bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
CsiA is a bacterial cell wall synthesis inhibitor contributing to DNA translocation through the cell envelope
Authors: Stentz Régis , Wegmann Udo , Parker Mary , Bongaerts Roy , Lesaint Laurie , Gasson Mike , Shearman Claire 
Published: April 2009

SummaryConjugation is a widely spread mechanism allowing bacteria to adapt and evolve by acquiring foreign DNA. The chromosome of Lactococcus lactis MG 1363 contains a 60 kb conjugative element called the sex factor capable of high‐frequency DNA transfer. Yet, little is known about the proteins involved in this process. Comparative genomics revealed a close relationship between the sex factor and elements found in Gram‐positive pathogenic cocci. Among the conserved gene products, CsiA is a large protein that contains a highly conserved domain (HCD) and a C‐terminal cysteine, histidine‐dependent amidohydrolases/peptidases (CHAP) domain in its C‐terminal moiety. Here, we show that CsiA is required for DNA transfer. Surprisingly, increased expression of CsiA affects cell viability and the cells become susceptible to lysis. Point mutagenesis of HCD reveals that this domain is responsible for the observed phenotypes. Growth studies and electron microscope observations suggest that CsiA is acting as a cell wall synthesis inhibitor. In vitro experiments reveal the capacity of CsiA to bind d‐Ala–d‐Ala analogues and to prevent the action of penicillin binding proteins. Our results strongly suggest that CsiA sequesters the peptidoglycan precursor and prevents the final stage of cell wall biosynthesis to enable the localized assembly of the DNA transfer machinery through the cell wall.
Impact of rRNA methylations on ribosome recycling and fidelity of initiation in Escherichia coli
Authors: Seshadri Anuradha , Dubey Badrinath , Weber Michael H. W. , Varshney Umesh 
Published: April 2009

SummaryRibosomal RNA (rRNA) contains a number of modified nucleosides in functionally important regions including the intersubunit bridge regions. As the activity of ribosome recycling factor (RRF) in separating the large and the small subunits of the ribosome involves disruption of intersubunit bridges, we investigated the impact of rRNA methylations on ribosome recycling. We show that deficiency of rRNA methylations, especially at positions 1518 and 1519 of 16S rRNA near the interface with the 50S subunit and in the vicinity of the IF3 binding site, adversely affects the efficiency of RRF‐mediated ribosome recycling. In addition, we show that a compromise in the RRF activity affords increased initiation with a mutant tRNAfMet wherein the three consecutive G‐C base pairs (29GGG31:39CCC41), a highly conserved feature of the initiator tRNAs, were mutated to those found in the elongator tRNAMet (29UCA31:39ψGA41). This observation has allowed us to uncover a new role of RRF as a factor that contributes to fidelity of initiator tRNA selection on the ribosome. We discuss these and earlier findings to propose that RRF plays a crucial role during all the steps of protein synthesis.
Parents of school students on childhood overweight: The Weight of Opinion Study
Authors: Booth Michael L , King Lesley A , Pagnini Deanna L , Wilkenfeld Rachel L , Booth Susan L 
Published: April 2009

Aim: The perceptions of parents of school‐aged children regarding child and adolescent overweight and obesity were examined.Method: Parents with children in primary and secondary schools in socio‐economically diverse areas across metropolitan Sydney and rural New South Wales, Australia, were recruited for focus group discussions. Content analysis was used to analyse the focus group transcripts.Results: Participants were concerned about overweight among school‐aged children and young people, but were reluctant to address it with their own children. The parents wanted general practitioners to raise the issue, but not other professionals or friends/relations. The participants agreed that schools had an educational role to play in both healthy eating and physical activity, but disagreed about whether schools should regulate foods brought from home or supplied at school. Parents suggested various ways of restricting marketing to children, educating parents and children, increasing opportunities for physical activity and increasing access to healthier foods.Conclusions: Parents are concerned about overweight among children and adolescents, but are reluctant to take action, and would find it difficult to be effective change agents. There are opportunities for intervention, but they must recognise the salient emotional issues associated with weight and food among parents.
The patterns of spontaneous Ca2+ signals generated by ventral spinal neurons in vitro show time‐dependent refinement
Authors: Sibilla Sara , Fabbro Alessandra , Grandolfo Micaela , D’Andrea Paola , Nistri Andrea , Ballerini Laura 
Published: April 2009

