bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wnt3a Regulates the Development of Cardiac Neural Crest Cells by Modulating Expression of Cysteine-Rich Intestinal Protein 2 in Rhombomere 6
Authors: Sun Xiaojing , Zhang Ruilin , Lin Xueying , Xu Xiaolei
Published: February 2008

The cardiac neural crest is a subpopulation of neural crest cells (NCCs) that originates from the dorsal neural tube and later migrates to the heart and pharyngeal arch (PA), where they contribute to distinct aspects of cardiogenesis and PA patterning. Wnt family members have been implicated in general neural crest induction; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the specification of distinct cell types such as cardiac NCCs remain unclear. Here, we have identified cysteine-rich intestinal protein 2 (
crip2
), a gene encoding for a LIM domain–containing protein, as a novel marker for cardiac NCCs in zebrafish. We observed a dynamic expression pattern for
crip2
, with expression being detected in the premigratory NCCs in rhombomere 6 (r6), migrating NCCs, ventricular cardiomyocytes, and aortic vessels in PAs 3 to 6. Interestingly, expression of
wnt3a
was detected in regions of the dorsal neural tube encompassing r6, and reduction of
wnt3a
led to disrupted expression of
crip2
in r6, abnormal migration of NCCs, and defective cardiac function, as well as PA development. Furthermore, these phenotypes could be recapitulated by reduction of
crip2
and rescued by overexpression of
crip2
. In summary, our data suggest a specific role for Wnt3a in the development of cardiac NCCs. We propose that this function of
wnt3a
in r6 is partially mediated by
crip2
expression in the premigratory cardiac NCCs, which subsequently affects cardiac function and PA patterning.
Endothelial S100A1 Modulates Vascular Function via Nitric Oxide
Authors: Pleger Sven T. , Harris David M. , Shan Changguang , Vinge Leif E. , Chuprun J. Kurt , Berzins Brett , Pleger Wiebke , Druckman Charles , Völkers Mirko , Heierhorst Jörg , Øie Erik , Remppis Andrew , Katus Hugo A. , Scalia Rosario , Eckhart Andrea D. , Koch Walter J. , Most Patrick
Published: February 2008

S100A1, a Ca
2+
-binding protein of the EF-hand type, is known to modulate sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+
handling in skeletal muscle and cardiomyocytes. Recently, S100A1 has been shown to be expressed in endothelial cells (ECs). Because intracellular Ca
2+
([Ca
2+
]
i
) transients can be involved in important EC functions and endothelial NO synthase activity, we sought to investigate the impact of endothelial S100A1 on the regulation of endothelial and vascular function. Thoracic aortas from S100A1 knockout mice (SKO) showed significantly reduced relaxation in response to acetylcholine compared with wild-type vessels, whereas direct vessel relaxation using sodium nitroprusside was unaltered. Endothelial dysfunction attributable to the lack of S100A1 expression could also be demonstrated in vivo and translated into hypertension of SKO. Mechanistically, both basal and acetylcholine-induced endothelial NO release of SKO aortas was significantly reduced compared with wild type. Impaired endothelial NO production in SKO could be attributed, at least in part, to diminished agonist-induced [Ca
2+
]
i
transients in ECs. Consistently, silencing endothelial S100A1 expression in wild type also reduced [Ca
2+
]
i
and NO generation. Moreover, S100A1 overexpression in ECs further increased NO generation that was blocked by the inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptor blocker 2-aminoethoxydiphenylborate. Finally, cardiac endothelial S100A1 expression was shown to be downregulated in heart failure in vivo. Collectively, endothelial S100A1 critically modulates vascular function because lack of S100A1 expression leads to decreased [Ca
2+
]
i
and endothelial NO release, which contributes, at least partially, to impaired endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation and hypertension in SKO mice. Targeting endothelial S100A1 expression may, therefore, be a novel therapeutic means to improve endothelial function in vascular disease or heart failure.
Elderly Patients as a Vulnerable Category of the Population Requiring Special Legal Protection With Respect to the Provision of Medical Care
Authors: Pishchita
Published: February 2008

Russia like other European countries is seeing a growing trend to increased life span of its population. This situation results in an urgent need to address problems not only those related to provision of qualified medical care but a special treatment to protection of rights and legal interests of elderly people. In accordance with effective legislation of the Russian Federation aging and elderly patients enjoy all rights and freedoms of capable citizens, but due to their physical and mental condition they are not always able to exercise their rights. Federal law "Legal basis of health care in the Russian Federation" does not provide for representatives of such group of patients to take part in medical care provision. It is necessary to ensure additional legitimate right protection mechanisms in the legislation for capable elderly patients in the sphere of medical care. The government should act as a guarantor of rights protection for such socially vulnerable group of population.
Abraham in London, Marburg-Istanbul and Israel: Between Theocracy and Democracy, Ancient Text and Modern State
Authors: Sherwood Yvonne
Published: February 2008

