bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the mechanisms exerting glucose-lowering effects of dried peas in glucose-intolerant rats
Authors: Whitlock Kevin A. , Kozicky Lisa , Jin Alena , Yee Homun , Ha Christine , Morris Jill , Field Catherine J. , Bell Rhonda C. , Ozga Jocelyn A. , Chan Catherine B. 
Published: August 2012

The present study compared the effects of feeding uncooked pea fractions (embryov.seed coat) on glucose homeostasis in glucose-intolerant rats and examined potential mechanisms influencing glucose homeostasis. Rats were made glucose intolerant by high-fat feeding, after which diets containing both high-fat and pea fractions were fed for 4 weeks. Rats fed diets containing uncooked pea seed coats low (non-coloured seed coat; NSC) or high (coloured seed coat; CSC) in proanthocyanidins but not embryos had improved oral glucose tolerance (P < 0·05). NSC also lowered fasting and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (P < 0·05), decreased β-cell mass by 50 % (P < 0·05) and lowered levels of malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress. Furthermore, NSC decreased the mucosal thickness of the colon by 25 % (P < 0·05), which might affect fibre fermentation and other gut functions. Small but statistically significant (P < 0·05) effects consistent with enhanced glucose transport or metabolism were observed in the skeletal muscle of rats fed NSC or CSC, for example, increased levels of AMP-dependent kinase or akt. We conclude that pea seed coats are the fraction exerting beneficial effects on glucose tolerance. Most of the changes were small in amplitude, suggesting that additive effects on multiple tissues may be important. NSC content appeared to have the most beneficial effects in improving glucose homeostasis but our ability to detect the effect of flavonoids may have been limited by their low concentration in the diet.
Non-digestible fraction of beans (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) modulates signalling pathway genes at an early stage of colon cancer in Sprague–Dawley rats
Authors: Haydé Vergara-Castañeda , Ramón Guevara-González , Lorenzo Guevara-Olvera , Dave Oomah B. , Rosalía Reynoso-Camacho , Paul Wiersma , Guadalupe Loarca-Piña 
Published: August 2012

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in Western countries, the second cause of cancer mortality in the USA and a major public health problem in Mexico. A diet rich in legumes is directly related to the prevention of colon cancer, showing an inverse relationship with the development of colorectal adenomas in human subjects. The present study shows the results of molecular changes involved in theTp53pathway at an early stage in the distal colon tissue of azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon cancer in rats evaluated by PCR array after exposure to diets containing the non-digestible fraction (NDF) of cooked bean (cultivar Bayo Madero). Significant differences were detected in seventy-two genes of theTp53-mediated signalling pathway involved in apoptosis, cell-cycle regulation and arrest, inhibition of proliferation and inflammation, and DNA repair.Tp53,Gadd45a,Cdkn1aandBaxwere highly expressed (9·3-, 18·3-, 5·5- and 3·5-fold, respectively) in the NDF+AOM group, whereasCdc25c,Ccne2,E2f1andBcl2were significantly suppressed ( − 9·2-, − 2·6-, − 18·4- and − 3·5-fold, respectively), among other genes, compared with the AOM group, suggesting that chemoprevention of aberrant crypt foci results from a combination of cell-cycle arrest in G1/S and G2/M phases and cell death by apoptotic induction. We demonstrate that the NDF from common bean modulates gene expression profiles in the colon tissue of AOM-induced rats, contributing to the chemoprotective effect of common bean on early-stage colon cancer.
Dietary dry bean effects on hepatic expression of stress and toxicity-related genes in rats
Authors: Daniell Erica L. , Ryan Elizabeth P. , Brick Mark A. , Thompson Henry J. 
Published: August 2012

Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) consumption is associated with reduced risk for a number of chronic diseases. In westernised societies, dry bean consumption is particularly low (approximately 2–4 kg/capita per year) and little information is available about the safety of increasing dietary intake in humans to achieve levels that prevent and control chronic diseases. In anticipation of a human intervention study to address the safety and efficacy of increasing bean consumption, a dose–response study with dietary beans was conducted to establish whether increased bean consumption in rats exhibits changes indicative of hepatic stress or toxicity. Transcript levels from a panel of stress and toxicity-related genes were analysed in female Sprague–Dawley rats fed a dose range of dietary beans that bracketed amounts relevant to human consumption globally. Cooked red bean was incorporated into a purified diet formulation at 0, 7·5, 15, 30 or 60 % w/w for the assessment of adaptive patterns of gene expression using quantitative PCR array. Of the eighty-four genes evaluated, the expressions ofCyp3a11,Cyp7a1,Fmo1,Gstm1,MifandUgt1a6were elevated, whereas the expression ofHspa8was down-regulated. Liver gene expression was not modulated in a manner indicative of an adverse response. Only the expression of the cholesterol 7α hydoxylase and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase genes increased in a dose-dependent manner at nutritionally relevant dietary bean concentrations. These candidate genes may contribute to the health benefits attributed to increased bean consumption.
Edible dry bean consumption (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) modulates cardiovascular risk factors and diet-induced obesity in rats and mice
Authors: Zhu Zongjian , Jiang Weiqin , Thompson Henry J. 
Published: August 2012

Pulses are grain legumes that have sustained the civilisations of the world throughout their development; yet this staple food crop has fallen into disuse, particularly in Westernised societies, and decreased consumption parallels increased prevalence of CVD. The objective of the present study was to identify mechanisms that account for the cardioprotective activity of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.), one of the four primary pulse crops, which is widely produced and consumed globally. Laboratory assays that can be used forin vivoscreening of dry beans and other pulses to identify those with the greatest potential to benefit human health are also reported. Sprague–Dawley rats and a diet-induced obesity model in C57Bl/6 mice were used to assess the effect of cooked dry bean incorporated into a purified diet formulation on plasma lipids and hepatic proteins involved in the regulation of lipid biosynthesis. In both animal species, short-term feeding of a bean-containing diet reduced plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol without affecting HDL-cholesterol or total TAG. Mechanisms associated with cholesterol catabolism and excretion are the likely targets of the bean effect. Unexpectedly, bean-fed obese mice experienced weight loss as well as an improved plasma lipid profile within a 12 d time frame. These findings support the use of short-term (7–14 d) assays to investigate mechanisms that account for the cardioprotective and weight regulatory effects of dry bean and to screen dry bean germplasm resources for types of bean with high protective activity. These same assays can be used to identify the bioactive components of bean that account for the observed effects.
Judicial Independence in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Myth or Reality?
Authors: Liwanga Roger-Claude 
Published: August 2012

AbstractSoon after the first democratic elections were organized in 2006, the Democratic Republic of Congo engaged in a series of juridical reforms to ensure that the judiciary is free from interference from the other branches of government: the legislature and the executive. Accordingly, Law No 06/020 of 2006 on the Status of Magistrates and Law No 08/013 of 2008 on the Organization and Functioning of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary were enacted. This article examines judicial independence in the Democratic Republic of Congo today, and assesses the impact of the newly adopted legislation by comparing it with the preceding statutory provisions on the functioning of the judiciary. Do the laws on the status of magistrates and on the organization and functioning of the supreme council of the judiciary, as recently enacted, effectively strengthen the independence of the judiciary?
The Contours of Profit-Making Activities of Non-Profit Companies: An Analysis of the New South African Companies Act
Authors: Cassim Maleka Femida 
Published: August 2012

AbstractWhile for-profit companies regularly embark on non-profit activities, the converse issue has recently come to attention, namely whether non-profit companies may embark on profit-making activities. This has given rise to a confusing conundrum of practical importance, not only in South Africa but also in other jurisdictions. This article discusses whether non-profit companies, under the South African Companies Act of 2008, may have purely commercial objects. It also addresses the intertwined question of the contours of permissible profit-making activities. Since the non-profit company is the modern successor to the section 21 company under the previous Companies Act of 1973, this article considers the recent case of Cuninghame v First Ready Development 249, in which the Supreme Court of Appeal was faced with the problem of a section 21 company with a commercial object. The article also explores the administration of rental pool agreements by non-profit companies, which arose in the Cuninghame case.
Species diversity of dermal microfilariae of the genus Cercopithifilaria infesting dogs in the Mediterranean region
Authors: OTRANTO DOMENICO , BRIANTI EMANUELE , DANTAS-TORRES FILIPE , MIRÓ GUADALUPE , LATROFA MARIA STEFANIA , MUTAFCHIEV YASEN , BAIN ODILE 
Published: August 2012

