opiate, immunostimulating, antibacterial, peptidase inhibitors, among others.

In this work, Sephadex G‐10 chromatography followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography isolation purified NZCase TT, an industrial culture media for tetanus toxin production. In the first step, four pools were isolated and tested in different assays: isolated smooth muscle assay (guinea pig ileum, rat uterus), phagocytosis in vitro of opsonized sheep red blood cells, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) release from mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Pool III was the main active pool being able to potentiate bradykinin action in guinea pig ileum, stimulating phagocitic activity by resident macrophages and increasing H2O2 release from macrophages previously activated with bacille Calmette Guérin.

Using mass spectra the primary structure of the main peptide from pool III was obtained – INKKI, which corresponds to β‐casein fragment 26‐30.

The immunostimulating action is probably related to a direct action in macrophage cells.
Serum procalcitonin and cerebrospinal fluid cytokines level in children with meningitis
Authors: Taskın Erdal , Turgut Mehmet , Kılıc Mehmet , Akbulut Handan , Aygun A. Denizmen
Published: November 2004

Aims: To determine the level of serum procalcitonin and cerebrospinal fluid cytokines in children with bacterial or viral meningitis and to document the use of these parameters in differential diagnosis.

Results: Before the start of antibiotic treatment, serum procalcitonin and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels were found to be higher in acute bacterial meningitis compared with viral meningitis and with the control group. Similarly, cerebrospinal fluid interleukin‐6 levels were found to be significantly higher in children with acute bacterial meningitis compared with viral meningitis. However, no significant difference was determined between groups in respect to the cerebrospinal fluid interleukin‐8 level.

Conclusion: Serum procalcitonin and cerebrospinal fluid tumor necrosis factor alpha levels can be used in the early diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. Similarly, they may be useful adjuncts in differential diagnosis of bacterial and viral meningitis.
Inhaled corticosteroid effects both eosinophilic and non‐eosinophilic inflammation in asthmatic patients
Authors: Basyigit Ilknur , Yildiz Fusun , Ozkara Sevgiye Kacar , Boyaci Hasim , Ilgazli Ahmet
Published: November 2004

AIM: To determine induced sputum cell counts and interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) levels as markers of neutrophilic inflammation in moderate persistent asthma, and to evaluate the response to inhaled steroid therapy.

Methods: Forty‐five moderate asthmatic patients and 10 non‐smoker controls were included in this study. All patients received inhaled corticosteroid (800 μg of budesonide) for 12 weeks. Before and after treatment pulmonary function tests were performed, and symptom scores were determined. Blood was drawn for analysis of serum inflammatory markers, and sputum was induced.

Results: Induced sputum cell counts and inflammatory markers were significantly higher in patients with asthma than in the control group. The induced sputum eosinophil counts of 12 patients (26%) were found to be less than 5%, the non‐eosinophilic group, and sputum neutrophil counts, IL‐8 and TNF‐α levels were significantly higher than the eosinophilic group (neutrophil, 50±14% versus 19±10%, p < 0.01). In both groups, there was a significant decrease in sputum total cell counts and serum and sputum IL‐8, TNF‐α and LTB4 levels after the treatment. There was no change in sputum neutrophil counts. Although the sputum eosinophil count decreased only in the eosinophilic subjects, there was no significant difference in inflammatory markers between the groups. The symptom scores were significantly improved after treatment, while the improvement did not reach statistical significance on pulmonary function test parameters.

Conclusion: Notably, in chronic asthma there is a subgroup of patients whose predominant inflammatory cells are not eosinophils. Sputum neutrophil counts and neutrophilic inflammatory markers are significantly higher in these patients. In the non‐eosinophilic group, inhaled steroid caused an important decrease in inflammatory markers; however, there was no change in the sputum eosinophil and neutrophil counts.
Induction of macrophage migration inhibitory factor precedes the onset of acute tonsillitis
Authors: Shimizu Tadamichi , Niizeki Hironori , Takeuchi Osamu , Yamasaki Yuichiro , Inamoto Nobuko , Kusunoki Yukihiro , Kobayashi Kunihiko , Abe Riichiro , Shimizu Hiroshi , Nishikawa Takeji , Hashiguchi Kazuhiro , Nishihira Jun
Published: November 2004