This article examines three occurrences of the sacrifice of Isaac in relatively recent cultural and political histories: the case of Godden versus Hales (England, 1686); Erich Auerbach's 'Odysseus' Scar' in Mimesis (Istanbul [Marburg], 1943-1945); and the use of the akedah as a political figure for the modern Israeli nation state. In these three very different cases the biblical narrative undergoes a theological-political translation and the God who issues the exceptional command to sacrifice becomes a figure for the sovereign and/or the state. Each political translation also calls forth critical responses in which the core question becomes the relationship of divine monarchy/state authority to freedom, or, to put it another way, of democracy or would-be 'democracy' to 'theocracy' and its various modern political correlates. By analysing these translations and responses, this essay explores how the questions as it were forced on us by Genesis 22 are not just religious, though they can be understood through the idioms of the religious. It concludes by asking whether such theological-political translations could be relevant to 'Biblical Studies Proper' as a more expansive discipline looks outwards to questions of religion, politics and ethics.
The Myth of Birthing the Hero: Heroic Barrenness in the Hebrew Bible
Authors: Havrelock Rachel
Published: February 2008

Motherhood in the Hebrew Bible has been celebrated as indicative of female strength as well as derided as patriarchy's primary entrapment. Somewhere between the two, birth figures as a moment of narrative focus on female characters during which they reformulate their status. Birth seems to travel with its companion theme of barrenness as most central biblical characters undergo a prolonged period of infertility and an attendant struggle to conceive. Employing theories of the hero pattern, this essay argues that the movement from barrenness to fertility is a mode of female initiation into a relationship with the divine. While an explicit covenant promises men innumerable descendants and founder status, it is not realized until a parallel female covenant is forged. Where God makes the covenantal overture to men, women demand recognition through speech and deed. Barrenness motivates articulations that reveal concern with female memory and legacy and actions that distill the characters of individual women. Female volition draws divine attention and results in conception that, like circumcision, physically marks an alliance with God. The mothers encode their struggles and journeys from barrenness to fertility in the names of their children. Combining folklore and feminist methodologies, the essay proposes new parameters for understanding female heroism in the Hebrew Bible.
A Humorous Jesus? Orality, Structure and Characterisation in Luke 14:15-24, and Beyond
Authors: Longenecker Bruce
Published: February 2008

If humour is uncharacteristic of the texts of the early Christian movement, sensitivity to rhetorical patterning in oral/aural contexts permits the recognition of innocuous sexual humour in one of the parables attributed to Jesus. Whether or not the humour originates with Jesus, it is suggestive of the way that Jesus was remembered by some of his earliest followers, and lays down a guidepost as to how he might profitably be rendered in modern portraiture or characterised in modern narrative. To that end, this study closes with an assessment of four Jesus novels of the past decade in relation to their depiction of Jesus and humour.
Risk & Reward: The Impact of Animal Rights Activism on Women
Authors: Gaarder Emily
Published: February 2008

This qualitative study of 27 women animal activists examines the risks and rewards that accompany a commitment to animal rights activism. One of the common beliefs about animal rights activists is that their political choices are fanatic and unyielding, resulting in rigid self-denial. Contrary to this notion, the women in this study experienced both the pain and the joy of their transformation toward animal activism. Activism took an enormous toll on their personal relationships, careers, and emotional well being. They struggled as friendships ended and family relationships suffered; some experienced harassment and abuse as a result of their efforts. Yet the women were just as likely to extol the rewards and pleasure gained from their participation in the cause of animal liberation. These included a heightened awareness of political issues, greater self-confidence, the feeling that they were making a difference in the world, and the joy of living a “more meaningful life.”
What's Love Got to Do With It? The Interplay of Sex and Gender in the Commercial Breeding of Welsh Cobs
Authors: Hurn Samantha
Published: February 2008

The lack of importance traditionally ascribed to human-nonhuman animal relationships in the social sciences has meant that while commercial sex in the human realm has been well documented, very few socio-cultural studies of commercial sex involving nonhuman animals have been undertaken to date. However, the growing recognition that nonhuman, as well as human, animals are “actors” means that their role in the sex trade, (commercial breeding) becomes problematic and eminently worthy of academic attention. This article considers a very particular instance of commercial animal sex—that practiced on stud farms in West Wales, where the breeding of autochthonous Welsh cobs (hardy, stocky native ponies) is of immense political, social, economic, and cultural significance. This study found that in this context Welsh cobs are expected to embody specific gender ideals in what is an inherently inter-subjective relationship. Through their animals' performances, human caregivers (owners) are able to negotiate their own ideas about gender roles, and these in turn determine those individual animals used for breeding and those not.
An In-class, Humane Education Program Can Improve Young Students' Attitudes Toward Animals
Authors: Nicoll Kate , Ellery Samuels William , Trifone Cindy
Published: February 2008

All 8 first-grade classes of an elementary school participated in a study of the efficacy of an in-class humane education program that incorporated regular visits from therapy animals. The study also investigated the relative efficacy of a popular, printed humane-education publication, although it was not possible to use this printed material in its optimal manner. The in-class humane-education program—but not the printed material—significantly increased students' self-reported attitudes toward nonhuman animals as compared to those of students who did not participate in the program. However, neither the in-class program nor the printed material affected student scores on another, self-report measure of interactions with one's nonhuman animal companions. Therefore, the results suggest that such an in-class approach can change young students' attitudes toward animals for the better; not surprisingly, actual interactions with one's pets may be somewhat less tractable.
Dogs: A Continuing and Common Neighborhood Nuisance of New Providence, The Bahamas
Authors: Fielding William
Published: February 2008