SUMMARYFollowing the recent description of microfilariae of a Cercopithifilaria sp. in a dog from Sicily, Italy, (herein after referred to as Cercopithifilaria sp. I), numerous skin samples were collected from dogs in the Mediterranean region. In addition to Cercopithifilaria sp. I (185·7 ± 7·2 μm long), microfilariae of 2 other species were identified, namely Cercopithifilaria grassii (651·7 ± 23·6 μm long) and a yet undescribed microfilaria, Cercopithifilaria sp. II (264·4 ± 20·2 μm long, with evident lateral alae). The morphological differentiation among the 3 species of dermal microfilariae was confirmed by differences in cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and ribosomal 12S sequences examined (mean level of interspecific pairwise distance of 11·4%, and 17·7%, respectively). Phylogenetic analyses were concordant in clustering these with other sequences of Cercopithifilaria spp. to the exclusion of Dirofilaria spp., Onchocerca spp. and Acanthocheilonema spp. Dermal microfilariae collected (n = 132) were morphologically identified as Cercopithifilaria sp. I (n = 108, 81·8%), Cercopithifilaria sp. II (n = 17, 12·9%), whereas only 7 (5·3%) were identified as C. grassii. Mixed infestations were detected in all sites examined. The great diversity of these neglected filarioids in dogs is of biological interest, considering the complex interactions occurring among hosts, ticks and Cercopithifilaria spp. in different environments.
The social consequences of language ideologies in courtroom cross-examination
Authors: Eades Diana 
Published: August 2012

AbstractInvestigations of inequality within the courtroom have mostly examined ways in which discourse structure and rules of use constrain witnesses. This article goes beyond interactional practices to deal with four central language ideologies, which both facilitate these practices and impact on the interpretation and understanding of what people say in evidence. The article further shows that language ideologies can have much wider consequences beyond the courtroom. Focusing on language ideologies involved in storytelling and retelling in cross-examination, and using an Australian example, the article traces the recontextualization of part of a witness's story from an initial investigative interview to cross-examination, then to its evaluation in closing arguments and the judicial decision, as well as its (mis)representation in the print media. The analysis reveals the role of these language ideologies in the perpetuation of neocolonial control over Australian Aboriginal people. (Language ideologies, courtroom talk, cross-examination, decontextualization, recontextualization, neocolonial control, Australia)*
Bilingual intercultural education and Andean hip hop: Transnational sites for indigenous language and identity
Authors: Hornberger Nancy H. , Swinehart Karl F. 
Published: August 2012

AbstractExploring contemporary Aymara and Quechua speakers' engagements with multilingualism, this article examines two transnational sites of Indigenous language use in Bolivia—a master's program in bilingual intercultural education in Cochabamba and a hip hop collective in El Alto. Responding to the call for a sociolinguistics of globalization that describes and interprets mobile linguistic resources, speakers, and markets, we draw on long-term ethnographic fieldwork to explore the transnational nature of these mobile and globalized sites, ideologies of Indigenous language and identity present there, and flexible language practices therein. From our analysis of selected narratives and interactions observed and recorded between 2004 and 2009, we argue that these sites, ideologies, and language practices constitute productive spaces for Indigenous language speakers to intervene in a historically and enduringly unequal, globalizing world. (Indigeneity, mobility, translanguaging, flexible language practices, multilingual repertoire, global hip hop)*
The formation of a European constitution: an approach from historical-political sociology
Authors: Thornhill Chris 
Published: August 2012