We investigated the serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) levels of palmoplantar pustulosis patients, before and after the tonsillar provocation test. Higher serum MIF levels of palmoplantar pustulosis patients were decreased after the tonsillar provocation test (n = 29). To confirm these phenomena, two patients with acute tonsillitis had their changes in body temperature, C‐reactive protein (CRP) and serum MIF levels examined during the course of their illness. Surprisingly, increased MIF preceded fever and CRP elevation, and MIF subsequently decreased at the onset of fever and CRP elevation. Since MIF is an initiator of other proinflammatory cytokines, we suggest that the induction of MIF may precede other inflammatory conditions.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction by Synthetic Ligands of Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptors (PPARs)
Authors: Scatena Roberto , Martorana Giuseppe , Bottoni Patrizia , Giardina Bruno
Published: November 2004

PPARs are a class of nuclear receptors involved in lipid and glucidic metabolism, immune regulation and cell differentiation. This spectrum of biological activities stimulated pharmacological research to synthetize different molecules with PPARs binding activity with beneficial therapeutic effects. As a matter of fact, some synthetic PPAR‐ligands have been already employed in pharmacotherapy: PPAR‐α ligands, such as fibrates, are used in hyperlipidemias and thiazolidinediones, mainly PPAR‐γ ligands, are employed as insulin sensitizers. However, both classes of drugs showed pharmacotoxicological profiles which cannot be fully ascribed to activation of their specific receptors and which are causing a growing incidence of dramatic side effects (rhabdomyolysis, acute liver failure, heart failure, etc.). A re‐evaluation of the biological activities of PPAR synthetic ligands, in particular of the mitochondrial dysfunction based on a rotenone‐like Complex I partial inhibition and of its consequent metabolic adaptations, seems to explain some of the pathophysiologic aspects of PPARs allowing a better definition of the therapeutic properties of the so‐called PPAR‐ligands. IUBMB Life, 56: 477‐482, 2004
Cloning and Heterologous Expression of a Methanococcus vannielii Gene Encoding a Selenium‐Binding Protein
Authors: Self William , Pierce Renee , Stadtman TC
Published: November 2004

The activation and incorporation of selenium into selenocysteine containing selenoproteins has been well established in an Escherichia coli model system but there is little specific information concerning the transport and intracellular trafficking of selenium in biological systems in general. A selenium transport role is a possible function of a novel 42 kDa selenium‐binding protein that recently was purified from Methanococcus vannielii. The gene encoding a monomer of this protein (Sbp) has been cloned, sequenced and heterologously expressed in E. coli. The 8.8 kDa gene product contains 81 amino acids. The recombinant Sbp (rSbp) protein was shown to bind selenium from added selenite. The bound selenium appeared predominantly in dimeric and tetrameric forms of the protein. The gene encoding Sbp occurs in an operon that contains a carbonic anhydrase gene and selenocysteine‐containing formate dehydrogenase genes, suggesting possible roles in selenium‐dependent formate metabolism. IUBMB Life, 56: 501‐507, 2004
Ribosomal RNA Processing and Ribosome Biogenesis in Eukaryotes
Authors: Nazar Ross
Published: November 2004

In eukaryotes nearly 500 rRNAs, ribosomal proteins, snoRNAs and trans‐acting factors contribute to ribosome biogenesis. After more than 30 years of intense research, the incredible complexities of nucleolar function are revealed but details often remain unclear. Here we review this progress and the many intriguing questions which remain. IUBMB Life, 56: 457‐465, 2004
Role of CCR8 and Other Chemokine Pathways in the Migration of Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells to Lymph Nodes
Authors: Qu Chunfeng , Edwards Emmerson W. , Tacke Frank , Angeli Véronique , Llodrá Jaime , Sanchez-Schmitz Guzman , Garin Alexandre , Haque Nasreen S. , Peters Wendy , van Rooijen Nico , Sanchez-Torres Carmen , Bromberg Jonathan , Charo Israel F. , Jung Steffen , Lira Sergio A. , Randolph Gwendalyn J.
Published: November 2004