In 1841, the first Dog License Act officially described dogs as a nuisance. From then on, observers have repeatedly noted that dogs were a nuisance and that their barking was probably their prime irritant (Fielding, 2006). Three fatal dog attacks since 1991 have highlighted the extent to which dogs can be more than a nuisance (Burrows, Fielding, & Mather, 2004). This study reports the findings from 496 interviews—collected from a convenience sample with a quota—to assess the importance of dogs as a nuisance in the context of all neighborhood nuisances and to determine respondents' reactions to them. This study found dogs were to be the most commonly reported nuisance and the second most important nuisance in neighborhoods. Almost two-thirds of respondents took no action about the nuisances caused by dogs. Compared to their reactions to other nuisances, respondents were least likely to inform the police about dog nuisances. Reasons offered for these reactions may include antiquated laws and a feeling that citizens are not empowered to alter the status quo.
Democratic Resource or Democratic Threat? Profiles of Critical and Uncritical Citizens in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Geissel Brigitte
Published: February 2008

Why are some countries democratic and democratize continuously, while others stagnate? According to theories on political culture, citizens' attitudes are crucial elements. In this context the discussion on critical citizens is gaining prominence: Critical citizens are regarded as a threat to democratic stability or as promoter for democratic reforms. Based on the International Social Survey data (2004), I will contribute some empirical evidence to this controversy. In addition to the common equating of criticism with discontentment, I will also include the normative disposition of “critical” attentiveness. Bivariate and multivariate analyses show that contentment, praised in previous research, or discontentment, as suggested by recent studies, are not the decisive attitudes. It is the political attentiveness which promotes democracies.
Higher Mycophenolate Dose Requirements in Children Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplant (HCT)
Authors: Jacobson Pamala , Huang Jaiyin , Rydholm Nancy , Tran MyHang , DeFor Todd , Tolar Jakub , Orchard Paul J.
Published: February 2008

Little is known about dosing of mycophenolate mofetil in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant recipients; therefore, dosing strategies using other settings have been extended to this population. The authors studied pharmacokinetics in 19 children (median 17 months) undergoing myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplant and receiving prophylactic mycophenolate and cyclosporine. All subjects except 2 received mycophenolate 15 mg/kg intravenously every 8 hours. The median (range) total mycophenolic acid area under the concentration–time curve (AUC)0–8 was 12.6 mcgṁh/mL (4.9–49.2), and unbound mycophenolic acid AUC0–8 was 0.274 mcgṁh/mL (0.037–1.4). Total and unbound mycophenolic acid trough concentrations were 0.27 (0.03–2.9) and 0.005 (0–0.034) mcg/mL, respectively. Mycophenolic acid trough concentrations were not good surrogates for overall exposure (AUC0–8), r2 ≤ 0.55. Mycophenolate dose requirements are higher in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant recipients relative to pediatric organ transplant recipients. Children undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant should receive a mycophenolate mofetil dose of at least 15 mg/kg intravenously every 8 hours when used in combination with cyclosporine to achieve systemic concentrations near those proposed to be therapeutic in the adult hematopoietic cell transplant population.
Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Montelukast Oral Granules in Children 1 to 3 Months of Age With Bronchiolitis
Authors: Kearns Gregory L. , Lu Susan , Maganti Lata , Li Xiujiang (Susie) , Migoya Elizabeth , Ahmed Tuli , Knorr Barbara , Reiss Theodore F.
Published: February 2008

The single‐dose pharmacokinetics of montelukast 4‐mg oral granules and tolerability of daily administration of 2 different doses of montelukast (4 mg and 8 mg given once daily for 7 days) versus placebo were evaluated in 12 infants 1 to 3 months of age with bronchiolitis or a history of bronchiolitis and asthma‐like symptoms. The population area under the concentration‐time curve estimate after a single 4‐mg dose of montelukast was 13 195.7 ± 2309.8 (standard error) ng.hr/mL, 3.6 times higher than historical values in infants 3 to 24 months of age. Six patients had 10 total clinical adverse experiences; none was considered serious or drug related. Three patients had transient drug‐related increases in aspartate aminotransferase (montelukast 8 mg [n = 2]; placebo [n = 1]). Despite increased systemic exposure after administration of a single dose of montelukast 4‐mg oral granules in infants 1 to 3 months of age compared with that in pediatric patients 3 to 24 months of age, administration of montelukast at 4 and 8 mg once daily for 7 days in 1‐ to 3‐month‐old infants was generally well tolerated.
The Power of Myth in Impeding Service Innovation
Authors: Vaux Halliday Sue
Published: February 2008

