bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Endothelin 1 and leptin in the pathophysiology of intrauterine growth restriction
Authors: Arslan M. , Yazici G. , Erdem A. , Erdem M. , Ozturk Arslan E. , Himmetoglu O.
Published: October 2003

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship of endothelin 1 (ET‐1) and leptin concentrations in women and newborns following a pregnancy complicated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Methods: Twenty‐five women with a pregnancy complicated with IUGR at 19 different gestational ages were matched with women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Blood samples from the umbilical artery and maternal peripheral venous circulation were collected at delivery, and ET‐1 and leptin levels were determined from the blood samples. Data relating to obstetric complications (e.g., pregnancy‐induced hypertension), delivery (e.g. mode, birth weight, signs of intrapartum fetal distress, and Apgar scores) were also recorded. Results: Mean maternal ET‐1 (13.4±6.2–9.9±2.9 pmol/l) and mean fetal ET‐1 (14.5±4.2–11.7±3.1 pmol/l) concentrations were significantly higher when women had experienced pregnancies complicated with IUGR than when they had had normal pregnancies. Mean fetal leptin concentration was significantly lower in the study group (6.8±2.2 ng/ml) than in the control group (10.6±3.6 ng/ml (P<0.05). However, fetal leptin per kilogram of fetal weight was not significantly different in the study group (3.16±1.18 ng/ml) than in the control group (3.23±0.96 ng/ml) (P>0.05, paired t‐test). However, a statistically significant correlation was observed between fetal leptin concentrations per kilogram of fetal weight and fetal endothelin concentrations in pregnancies complicated with IUGR (r=0.546; P<0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest the intertwined roles of ET‐1 and leptin in the pathophysiology of IUGR. Further studies concerning interaction between these peptides in different pregnancy conditions may provide important information about the actions of ET‐1 and leptin on fetal growth.
Training Scholars not Politicians
Authors: Li Yu
Published: October 2003

Conventional wisdom dictates that Chinese literati in the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), like their forerunners in previous dynasties, were politically active. Chinese Marxist historians tend to portray the Qing literati as politicians rather than scholars. Tang Zhiju, a China-based historian and the author of a book with an explicitly political title, Jindai Jingxue yu Zhengzhi (Modern Classical Learning and Politics), argues that the forefather of the Qing Evidential Research School, Gu Yanwu (1613–1682), used classical learning to maintain the Han people's national consciousness, and that the founders of the Gongyang New Text School, Zhuang Cunyu (1719–1788) and Liu Fenglu (1776–1829), applied the ‘sublime words with deep meaning’ in the Gongyang Chunqiu (Gongyang Commentary on Spring and Autumn Annals) to justify the Manchu's tianming (mandate of heaven). In late Qing, Tang contends, the New Text scholars Kang Youwei (1858–1927) and Liang Qichao (1873–1929) studied the classics with the intention of political reform, while the Old Text scholar Zhang Taiyan (1869–1936) developed the tradition in Confucianism of jingshi (managing the world) for anti-Manchu revolution.
LECTOTYPIFICATION OF BETULA BOMIENSIS P.C. LI (BETULACEAE)
Authors: RUSHFORTH K. D.
Published: October 2003

The herbarium sheet cited as holotype of Betula bomiensis (Betulaceae) contains two distinct elements belonging to different subsections of the genus Betula. One of these elements is here designated as the lectotype.
Umbilical cord prolapse and perinatal outcomes
Authors: Kahana B. , Sheiner E. , Levy A. , Lazer S. , Mazor M.
Published: October 2003

Objectives: To determine obstetric risk factors and perinatal outcomes of pregnancies complicated by umbilical cord prolapse. Methods: A population‐based study was performed comparing all deliveries complicated by cord prolapse to deliveries without this complication. Statistical analysis was performed using multiple logistic regression models. Results: Prolapse of the umbilical cord complicated 0.4% (n=456) of all deliveries included in the study (n=121 227). Independent risk factors for cord prolapse identified by a backward, stepwise multivariate logistic regression model were: malpresentation (OR=5.1; 95% CI 4.1–6.3), hydramnios (OR=3.0; 95% CI 2.3–3.9), true knot of the umbilical cord (OR=3.0; 95% CI 1.8–5.1), preterm delivery (OR=2.1; 95% CI 1.6–2.8), induction of labor (OR=2.2; 95% CI 1.7–2.8), grandmultiparity (>five deliveries, OR=1.9; 95% CI 1.5–2.3), lack of prenatal care (OR=1.4; 95% CI 1.02–1.8), and male gender (OR=1.3; 95% CI 1.1–1.6). Newborns delivered after umbilical cord prolapse graded lower Apgar scores, less than 7, at 5 min (OR=11.9, 95% CI 7.9–17.9), and had longer hospitalizations (mean 5.4±3.5 days vs. 2.9±2.1 days; P<0.001). Moreover, higher rates of perinatal mortality were noted in the cord prolapse group vs. the control group (OR=6.4, 95% CI 4.5–9.0). Using a multiple logistic regression model controlling for possible confounders, such as preterm delivery, hydramnios, etc., umbilical cord prolapse was found to be an independent contributing factor to perinatal mortality. Conclusions: Prolapse of the umbilical cord is an independent risk factor for perinatal mortality.
Street Scene: Berlin's Strasse des 17 Juni and the Performance of (Dis)unity
Authors: Whybrow Nicolas
Published: October 2003

