bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘CLAP IF YOU BELIEVE IN SHERLOCK HOLMES’: MASS CULTURE AND THE RE-ENCHANTMENT OF MODERNITY, c. 1890–c. 1940
Authors: SALER MICHAEL
Published: September 2003

Since the late nineteenth century, Western intellectuals have tended to depict ‘modernity’ as being incompatible with ‘enchantment’. Thus Max Weber argued that two aspects intrinsic to modernity, rationalization and bureaucratization, were inimical to the magical attitudes toward human existence that characterized medieval and early modern thought. His gloomy image of the ‘iron cage’ of reason echoed the fears of earlier romantics and was to be repeated by later cultural pessimists through the twentieth century. This article recovers a different outlook that emerged during the fin-de-siècle, one that reconciled the rational and secular tenets of modernity with enchantment and that underlies many forms of contemporary cultural practice. The popularity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is taken as an exemplary instance of a specifically modern form of enchantment. First, Holmes's own form of rationalism, ‘animistic reason’, offered an alternative to the narrower instrumental reason that cultural pessimists claimed as a defining element of modernity. Second, many adult readers at the turn of the century and beyond were able to pretend that Holmes was real, and his creator fictitious, through the ‘ironic imagination’, a more capacious and playful understanding of the imagination than that held by the early Victorians. Both animistic reason and the ironic imagination made Holmes an iconic figure who enacted and represented the reconciliation of modernity and enchantment, whereas Doyle, unable to accept this reconciliation, resorted to spiritualism, a holdover of ‘premodern’ enchantment.
COURTS, COURTIERS, AND CULTURE IN TUDOR ENGLAND
Authors: MEARS NATALIE
Published: September 2003

Geoffrey Elton's model of Tudor politics, which emphasized the importance of political institutions and which dominated our understanding of Tudor politics for much of the second half of the twentieth century, has been challenged by a number of historians for over twenty years. They have re-emphasized the importance of social connections and cultural influences and turned attention away from studying the privy council to studying the court. In doing so, they have gone back to re-examine earlier approaches by Sir John Neale and Conyers Read which Elton had challenged. Yet, these new socially and culturally derived approaches, recently labelled ‘New Tudor political history’, remain varied and its practitioners sometimes at odds with each other. Focusing on both established seminal works and recent research, this review considers the different elements of these approaches in relation to Tudor court politics. It assesses the methodological problems they raise and identifies what shortcomings still remain. It demonstrates that Tudor politics are increasingly defined as based on social networks rather than institutional bodies, making issues of access to, and intimacy with, the monarch central. Our understanding has been further enhanced by exploration of political culture and its relationship to political action. However, the review points to the need to integrate more fully the political role of women and the relationship between the court and the wider political community into our understanding of Tudor politics, as well as place England into a European context.
Alfred Russel Wallace, societal planning and environmental agenda
Authors: Smith Charles H.
Published: September 2003

Many professionals regard the study of history as a waste of time. I can understand this sentiment where research proceeds rather automatically and largely without concern for possible social censure, but where societal forces directly complicate the agenda involved, there is reason for proceeding with a more open mind. Ignorance of the past invites reinventing the wheel; not only with respect to specific theories or models that were designed in some past era but never fully tested, but also to more general points of view that may extend beyond the immediate science of the question. Meanwhile, within most fields of knowledge there are constant attempts at reinvention; in many of these theory or research paradigms may become stale or stagnant. But just as often societal evolution may produce new agenda, including ones that require wholly new perspectives. The biodiversity movement of the past fifteen years is a good example of such forces in action. Human population pressures increasingly test the planet's ability to renew itself, a momentum that has caused conservationists and planners to move away from single-species and intra-national forms of management and toward larger-scale, interdisciplinary, understandings of the socio-natural processes at work.
People and mangroves in the Philippines: fifty years of coastal environmental change
Authors: Walters Bradley B.
Published: September 2003

Historical research has enhanced understanding of past human influences on forests and provides insights that can improve current conservation efforts. This paper presents one of the first detailed studies of mangrove forest history. Historical changes in mangroves and their use were examined in Bais Bay and Banacon Island, Philippines. Cutting to make space for fish ponds and residential settlement has dramatically reduced the distribution of mangroves in Bais, although forest has expanded rapidly near the mouth of the largest river where soils from nearby deforested hillsides have been deposited as sediments along the coast. Heavy cutting of mangroves for commercial sale of firewood occurred under minor forest product concessions in Bais and Banacon between the late 1930s and 1979. Cutting for domestic consumption of fuel and construction wood by local people has been widespread in both areas, although rates of cutting have varied in space and over time as a result of changing demographic pressures and in response to cutting restrictions imposed by firewood concessionaires, fish pond owners and government officials. People in both Bais and Banacon have responded to declining local forest availability by planting mangroves. Early motivations to plant reflected the desire to have a ready supply of posts for construction of fish weirs. Many have also planted to protect fishpond dykes and homes from storm damage, and increasing numbers now plant as a means to establish tenure claims over mangrove areas. However, planted stands have tended to be species monocultures and to bear only limited resemblance to natural mangrove forests. In contrast to many upland forests, opportunities for protection and restoration of mangroves are limited by virtue of a highly restricted natural distribution and by competing land uses that are likely to intensify in the future. Understanding historical patterns of change can be instructive to conservationists, but the future remains laden with uncertainties.
Policy implications and analysis of the determinants of travel mode choice: an application of choice experiments to metropolitan Costa Rica
Authors: Alpizar Francisco , Carlsson Fredrik
Published: September 2003