AbstractThis article sets out a sociological reconstruction of the constitution of the European Union (EU). Utilising a methodology derived from historical-functionalist sociology, it explains the distinctive court-led, judicial form of this constitution within a wide comparative-sociological framework, and it cites earlier examples of judicialised constitutions to elucidate the adaptive functions performed by judicial actors in the EU constitution. The article proposes a new method for analysing constitutions in general and that of the EU in particular, and it offers an encompassing sociological perspective for addressing the increasing preponderance of judicial institutions in contemporary democratic polity building.
Characteristics of low‐latitude ionospheric depletions and enhancements during solar minimum
Authors: Haaser R. A. , Earle G. D. , Heelis R. A. , Klenzing J. , Stoneback R. , Coley W. R. , Burrell A. G. 
Published: August 2012

Under the waning solar minimum conditions during 2009 and 2010, the Ion Velocity Meter, part of the Coupled Ion Neutral Dynamics Investigation aboard the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System satellite, is used to measure in situ nighttime ion densities and drifts at altitudes between 400 and 550 km during the hours 21:00–03:00 solar local time. A new approach to detecting and classifying well‐formed ionospheric plasma depletions and enhancements (bubbles and blobs) with scale sizes between 50 and 500 km is used to develop geophysical statistics for the summer, winter, and equinox seasons during the quiet solar conditions. Some diurnal and seasonal geomagnetic distribution characteristics confirm previous work on equatorial irregularities and scintillations, while other elements reveal new behaviors that will require further investigation before they may be fully understood. Events identified in the study reveal very different and often opposite behaviors of bubbles and blobs during solar minimum. In particular, more bubbles demonstrating deeper density fluctuations and faster perturbation plasma drifts typically occur earlier near the magnetic equator, while blobs of similar magnitude occur more often far away from the geomagnetic equator closer to midnight.
Inorganic carbon fixation by chemosynthetic ectosymbionts and nutritional transfers to the hydrothermal vent host-shrimp Rimicaris exoculata
Authors: Ponsard Julie , Cambon-Bonavita Marie-Anne , Zbinden Magali , Lepoint Gilles , Joassin André , Corbari Laure , Shillito Bruce , Durand Lucile , Cueff-Gauchard Valérie , Compère Philippe 
Published: August 2012

Abstract
The shrimp Rimicaris exoculata dominates several hydrothermal vent ecosystems of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and is thought to be a primary consumer harbouring a chemoautotrophic bacterial community in its gill chamber. The aim of the present study was to test current hypotheses concerning the epibiont’s chemoautotrophy, and the mutualistic character of this association. In-vivo experiments were carried out in a pressurised aquarium with isotope-labelled inorganic carbon (NaH13CO3 and NaH14CO3) in the presence of two different electron donors (Na2S2O3 and Fe2+) and with radiolabelled organic compounds (14C-acetate and 3H-lysine) chosen as potential bacterial substrates and/or metabolic by-products in experiments mimicking transfer of small biomolecules from epibionts to host. The bacterial epibionts were found to assimilate inorganic carbon by chemoautotrophy, but many of them (thick filaments of epsilonproteobacteria) appeared versatile and able to switch between electron donors, including organic compounds (heterotrophic acetate and lysine uptake). At least some of them (thin filamentous gammaproteobacteria) also seem capable of internal energy storage that could supply chemosynthetic metabolism for hours under conditions of electron donor deprivation. As direct nutritional transfer from bacteria to host was detected, the association appears as true mutualism. Import of soluble bacterial products occurs by permeation across the gill chamber integument, rather than via the digestive tract. This first demonstration of such capabilities in a decapod crustacean supports the previously discarded hypothesis of transtegumental absorption of dissolved organic matter or carbon as a common nutritional pathway.
Angiotensin-(1–7) in kidney disease: a review of the controversies
Authors: Zimmerman Danielle , Burns Kevin D. 
Published: August 2012