One of Berlin's most prominent streets, named after the East German workers' uprising of 1953 (in which Brecht was controversially implicated), serves as the performative location for Nicolas Whybrow's topographical interrogation of the politics of German nationhood. Particular attention is given to the new parliament building, the Reichstag, which has been out of action for the majority of its troubled history. The article considers attempts to perform democracy and unity since the fall of the Wall through various mediations, including Norman Foster's refunctioning of the Reichstag, Christo's facilitation of its rebirth, and a permanent installation by Hans Haacke which rewrites the building's prominent inscription of 1916, ‘For the German People’. Finally, Whybrow places the annual ‘Love Parade’ in the context of the long history of mass marches and demonstrations on this particular street, and analyzes its claims to be a unifying political event. Based loosely on the Benjaminian flâneur figure's practice of a first-hand experience of the street, incorporating both subjective immersion and detached observation of the revealing ‘detritus of modern urban life’, various tensions and superimpositions are rendered visible as the city undergoes transformation since reunification. Nicolas Whybrow, whose book Street Scenes: Brecht, Benjamin, and Berlin is forthcoming, is Senior Lecturer in Theatre at De Montfort University, Leicester.
The Ritual of Devol Māduā: Problematizing Dharma in the Ethnic Conflicts of Sri Lanka
Authors: Ahmed Syed Jamil
Published: October 2003

Western consciousness of Sri Lanka tends to be limited to bracketing the secessionist ‘Tamil Tigers’ among the ‘terrorist threats’ facing the world community. In truth, tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities of Sri Lanka go back two millennia, and Syed Jamil Ahmed argues here that the conflict is reflected in the myths of origin of both communities and the rituals through which they are still re-enacted. He believes that one of these, the ritual of Devol Māduā, offers a possible resolution to the problematic relationship between religious and moral law, or dharma, and the pragmatics of statecraft in Sri Lanka. After examining the historical context of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and the myths of origin associated with the three key deities in the ritual, he offers an episode-by-episode description of the event, and goes on to suggest that the function of the ritual in Sinhalese–Buddhist society is revealing in terms of the dialectics of pacifism and violence that Buddhism faces in Sri Lankan ethnic conflict. Syed Jamil Ahmed is a director and designer based in Bangladesh, where he is Associate Professor at the Department of Theatre and Music in the University of Dhaka. In 2001–2 he was a visiting faculty member at King Alfred's College, Winchester. He wrote on ‘Decoding Myths in the Nepalese Festival of Indra Jātrā’ in NTQ 74, and his full-length publications – Acinpakhi Infinity: Indigenous Theatre in Bangladesh (Dhaka University Press, 2000) and In Praise of Niranjan: Islam, Theatre, and Bangladesh (Dhaka: Pathak Samabesh, 2001) – catalogue the wide variety of indigenous theatre forms in Bangladesh.
Shakespeare in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: Cultural Discourse and the Film of Tree's ‘Henry VIII’
Authors: DiPietro Cary
Published: October 2003

In early twentieth-century England the general recognition among dramatists and theatre practitioners that the theatre had reached a crisis or turning point – that as an institution it no longer answered the social and moral requirements of a modern industrialized society – resulted in a profusion of books and articles which addressed alternative modes of theatrical production or proposed institutional restructuring. Simultaneously with these discussions of the social utility of the theatre as an institution, a broad debate about theatrical aesthetics was continuing under the influence of new European and avant-garde movements such as symbolism and expressionism. Examining the shift from the actor-manager system in conjunction with these campaigns, Cary DiPietro here considers the recurrence of Shakespeare in the theatrical tracts of the period, variously regarded as a cultural authority at the intersection of issues of class, new modes of mechanical reproduction, aesthetic value, and old versus new modes of theatrical production. He sees the making – and the wilful destruction – of the film of Beerbohm Tree's Henry VIII as paradigmatic of the ways in which the period tried to distinguish popular, mass forms from what was ‘authentically’ artistic. Cary DiPietro currently lectures at Kyoto University, Japan.
SYSTEMATIC STUDIES OF BORNEAN ZINGIBERACEAE IV. ALPINIOIDEAE OF LAMBIR HILLS, SARAWAK
Authors: SAKAI SHOKO , NAGAMASU HIDETOSHI
Published: October 2003

This paper completes an account of the subfamily Alpinioideae (Zingiberaceae) of Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia, started in the first paper of this series (Sakai & Nagamasu, 1998), which lists 12 Amomum species from the park. Twenty-two species in the genera Alpinia, Elettaria, Elettariopsis, Etlingera, Hornstedtia and Plagiostachys (Zingiberaceae) are reported from Lambir Hills, Sarawak, with systematic and ecological notes. Four species, Etlingera baramensis, E. inundata, E. newmanii and Plagiostachys glandulosa, are described as new to science, and Hornstedtia leonurus is reported from Borneo for the first time. In Etlingera inundata floral dimorphism is reported. The informal grouping of Etlingera proposed by Smith (1986b) is re-examined. Synonymies of Etlingera coccinea, Hornstedtia minor, H. affinis and H. phaeochoana and the generic position and synonymies of H. sarawacensis and H. conica are discussed. Lectotypes of Achasma brevilabrum (=Etlingera brevilabrum), Alpinia ligulata, Elettaria coccinea (=Etlingera coccinea), Elettaria speciosa (=Etlingera elatior) and Hornstedtia alliacea (=H. conica) are designated. Keys are also provided to all Bornean genera and species of Alpinioideae.
How significant is 98.5% ‘junk’ in mammalian
genomes?
Authors: Brosius Jürgen
Published: October 2003