AbstractEmbryonic spinal neurons maintained in organotypic slice culture are known to mimic certain maturation‐dependent signalling changes. With such a model we investigated, in embryonic mouse spinal segments, the age‐dependent spatio‐temporal control of intracellular Ca2+ signalling generated by neuronal populations in ventral circuits and its relation with electrical activity. We used Ca2+ imaging to monitor areas located within the ventral spinal horn at 1 and 2 weeks of in vitro growth. Primitive patterns of spontaneous neuronal Ca2+ transients (detected at 1 week) were typically synchronous. Remarkably, such transients originated from widespread propagating waves that became organized into large‐scale rhythmic bursts. These activities were associated with the generation of synaptically mediated inward currents under whole‐cell patch‐clamp. Such patterns disappeared during longer culture of spinal segments: at 2 weeks in culture, only a subset of ventral neurons displayed spontaneous, asynchronous and repetitive Ca2+ oscillations dissociated from background synaptic activity. We observed that the emergence of oscillations was a restricted phenomenon arising together with the transformation of ventral network electrophysiological bursting into asynchronous synaptic discharges. This change was accompanied by the appearance of discrete calbindin immunoreactivity against an unchanged background of calretinin‐positive cells. It is attractive to assume that periodic oscillations of Ca2+ confer a summative ability to these cells to shape the plasticity of local circuits through different changes (phasic or tonic) in intracellular Ca2+.
Post‐training excitotoxic lesions of the dorsal hippocampus attenuate generalization in auditory delay fear conditioning
Authors: Quinn Jennifer J. , Wied Heather M. , Liu Dorothy , Fanselow Michael S. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAn abundance of evidence indicates a role for the dorsal hippocampus (DH) in learning and memory. Pavlovian fear conditioning provides a useful model system in which to investigate DH function because conditioning to polymodal contextual cues, but generally not to discrete unimodal cues, depends upon the integrity of the DH. There is some suggestion that the hippocampus may be involved in generalization to discrete auditory stimuli following conditioning, but the available literature offers conflicting results regarding the nature of hippocampus involvement. The present experiments were designed to address a role for the DH in auditory generalization following delay fear conditioning. Rats were trained with two or 16 trials of delay fear conditioning and subsequently given a neurotoxic lesion of the DH or sham surgery. Upon recovery, they were tested for fear conditioned responding to the auditory stimulus they were trained with, as well as generalized responding to a novel auditory stimulus. Sham animals showed substantial generalization to the novel stimulus when trained with two or 16 trials. However, lesion animals showed much less generalization (better discriminative performance) to the novel stimulus following 16 conditioning trials while still showing substantial fear conditioned freezing to the trained stimulus. A second experiment showed that this effect was not the result of a non‐associative response to the novel stimulus. We conclude that, with extended training, animals become capable of discriminating between trained and novel stimuli but another hippocampus‐dependent process maintains generalized responding.
Immunological cost of chemical defence and the evolution of herbivore diet breadth
Authors: Smilanich Angela M. , Dyer Lee A. , Chambers Jeffrey Q. , Bowers M. Deane 
Published: April 2009