The author discusses a service innovation that was intended to create “woman-centered” maternity care in U.K. health care. This innovation has now fallen into disuse. The author explores and offers a partial explanation for this failure. An unacknowledged contribution to the failure of this innovation was the power of myth. The author's perspective on this service innovation implies that a deeper grasp of the relevance of myth in creating meaning for service providers on the part of the innovators would be invaluable. For if service innovation is set up without taking into account the meaning given by employees to any changes, there will be a likelihood that implementation of the innovation will be impeded. The author recommends that narrative analysis of shared, interactively created discourses be used to gain insight into mooted changes. This approach, provided as a worked example in this article, is relevant to service managers and innovators in a range of professional settings.
Applying Scenario Planning Across Multiple Levels of Analysis
Authors: Korte Russell F.
Published: February 2008

Planning for an uncertain future is problematic yet necessary for organizations to remain viable. Scenario planning helps organizations to increase their capacity to learn and adapt as the future unfolds and results in strategies that more effectively help organizations prepare for an uncertain future. Because organizations are complex, multilevel systems, scenario planners must also focus the complexities of learning across multiple levels of analysis. Fostering the learning processes that support effective implementation of strategy across multiple levels of analysis requires attention to the elements and relationships that drive learning from one level to the next. Few strategies for learning fully articulate and integrate the characteristics of learning at different levels of analysis.This article identifies key elements and relationships constituting learning at multiple levels of analysis—individual, group, organization, and industry—and provides an integrated view of multilevel learning in organizational settings to guide and support strategic planning and implementation.
Exile and return in John Mauropous, Poem 47
Authors: Livanos Christopher
Published: February 2008

The author reads an epigram by John Mauropous as an engagement with epic and biblical traditions. Critical studies of exile and return from different eras of the Greek literary tradition by Émile Benveniste, Gregory Nagy and Nancy Sultan are used to provide a theoretical approach to the tradition with which Mauropous engages. It is suggested that Mauropous’ wanderings in the territory of the xenos and return to the familiar world of the philos, and especially his personification of his home as a trophos (nurse), allude to Homer, and that epic language and motifs strengthen the poet’s assertion of selfhood and make ancient literary themes relevant to Mauropous’ life as a scholar and churchman.
The critical poetry of Nicolas Calas: challenging the poetics of Greekness
Authors: Hoff Lena
Published: February 2008

The poetry of Nicolas Calas critically set out to challenge the poetics of Greekness. Although Calas is now acknowledged as an important avant-garde poet, his divergence from the (conservative) modernist search for a new Greekness was a significant transgression in the 1930s and contributed to his marginalized literary position. His comeback as a poet in the 1960s was likewise characterized by his critique of a new form of populist Greekness which he opposed in a series of sharp satires. This article will examine the nature of his challenge to Greekness and in this context also present two previously unpublished poems that further highlight the content of Calas’ critique.
A Bayesian Change point model for differential gene expression patterns of the DosR regulon of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Zhang Yi , Hatch Kim A , Wernisch Lorenz , Bacon Joanna
Published: February 2008

Background

Low oxygen availability has been shown previously to stimulate M. tuberculosis to establish non-replicative persistence in vitro. The two component sensor/regulator dosRS is a major mediator in the transcriptional response of M. tuberculosis to hypoxia and controls a regulon of approximately 50 genes that are induced under this condition.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the induction of the entire DosR regulon is triggered as a synchronous event or if induction can unfold as a cascade of events as the differential expression of subsets of genes is stimulated by different oxygen availabilities.

Results

A novel aspect of our work is the use of chemostat cultures of M. tuberculosis which allowed us to control environmental conditions very tightly. We exposed M. tuberculosis to a sudden drop in oxygen availability in chemostat culture and studied the transcriptional response of the organism during the transition from a high oxygen level (10% dissolved oxygen tension or DOT) to a low oxygen level (0.2% DOT) using DNA microarrays. We developed a Bayesian change point analysis method that enabled us to detect subtle shifts in the timing of gene induction. It results in probabilities of a change in gene expression at certain time points. A computational analysis of potential binding sites upstream of the DosR-controlled genes shows how the transcriptional responses of these genes are influenced by the affinity of these binding sites to DosR. Our study also indicates that a subgroup of DosR-controlled genes is regulated indirectly.

Conclusion

The majority of the dosR-dependent genes were up-regulated at 0.2% DOT, which confirms previous findings that these genes are triggered by hypoxic environments. However, our change point analysis also highlights genes which were up-regulated earlier at levels of about 8% DOT indicating that they respond to small fluctuations in oxygen availability. Our analysis shows that there are pairs of divergent genes where one gene in the pair is up-regulated before the other, presumably for a flexible response to a constantly changing environment in the host.
How effective is good domestic kitchen hygiene at reducing diarrhoeal disease in developed countries? A systematic review and reanalysis of the UK IID study
Authors: Stenberg Anna , Macdonald Clare , Hunter Paul R
Published: February 2008

Background

To assess whether domestic kitchen hygiene is an important contributor to the development of diarrhoea in the developed world.