Studying the influence of chemokine receptors (CCRs) on monocyte fate may reveal information about which subpopulations of monocytes convert to dendritic cells (DCs) and the migration pathways that they use. First, we examined whether prominent CCRs on different monocyte subsets, CCR2 or CX3CR1, mediated migration events upstream of the accumulation of monocyte-derived DCs in lymph nodes (LNs). Monocytes were labeled and traced by uptake of latex microspheres in skin. Unexpectedly, neither CCR2 nor CX3CR1 were required. However, absence of CCR2 led to an increased labeling of the minor Gr-1int monocyte population, and the number of latex+ DCs that emigrated to LNs was correspondingly increased. Characterization of Gr-1int monocytes revealed that they selectively expressed CCR7 and CCR8 mRNA in blood. CCR7 and CCR8 pathways were used by monocyte-derived DCs during mobilization from skin to LNs. The role of CCR8 in emigration from tissues also applied to human monocyte-derived cells in a model of transendothelial trafficking. Collectively, the data suggest that Gr-1int monocytes may be most disposed to become a lymphatic-migrating DCs. When these monocyte-derived DCs exit skin to emigrate to LNs, they use not only CCR7 but also CCR8, which was not previously recognized to participate in migration to LNs.
Bartonella Adhesin A Mediates a Proangiogenic Host Cell Response
Authors: Riess Tanja , Andersson Siv G.E. , Lupas Andrei , Schaller Martin , Schäfer Andrea , Kyme Pierre , Martin Jörg , Wälzlein Joo-Hee , Ehehalt Urs , Lindroos Hillevi , Schirle Markus , Nordheim Alfred , Autenrieth Ingo B. , Kempf Volkhard A.J.
Published: November 2004

Bartonella henselae causes vasculoproliferative disorders in humans. We identified a nonfimbrial adhesin of B. henselae designated as Bartonella adhesin A (BadA). BadA is a 340-kD outer membrane protein encoded by the 9.3-kb badA gene. It has a modular structure and contains domains homologous to the Yersinia enterocolitica nonfimbrial adhesin (Yersinia adhesin A). Expression of BadA was restored in a BadA-deficient transposon mutant by complementation in trans. BadA mediates the binding of B. henselae to extracellular matrix proteins and to endothelial cells, possibly via β1 integrins, but prevents phagocytosis. Expression of BadA is crucial for activation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 in host cells by B. henselae and secretion of proangiogenic cytokines (e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor). BadA is immunodominant in B. henselae–infected patients and rodents, indicating that it is expressed during Bartonella infections. Our results suggest that BadA, the largest characterized bacterial protein thus far, is a major pathogenicity factor of B. henselae with a potential role in the induction of vasculoproliferative disorders.
Number of T Reg Cells That Differentiate Does Not Increase upon Encounter of Agonist Ligand on Thymic Epithelial Cells
Authors: van Santen Hisse-Martien , Benoist Christophe , Mathis Diane
Published: November 2004

It has been reported that the differentiation of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (T reg cells) can be induced by agonist peptide/major histocompatibility complex ligands in the thymus. Exploiting a transgenic mouse line wherein expression of a particular T cell epitope can be controlled temporally and quantitatively, we found that diversion of differentiating thymocytes into the FoxP3 T reg cell pathway by this agonist ligand was essentially nonexistent. However, CD4+CD25+ thymocytes were much less sensitive than their CD4+CD25− companions, by two to three orders of magnitude, to agonist-induced clonal deletion, such that their proportion increased, giving the false impression of induced differentiation. To account for these and prior observations, one can propose that differentiation along the CD4+CD25+ pathway is induced by cues other than recognition of self-agonist cues, which are poorly read by thymocytes, whose T cell receptors are conducive to selection toward the conventional CD4+CD25− lineage. Thus, selective survival, rather than induced differentiation, may explain the apparent enrichment observed here and in previous studies.
Parallel Importing Post Trips: Convergence and Divergence in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Longdin Louise
Published: November 2004