In this paper we study a group of policies aimed at discouraging the use of private transportation during peak hours, both directly and indirectly, by increasing the attractiveness of the only available substitute, the bus. This is done using a choice experiment constructed to find the answer to the following basic question: Given fixed house-to work structures and no working hour flexibility, by how much is the choice of travel mode for commuters to work sensitive to changes in travel time, changes in costs for each mode and other service attributes? This information is then used to identify the most suitable combination of policies dealing with air pollution and congestion in the typical developing country context of metropolitan Costa Rica. We also provide estimates of the value of travel time as a measure of the potential benefits gained from reduced congestion.
Isolated thrombosis due to the cystathionine β‐synthase mutation c.833T>C (I278T)
Authors: Linnebank M. , Junker R. , Nabavi D. G. , Linnebank A. , Koch H. G.
Published: September 2003

Hereditary homocystinuria due to cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS) deficiency is a rare disease (about 1:20 000 in Germany) often complicated by thromboembolism. Single mutations, which affect the C‐terminal region of the CBS enzyme, lead to isolated thrombosis without further symptoms typical for homocystinuria such as atherosclerosis, psychomotor retardation, and dislocation of the ocular lenses. In this study, DNA samples of patients with stroke (n=225) and sinus thrombosis (n=46) were screened for the most common homocystinuria mutation, CBS I278T. In each group one homozygous patient was identified. Thus, not only C‐terminal mutations but also the most common mutation in classical homocystinuria, CBS I278T, can lead to isolated thrombophilic events. These data support the hypothesis that homocystinuria is an underdiagnosed disease.
Plant sterols lower LDL cholesterol without improving endothelial function in prepubertal children with familial hypercholesterolaemia
Authors: De Jongh S. , Vissers M. N. , Rol P. , Bakker H. D. , Kastelein J. J. P. , Stroes E. S. G.
Published: September 2003

In adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), cholesterol lowering with statins has been shown to improve the endothelial function, a hallmark of early atherogenesis. Currently, therapeutic options for treating high cholesterol levels in FH children are limited. Plant sterols safely and effectively reduce serum cholesterol concentrations by inhibiting cholesterol absorption. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of plant sterols on cholesterol and vascular function in prepubertal children with FH. We included 41 children (5–12 years old) with FH in a double‐blind crossover trial using spreads containing 2.3 g of plant sterols (mainly sitosterol and campesterol) per 15 g spread and a placebo spread for a 4‐week period, separated by a 6‐week washout period. Lipid levels and endothelial function were assessed after both 4‐week treatment periods. Endothelial function was assessed as flow‐mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery using a wall tracking system. Data were compared to those of 20 healthy controls. Intake of 2.3 g plant sterols per day decreased total cholesterol (‐11%) and low‐density cholesterol (‐14%) as compared to placebo spread in FH children. FH children treated with placebo spread were characterized by an impaired FMD compared to healthy control children (7.2 %± 3.4% versus 10.1%±4.2%, p < 0.005). However, the reduction of LDL in FH children did not improve FMD (placebo: 7.2% ± 3.4% versus plant sterols: 7.7% ± 4.1%). In conclusion, the present study shows a clear reduction of LDL cholesterol by plant sterol treatment. However, short‐term plant sterol treatment does not improve the endothelial function in FH children.
A Unified Scheme for Generalized Sectors Based on Selection Criteria: Order Parameters of Symmetries and of Thermality and Physical Meanings of Adjunctions
Authors: Ojima Izumi
Published: September 2003

A unified scheme for treating generalized superselection sectors is proposed on the basis of the notion of selection criteria to characterize states of relevance to each specific domain in quantum physics, ranging from the relativistic quantum fields in the vacuum situations with unbroken and spontaneously broken internal symmetries, through equilibrium and non-equilibrium states to some basic aspects in measurement processes. This is achieved by the help of c → q and q → c channels: the former determines the states to be selected and to be parameterized by the order parameters, and the latter provides the physical interpretations of selected states in terms of order parameters. This formulation extends the traditional range of applicability of the Doplicher-Roberts construction method for recovering the field algebra and the gauge group (of the first kind) from the data of group invariant observables to the situations with spontaneous symmetry breakdown: in use of the machinery proposed, the physical and mathematical meaning of basic structural ingredients associated with the spontaneously broken symmetry are re-examined, such as the degenerate vacua parameterized by the variables belonging to the relevant homogeneous space, the Goldstone modes and condensates, etc. The geometrical meaning of the space of order parameters is naturally understood in relation with the adjunction as the classifying space of a sector structure. As further examples of applications, some basic notions arising in the mathematical framework of quantum theory are reformulated and examined in connection with control theory.
Density, construction, and drag coefficient of electrostatic volcanic ash aggregates
Authors: James M. R. , Lane S. J. , Gilbert J. S.
Published: September 2003