Conversion of genetic information from RNA into DNA by reverse transcription is ancient and was instrumental for the transition from the RNP world to modern cells (Brosius, 1999a, Nat. Genet. , 22, 8–9; Brosius, 2003, J. Struct. Funct. Genom. , 3, 1–17). Surprisingly, in many eukaryotic lineages, the process of retroposition is still very active. All types of RNAs (Brosius, 1999b, Gene , 238, 115–134) can be reverse transcribed and their cDNA copies reintegrated into genomes as retronuons (a nuon is any discrete segment of nucleic acid (Brosius and Gould, 1992, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA , 89, 10706–10710)). About 38% or 42% of the mouse and human genomes, respectively, consist of discernible retronuons (excluding mRNA-derived retroposons). Only 1.5% of the human genome consists of exons coding for proteins. Even considering DNA transposons (∼1–3% discernible), slippage during replication and a relatively large fraction derived from segmental duplications it is conceivable that the remainder of mammalian genomes is probably derived from ancient, today non-discernible retronuons. Hence, the vast majority of mammalian genomes have been contributed by retroposition. Retroposition predominantly leads to ‘junk DNA’. However, mRNA-derived retronuons are known to give rise to active genes, often with different expression patterns than their respective founder genes (Brosius and Gould, 1992, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA , 89, 10706–10710; Brosius, 1991, Science , 251, 753). Retronuons derived from small non-messenger RNAs (snmRNAs) generate novel snmRNA genes (such as the neuron-specific BC1 and BC200 RNAs) (Brosius, 1999b, Gene , 238, 115–134; Brosius and Gould, 1992, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA , 89, 10706–10710). Frequently, retronuons are exapted (co-opted) as regulatory elements that may alter expression or processing of targeted genes (Brosius and Gould, 1992, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA , 89, 10706–10710) (for compilations see http://www-ifi.uni-muenster.de/exapted-retrogenes/tables.html). Consequently, retronuons are a major driving force of evolution and perhaps even speciation. Comparison of the human genome with that of other mammals such as mouse or, in particular, chimpanzee reveals that neither contains numerous additional genes. Instead, one observes exaptation of novel exons (often involving alternative splicing) from previously nonaptive intronic (as predicted by Gilbert, 1978, Nature , 271, 501) or flanking sequences originally generated by retroposition. Furthermore, the differential expression of shared genes with respect to developmental onset and/or cell-type specificity, that is triggered by de novo insertions of retronuons, will turn out to be a recurrent theme in species differences at the genomic level.

Contact: RNA.worldwuni-muenster.de
The Impact of Insider Power on Fraudulent Financial Reporting
Authors: Dunn Paul
Published: October 2003

This study examines the relationship between top management team duality and the decision to release false financial information. Using a matched sample of 103 firms that were convicted of issuing fraudulent financial statements in the period from 1992 to 1996, the results show that this form of illegal corporate behavior is more likely to occur when there is a concentration of power in the hands of insiders. For these firms, insiders control the top management team and the Board of Directors by simultaneously occupying the key managerial positions of clout within the firm while also sitting on the Board (duality), and through their ownership interest in the firm.
Mechanobiological predictions of growth front morphology in developmental hip dysplasia
Authors: Shefelbine Sandra J. , Carter Dennis R.
Published: October 2003

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is the most common orthopedic problem of newborn children. Most clinicians and researchers agree that the primary cause of DDH is abnormal mechanical forces on the head of the femur due to limb position, pressure from the womb, or ligament laxity. The abnormal mechanical forces result in altered growth and bony deformities, in particular large neck‐shaft and anteversion angles in the proximal femur and a shallow acetabulum. Previous studies have suggested that intermittent octahedral shear stress promotes growth and ossification, while intermittent hydrostatic compressive stress inhibits growth and ossification. We implemented these mechanobiological principles into a finite element model to predict the rate of progression of the growth front and the formation of coxa valga (large neck‐shaft angle) in DDH. Under the assumed normal fetal loading conditions the hydrostatic stress was even across the growth front, but the octahedral shear stress was higher in the center than at the edges. This stress profile promoted growth in the center and a produced a convex growth front shape. Under loading conditions of the dysplastic hip, the octahedral shear stress was much larger on the medial side than on the lateral side, which promoted growth on the medial side and resulted in coxa valga. These results indicate that abnormal forces on the prenatal hip might influence total bone morphology and the development of DDH. These findings might help in understanding the etiology and pathology of other developmental bone deformities. © 2003 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Age and paleoclimatic significance of late Holocene lakes in the Carson Sink, NV, USA
Authors: Adams Kenneth D.
Published: October 2003