In a famous act of studied neutrality the framers of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS)1 left nations adhering to the Agreement completely free, in Article 6 of that document, to determine the extent to which they would allow the parallel importation of products affected by intellectual property rights which had been lawfully placed on the market outside the jurisdiction.2 The hands off approach embodied in Article 6 came as no surprise to commentators and TRIPS watchers. What to do about parallel importing has always been an issue which has deeply divided the world's trading nations and continues to be the subject of vigorous debate within them.3 Intellectual property owners and their licensees are uniting across national borders not just to defend historically entrenched advantages but also to portray these advantages as so much a part of the post TRIPS order that their extension (at home as well as abroad) seems both natural and inevitable. Importers and would-be importers outside existing distribution networks not unnaturally remain sceptical of arguments which threaten to replace tariffs and import restrictions with private law barriers to entry, barriers backed by both civil and criminal sanctions. In Australia and New Zealand these self-interested opponents of parallel importing have, in recent years, been joined in their scepticism by competition regulators and policy makers eager to bring to bear on the debate economic insights derived from detailed analyses of the impact of such restrictions both on particular product markets and the national economy as a whole. Increasingly too, the wider consuming public has begun to see that grey markets have charms hitherto invisible behind now removed protectionist walls.
The Insured's Non-Disclosure In The Formation Of Insurance Contracts: A Comparative Perspective
Authors: Tarr Anthony A. , Tarr Julie-Anne
Published: November 2004

The requirements that an insured disclose all facts material to a transaction as well as not misrepresent material facts in the formation of an insurance contract are universal requirements of insurance law.1 The nature and extent of these obligations varies from one jurisdiction to the next but the fundamental justification for the duty to provide accurate information rests upon the perceived asymmetry of information as between insurer and insured as to the risk to be transferred.2 Disclosure in the insurance context is distinct from the general approach in commercial contracts, and in others between persons dealing at arm's length. Historically, the requirement to affirmatively volunteer information in relation to insurance transactions reflects, first, the potentially mortal impact inadequate information poses to the insurance industry's vitality, and second, the practical reality that certain critical information may be peculiarly within the insured's knowledge and difficult to elicit. The departure from caveat emptor and the allocation of the risk and consequences of non-disclosure to the party best placed to provide information pertinent to the transaction is seen as necessary to minimise transaction costs in such dealings.3
Non-Disclosure Of Evidence Before International Criminal Tribunals: Recent Developments Regarding the International Committee of the Red Cross
Authors: Jeannet StéPhane
Published: November 2004

What is worse, watching a guilty person walk free or being denied access to a person who may die if left without your assistance? Is it more important to help bring about the wrongdoer's arrest or to help his victim? If a choice has to be made, it is never an easy one. But it is a dilemma that delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sometimes find themselves facing, and it is one that can keep you awake nights.1
Insularity or Leadership? The Role of the United Kingdom in the Harmonisation of Commercial Law
Authors: Goode Roy
Published: November 2004

The last few decades have seen a substantial growth in what has become known as transnational commercial law, by which I mean that body of commercial law principles and rules, from whatever source, which is common to a number of legal systems. The various types of harmonisation fall broadly into four groups, each possessing its own implementing agency:
The Case For Nationality Based Jurisdiction
Authors: Arnell P.
Published: November 2004

Various recent developments within and without the United Kingdom have strengthened the arguments in favour of the adoption of general nationality based criminal jurisdiction. These arise from problems in the application of territorial jurisdiction, increasingly frequent crime-specific reference to nationality based jurisdiction, the development of European Union law, the ever-greater mobility of nationals, the ability to commit crimes remotely, the incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms into United Kingdom law, an evolution in the citizen-state relationship, and the increasing internationalisation of criminal law. It is not suggested that territory should no longer find a central place in the criminal law rather that the original and present arguments in its favour have been greatly weakened and, at the same time, the arguments in favour of nationality based jurisdiction have been strengthened. This article details the present nature of criminal jurisdiction, highlights the deficiencies with territorial jurisdiction and outlines the case in favour of a general nationality based criminal jurisdiction.
Law as Transposition
Authors: Örücü Esin
Published: November 2004

Legal scholars approach law in many ways. They are dedicated to various trends such as ‘law as rules’, ‘law as system’, ‘law as culture’, ‘law as tradition’, ‘law as social fact’, ‘law in context’, ‘law and history’, ‘law and economics’, and ‘law and legal theory’. Most comparative lawyers also are aligned to these trends. Some of the trends share belief in the reality of mobility of law, seeing law reform to be partly related to choice from pools of models supplied from a number of legal systems. There is, however, disquiet as to the appropriateness of the phenomenon of ‘legal transplants’ as the predominant explanation of law reform. The disquiet is related both to this mode of law reform and to the conceptual frame suggested by the terminology. It is said that law reform should be from within, and that since a transplanted institution continues to live on in its old habitat as well as having been moved to a new one, the choice of the word ‘transplant’ is inappropriate.1
The Use of Experts in WTO Dispute Settlement
Authors: Pauwelyn Joost
Published: November 2004