AbstractSelective pressures from host plant chemistry and natural enemies may contribute independently to driving insect herbivores towards narrow diet breadths. We used the specialist caterpillar, Junonia coenia (Nymphalidae), which sequesters defensive compounds, iridoid glycosides, from its host plants to assess the effects of plant chemistry and sequestration on the larval immune response. A series of experiments using implanted glass beads to challenge immune function showed that larvae feeding on diets with high concentrations of iridoid glycosides are more likely to have their immune response compromised than those feeding on diets low in these compounds. These results indicate that larvae feeding on plants with high concentrations of toxins might be more poorly defended against parasitoids, while at the same time being better defended against predators, suggesting that predators and parasitoids can exert different selective pressures on the evolution of herbivore diet breadth.
The Behavior Problems Inventory: Reliability and Factor Validity in Institutionalized Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: González Melissa L. , Dixon Dennis R. , Rojahn Johannes , Esbensen Anna J. , Matson Johnny L. , Terlonge Cindy , Smith Kimberly R. 
Published: April 2009

Background  The aim of this study was to reevaluate the reliability (internal consistency, inter‐rater and re‐test) and the factor structure of the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI‐01) with adults with intellectual disabilities who resided in a state‐run developmental centre.Methods  BPI‐01 was administered to informants who had known participants for a minimum of 6 months. For study 1, data were collected in two samples: 100 residents who were selected based on the challenging behaviour targeted in their behaviour treatment plan and 325 randomly selected residents.Results  The internal consistencies of the BPI‐01 subscales were in the good to excellent range. Overall, the inter‐rater and test–re‐test reliability of the subscales and items were adequate with relatively lower reliability found for the Stereotypy subscale and items. For study 2, the data of the 425 participants from study 1 were used in a confirmatory factor analysis, which indicated that three a priori BPI‐01 subscales (Self‐Injurious Behavior, Stereotyped Behavior and Aggression/Destruction) were a reasonable fit.Conclusions  The current study provides additional support to the reliability and factor structure of the BPI‐01 in adults with intellectual disabilities.
Transient high glycaemic intake in the last trimester of pregnancy increases offspring birthweight and postnatal growth rate in sheep: a randomised control trial
Authors: Smith NA , McAuliffe FM , Quinn K , Lonergan P , Evans ACO 
Published: April 2009

Objective  Investigate the effect of transient hyperglycemic intake (analogous to snacking on high glycaemic foods) in the third trimester of pregnancy on offspring birthweight and subsequent growth in sheep.Design  Randomised trial.Setting  University research farm.Sample  Third trimester pregnant ewes.Methods  Ewes were blocked on weight, age and litter size and were randomly assigned to receive oral administration of 100 ml of propylene glycol (PG; n = 51) or 100 ml of water (control, C; n = 53) twice/day. Twice during treatment, 12 ewes from each group were selected and blood samples collected to determine the glucose and insulin response to treatment.Main outcome measures  At birth, blood was collected from the lambs, their body dimensions measured and body weights recorded at 0, 6 and 12 weeks of age after which lambs were slaughtered when they reached 40 kg live weight.Results  Administration of PG elevated (P < 0.05) plasma glucose and insulin concentrations for 2 hours post administration compared with control ewes. Lambs (C: n = 80; PG: n = 70) born to ewes fed high glycaemic meals had higher birthweights (C: 5.01 ± 0.18 kg; PG: 5.27 ± 0.22 kg, P = 0.032), plasma glucose concentrations (P = 0.001) and ponderal index (weight/height3, P = 0.043) and reached a similar (P > 0.05) slaughter carcass weight (C: 20.0 ± 0.51 kg; PG: 20.6 ± 0.55 kg) at an earlier age (PG: 166.0 ± 13.2; C: 183.4 ± 13.8 days, P = 0.039) compared with control lambs.Conclusions  Transient high glycaemic intakes in the third trimester of pregnancy resulted in heavier offspring at birth that had faster growth rates in early postnatal life. This animal model is relevant for studying the relationship between maternal diet, fetal size and the risk of childhood obesity.
Use of agricultural by‐products to study the pH effects in an acid tea garden soil
Authors: Wang N. , Li J.‐Y. , Xu R.‐K. 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThe amelioration of an acid Alfisol from a tea garden was studied by incorporating various plant materials: canola straw, wheat straw, rice straw, corn straw, soybean straw, peanut straw, faba bean straw, Chinese milk vetch shoot and pea straw prior to incubation for a maximum of 65 days. Soil pH increased after incubation with all the incorporated materials with the legumes causing the largest increases. The final soil pH was correlated with ash alkalinity (r2 = 0.73), base cations (r2 = 0.74) and N content (r2 = 0.93) of the applied materials. It was assumed that the incubation released the base cations in plant materials as they decomposed which ultimately increased the base cation saturation of the soil. Similarly, soil exchangeable Al was also decreased with the incorporation of the legume plant materials and corn straw and rice straw. Our investigation demonstrated that legumes are the preferred choice for controlling the soil acidity and also for reducing the toxicity of Al in acid soils.
Explaining Incivility in the Workplace: The Effects of Personality and Culture
Authors: Liu Wu , Steve Chi Shu‐Cheng , Friedman Ray , Tsai Ming‐Hong 
Published: April 2009