Methods

Electronic searches were carried out in October 2006 in EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane central register of clinical trials and CINAHL. All publications, irrespective of study design, assessing food hygiene practices with an outcome measure of diarrhoea were included in the review. All included studies underwent data extraction and the data was subsequently analysed. The analysis was conducted by qualitative synthesis of the results. Given the substantial heterogeneity in study design and outcome measures meta-analysis was not done. In addition the existing dataset of the UK IID study was reanalysed to investigate possible associations between self-reported diarrhoea and variables indicative of poor domestic kitchen hygiene

Results

Some 14 studies were finally included in subsequent analyses. Of the 14 studies included in this systematic review, 11 were case-control studies, 2 cross-sectional surveys, and 1 RCT. Very few studies identified any significant association with good environmental kitchen hygiene. Although some of the variables in the reanalysis of the UK IID study were statistically significant no obvious trend was seen.

Conclusion

The balance of the available evidence does not support the hypothesis that poor domestic kitchen hygiene practices are important risk factors for diarrhoeal disease in developed countries.
Life cycle assessment of the Seagen marine current turbine
Authors: Douglas C A , Harrison G P , Chick J P
Published: February 2008

The world's first commercial‐scale grid‐connected tidal current energy installation will feature the Seagen marine current turbine developed by Marine Current Turbines Ltd. With potential for the manufacture of significant numbers of such devices there is a need to assess their environmental impact and, in particular, their life cycle energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) performance. This paper presents an analysis of the life cycle energy use and CO2 emissions associated with the first generation of Seagen turbines. The detailed assessment covers the embodied energy and CO2 in the materials and manufacturing of components, device installation, and operation along with those for decommissioning. With relatively conservative assumptions, and despite the early stage of development, the study shows that at 214 kJ/kWh and 15 g CO2/kWh, the respective energy and carbon intensities are comparable with large wind turbines and very low relative to the 400 to 1000 g CO2/kWh typical of fossil‐fuelled generation. The energy payback period is approximately 14 months and the CO2 payback is around 8 months. The embodied energy and carbon show limited sensitivity to assumptions with environmental performance remains excellent even under the most adverse scenarios considered. Materials use is identified as the primary contributors to embodied energy and carbon with shipping also significant. Improvements in the environmental impact of the Seagen can be achieved primarily by increased structural efficiency and the use of alternative installation methods to increase recovery of steel at decommissioning.
Construction of an Amaranthus hypochondriacus Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Library and Genomic Sequencing of Herbicide Target Genes
Authors: Maughan Peter J. , Sisneros Nicholas , Luo Meizhong , Kudrna Dave , Ammiraju Jetty S. S. , Wing Rod A.
Published: February 2008

Before the Spanish conquest of the ancient Americas, the grain amaranths (Amaranthus caudatus L., A. cruentus L., A. hypochondriacus L.) were a staple food of the New World. Recently, the grain amaranths have regained international attention for their nutritional quality and importance as a symbol of indigenous cultures. Here we report the development of a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library constructed from the cultivar ‘Plainsman’ (A. hypochondriacus; 2n = 2x = 32). The library consists of a total of 36,864 clones with an average insert size of 147 kb with less than 1.8% of the clones containing empty vectors. The frequency of BAC clones carrying inserts derived from chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA was estimated to be 6.9%. Thus, based on a haploid genome size of 466 Mb per haploid nucleus, the BAC library coverage is approximately 10.6 times the haploid genome content. The genome coverage estimate was empirically confirmed by screening the library with seven low copy amaranth probe sequences. The utility of the amaranth BAC library was demonstrated by identification and full‐length genomic sequencing of the acetolactate synthase and protoporphyrinogen oxidase genes—both major targets for several classes of important herbicides. The quality of the BAC library for BAC end sequencing projects was evaluated by bidirectional end sequencing of 384 random clones. End sequences were annotated using BLAST searches and queries to plant transposable element databases.
Targeted Genomic Mapping of a Red Seed Color Gene (R‐A1) in Wheat
Authors: Kuraparthy Vasu , Sood Shilpa , Gill Bikram S.
Published: February 2008

Seed color is an important trait affecting flour yield and quality in wheat. Seed color also is either tightly linked to or pleiotropically controls seed dormancy in wheat, because most of the red‐seeded wheats are tolerant to preharvest sprouting in comparison to white‐seeded wheats. Seed color in hexaploid wheat is controlled by the dominant red seed color genes R‐A1, R‐B1, and R‐D1 located in orthologous positions on chromosome arms 3AL, 3BL, and 3DL, respectively. By using wheat ESTs and synteny with rice, we identified one STS marker and one EST marker flanking R‐A1 in a 4.4‐cM interval by using an RIL and F2 populations of Langdon (LDN)/LDN‐DIC3A (disomic substitution of T. turgidum subsp. dicoccoides chromosome 3A for 3A of LDN). Physical mapping of the R‐A1 gene using tightly linked markers on a set of deletion lines specific to the long arms of group‐3 chromosomes indicated that the red seed color genes are located in the distal region (less than 10% of the chromosome arm 3L), which is a high‐recombination, gene‐rich region in wheat. Comparative genomic analysis indicated that, except for a very minor rearrangement of gene sequences in wheat relative to rice, macrocolinearity is well conserved between the consensus distal deletion bin of wheat 3L‐0.80–1.00 and rice chromosome arm 1L. The R‐A1 gene of wheat was targeted into a single PAC of rice using colinear flanking markers.
Structural Features of the Endogenous CHS Silencing and Target Loci in the Soybean Genome
Authors: Tuteja Jigyasa H. , Vodkin Lila O.
Published: February 2008