In seven years of WTO dispute settlement (1995–2001), six panels appointed scientific experts,2 two panels requested expert advice from other international organisations3 and one panel nominated a linguistic expert.4 Under GATT 1947, in contrast, only one panel saw the need to seek expert advice.5 Very often also the parties to a WTO dispute nominate experts on their delegation, be they lawyers, economists, scientists or linguists. In addition, an increasing number of ‘outsiders’ or amici curiae, such as NGOs, but also industry and academics, have pressed their (expert) opinion on WTO panels and the Appellate Body.
I. Lagrand Case (Germany v United States of America)
Authors: Evans Malcolm D. , Mennecke Martin , Tams Christian J.
Published: November 2004

In the LaGrand case, the United States found themselves for the second time within three years before the International Court of Justice dealing with the death penalty imposed on foreign nationals in the United States.1 In contrast to the earlier case filed by Paraguay, the German-sponsored LaGrand case survived the provisional measures phase and went on to the merits stage. In its judgment of 27 June 2001, the Court largely affirmed all four German submissions and ruled that the United States had violated international law.
Eu Responses to Terrorism
Authors: Peers Steve
Published: November 2004

Following the last update in this Quarterly,1 the European Union (EU) has been quite active in agreeing new measures relating to cross-border policing and criminal law. First of all, the Tampere European Council meeting in October 1999 agreed a list of measures to be adopted to develop the EU's ‘Area of Freedom, Security and Justice’, particularly as regards criminal procedure. Here the European Council requested the Council to agree a work programme on mutual recognition in criminal matters within a year, and to establish an EU organisation facilitating cross-border prosecutions (Eurojust) within 2 years. Following agreement in the meantime on a Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters after 5 years’ negotiations,2 the work programme was duly adopted in November 2000, setting out a list of twenty-four measures which the Council should agree in the medium-term to facilitate cross-border investigations, prosecutions, and enforcement of judgments.3 Several Member States then began to implement this plan, tabling two versions of a proposed Decision to set up Eurojust and also making proposals for ‘Framework Decisions’ to harmonise national laws as regards enforcement of other Member States’ orders to freeze assets and evidence and enforcement of judgments imposing financial penalties.4
September 11 and the UK Response
Authors: Warbrick Colin , McGoldrick Dominic , Katselli Elena , Shah Sangeeta
Published: November 2004

On 11 September 2001, four aircraft on internal flights within the United States were seized by passengers who crashed two of them into the World Trade Centre in New York and another into the Pentagon, Washington DC, the other falling into open land in Pennsylvania. The men who seized the planes were all non-US nationals. The total loss of life was over 3,000, including a number of UK citizens. The economic consequences were hardly calculable. Responsibility for the attacks was attributed to the Al Qaeda movement, a group regarded by the United States as being responsible for previous attacks against US targets, including the bombing of American embassies in East Africa in 1998 and on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. Although Al Qaeda was thought to have members in many states, the principal base for its operations was in Afghanistan.1
II. The Lamfalussy Legislative Model: A New Era For The Ec Securities And Investment Services Regime
Authors: Moloney Niamh
Published: November 2004

The worldwide repercussions of the Enron collapse have placed the effectiveness of the EC's system of securities and investment services market regulation, particularly with respect to disclosure, market transparency, and auditor independence, under a harsh spotlight.1 But the regime was already undergoing a sea change that may have longstanding repercussions for how EC securities and investment services markets are regulated. In particular, sweeping changes have been made to the way in which EC securities and investment services measures are adopted. These changes have set the stage for a dramatic change in the detail, regulatory sophistication, and degree of intervention in Member States' system of the EC securities and investment services regime. They have not, however, required a Treaty revision but are based on the comitology process for delegated law making.
II. External Competence Implications of the Ec Regulation on Jurisdiction and Judgments
Authors: Takahashi Koji
Published: November 2004