AbstractThis study examines individual and cultural antecedents of incivility in the workplace, using a sample of MBAs and EMBAs from Taiwan and the United States. We predicted that individual achievement orientation would enhance incivility, based on Dollard’s frustration aggression hypothesis, and that those who were higher in direct conflict self‐efficacy (i.e., beliefs in one's skills in managing direct conflict) would be higher in incivility. These predictions were supported. We also predicted, and found, that collectivism orientation constrains these main effects, so that for those high in collectivism, the impact of achievement orientation and direct conflict self‐efficacy is weak or nonexistent. Implications for conflict management are discussed.
Empowering Individuals for Team Innovation in China: Conflict Management and Problem Solving
Authors: Tjosvold Dean , Yu Zi‐you , Wu Peiguan 
Published: April 2009

AbstractAlthough emphases on teams and on individuals are often considered mutually exclusive, teams both rely upon individuals to perform their tasks skillfully and can support and encourage individuals to perform effectively. This study proposes that team capability to help individual team members overcome obstacles to performance facilitates the integration of individual’s ideas and efforts that results in team innovation. It further suggests that managing conflict cooperatively helps teams provide effective support so that individuals solve problems and contribute. Two hundred employees in 100 work teams in China completed measures of their team’s cooperative, competitive, and avoiding approaches to managing conflict and team support for problem solving by individuals, and 100 managers indicated the team’s innovation. Structural equation analysis suggests that a cooperative conflict management approach promotes group support for problem solving by individuals that in turn results in team innovation. These findings, coupled with previous research, suggest that cooperative conflict management and team assistance to help individuals solve problems provide a strong foundation for innovative teams.
Characterization of polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers in the black‐tailed godwit (Limosa limosa: Aves)
Authors: VERKUIL YVONNE I. , TRIMBOS KRIJN , HADDRATH OLIVER , BAKER ALLAN J. , PIERSMA THEUNIS 
Published: April 2009

AbstractWe isolated and tested 16 microsatellite loci in black‐tailed godwits from the Netherlands (Limosa limosa limosa), and from Australasia (subspecies melanuroides). One locus was monomorphic, two loci had null‐alleles and one was significantly heterozygote deficient. The remaining 12 polymorphic loci had on average 7.9 alleles (range 5–11) and the mean expected heterozygosity was 0.69. No significant linkage disequilibrium between the loci was observed and all loci were autosomal. Fourteen loci were successfully cross‐amplified in bar‐tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica).
Clinical features of type 1 autoimmune hepatitis in adolescence and early adulthood
Authors: Miyake Yasuhiro , Iwasaki Yoshiaki , Kobashi Haruhiko , Yasunaka Tetsuya , Ikeda Fusao , Takaki Akinobu , Okamoto Ryoichi , Takaguchi Kouichi , Ikeda Hiroshi , Makino Yasuhiro , Sakaguchi Kohsaku , Ando Masaharu , Yamamoto Kazuhide 
Published: April 2009