Recent laboratory experiments have demonstrated that electrostatic charges generated during the fragmentation of volcanic pumice cause rapid aggregation of the silicate particles produced. Here, we present measurements of the mass and component particle size distribution of individual, electrostatically bound aggregates produced during these experiments. Particles produced by fracturing pumice aggregated as they fell ∼1.5 m within an enclosed fall chamber. Aggregate mass measurements indicate aggregate densities of ∼200 kg m−3 or less. The component particle size analysis demonstrates exponential‐type cumulative distributions which are dominated (on a volume basis) by particles ∼10–40 μm in diameter and contain few particles >70 μm. By representing these particles as disks of 5 μm thickness the calculated aggregate densities are in agreement with those derived from the aggregate mass measurements and indicate a relatively constant aggregate density with size (in contrast with previous results from fall velocities). Combining the density measurements with fall velocity data allows the drag coefficient of aggregates to be determined. Empirical equations developed to describe the particle size distribution within aggregates are used to derive relative aggregation coefficients for the electrostatic aggregation process. Our results can be used within numerical models of volcanic plumes in order to improve their representation of electrostatic aggregation processes.
Chemical composition of mineral dust aerosol during the Saharan Dust Experiment (SHADE) airborne campaign in the Cape Verde region, September 2000
Authors: Formenti P. , Elbert W. , Maenhaut W. , Haywood J. , Andreae M. O.
Published: September 2003

During the Saharan Dust Experiment (SHADE) in September 2000, we collected filter samples on board the Met Office C‐130 aircraft. The main study area was over the Atlantic Ocean between Sal Island and Senegal. Dust was encountered in the altitude range from 0.5–1 to 4–4.5 km. Sublayers with different particle size distributions and different source areas can be distinguished within the main dust plume. Diminution of O3 in anticorrelation with the dust layer suggests removal of O3 by dust particles. Dust loadings containing up to 54 μg m−3 Al (submicron plus supermicron fraction) were measured during particularly intense dust events. Mixing of dust with anthropogenic aerosols, mainly NH4HSO4, was observed in the fine fraction. It was associated with air masses that had originated over Europe and then traveled over North Africa. The ratio of nitrate to non‐sea‐salt sulfate was around 0.3. This argues against any significant influence of biomass burning emissions, which have much higher nitrate. However, we also encountered aged fossil fuel pollution plumes, likely from North America. The geochemical signature of mineral dust was consistent with previous results in the area. Si, Fe, and Ti were not enriched with respect to the soil composition, while other elements, such as Ca and S, were. Ca is prevalently present as calcite in African soils, but it is also found as calcium sulfate in the atmosphere.
Hydrogeologic and climatic influences on spatial and interannual variation of recharge to a tropical karst island aquifer
Authors: Jones Ian C. , Banner Jay L.
Published: September 2003

The hydrology and geochemistry of groundwater in tropical island aquifers, such as on Barbados, are significantly influenced by tropical climatic conditions. Recharge to these aquifers is the product of regional and local climate patterns that control rainfall. Oxygen isotopes can be used to estimate the amount and timing of recharge on these islands because seasonal fluctuations of rainwater oxygen isotopic compositions are related to the amount of rainfall. This study shows that estimates of average annual recharge to the limestone aquifer on Barbados vary widely, displaying a more direct relationship to the distribution of rainfall throughout each year than to total annual rainfall. Recharge estimates are higher during years when rainfall is concentrated in the peak wet season months than during years when rainfall is more evenly distributed throughout the year. The El Niño‐Southern Oscillation appears to be partially responsible for these rainfall and recharge fluctuations. Knowledge of interannual variation of recharge and processes responsible is important because recharge variation must be considered when setting groundwater management policies related to groundwater availability.
Quantifying variability in stream channel morphology
Authors: Trainor Kristie , Church Michael
Published: September 2003

Nine stream channel characteristics (channel unit frequency, channel unit length, pool spacing, depth variability, width variability, large woody debris jam spacing, large woody debris volume, relative roughness, and average bank‐full width used as a scale) were measured in 12 reaches in old growth forests on Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island. They are applied to calculate a Euclidean distance measure of dissimilarity between all possible reach pair combinations. Frequency distributions of the resulting dissimilarity values express the range of variability present in the streams analyzed and enable definition of ranges of favorable and unfavorable comparisons. Reach pairs exhibiting high dissimilarity values have significant differences in several key stream channel characteristics that vary between reach pairs. Those reaches consistently appearing in reach pairs with high dissimilarity values exhibit significant variance from the norm for the group. Dissimilarity distributions provide a basis for appraising the outcome of stream channel manipulation (for example, in channel “restoration” programs) and for selecting channel pairs that are sufficiently similar to act as treatment and control units in experimental manipulations.
Functional supertype of HLA‐A2 in the presentation of Flu matrix p58–66 to induce CD8+ T‐cell response in a Northern Chinese population
Authors: Zhang H‐G. , Pang X‐W. , Shang X‐Y. , Xing Q. , Chen W‐F.
Published: September 2003