Council Regulation 44/2001 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of Judgments in Civil Commercial Matters1 replaced the 1968 Brussels Convention on 1 March 2002 for Member States of the European union Except Denmark.2 This has given the European Community exclusive competence in matters relating to jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments. As a result individual Member States can no longer freely ratify conventions which, in relation to specific matters, govern jurisdiction or the recognition or enforcement of judgments.3 This is reflected in the deletion of ‘or will be’ from the text of Article 71(1) of the Regulation,4 a phrase which previously found in the equivalent provision in the Brussels Convention.5
III. Land and Maritime Boundary Between Cameroon and Nigeria (Cameroon v Nigeria:: Equatorial Guinea Intervening), Merits, Judgment of 10 October 2002
Authors: Evans Malcom D , Merrills JG
Published: November 2004

On 10 October 2002 the International Court of Justice gave its decision on the merits in the case brought by the Republic of Cameroon against the Federal Republic of Nigeria over their land and maritime boundary. The judgment, which addresses a number of issues of general international law concerning maritime boundaries and territorial sovereignty, as well as providing a detailed treatment of the particular facts, concludes a case that began in 1994 and has had an unusual history. As this background had a significant bearing on the eventual outcome, a brief recapitulation may be useful.
Octahedral tilting in cation-ordered perovskites – a group-theoretical analysis
Authors: Howard Christopher J. , Stokes Harold T.
Published: November 2004

Group-theoretical methods are used to enumerate the structures of ordered perovskites, in which 1:2 and 1:3 ordering of B and B′ cations is considered in combination with the ubiquitous BX
6 (or B′X
6) octahedral tilting. The cation ordering on the B-cation site is described by irreducible representations of the Pm\bar 3m space group of the cubic aristotype: Λ1 (
k
= 1/3,1/3,1/3) for the cation ordering pattern in the 1:2 compound A
3
BB_2^{\prime}X
9 and M_1^ + (
k
= 1/2,1/2,0) for the cation ordering in the 1:3 compound A
4
BB_3^{\prime}X
12. The octahedral tilting is mediated by the irreducible representations M_3^ + and R_4^ +. Ten distinct structures have been identified in the 1:2 case and 11 structures for 1:3.
Di-p-bromophenyl ether, a redetermined crystal structure derived from low-quality diffraction data
Authors: Eriksson Lars , Eriksson Johan , Hu Jiwei
Published: November 2004

We show that the lack of good quality data, normally essential to successful crystal structure analysis, can in part be compensated for by measuring data from several crystals and merging the resulting data sets. The crystal structure of the flame retardant di-p-bromophenyl ether, C12H8Br2O, a twofold axially symmetric molecule, has been redetermined and refined from such a merged multi-crystal diffraction data set to an acceptable conventional R factor (R
1 = 0.06), a result which could not have been obtained from any one of our single-crystal diffraction data sets used alone in the normal manner.
Structure refinements of Na0.8Ti1.2Ga4.8O10: X-ray diffraction analysis for the sodium ion distribution in a one-dimensional tunnel-like space
Authors: Michiue Yuichi , Sato Akira
Published: November 2004

The structure of Na0.8Ti1.2Ga4.8O10 was determined by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction at 173 and 123 K and reinvestigated at 299 K. The host structure containing one-dimensional tunnels was retained over the temperatures examined, while significant changes were observed in the probability density distribution of Na+ ions in the tunnel. The refinement based on the local structure model with the deviated Na+ ion neighboring the vacancy gave a similar result to that from the conventional model, but with reduced standard uncertainties of the structural parameters for the Na+ ions. The potential barrier for the Na+ ion hopping between adjacent cavities was estimated to be ca 30–40 meV from the joint probability density function of deviated Na+ ions.
Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction study of the short-range ordering structure of α-LiFeO2
Authors: Mitome Masanori , Kohiki Shigemi , Murakawa Yusuke , Hori Kyoko , Kurashima Keiji , Bando Yoshio
Published: November 2004

The basic structure of α-LiFeO2, lithium iron oxide, is a cubic NaCl-type structure with a lattice constant of 0.42 nm; some short-range ordering characterized by octahedral clusters exists. The local structure of the short-range ordering was investigated by transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction. A new short-range ordering structure was found in local areas. The local structure has a cubic lattice with a doubled lattice constant. The occupation factors of cations on Wyckoff sites 4(a) and 4(b) are different from those on 24(d) sites, but the stoichiometric composition in cubic clusters is the same as the macroscopic composition. The number of pairs in which iron cations exist in nearest-neighbor sites and next nearest-neighbor sites is reduced in the structure. This means that a magnetic interaction between the iron cations is reduced by cation ordering even without spin ordering at room temperature.