New dating in the Carson Sink at the termini of the Humboldt and Carson rivers in the Great Basin of the western United States indicates that lakes reached elevations of 1204 and 1198 m between 915 and 652 and between 1519 and 1308 cal yr B.P., respectively. These dates confirm Morrison's original interpretation (Lake Lahontan: Geology of the Southern Carson Desert, Professional Paper 40, U.S. Geol. Survey, 1964) that these shorelines are late Holocene features, rather than late Pleistocene as interpreted by later researchers. Paleohydrologic modeling suggests that discharge into the Carson Sink must have been increased by a factor of about four, and maintained for decades, to account for the 1204-m lake stand. The hydrologic effects of diversions of the Walker River to the Carson Sink were probably not sufficient, by themselves, to account for the late Holocene lake-level rises. The decadal-long period of increased runoff represented by the 1204-m lake is also reflected in other lake records and in tree ring records from the western United States.
Conditional expression of MCM7 increases tumor growth without altering DNA replication activity
Authors: Yoshida Kenichi , Inoue Ituro
Published: October 2003

The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) 2–7 complex is a putative DNA helicase complex that facilitates the initiation of DNA replication. Here, we generated a cell line MCM7+/−/MCM7‐FLAG, in which one allele of MCM7 is mutated whereas a tetracycline‐repressible promoter could manipulate the expression of exogenous MCM7 protein. Overexpressed MCM7 protein supports efficient DNA replication of Epstein–Barr virus oriP and rapid formation of tumors in nude mice without altering the activity of cellular DNA replication. This system provides a unique setting for studying the function of MCM7 and for screening for potential therapeutics for malignant tumors.
ING1b decreases cell proliferation through p53‐dependent and ‐independent mechanisms
Authors: Tsang Fan Cheung , Po Lai See , Leung Ka Man , Lau Anita , Siu Wai Yi , Poon Randy Y.C.
Published: October 2003

ING1b can stimulate cell cycle arrest, repair, senescence, and apoptosis. The actions of ING1b are attributed to its activation of the tumor suppressor p53. Here we investigate the more subtle effects of ING1b on the cell cycle and DNA damage responses in the absence of p53. To this end, we have generated isogenic cell lines that expressed ING1b and p53 either individually or in combination under the control of inducible promoters. A five‐ to 10‐fold induction of ING1b over the endogenous protein in a p53‐null H1299 background slightly impairs proliferation by increasing the doubling time by ∼10%. Significantly, ectopic expression of ING1b enhanced the G2/M DNA damage checkpoint induced by adriamycin. We demonstrated that the DNA damage‐induced cell death mediated by the cooperation between ING1b and p53 was more prominent than by the individual proteins alone. In adriamycin‐treated cells, p53 was stabilized and induced the expression of p21
CIP1/WAF1
, but the expression of ING1b was not affected. The exact targets of ING1b in the p53‐null background are not known, but we demonstrated that the transcriptional activities of other members of the p53 family, p63α and p73α, could be activated by ING1b. These data indicate that ING1 has a subtle antiproliferative effect even in the absence of p53, and ING1b enhances the DNA damage responses through p53‐dependent and ‐independent mechanisms.
α‐Melanocyte‐stimulating hormone inhibits lipopolysaccharide‐induced biological responses by downregulating CD14 from macrophages
Authors: Sarkar Abira , Sreenivasan Yashin , Manna Sunil K
Published: October 2003

Monocytes/macrophages are the first cells involved in inflammation. α‐Melanocyte‐stimulating hormone (α‐MSH) is known to possess an anti‐inflammatory role induced by a variety of stimuli; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are not clearly defined. In this report we provide evidence that α‐MSH inhibited serum‐activated lipopolysaccharide (SA‐LPS)‐induced proteolytic enzyme release, oxidative burst response, reactive oxygen intermediate generation, nitric oxide production, and adhesion molecule expression in monocyte‐derived macrophages. α‐MSH also inhibited SA‐LPS‐induced nuclear transcription factor κB activation not only in macrophages, but also in a T‐cell line and human neutrophils isolated from fresh blood. α‐MSH downregulated CD14, but not interleukin‐1 receptor, tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 or 2 from the surface of macrophages. Anti‐CD14 antibody was unable to protect α‐MSH‐mediated downregulation of CD14. Overall, our results suggest that α‐MSH exerts its anti‐inflammatory effect by a novel mechanism in macrophages through downregulating of the endotoxin receptor CD14.
FRAT1 peptide decreases Aβ production in swAPP751 cells
Authors: Li Baolin , Ryder John , Su Yuan , Zhou Yan , Liu Feng , Ni Binhui
Published: October 2003

Recently, LiCl has been shown to inhibit amyloid β peptide secretion in association with diminished glycogen synthase kinase β (GSK3β) activity. However, it remains unclear if direct inhibition of GSK3β activity will result in decreased Aβ production. requently earranged in dvanced ‐cell lymphomas (FRAT1) protein is a negative regulator of GSK3α/β kinase activity. To examine whether direct inhibition of GSK3α/β kinase activity can lower Aβ production, a FRAT1 peptide was expressed in swAPP751 cells that produce high levels of Aβ. Our data demonstrate that cellular expression of FRAT1 peptide in swAPP751 cells increases both GSK3α and β phosphorylation on Ser21 and Ser9, respectively, while inhibiting kinase activity of both isoforms. Moreover, as a result of FRAT1 expression, the production of both total Aβ and Aβ1‐42 was significantly decreased. Thus, we provide evidence that direct regulation of GSK3α/β by FRAT1 peptide significantly decreases Aβ production in swAPP751 cells.
Determination of the cleavage sites in SulA, a cell division inhibitor, by the ATP‐dependent HslVU protease from Escherichia coli
Authors: Nishii Wataru , Takahashi Kenji
Published: October 2003