Abstract:  The functional supertype of HLA‐A2 was investigated in the presentation of the A*0201‐restricted Flu matrix p58–66 peptide to activate recall CD8+ T‐cell response. In healthy Northern Chinese, the HLA‐A2 supertype was mainly composed of the six alleles, A*0201 (26.4%), A*0206 (12.7%), A*0203 (8.2%), A*0207 (7.3%), A*0210 (1.8%) and A*0205 (0.9%), as analyzed by PCR using sequence specific primer (PCR‐SSP) and sequence based typing (SBT) . The IFN‐γ release Elispot assay was employed to assess effector CD8+ T cells. In A*0201‐bearing individuals, the CD8+ T‐cell response was potent when stimulated with autologous CD8– PBMCs. The frequency of the effector CD8+ T cells was 96.6% with the magnitude of effector CD8+ T cells of 225 SFC/5 × 104 CD8+ T cells and the RI of 25.7. In non‐A*0201 individuals, the effector CD8+ T cells were minimally detectable while the peptide was presented by the autologous CD8– PBMCs. However, the induction of the response of CD8+ T cells obtained from non‐A*0201 individuals was remarkably improved when the peptide was presented by autologous dendritic cells instead of CD8– PBMCs. The HLA‐A2 alleles possessing cross‐reactivity in the peptide presentation were mainly of A*0206 and non‐A*0201 heterozygotes of A*0206 and A*0210. Moreover, A*0206 as the HLA‐A2 functional supertype was further confirmed by tetramer assay. In two A*0206+ donors with CD8+ T‐cell response to the peptide, the CD8+ T‐cell frequency assessed by specific binding of peptide HLA‐A*0201 tetramer was 4.62% and 1.66%, respectively. Thus, our results have substantiated the immunological relevance of the HLA‐A2 supertype, which may benefit the design of peptide vaccines with the potential to be applicable in broader populations.
Nocardia prostatitis in a small intestine transplant recipient
Authors: Qu L. , Strollo D.C. , Bond G. , Kusne S.
Published: September 2003

Abstract: A 37‐year‐old small bowel transplant recipient with a history of urolithiasis was admitted for dysuria after passing a urinary stone. His laboratory evaluation showed increased blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. Urinalysis showed increased white blood cells and positive leukocyte esterase. A computed tomography scan revealed signs of urinary tract obstruction and prostatic enlargement. He failed to respond initially to empiric antibiotic treatment with ciprofloxacin and ampicillin sulbactam while waiting for culture results. The pathogen recovered from both urine and blood culture was subsequently identified as Nocardia asteroides complex. The isolate was sensitive to ceftriaxone and sulfa but resistant to ciprofloxacin. The patient improved on ceftriaxone and trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole and completed a 6‐month course without any relapse. Nocardia prostatitis is an uncommon infection and must be treated with a long course of antibiotics guided by susceptibility testing.
Decreasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma among children following universal hepatitis B immunization
Authors: Chang Mei‐Hwei
Published: September 2003

Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the 10 most common malignant tumors worldwide. Chronic infection with hepatitis B or C virus is closely related to hepatocarcinogenesis. The outcome of current therapies for HCC is not satisfactory. Prevention is the best way to control HCC. Among the various strategies of HCC prevention, immunization against hepatitis B virus infection is the most effective. Universal hepatitis B immunization has proved to be effective in reducing the incidence of HCC to 1/4–1/3 of that in children born before the hepatitis B vaccination era in Taiwan. The problems we face in achieving global control of hepatitis‐related HCC include: (1) no effective vaccine for the prevention of hepatitis C and its related HCC; (2) no immunization program for hepatitis B in areas with inadequate resources; (3) poor compliance to the immunization program as a result of ignorance, anxiety, or poverty; and (4) vaccine failure. Integration of the hepatitis B vaccination program into the expanded program of immunization for all infants throughout the world will be most urgent and important for HCC control. The reduction of the incidence of HCC will be seen in adults 30–40 years of age after the launch of the universal hepatitis B vaccination program. This concept of cancer vaccine can be applied to other infectious agents and their related cancers.
Salivary gland function in persons with ectodermal dysplasias
Authors: Nordgarden Hilde , Storhaug Kari , Lyngstadaas Staale Petter , Jensen Janicke Liaaen
Published: September 2003