The I locus in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] has been shown to be a naturally occurring duplication of chalcone synthase (CHS) genes inhibiting seed coat pigmentation in a trans‐dominant manner via sequence specific degradation of CHS7/CHS8 transcripts. To better understand the dominant negative effect on seed‐coat pigmentation, the relative organization of the eight member CHS multigene family was investigated. The bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library from the soybean cultivar Williams 82, harboring the silencing ii allele, was screened exhaustively for different members of the multigene CHS family. Out of the 11 identified clones, 6 were completely sequenced and annotated. A total of 91 genes were predicted in the 540 kilobase (kb) of the gene‐rich fraction of the soybean genome represented by these six BACs. While some members of the multigene family preferentially existed in clusters (CHS1, CHS3, CHS4, CHS5, and CHS9), the others existed as single copies. More important, CHS7 and CHS8, the target transcripts for siRNA mediated gene silencing in the seed coats, were present as single copies on different chromosomes, while the region surrounding the silencing ii allele was found to encompass at least 230 kb containing tandem inverted repeats of CHS1, CHS3, CHS4, CHS5, and CHS9
Magnetic resonance imaging of a cholesterol granuloma and hydrocephalus in a horse
Authors: Maulet B. E. B. , Bestbier M. , Jose‐Cunilleras E. , Scrine J. A. , Murray R.
Published: February 2008

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to diagnose cholesterol granulomas in the choroid plexuses in the lateral ventricles of a horse. This report provides, in addition to the clinical signs and pathology findings, a precise description of the MRI appearance of a cholesterol granuloma.
Poor performance associated with equine gastric ulceration syndrome in four Thoroughbred racehorses
Authors: Franklin S. H. , Brazil T. J. , Allen K. J.
Published: February 2008

Equine gastric ulceration syndrome (EGUS) is commonly recognised in Thoroughbred racehorses. Although EGUS has previously been associated with reduced athletic performance, no objective studies have been reported.

This case report describes 4 racehorses referred for investigation of poor athletic performance where EGUS was the only abnormal finding during a thorough investigation of all body systems. All horses showed considerable improvement in performance following treatment with omeprazole. Therefore, this is the first report in which evidence is presented suggesting a direct link between EGUS and decreased performance, other causes of poor performance having been excluded.
Idiopathic perforating ulceration of the small intestine in five adult horses
Authors: White G. , Mair T. S.
Published: February 2008

Perforating ulceration of the small intestine was diagnosed in 5 adult horses. Affected horses presented with signs of low‐grade colic, depression and inappetance. Abdominal paracentesis yielded abnormal peritoneal fluid in all cases. Perforating ulcers were located at the mesenteric border in 4 horses and the ileum in one horse. All horses had diffuse septic peritonitis. The aetiology of the condition is unknown.
Ultrasonographic procedure for a complete examination of the proximal third interosseous muscle (proximal suspensory ligament) in the equine forelimbs
Authors: Denoix J.‐M. , Coudry V. , Jacquet S.
Published: February 2008

Ultrasonography of the proximal third interosseus muscle (PTIOM, suspensory ligament) is routinely performed for the diagnosis of the cause of proximal metacarpal/tarsal pain. As a result of the complex architecture and deep localisation of this ligament, performing and interpreting ultrasonographic images of this structure can be difficult.

This paper describes an ultrasonographic procedure that allows complete imaging of the PTIOM in the forelimbs using a combination of approaches including sagittal and palmarocollateral approaches on the weightbearing limb with linear and convex probes. Moreover, the procedure includes images made on the flexed limb, thereby allowing a better contact and a more complete representation of the PTIOM and palmar aspect of the metacarpal bones.
Urinary bladder rupture secondary to penile and preputial squamous cell carcinoma in a gelding
Authors: May K. A. , Kuebelbeck K. L. , Johnson C. M.
Published: February 2008

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common external genital neoplasm. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment are paramount to successful outcome; overlooked or misdiagnosed SCC can rapidly invade tissues and metastasise, producing potentially fatal complications. This report describes a case of overlooked SCC that resulted in severe penile infiltration, urethral stricture, and subsequent urinary bladder rupture and peritonitis.
Germany's Involvement in Extraordinary Renditions and Its Responsibility under International Law
Authors: Kagel Laura Tate
Published: February 2008

This article investigates Germany's role in CIA "extraordinary renditions" of terrorist suspects, focusing on two cases involving German citizens of Middle Eastern descent (Khaled el-Masri and Mohammed Zammar), and one case of an Egyptian cleric who had resided in Italy and was likely transferred to Egypt via a U.S. military airport in Germany (Abu Omar). Amid recent revelations about the extent of the CIA program for transferring and interrogating terrorism suspects, the question of Germany's potential responsibility under international law has gained public attention. Against the background of international legal rules governing responsibility of assisting states, this article examines what was known in Germany about human rights abuses in the above cases and evaluates official steps taken by the government to prevent or uncover violations. In the conclusion, the article addresses the need for increased institutional safeguards to hinder German involvement in questionable U.S. counterterrorism practices.
Introduction: The Denk ich an Deutschland Television Film Series
Authors: Sinka Margit
Published: February 2008