Aim:  The peak age of the presentation of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is between 40 years and 50 years. Elderly patients have been reported to have higher frequencies of concurrent thyroid or rheumatic diseases and histological cirrhosis and a lower occurrence of treatment failure. In this study, we assessed the clinical features of Japanese type 1 AIH in adolescence and early adulthood.Methods:  Fifteen patients aged ≤ 30 years (group 1) were compared with 79 patients aged between 40 years and 50 years (group 2).Results:  At presentation, patients aged ≤ 30 years accounted for 9% of the study population. Although frequencies of extrahepatic concurrent autoimmune diseases were similar between groups 1 and 2, a tendency toward a lower frequency of concurrent autoimmune thyroiditis was shown in group 1 (0 vs. 18%, P = 0.08). Group 1 had a lower frequency of human leukocyte antigen DR4 (27 vs. 78%, P = 0.002), and histological acute hepatitis was shown more frequently in group 1 (27 vs. 4%, P = 0.002). However, there were no differences in frequencies of the normalization of serum transaminase levels after the introduction of corticosteroid treatment or relapse after the normalization of serum transaminase levels between the two groups.Conclusions:  Japanese type 1 AIH patients in adolescence and early adulthood respond well to corticosteroid treatment. However, they may frequently show atypical features, and the diagnosis of type 1 AIH in adolescence and early adulthood may be difficult and should be made carefully.
Some Problems Encountered in the Scientific Evaluation of Acupuncture Antiemesis
Authors: Dundee John , McMillan Christine 
Published: April 2009

The production of a medical research paper is beset with problems from inception to publication. If the subject involves acupuncture, the problems can seem surprisingly great even for an established university research department. Most acupuncture reports from China are anecdotal in nature and reviewing the Western literature shows that difficulty in definition of techniques has allowed invasive and non-invasive acupuncture to be used interchangeably, with consequent inaccuracy in the reported results. Because of the physical nature of the treatment, not all accepted criteria for clinical trials are achievable and ethical committees may therefore be reluctant to grant approval. Even publication has been made difficult by scepticism from peer reviewers, although a more enlightened attitude is now gaining ground. If acupuncture is to become an accepted treatment, scientific evaluation by experienced research teams and perseverance in gaining publication for the results is vital.
The Withdrawal of Habituating Substances
Authors: Marcus Paul 
Published: April 2009

The use of acupuncture to combat opiate addiction dates from 1972, when it was serendipitiously discovered to reduce the withdrawal symptoms of opium smokers during neurosurgery under acupuncture anaesthesia at the Kwong Wah Hospital in Hong Kong. Since then acupuncture has become popular in the treatment of a variety of addictions ranging from tobacco to benzodiazapines and over 20 controlled trials have been reported, although the success rates have varied considerably. Suggested modes of action have included sympathetic inhibition, parasympathetic inhibition and endogenous opioid release. A possible site of action is the medullary locus caeruleus which affects fear and anxiety control.
Laterality in Acupuncture
Authors: Rosted Palle 
Published: April 2009

Two hundred patients (100 male, 100 female) were tested by stimulation bilaterally at the Liver 3 acupuncture points (Taichong) to find if there was a relationship between right or left handedness and the side of greater sensation during stimulation. No relationship was found, but overall there was a greater sensitivity on the left in 69.5% of subjects. Twenty patients (10 male and 10 female) were selected and tested both at Liver 3 and with electro-acupuncture to both ears. A clear relationship was found between the side of greater sensitivity at Liver 3 and the more sensitive ear to electro-stimulation. It is suggested that bilateral testing of Liver 3 could be a useful guide to the selection of the side for treatment in auriculo-therapy.