HslVU is an ATP‐dependent protease from Escherichia coli and known to degrade SulA, a cell division inhibitor, both in vivo and in vitro, like the ATP‐dependent protease Lon. In this study, the cleavage specificity of HslVU toward SulA was investigated. The enzyme was shown to produce 58 peptides with various sizes (3–31 residues), not following the ‘molecular ruler’ model. Cleavage occurred at 39 peptide bonds preferentially after Leu in an ATP‐dependent manner and in a processive fashion. Interestingly, the central and C‐terminal regions of SulA, which are known to be important for the function of SulA, such as inhibition of cell division and molecular interaction with certain other proteins, were shown to be preferentially cleaved by HslVU, as well as by Lon, despite the fact that the peptide bond specificities of the two enzymes were distinct from each other.
An audit of the management of induced abortion in England and Wales
Authors: Thomas J. , Paranjothy S. , Templeton A.
Published: October 2003

Objectives: To assess the quality of care provided to women undergoing induced abortion. Methods: The design was a single round audit questionnaire aimed at the providers of abortion services throughout England and Wales (NHS hospitals, clinics under NHS, agency agreements and private units. The levels of care were assessed against agreed audit criteria. Results: Responses were received from 240 (74%) of the 324 units providing abortion care in England and Wales. These units undertook 80% of the 176 000 termination procedures. Generally standards of care were appropriate, but there were clear areas for improvement including choice of method, infection screening, and delays in referral. A number of unnecessary investigations were still evident, including cross‐matching, while lower doses and alternative drug regimens might reduce costs. Only half of the units audited procedures and complications. Conclusions: This audit was carried out prior to the publication of the RCOG evidence‐based guideline and a further round of audit to assess the impact of the guideline should now be considered.
Induction of labor with vaginal misoprostol for second trimester termination of pregnancy in the scarred uterus
Authors: Herabutya Y. , Chanarachakul B. , Punyavachira P.
Published: October 2003

Objectives: To assess the safety of vaginal misoprostol for second trimester pregnancy termination in patients with a history of cesarean section. Methods: A consecutive series of 593 women with pregnancies of 14–26 weeks were studied. A cohort of 56 cases had undergone previous cesarean section delivery. The 528 cases who had no history of prior uterine surgery served as the controls. The termination was carried out according to the regimen used at the time of enrolment, either 600 μg applied at every 6 or every 12 h, or 800 μg applied at every 12 h using the vaginal route. Results: The median induction to abortion time in the previous cesarean section group (15.1 h) was not significantly different from that of the controls (15.8 h). The median total dosage of misoprostol used was the same for both groups (1200 μg). The rates of incomplete abortion and analgesia usage were significantly higher in the previous cesarean section group as compared with the controls. Conclusions: Vaginal misoprostol was effective for the second trimester pregnancy termination but the safety of misoprostol in the scarred uterus cannot be assumed from this study. A large series is needed to reach the power to see the difference.
Creating ‘Virtuous and Talented’ Officials for the Twentieth Century: Discourse and Practice in Xinzheng China
Authors: Strauss Julia C.
Published: October 2003

‘It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.’ Machiavelli, The Prince

Central Xinzheng Reform and the Twentieth-Century Chinese State

The effort of the Qing dynasty to transform itself and forge a new set of relationships with society in its last decade has been one of the less explored areas in the scholarship on modern China. Although this set of radical initiatives, collectively known as the xinzheng (‘New Policy’) reforms attracted a good deal of commentary from its contemporaries, until recently it has been relatively understudied. There are two reasons for this neglect. First, conventional periodization has divided historical turf between Qing historians (for the Qing dynasty 1644–1911), Republican historians (for the period between 1911 and 1949 ) and political scientists (who cover 1949 to the present). Second, since the dramatic narrative for the first three-quarters of the twentieth century has been largely understood as a process of ever more radical forms of revolutionary change, scholars have understandably been more taken with exploring the antecedents of revolution and/or locally based studies of elite transformation than they have been with exploring a case of seemingly bona fide failure.The central government-initiated xinzheng reform period (1902–1911) has thus borne the full brunt of a Whiggish interpretation of history; too late to command the attention of most Qing historians, too early for the majority of Republican historians, at best a prologue for the real revolution to come, and at worst an abortive failure.
Synthesis of a complete sagittal gait cycle for a five-link
biped robot
Authors: Mu Xiuping , Wu Qiong
Published: October 2003

This paper presents a method for synthesising the joint profiles for a planar five-link biped walking on flat ground. Both single support and double support phases are considered. The joint profiles have been determined based on constraint equations cast in terms of step length, step period, maximum step height and so on. A special constraint equation is developed to eliminate the destabilising effect of the impact (heel strike)
occurring in the system. Other advantages of our joint profiles include system stability during the double support phase and repeatability of gait. The method of formulating compatible trajectories of the hip and swing limb is employed. We demonstrate the advantages of this method over the one of direct formulation of the joint profiles in that it not only significantly simplifies the problem by de-coupling the biped into three subsystems (a trunk and two lower limbs), but also allows the incorporation of certain constraints without drastically increasing the complexity of the constraint equations. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using computer simulations. We believe that this research can provide a valuable tool for generating motion patterns of bipedal gait.
Design of parameters of parallel manipulators for a specified workspace
Authors: Kosinska Anna , Galicki Miroslaw , Kedzior Krzysztof
Published: October 2003