Intended to provoke contemplation and discussion about collective

identity in unified Germany, the Denk ich an Deutschland (When I think

about Germany) television film series was commissioned by Bayerischer

Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting, BR) and Westdeutscher Rundfunk

(West German Broadcasting, WDR) and was produced from 1997 to 2004

by megaherz gmbh. The complete series consists of twelve documentary

films ranging from forty-five to sixty minutes1 with the first five (see

Table 2) having been launched on BR and WDR as a set in October 1998.
Entertaining Auteurism: Popular Filmmakers Think About Germany
Authors: McCarthy Margaret
Published: February 2008

German popular filmmakers who participated in the Denk ich an Deutschland series brought a range of conflicting impulses to their meditations on Germany, including the universalizing tendencies of popular culture, together with the personal and political strains often present in documentary films. With varying degrees of success, each director agitates national identity via an idiosyncratic selfhood, a process which in turn expands our notions of Germany beyond generic convention. The best of the five films discussed in this essay—directed by Doris Dörrie, Fatih Akin, Katja von Garnier, Sherry Hormann, and Klaus Lemke—feature their creators' struggle to box themselves out of a larger collective identity. By modeling their own existential Bildung, they chip away at an otherwise implacable German identity and provide a psychic service for Germans potentially more salutary than the way Hollywood films sustain American identity.
The Politics and Policies of Immigration in Germany: A Rearview Look at the Makings of a "Country of Immigration"
Authors: Goodman Sara Wallace
Published: February 2008

Deniz Göktürk, David Gramling, and Anton Kaes, eds., Germany In Transit: Nation and Migration 1955-2005 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007)

Anthony Messina, The Logics and Politics of Post-WWII Migration to Western Europe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007)
Abdominal aortic aneurysm and cytomegalovirus infection
Authors: Nyberg Anders , Skagius Elisabet , Nilsson Ingrid , Ljungh Åsa , Henriksson Anders E.
Published: February 2008

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is regarded traditionally as a consequence of atherosclerosis. Several microorganisms have been suggested as possible contributing factors for the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm. The relevance of CMV in the processes underlying the development, expansion, and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm is unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether CMV infection is related to abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. One hundred nineteen patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and 36 matched controls without abdominal aortic aneurysm were investigated prospectively by CMV serology. Patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm have similar levels of IgG antibodies against CMV as patients with nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, small abdominal aortic aneurysm, and controls without abdominal aortic aneurysm. In conclusion, this study fails to demonstrate a connection between CMV infection and abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. J. Med. Virol. 80:667–669, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Simultaneous detection of hepatitis C virus core antigen and antibodies in Saudi drug users using a novel assay
Authors: Alzahrani Alhusain J.
Published: February 2008

Drug users and particularly, injecting drug users, are at increased risk for infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aims of the study were to simultaneously detect HCV core antigen and specific antibodies in sera from Saudi drug users using the new HCV combination assay and to compare this data with HCV core antigen, anti‐HCV antibodies and HCV RNA data from the same patients. A total of 297 patients who are followed up or admitted to a drug rehabilitation hospital over a period of 3 years were included in this study. Samples were analyzed using the new HCV Ag/Ab combination assay (Meurex), HCV core Ag assay, HCV antibodies and with the HCV RNA assay. Out of the 297 samples from Saudi drug users, 111 samples (37.4%) have detectable HCV core Ag, 112 samples (37.7%) have detectable HCV antibodies, 118 have detectable HCV RNA, and 116 samples were positive by the HCV Ag/Ab combination assay (39.1%). Out of the 116 samples, HCV core Ag was detected in 110 samples (94.8%), HCV antibodies were detected in 111 (95.7%) samples and HCV RNA was detected in 114 samples (98.3%). In the control group (n = 305), only 2 (0.66%) blood donor were positive by HCV antibodies assay, HCV RNA assay as well as HCV Ag/Ab combination assay. The new HCV Ag/Ab combination assay may well improve the overall quality of diagnosis of HCV infection especially in high risk population such as drug users that necessitates rigorous testing. J. Med. Virol. 80:603–606, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Can the serological status of “anti‐HBc alone” be considered a sentinel marker for detection of “occult” HBV infection?
Authors: Vitale Francesco , Tramuto Fabio , Orlando Ambrogio , Vizzini Giovanni , Meli Valentina , Cerame Giuseppe , Mazzucco Walter , Virdone Roberto , Palazzo Ugo , Villafrate Maria Rosaria , Tagger Alessandro , Romano Nino
Published: February 2008