Ectodermal dysplasias (EDs) constitute a group of conditions comprising developmental defects in two or more of the following tissues: hair, teeth, nails, and sweat glands. The aim of the present study was to contribute to a better understanding of salivary gland involvement in EDs. An ED group (n = 39, median age 12 yr; 24 males, 15 females) and a healthy age‐ and sex‐matched control group were studied. Citric acid stimulated submandibular and parotid salivary flow rates and salivary concentrations, and output of total protein, acidic proline‐rich proteins and histatins were analysed. The associations between quantitative and qualitative salivary parameters were also studied. In the ED group, 13 persons (33%) demonstrated a significantly reduced secretion of submandibular and/or parotid saliva, in addition to a low unstimulated and/or chewing‐stimulated whole salivary flow. In the ED group as a whole, a reduced median secretory rate of submandibular saliva was found, whereas the median concentrations of some protein parameters were increased. However, the overall output of proteins was normal or reduced. Submandibular glands seemed to be more affected than parotid glands in EDs. In conclusion, salivary secretory tests are recommended in persons with known or suspected EDs.
Luminal space enlargement by carbachol in rat parotid intralobular ducts
Authors: Ohshima Kazunobu , Shiba Yoshiki , Hirono Chikara , Sugita Makoto , Iwasa Yoshiko , Shintani Hideaki
Published: September 2003

Carbachol (CCh) enlarges the luminal space in rat parotid intralobular ducts, but the mechanism of their enlargement remains obscure. We investigated the involvement of intracellular calcium ions in the enlargement of luminal space by monitoring the luminal space under optical sectioning in a confocal laser scanning microscope using sulforhodamine B. Carbachol increased the intracellular concentration of calcium ions ([Ca2+]i) and the inside diameter without any change in the outside diameter. Removal of extracellular calcium ions modulated CCh‐induced changes in [Ca2+]i to transient, but did not markedly inhibit the CCh‐induced increase in the inside diameter. Additional loading of BAPTA (1,2‐bis (o‐aminophenoxy‐ethane‐n,n,n′,n′‐tetraacetic acid) in the duct cells suppressed CCh‐induced changes. Diphenylamine‐2‐carboxylate (DPC), but not cytochalasin D, calmodulin inhibitor or nitric oxide synthase inhibitor profoundly suppressed CCh‐induced changes. These results suggest that CCh induces enlargement of the luminal space through the activation of DPC‐sensitive channels by the release of calcium ions from the intracellular pool.
Effect of skeletal muscle decorin on collagen fibrillogenesis in vitro
Authors: NISHIMURA Takanori , TANEICHI Ayaka , WAKAMATSU Jun‐ichi , HATTORI Akihito
Published: September 2003

The effect of skeletal muscle decorin on collagen fibrillogenesis was investigated, in order to provide background for understanding the functions of decorin in skeletal muscle. The self‐assembly of type I and III collagen with the addition of decorin or the core protein of decorin from bovine neonatal skeletal muscle was monitored using a spectrophotmeter. Time course changes in the absorbance of collagen solutions showed typical sigmoidal curves composed of three phases. The time of the initial phase was not different between the collagen solution with decorin and that without decorin. The increase rate of the absorbance in the second phase decreased with concentration of decorin added in collagen solutions. Similar effects on fibrillogenesis of type I and III collagens were observed when the core protein of decorin was added in collagen solutions. These results suggest that regulation of collagen fibrillogenesis by decorin depends on its core protein. The networks of reconstructed collagen fibrils with decorin were looser than those without decorin. Bovine skeletal muscle decorin could participate in the regulation of collagen fibrillogenesis and in the arrangement of collagen fibrils in the intramuscular connective tissue.
Hydrothermal and resedimented origins of the precursor sediments to banded iron formation: sedimentological evidence from the Early Palaeoproterozoic Brockman Supersequence of Western Australia
Authors: Krapež Bryan , Barley Mark E. , Pickard April L.
Published: September 2003

The Early Palaeoproterozoic Brockman Supersequence comprises banded iron formation (BIF), bedded chert, limestone, mudrock, sandstone, breccia, tuffaceous mudstone, ashfall tuff and, in sections not reported here, basalt and rhyolite. Density current rhythms are preserved in sandstones, mudrocks, tuffaceous mudstones and limestones. Relics of similar rhythms in BIF imply that its precursor sediments were also deposited by density currents. Hemipelagic deposits are siliciclastic or mixed siliciclastic–volcaniclastic mudstones. Bedded chert, chert nodules and the chert matrix of BIF preserve evidence for formation by diagenetic replacement. For bedded chert (and chert nodules), silica replacement occurred before compaction close to or at the sediment–water interface, indicating that it is siliceous hardground. The chert matrix of BIF formed during compaction but before burial metamorphism. Original sediments were resedimented from two sources: (1) limestone, mudrock, sandstone, breccia and tuffaceous mudstone from a shelf; and (2) BIF from within the basin realm. Shelf sediments were resedimented to basin‐floor fans during third‐order lowstands. The precursor sediments to BIF are interpreted to have been granular hydrothermal muds, composed of iron‐rich smectite and particles of iron oxyhydroxide and siderite that were deposited on the flanks of submarine volcanoes and resedimented by density currents. Resedimentation occurred by either bottom currents or gravity‐driven turbidity currents, and the resulting sediment bodies may have been contourite drifts. The concept that BIF records high‐frequency alternating precipitation from ambient sea water of iron minerals and silica is negated by this study. Instead, it is postulated that the precursor sediments to BIF originated in much the same way as modern Red Sea hydrothermal iron oxide deposits, implying that at least the particles of iron oxyhydroxide originated from the oxidation of vent fluids by sea water. Several orders of cyclicity in basin filling establish a relationship between rising to high sea levels, episodic sea‐floor hydrothermal activity and BIF that is reminiscent of the link between eustacy and spreading‐ridge pulses.
Transcriptional regulation of secondary metabolism
Authors: Davies Kevin M. , Schwinn Kathy E.
Published: September 2003