Ang-(1–7) [angiotensin-(1–7)] is a biologically active heptapeptide component of the RAS (renin–angiotensin system), and is generated in the kidney at relatively high levels, via enzymatic pathways that include ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2). The biological effects of Ang-(1–7) in the kidney are primarily mediated by interaction with the G-protein-coupled receptor Mas. However, other complex effects have been described that may involve receptor–receptor interactions with AT1 (angiotensin II type 1) or AT2 (angiotensin II type 2) receptors, as well as nuclear receptor binding. In the renal vasculature, Ang-(1–7) has vasodilatory properties and it opposes growth-stimulatory signalling in tubular epithelial cells. In several kidney diseases, including hypertensive and diabetic nephropathy, glomerulonephritis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, pre-eclampsia and acute kidney injury, a growing body of evidence supports a role for endogenous or exogenous Ang-(1–7) as an antagonist of signalling mediated by AT1 receptors and thereby as a protector against nephron injury. In certain experimental conditions, Ang-(1–7) appears to paradoxically exacerbate renal injury, suggesting that dose or route of administration, state of activation of the local RAS, cell-specific signalling or non-Mas receptor-mediated pathways may contribute to the deleterious responses. Although Ang-(1–7) has promise as a potential therapeutic agent in humans with kidney disease, further studies are required to delineate its signalling mechanisms in the kidney under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
High-resolution thermal expansion measurements under helium-gas pressure
Authors: Manna Rudra Sekhar , Wolf Bernd , de Souza Mariano , Lang Michael 
Published: August 2012

We report on the realization of a capacitive dilatometer, designed for high-resolution measurements of length changes of a material for temperatures 1.4 K ⩽ T ⩽ 300 K and hydrostatic pressure P ⩽ 250 MPa. Helium (4He) is used as a pressure-transmitting medium, ensuring hydrostatic-pressure conditions. Special emphasis has been given to guarantee, to a good approximation, constant-pressure conditions during temperature sweeps. The performance of the dilatometer is demonstrated by measurements of the coefficient of thermal expansion at pressures P ≃ 0.1 MPa (ambient pressure) and 104 MPa on a single crystal of azurite, Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, a quasi-one-dimensional spin S = 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet. The results indicate a strong effect of pressure on the magnetic interactions in this system.
Intensity quantile estimation and mapping—a novel algorithm for the correction of image non-uniformity bias in HCS data
Authors: Lo Ernest , Soleilhac Emmanuelle , Martinez Anne , Lafanechère Laurence , Nadon Robert 
Published: August 2012

Abstract
Motivation: Image non-uniformity (NU) refers to systematic, slowly varying spatial gradients in images that result in a bias that can affect all downstream image processing, quantification and statistical analysis steps. Image NU is poorly modeled in the field of high-content screening (HCS), however, such that current conventional correction algorithms may be either inappropriate for HCS or fail to take advantage of the information available in HCS image data.
Results: A novel image NU bias correction algorithm, termed intensity quantile estimation and mapping (IQEM), is described. The algorithm estimates the full non-linear form of the image NU bias by mapping pixel intensities to a reference intensity quantile function. IQEM accounts for the variation in NU bias over broad cell intensity ranges and data acquisition times, both of which are characteristic of HCS image datasets. Validation of the method, using simulated and HCS microtubule polymerization screen images, is presented. Two requirements of IQEM are that the dataset consists of large numbers of images acquired under identical conditions and that cells are distributed with no within-image spatial preference.
Availability and implementation: MATLAB function files are available at http://nadon-mugqic.mcgill.ca/.
Contact: robert.nadon@mcgill.ca
Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
shortran: a pipeline for small RNA-seq data analysis
Authors: Gupta Vikas , Markmann Katharina , Pedersen Christian N. S. , Stougaard Jens , Andersen Stig U. 
Published: August 2012

Abstract
Summary: High-throughput sequencing currently generates a wealth of small RNA (sRNA) data, making data mining a topical issue. Processing of these large data sets is inherently multidimensional as length, abundance, sequence composition, and genomic location all hold clues to sRNA function. Analysis can be challenging because the formulation and testing of complex hypotheses requires combined use of visualization, annotation and abundance profiling. To allow flexible generation and querying of these disparate types of information, we have developed the shortran pipeline for analysis of plant or animal short RNA sequencing data. It comprises nine modules and produces both graphical and MySQL format output.
Availability: shortran is freely available and can be downloaded from http://users-mb.au.dk/pmgrp/shortran/
Contact: vgupta@cs.au.dk or sua@mb.au.dk
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.