In this paper an algorithm for designing spatial parallel manipulator parameters for a given workspace has been presented. At the beginning, architecture has been chosen that describes a general parallel manipulator. The manipulator may possess any number of limbs, consisting of links connected by spherical, revolute or linear joints as well
as actuators. The parameters, which will be determined, are the lengths of the links of kinematic chains, the coordinates of the fixing points of the chains to the platform and the base, and orientations of the revolute engines axes situated at the base. The workspace may be specified in the form of any shape in the space containing a set of points of known coordinates and the limits in which the geometrical parameters may vary. The algorithm does not determine the exact values of the parameters, but only their functions. It leads to the necessity for further research in order to optimise the solutions.
Against Inclusivity: a Happy Heresy about Theory and Practice
Authors: Welton Martin
Published: October 2003

Should we suffer boredom in the theatre so long as it can be properly theorized? Dare performance stand alone, without hermeneutical crutches? What are the practicalities of practice-based research? And should we be scared of scare quotes? These are some of the questions asked by Martin Welton, tongue not so much in cheek as brazenly challenging some of the new orthodoxies of theatre studies. Martin Welton is a lecturer in Performance in the School of English and Drama at Queen Mary, University of London. His research interests include perception and performance, theatre and performance theory, actor training systems, and the South Indian martial art kalarippayattu. He also works as a performer, most recently with Sound and Fury Theatre Company, Emilyn Claid, and with his own company Darwin's Beard.
A suffix tree approach to the interpretation of tandem mass
spectra: applications to peptides of non-specific digestion and
post-translational modifications
Authors: Lu Bingwen , Chen Ting
Published: October 2003

Motivation: Tandem mass spectrometry combined with sequence database searching is one of the most powerful tools for protein identification. As thousands of spectra are generated by a mass spectrometer in one hour, the speed of database searching is critical, especially when searching against a large sequence database, or when the peptide is generated by some unknown or non-specific enzyme, even or when the target peptides have post-translational modifications (PTM). In practice, about 70–90% of the spectra have no match in the database. Many believe that a significant portion of them are due to peptides of non-specific digestions by unknown enzymes or amino acid modifications. In another case, scientists may choose to use some non-specific enzymes such as pepsin or thermolysin for proteolysis in proteomic study, in that not all proteins are amenable to be digested by some site-specific enzymes, and furthermore many digested peptides may not fall within the rang of molecular weight suitable for mass spectrometry analysis. Interpretating mass spectra of these kinds will cost a lot of computational time of database search engines.

Overview: The present study was designed to speed up the database searching process for both cases. More specifically speaking, we employed an approach combining suffix tree data structure and spectrum graph. The suffix tree is used to preprocess the protein sequence database, while the spectrum graph is used to preprocess the tandem mass spectrum. We then search the suffix tree against the spectrum graph for candidate peptides. We design an efficient algorithm to compute a matching threshold with some statistical significance level, e.g. p = 0.01, for each spectrum, and use it to select candidate peptides. Then we rank these peptides using a SEQUEST-like scoring function. The algorithms were implemented and tested on experimental data. For post-translational modifications, we allow arbitrary number of any modification to a protein.

Availability: The executable program and other supplementary materials are available online at: http://hto-c.usc.edu:8000/msms/suffix/.

Contact: tingchen@hto.usc.edu

*To whom correspondence should be addressed.
The shortest common supersequence problem in a microarray production setting
Authors: Rahmann Sven
Published: October 2003

Motivation: During microarray production, several thousands of oligonucleotides (short DNA sequences) are synthesized in parallel, one nucleotide at a time. We are interested in finding the shortest possible nucleotide deposition sequence to synthesize all oligos in order to reduce production time and increase oligo quality. Thus we study the shortest common supersequence problem of several thousand short strings over a four-letter alphabet.

Results: We present a statistical analysis of the basic Alphabet-Leftmostapproximation algorithm, and propose several practical heuristics to reduce the length of the supersequence. Our results show that it is hard to beat Alphabet-Leftmostin the microarray production setting by more than 2 characters, but these savings can improve overall oligo quality by more than four percent.

Availability: Source code in C may be obtained by contacting the author, or from http://oligos.molgen.mpg.de.

Contact: Sven.Rahmann@molgen.mpg.de
A description of dynamical graphs associated to elementary
regulatory circuits
Authors: Remy E. , Mossé B. , Chaouiya C. , Thieffry D.
Published: October 2003

The biological and dynamical importance of feedback circuits in regulatory graphs has often been emphasized. The work presented here aims at completly describing the dynamics of isolated elementary regulatory circuits. Our analytical approach is based on a discrete formal framework, built upon the logical approach of R. Thomas.

Given a regulatory circuit, we show that the structure of synchronous and asynchronous dynamical graphs depends only on the length of the circuit (number of genes) and on its sign (which depends on the parity of the number of negative interactions). This work constitutes a first step towards the analytical characterisation of discrete dynamical graphs for more complex regulatory networks in terms of contributions corresponding to their embedded elementary circuits.