Plants produce secondary metabolites during development and in response to environmental stimuli such as light or pathogen attack. Transcriptional regulation provides the most important control point for the secondary metabolic pathways studied to date. In this article we review the data on the transcription factors that modulate this regulation. For the phenylpropanoid pathway, much is understood about both the specific sequences in the target genes (cis-elements) that are involved in responses to environmental and developmental stimuli, and the transcription factors involved. Most information is available for the light induction of the genes for hydroxycinnamic acid production, the production of anthocyanins in leaves and floral tissues, and the production of proanthocyanidins in seeds. Some of the functional interactions between the different types of transcription factor are now being elucidated, and upstream regulators of the genes encoding the transcription factors identified. For other secondary metabolic pathways much less is known, although good progress has been made on identifying transcription factors involved in controlling terpenoid indole alkaloid production. The identification of defined transcription factor genes provides tools for modulating both the amount and distribution of secondary metabolites in plants, and the validity of this approach has been well established by transgenic plants with modified flavonoid accumulation patterns.
Hydrogen peroxide-induced chilling tolerance in mung beans mediated through ABA-independent glutathione accumulation
Authors: Yu Chih-Wen , Murphy Terence M. , Lin Chin-Ho
Published: September 2003

Transient oxidative shock induced by pretreatment of leaves with H2O2 effectively increased chilling tolerance in mung bean and Phalaenopsis. Seedlings of the chilling-tolerant (V3327) cultivar of mung bean (Vigna�radiata L.) were employed to study the mechanism of H2O2-induced chilling tolerance. Pretreatment with 200 mM H2O2 increased survival rates of seedlings chilled at 4°C for 36 h from 30% to 70%. The same treatment also lowered the electrolyte leakage from 86% to 21%. Time-course analysis immediately after the treatment demonstrated that exogenous application of H2O2 did not alter the endogenous H2O2 level of the plants. This observation suggests that the primary receptor for the exogenous H2O2 is localized on the leaf surface or in some other way isolated from the endogenous H2O2 pool. Oxidative shock inhibited the induction of the antioxidant enzymes, ascorbate peroxidase and catalase; however, it substantially increased glutathione content both under chilling and control conditions. Combined pretreatment of mung bean plants with abscisic acid and H2O2 showed no synergistic effect on glutathione content and decreased survival rate relative to treatment with either compound alone. These results suggest that the H2O2-induced chilling tolerance in these plants might be mediated by an elevation of glutathione content and is independent of the ABA mechanism of chilling protection.
Changes in release level of momilactone B into the environment from rice throughout its life cycle
Authors: Kato-Noguchi Hisashi , Ino Takeshi , Ichii Masahiko
Published: September 2003

Momilactone B was released into the neighboring environment from rice throughout its life cycle. The rate of momilactone B release from rice increased until flowering initiation, and then decreased. The release rate of momilactone B at the day of flowering started was 2.1 μg plant–1 d–1. On average, a single rice plant released about 100 μg of momilactone B into the neighboring environment over its life cycle. Since momilactone B is a growth inhibitor, these results suggest that momilactone B released from rice plants may serve as an allelochemical to inhibit the germination and growth of neighboring plants.
Seasonal, sexual and ontogenetic variations in the diet of the 'declining' frogs Litoria nannotis, Litoria rheocola and Nyctimystes dayi
Authors: Hodgkison Simon , Hero Jean-Marc
Published: September 2003

Faecal analyses were used to investigate the diets of the endangered frogs Litoria nannotis, L. rheocola and Nyctimystes dayi in Tully Gorge, North Queensland. Comparisons of diet and food availability indicate that these species feed indiscriminately on a range of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates. Changes in morphology and foraging behaviour significantly influenced diet composition and created subtle shifts in the degree of selectivity displayed in prey choice. Interspecific differences in numeric and volumetric diet composition were attributed to variations in gape size and microhabitat selection. Within the diets of L. nannotis and L. rheocola, a decline in prey selectivity observed during the dry season reflected a reduction in foraging activity. Differences in the gape size and foraging behaviour of males and females of L. nannotis were responsible for sex-specific differences in diet composition. L. nannotis also diplayed an ontogenetic shift in prey size and type. As snout–vent length increased, L. nannotis consumed fewer, but larger prey and increasingly discriminated against dipterans, dipteran larvae and hemipterans. Importantly, L. nannotis, L. rheocola and N. dayi demonstrated the capacity to compensate for fluctuations in food availability by feeding on less lucrative prey.
Changes to a population of common ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) after bushfire
Authors: Russell B. G. , Smith Barbara , Augee M. L.
Published: September 2003