Some individuals have “occult” infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV), defined as presence of HBV genome in the serum or liver tissue without HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in the serum. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum antibodies against HBV core antigen in isolation (“anti‐HBc alone”) are a useful marker of “occult” HBV in patients with or without hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. “Anti‐HBc alone” was detected in the sera of 119/6,544 (1.8%) asymptomatic outpatients referred to the diagnostic laboratory for routine testing for viral hepatitis, 62/607 (10.2%) drug users, and 42/195 (21.5%) patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Using three in‐house nested‐PCR amplification assays to detect HBV preS‐S (S), precore‐core (C), and Pol viral regions, respectively, “occult” HBV sequences were found in 9 of the 223 sera (4.0%) with “anti‐HBc alone.” The highest prevalence of “occult” HBV sequences (5.9%) was detected in “anti‐HBV alone” sera of individuals referred to the diagnostic laboratory without HCV antibodies. Direct sequencing of all PCR products confirmed the specificity of the PCR reactions and revealed the predominance of HBV genotype D. The data presented in this study suggest that detection of “anti‐HBc alone” could reflect unrecognized “occult” HBV infection and that physicians should consider investigating such patients with HBV molecular tests. J. Med. Virol. 80:577–582, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Distribution of hepatitis C virus genotypes among injecting drug users in contact with treatment centers in Belgium, 2004–2005
Authors: Micalessi M.I. , Gérard C. , Ameye L. , Plasschaert S. , Brochier B. , Vranckx R.
Published: February 2008

The aim of this study was to determine the current prevalence of HCV genotypes in injecting drug users recruited at treatment centers all over Belgium, and to analyze if the distribution of genotypes was correlated with demographic characteristics, at‐risk behaviors, and co‐infection with other viruses. Therefore 147 anti‐HCV‐positive serum samples were selected for subsequent HCV RNA detection and genotyping. HCV RNA could be detected in 98 (67%) of the 147 serum samples. Genotype 1 (38%) and 3 (49%) were the most common genotypes followed by genotype 4 (9%) and genotype 2 (2%). One mixed infection (1%) was detected. The subtype could be determined in 80 cases: genotype 3a was the most prevalent (49%), followed by genotype 1a (16%) and genotype 1b (15%). No significant difference was found between the distribution of genotypes and the location of treatment centers, at‐risk behaviors and co‐infection with other viruses. Nevertheless, a slight variation over time could be identified (P = 0.06): one in two genotype 3 drug users started with their injecting drug use in the last 10 years (33% in the period 1995–1999 and 21% in the period ≥2000) compared to only one in four genotype 1 drug users (20% in the period 1995–1999 and 9% in the period ≥2000). J. Med. Virol. 80:640–645, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Biological Synthesis of Gold Nanowires Using Extract of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata
Authors: He Shiying , Zhang Yu , Guo Zhirui , Gu Ning
Published: February 2008

An environmentally friendly method using a cell‐free extract (CFE) of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata is proposed to synthesize gold nanowires with a network structure. This procedure offers control over the shapes of gold nanoparticles with the change of HAuCl4 concentration. The CFE solutions were added with different concentrations of HAuCl4, resulting in the bioreduction of gold ions and biosynthesis of morphologies of gold nanostructures. It is probable that proteins acted as the major biomolecules involved in the bioreduction and synthesis of gold nanoparticles. At a lower concentration of gold ions, exclusively spherical gold nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 10 to 20 nm were produced, whereas gold nanowires with a network structure formed at the higher concentration of gold ions in the aqueous solution. This method is expected to be applicable to the synthesis of other metallic nanowires such as silver and platinum, and even other anisotropic metal nanostructures are expected using the biosynthetic methods.
Engineering of mucin-type human glycoproteins in yeast cells
Authors: Amano Koh , Chiba Yasunori , Kasahara Yoshiko , Kato Yukinari , Kaneko Mika Kato , Kuno Atsushi , Ito Hiromi , Kobayashi Kazuo , Hirabayashi Jun , Jigami Yoshifumi , Narimatsu Hisashi
Published: February 2008

Mucin-type O-glycans are the most typical O-glycans found in mammalian cells and assume many different biological roles. Here, we report a genetic engineered yeast strain capable of producing mucin-type sugar chains. Genes encodingBacillus subtilisUDP-Gal/GalNAc 4-epimerase, human UDP-Gal/GalNAc transporter, human ppGalNAc-T1, andDrosophila melanogastercore1 β1–3 GalT were introduced intoSaccharomyces cerevisiae. The engineered yeast was able to produce a MUC1a peptide containing O-glycan and also a mucin-like glycoprotein, human podoplanin (hPod; also known as aggrus), which is a platelet-aggregating factor that requires a sialyl-core1 structure for activity. Afterin vitrosialylation, hPod from yeast could induce platelet aggregation. Interestingly, substitution of ppGalNAc-T1 for ppGalNAc-T3 caused a loss of platelet aggregation-inducing activity, despite the fact that the sialyl-core1 was detectable in both hPod proteins on a lectin microarray. Most of O-mannosylation, a common modification in yeast, to MUC1a was suppressed by the addition of a rhodanine-3-acetic acid derivative in the culture medium. The yeast system we describe here is able to produce glycoproteins modified at different glycosylation sites and has the potential for use in basic research and pharmaceutical applications.