Contact: remy@iml.univ-mrs.fr

*To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biclustering microarray data by Gibbs sampling
Authors: Sheng Qizheng , Moreau Yves , De Moor Bart
Published: October 2003

Motivation: Gibbs sampling has become a method of choice for the discovery of noisy patterns, known as motifs, in DNA and protein sequences. Because handling noise in microarray data presents similar challenges, we have adapted this strategy to the biclustering of discretized microarray data.

Results: In contrast with standard clustering that reveals genes that behave similarly over all the conditions, biclustering groups genes over only a subset of conditions for which those genes have a sharp probability distribution. We have opted for a simple probabilistic model of the biclusters because it has the key advantage of providing a transparent probabilistic interpretation of the biclusters in the form of an easily interpretable fingerprint. Furthermore, Gibbs sampling does not suffer from the problem of local minima that often characterizes Expectation–Maximization. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on two synthetic data sets as well as a data set from leukemia patients.

Contact: qizheng.sheng@esat.kuleuven.ac.be

*To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sterol glucosyltransferases have different functional roles inPichia pastoris and Yarrowia lipolytica
Authors: Stasyk Oleh V , Nazarko Taras Y , Stasyk Olena G , Krasovska Olena S , Warnecke Dirk , Nicaud Jean‐Marc , Cregg James M , Sibirny Andrei A
Published: October 2003

Mutants of the methanol‐utilizing yeast Pichia pastoris and the alkane‐utilizing yeast Yarrowia lipolytica defective in the orthologue of UGT51 (encoding sterol glucosyltransferase) were isolated and compared. These mutants do not contain the specific ergosterol derivate, ergosterol glucoside. We observed that the P. pastoris UGT51 gene is required for pexophagy, the process by which peroxisomes containing methanol‐metabolizing enzymes are selectively shipped to and degraded in the vacuole upon shifting methanol‐grown cells of this yeast to glucose or ethanol. PpUGT51 is also required for other vacuole related processes. In contrast, the Y. lipolytica UGT51 gene is required for utilization of decane, but not for pexophagy. Thus, sterol glucosyltransferases play different functional roles in P. pastoris and Y. lipolytica.
The Pygmalion Process and Employee Creativity
Authors: Tierney Pamela , Farmer Steven M.
Published: October 2003

The study examined the Pygmalion process for creativity among 140 R&D employees. Results generally supported the Pygmalion model. Supervisors holding higher expectations for employee creativity were perceived by employees as behaving more supportively of creativity. The effects of these behaviors on employee creative self-efficacy were mediated by employee view of creativity expectations. Creative self-efficacy mediated the effects of supervisor expectations, supervisor behaviors, and employee view, on creative performance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Social Loafing: A Field Investigation
Authors: Liden Robert C. , Wayne Sandy J. , Jaworski Renata A. , Bennett Nathan
Published: October 2003

Social loafing was investigated by testing a multilevel model among 23 intact work groups comprised of 168 employees representing two organizations. Results demonstrated that as hypothesized at the individual level, increases in task interdependence and decreases in task visibility and distributive justice were associated with greater occurrence of social loafing. At the group level, increased group size and decreased cohesiveness were related to increased levels of social loafing. Of particular interest was the finding that group member perceptions of perceived coworker loafing was associated with reduced social loafing, opposite of our predictions. We suggested that this unexpected finding may provide evidence of a social compensation effect.
Intramembranous ossification mechanism for bone bridge formation at the growth plate cartilage injury site
Authors: Xian Cory J. , Zhou Fiona H. , McCarty Rosa C. , Foster Bruce K.
Published: October 2003

Salter's type III and type IV growth plate injuries often induce bone bridge formation at the injury site. To understand the cellular mechanisms, this study characterized proximal tibial transphyseal injury in rats. Histologically, bony bridge trabeculae appeared on day 7, increased on day 10, and became well‐constructed on day 14 with marrow. Prior to and during bone bridging, there was no cartilage proteoglycan metachromatic staining and no collagen‐X immunostaining at the injury site, nor was there any up‐regulation of BrdU‐labelled chondrocyte proliferation at the adjacent physeal cartilage, suggesting no new cartilage formation at the injury site. However, infiltration of vimentin‐immunopositive mesenchymal cells from metaphysis and epiphysis was apparent on day 3, with the mesenchymal population being prominent on days 7 and 10 and subsided on day 14. Among these infiltrates were osteoprogenitor precursors expressing osteoblast differentiation factor (cbf‐α1) on day 3, along with some cbf‐α1° osteoblast‐like cells lining bone trabeculae on days 7 and 10. Some mesenchymal cells and trabecula‐lining cells were also alkaline phosphatase‐immunopositive, further suggesting their osteoblast differentiation. From day 7 onwards, some trabecula‐lining cells became osteocalcin‐producing mature osteoblasts. These results suggest that bone bridge formation after growth plate injury occurs directly via intramembranous ossification through recruitment of marrow‐derived osteoprogenitor cells. © 2003 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Early osteoblastic differentiation induced by dexamethasone enhances adenoviral gene delivery to marrow stromal cells
Authors: Blum Jeremy S. , Parrott M. Brandon , Mikos Antonios G. , Barry Michael A.
Published: October 2003