Following bushfires in Sydney in 1994 a population of 20–30 common ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) that had been studied for four years was reduced to only one or two animals. In the intervening years population numbers remained at this low level. Four years after the fire, 22 ringtail possums were introduced into the study site and radio-tracked for 30 weeks. Nest usage shifted from predominantly dreys before the fire to an equal amount of time spent in dreys and tree hollows. Proportionally, the mortality due to predation by lace monitors (Varanus varius) and diamond pythons (Morelia spilota spilota) increased. Within 12 months the population returned to only two animals. We conclude that increased predation by native predators, added to continued predation by foxes and cats, has maintained a level of predation beyond a threshold that would allow the ringtail population to re-establish to previous levels.
Movement patterns and spatial organisation of the mulgara, Dasycercus cristicauda (Marsupialia : Dasyuridae), in central Australia
Authors: Masters Pip
Published: September 2003

Information on the movements, social structure and burrow use of the mulgara, Dasycercus cristicauda, was collected using radio-telemetry at two study areas in central Australia, one located near the Granites gold mine in the Tanami Desert and the other located on the edge of Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. The average home-range size was not significantly different between the two study areas but home-range size was highly variable amongst individuals, with areas from 1.0 to 14.4 ha being used. The average maximum distance moved was significantly greater for males than for females. Overlap of home ranges was less than 20%, on average, but this was highly variable. There was an average overlap of 14% for females, with a maximum of 67%. The home ranges of males also overlapped, averaging 16.5%, as did those of females and males (19%). D. cristicauda is a solitary species that exhibits high site fidelity and a low propensity for dispersal once a home range has been established.
How can we apply theories of habitat selection to wildlife conservation and management?
Authors: Morris Douglas W.
Published: September 2003

Habitat-selection theory can be applied to solve numerous problems in the conservation and management of wildlife. Many of the solutions involve the use of habitat isodars, graphs of densities in pairs of habitats such that expected fitness is the same in both. For single species, isodars reflect differences in habitat quality, and specify the conditions when population density will, or will not, match the abundance of resources. When two or more species co-occur, isodars can be used to assess not only whether the species compete with one another, but also differences in habitat, in habitat selection, and in the functional form of density-dependent competition. Isodars have been applied to measure scales of habitat selection, the presence or absence of edge effects, as well as the number of habitats that species recognise in heterogeneous landscapes. Merged with foraging behaviour, isodars reveal the relative roles of habitat selection, spatial structure, and environmental stochasticity on local populations. Habitat-selection models can be linked similarly with theories of patch use to assess the underlying cause of source–sink dynamics. Isodars can detect and measure Allee effects, describe human habitat selection, and use human occupation of habitat as a leading indicator of threatened biodiversity. Even so, we have only begun to reveal the potential of habitat selection, and other optimal behaviours, to solve pressing problems in conservation and management.
Habitat choice and vigilance behaviour of brush-tailed rock-wallabies (Petrogale penicillata) within their nocturnal foraging ranges
Authors: Carter Kerryn , Goldizen Anne W.
Published: September 2003

Habitat choice by brush-tailed rock-wallabies (Petrogale penicillata) in south-east Queensland was investigated by comparing the attributes of the nocturnal foraging locations that they selected with those of random locations within a radius of 50 m. Brush-tailed rock-wallabies were shown to select foraging locations on the basis of forage quality and/or their ability to see predators, rather than protection from predators amongst vegetation that could conceal them. Habitat choice may have been affected by limited food availability, as this study was conducted in the winter dry season. The attributes of foraging locations that brush-tailed rock-wallabies perceived as increasing their predation risk were assessed by recording the proportion of time that brush-tailed rock-wallabies spent vigilant while foraging. To measure vigilance, focal animals were observed with a night-vision scope for two minutes and the proportions of time spent vigilant and feeding were recorded. No measured feature of foraging locations was related to higher vigilance levels, suggesting that brush-tailed rock-wallabies did not alter their vigilance whether sheltered amongst grass tussocks or in open habitat, or whether feeding on good quality or poorer quality vegetation. Vigilance levels significantly declined as overnight temperatures decreased, which may have resulted from higher energy requirements of brush-tailed rock-wallabies during winter. The only factors that were found to significantly increase vigilance levels were high winds and moonlit nights. On bright nights, brush-tailed rock-wallabies were very unsettled and during high winds they often did not emerge to feed. More information is needed about how macropods detect predators at night before the effects of wind and light intensity upon vigilance can be fully understood.
Active self-splicing group I introns in 23S rRNA genes of hyperthermophilic bacteria, derived from introns in eukaryotic organelles
Authors: Nesbø Camilla L. , Doolittle W. Ford
Published: September 2003