We investigated the implications of induced osteogenic differentiation on gene delivery in multipotent rat marrow stromal cells (MSCs). Prior to genetic manipulation cells were cultured with or without osteogenic supplements (5 ± 10−8 M dexamethasone, 160 μM l‐ascorbic acid 2‐phosphate, and 10 mM β‐glycerophosphate). Comparison of liposome, retroviral, and adenoviral vectors demonstrated that all three vectors could mediate gene delivery to primary rat MSCs. When these vectors were applied in the absence or presence of osteogenic supplements, we found that MSCs differentiated prior to transduction with adenovirus type 5 vectors produced a 300% increase in transgene expression compared to MSCs that were not exposed to osteogenic supplements. This differentiation effect appeared specific to adenoviral mediated gene delivery, since there was minimal increase in retroviral gene delivery and no increase in liposome gene delivery when MSCs were treated with osteogenic supplements. In addition, we also determined this increase in transgene production to occur at a higher concentration of dexamethasone (5 ± 10−8 M) in the culture medium of MSCs prior to adenoviral transduction. We found that this increased transgene production could be extended to the osteogenic protein, human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (hBMP‐2). When delivered by an adenoviral vector, hBMP‐2 transgene production could be increased from 1.4 ng/105 cells/3 days to 4.3 ng/105 cells/3 days by culture of MSCs with osteogenic supplements prior to transduction. These results indicate that the utility of MSCs as a therapeutic protein delivery mechanism through genetic manipulation can be enhanced by pre‐culture of these cells with dexamethasone. © 2003 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Novel types of two‐domain multi‐copper oxidases: possible missing links in the evolution
Authors: Nakamura Kensuke , Kawabata Takeshi , Yura Kei , Go Nobuhiro
Published: October 2003

An analysis of the genome sequence database revealed novel types of two‐domain multi‐copper oxidases. The two‐domain proteins have the conspicuous combination of blue‐copper and inter‐domain trinuclear copper binding residues, which is common in ceruloplasmin and ascorbate oxidase but not in nitrite reductase, and therefore are considered to retain the characteristics of the plausible ancestral form of ceruloplasmin and ascorbate oxidase. A possible evolutionary relationship of these proteins is proposed.
Ligand‐induced clathrin‐mediated endocytosis of the keratinocyte growth factor receptor occurs independently of either phosphorylation or recruitment of eps15
Authors: Belleudi Francesca , Visco Vincenzo , Ceridono Mara , Leone Laura , Muraro Raffaella , Frati Luigi , Torrisi Maria Rosaria
Published: October 2003

Keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase expressed on epithelial cells. Following ligand binding, KGFR is rapidly activated and internalized by clathrin‐mediated endocytosis. Among the possible receptor substrates which could be involved in the regulation of KGFR endocytosis and down‐modulation, we analyzed here the eps15 protein in view of the proposed general role of eps15 in regulating clathrin‐mediated endocytosis as well as that of eps15 tyrosine phosphorylation in the control of regulated endocytosis. Immunoprecipitation and Western blot analysis showed that activated KGFR was not able to phosphorylate eps15, suggesting that eps15 is not a receptor substrate. Double immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy revealed that activated KGFR, differently from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), did not induce recruitment of eps15 to the cell plasma membrane. Microinjection of a monoclonal antibody directed against the C‐terminal DPF domain which contains the AP2 binding region of eps15 led to inhibition of both pathways of receptor‐mediated endocytosis, the EGFR ligand‐induced endocytosis and the transferrin constitutive endocytosis, but did not appear to block the KGFR ligand‐induced internalization. Taken together our results indicate that the clathrin‐mediated uptake of KGFR is not mediated by eps15.
Differential interaction of the two cholesterol‐dependent, membrane‐damaging toxins, streptolysin O and Vibrio cholerae cytolysin, with enantiomeric cholesterol
Authors: Zitzer Alexander , Westover Emily J , Covey Douglas F , Palmer Michael
Published: October 2003

Membrane cholesterol is essential to the activity of at least two structurally unrelated families of bacterial pore‐forming toxins, represented by streptolysin O (SLO) and Vibrio cholerae cytolysin (VCC), respectively. Here, we report that SLO and VCC differ sharply in their interaction with liposome membranes containing enantiomeric cholesterol (ent‐cholesterol). VCC had very low activity with ent‐cholesterol, which is in line with a stereospecific mode of interaction of this toxin with cholesterol. In contrast, SLO was only slightly less active with ent‐cholesterol than with cholesterol, suggesting a rather limited degree of structural specificity in the toxin–cholesterol interaction.
Lipid diffusion in the thylakoid membranes of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp.: effect of fatty acid desaturation
Authors: Sarcina Mary , Murata Norio , Tobin Mark J , Mullineaux Conrad W
Published: October 2003

Thylakoid membranes are crucial to photosynthesis in cyanobacteria and plants. In cyanobacteria, genetic modification of membrane lipid composition strongly influences cold tolerance and susceptibility to photoinhibition. We have used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to measure the diffusion of a lipid‐soluble fluorescent marker in cells of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942. We have compared the wild‐type strain with a transformant with an increased level of fatty acid unsaturation. The transformant showed a six‐fold increase in the diffusion coefficient for the fluorescent marker at growth temperature. This is the first direct measurement of lipid diffusion in a photosynthetic membrane.