Group I introns are common in the 23 rRNA genes of mitochondria and chloroplasts. Often, they encode “homing endonucleases,” which target highly conserved gene sequences and drive interorganellar intron mobility, even across species and genus lines. Most bacterial 23S rRNA genes show these same endonuclease-sensitive target sequences. However, only two bacterial 23S rRNA genes are known to contain group I introns: that of
Simkania negevensis
[Everett, K. D., Kahane, S., Bush, R. M. & Friedman, M. G. (1999)
J. Bacteriol.
181, 4734–4740], where the intron is not spliced and probably limits growth, and that of
Coxiella burnetii
[Seshadri, R.,
et al.
(2003)
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
100, 5455–5460], where no direct evidence of splicing exists. Both bacteria are intracellular parasites and might have acquired introns from eukaryotic hosts. Here we provide direct evidence for splicing, and evolutionary evidence for mobility, of group I introns in the 23S rRNA genes of several free-living hyperthermophilic bacteria of the genus
Thermotoga
. These bacteria do not live closely with eukaryotes, but phylogenetic analyses suggest that their introns were also acquired from eukaryotic (probably algal) organelles.
In vivo
, their introns must be spliced at temperatures approaching 90°C, making them the most thermostable natural ribozymes so far described. We demonstrate that at least some of these introns can also self-splice
in vitro
.
Globalization and the distribution of income: The economic arguments
Authors: Jones Ronald W.
Published: September 2003

One of the issues currently being debated in the ongoing discussion of the pros and cons of today's globalization concerns the effects of greater world trade as well as of the changes in technology on a country's internal distribution of income, especially on skilled versus unskilled wage rates. In this article, I attempt to spell out some of the arguments concerning internal income distribution that have been put forth both by labor economists and international trade theorists. The impact of globalization on the wage premium between the skilled and unskilled may not be as obvious as is first imagined.
Proteinase-activated receptor 1 activation induces epithelial apoptosis and increases intestinal permeability
Authors: Chin Alex C. , Vergnolle Nathalie , MacNaughton Wallace K. , Wallace John L. , Hollenberg Morley D. , Buret Andre G.
Published: September 2003

Proteinase-activated receptor 1 (PAR1)-mediated inflammation remains poorly understood. Here we characterize previously unrecognized effects of PAR1-induced apoptosis signaling, which contributes to epithelial barrier dysfunction. Incubation of epithelial cells with PAR1agonists induced apoptosis and increased epithelial permeability in a caspase-3-dependent manner. Similarly, studiesin vivodemonstrated that intracolonic infusion with PAR1agonists increased colonic permeability in mice, and that this effect was abolished by pretreatment with a caspase-3 inhibitor. PAR1agonists induced tight junctional zonula-occludens 1 disruption and apoptotic nuclear condensation. Investigation into signaling pathways showed that these effects were dependent on caspase-3, tyrosine kinase, and myosin light chain kinase. Conversely, the Src kinase inhibitor PP1 augmented zonula-occludens 1 injury and nuclear condensation induced by PAR1agonists. These results support a role for proteinases and PARs in intestinal disease and provide new directions for possible therapeutic applications of PAR1antagonists.
The PDZ-binding motif of the β
2
-adrenoceptor is essential for physiologic signaling and trafficking in cardiac myocytes
Authors: Xiang Yang , Kobilka Brian
Published: September 2003

β
1
- and β
2
-adrenergic receptors (AR) regulate cardiac myocyte function through distinct signaling pathways. In addition to regulating cardiac rate and contractility, β
1
AR and β
2
AR may play different roles in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Studies on neonatal cardiac myocytes from β
1
AR and β
2
AR knockout mice suggest that subtype-specific signaling is determined by subtype-specific membrane targeting and trafficking. Stimulation of β
2
ARs has a biphasic effect on contraction rate, with an initial increase followed by a sustained G
i
-dependent decrease. Recent studies show that a PDZ domain-binding motif at the carboxyl terminus of human β
2
AR interacts with ezrin-binding protein 50/sodium–hydrogen exchanger regulatory factor, a PDZ-domain-containing protein. The human β
2
AR carboxyl terminus also binds to
N
-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor, which does not contain a PDZ domain. We found that mutation of the three carboxyl-terminal amino acids in the mouse β
2
AR (β
2
AR-AAA) disrupts recycling of the receptor after agonist-induced internalization in cardiac myocytes. Nevertheless, stimulation of the β
2
AR-AAA produced a greater contraction rate increase than that of the wild-type β
2
AR. This enhanced stimulation of contraction rate can be attributed in part to the failure of the β
2
AR-AAA to couple to G
i
. We also observed that coupling of endogenous, wild-type β
2
AR to G
i
in β
1
AR knockout myocytes is inhibited by treatment with a membrane-permeable peptide representing the β
2
AR carboxyl terminus. These studies demonstrate that association of the carboxyl terminus of the β
2
AR with ezrin-binding protein 50/sodium–hydrogen exchanger regulatory factor,
N
-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor, or some related proteins dictates physiologic signaling specificity and trafficking in cardiac myocytes.