bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
BEN1, a gene encoding a dihydroflavonol 4‐reductase (DFR)‐like protein, regulates the levels of brassinosteroids in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Yuan Tong , Fujioka Shozo , Takatsuto Suguru , Matsumoto Shogo , Gou Xiaoping , He Kai , Russell Scott D. , Li Jia 
Published: May 2007

SummaryThe ben1‐1D (bri1‐5 enhanced 1‐1dominant) mutant was identified via an activation‐tagging screen for bri1‐5 extragenic modifiers. bri1‐5 is a weak mutant allele of the brassinosteroid receptor gene, BRI1. Overexpression of BEN1 greatly enhances the defective phenotypes of bri1‐5 plants. Removal of BEN1 by gene disruption in a Col‐0 wild‐type background, on the other hand, promotes the elongation of organs. Because BEN1 encodes a novel protein homologous to dihydroflavonol 4‐reductase (DFR) and anthocyanidin reductase (BAN), BEN1 is probably involved in a brassinosteroid metabolic pathway. Analyses of brassinosteroid profiles demonstrated that BEN1 is indeed responsible for regulating the levels of several brassinosteroids, including typhasterol, castasterone and brassinolide. In vivo feeding and in vitro biochemical assays suggest that BEN1 is probably involved in a new mechanism to regulate brassinosteroid levels. These results provide additional insight into the regulatory mechanisms of bioactive brassinosteroids.
The R2R3‐MYB transcription factor HAG1/MYB28 is a regulator of methionine‐derived glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Gigolashvili Tamara , Yatusevich Ruslan , Berger Bettina , Müller Caroline , Flügge Ulf‐Ingo 
Published: May 2007

SummaryMethionine‐derived glucosinolates belong to a class of plant secondary metabolites that serve as chemoprotective compounds in plant biotic defense reactions and also exhibit strong anticancerogenic properties beneficial to human health. In a screen for the trans‐activation potential of various transcription factors toward glucosinolate biosynthetic genes, we could identify the HAG1 (HIGH ALIPHATIC GLUCOSINOLATE 1, also referred to as MYB28) gene as a positive regulator of aliphatic methionine‐derived glucosinolates. The content of aliphatic glucosinolates as well as transcript levels of aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthetic genes were elevated in gain‐of‐function mutants and decreased in HAG1 RNAi knock‐down mutants. ProHAG1:GUS expression analysis revealed strong HAG1 promoter activity in generative organs and mature leaves of A. thaliana plants, the main sites of accumulation of aliphatic glucosinolates. Mechanical stimuli such as touch or wounding transiently induced HAG1/MYB28 expression in inflorescences of flowering plants, and HAG1/MYB28 over‐expression reduced insect performance as revealed by weight gain assays with the generalist lepidopteran herbivore Spodoptera exigua. Expression of HAG1/MYB28 was significantly induced by glucose, indicating a novel transcriptional regulatory mechanism for the integration of carbohydrate availability upon biotic challenge. We hypothesize that HAG1/MYB28 is a novel regulator of aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis that controls the response to biotic challenges.
Regulation of arbuscular mycorrhization by apoplastic invertases: enhanced invertase activity in the leaf apoplast affects the symbiotic interaction
Authors: Schaarschmidt Sara , Kopka Joachim , Ludwig‐Müller Jutta , Hause Bettina 
Published: May 2007

SummaryThe effect of constitutive invertase overexpression on the arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) is shown. The analysis of the enhanced potential for sucrose cleavage was performed with a heterozygous line of Nicotiana tabacum 35S::cwINV expressing a chimeric gene encoding apoplast‐located yeast‐derived invertase with the CaMV35S promoter. Despite the 35S promoter, roots of the transgenic plants showed no or only minor effects on invertase activity whereas the activity in leaves was increased at different levels. Plants with strongly elevated leaf invertase activity, which exhibited a strong accumulation of hexoses in source leaves, showed pronounced phenotypical effects like stunted growth and chlorosis, and an undersupply of the root with carbon. Moreover, transcripts of PR (pathogenesis related) genes accumulated in the leaves. In these plants, mycorrhization was reduced. Surprisingly, plants with slightly increased leaf invertase activity showed a stimulation of mycorrhization, particularly 3 weeks after inoculation. Compared with wild‐type, a higher degree of mycorrhization accompanied by a higher density of all fungal structures and a higher level of Glomus intraradices‐specific rRNA was detected. Those transgenic plants showed no accumulation of hexoses in the source leaves, minor phenotypical effects and no increased PR gene transcript accumulation. The roots had even lower levels of phenolic compounds (chlorogenic acid and scopolin), amines (such as tyramine, dopamine, octopamine and nicotine) and some amino acids (including 5‐amino‐valeric acid and 4‐amino‐butyric acid), as well as an increased abscisic acid content compared with wild‐type. Minor metabolic changes were found in the leaves of these plants. The changes in metabolism and defense status of the plant and their putative role in the formation of an AM symbiosis are discussed.
New Alternative Methods to Teach Surgical Techniques for Veterinary Medicine Students despite the Absence of Living Animals. Is that an Academic Paradox?
Authors: Silva R. M. G. , Matera J. M. , Ribeiro A. A. C. M. 
Published: May 2007

SummaryDue to a raised ethical mentality, veterinary schools are pursuing methods to preserve animal corpses used for surgical technique classes in an attempt to reduce the use of living animals for teaching. Generally speaking, animal and human bodies are usually preserved with 10% aqueous formalin solution especially for descriptive anatomy classes. Other possibilities include the use of glycerol, alcohol and phenol. At present, new fixatives have been developed to allow a better and longer preservation of animal corpses in order to maintain organoleptic characteristics, i.e. colour, texture, as close as possible to what students will deal with living animals. From 2004, in our college, surgical technique classes no longer use living animals for students’ training. Instead, canine corpses chemically preserved with modified Larssen (MLS) and Laskowski (LS) solutions are preferred. The purpose of this study was to investigate comparatively the biological quality of preservation of these two solutions and to evaluate students’ learning and acceptance of this new teaching method. Although these fixatives maintain body flexibility, LS solution failed to keep an ordinary tissue colouration (cadavers were intensely red) and tissue preservation was not adequate. By contrast, MLS solution, however, did not alter the colouration of cadavers which was fairly similar to that normally found in living animals. A remarkable characteristic was a very strong and unpleasant sugary odour in LS‐preserved animals and therefore the MLS solution was the elected method to preserve cadavers for surgical technique classes. The students’ feedback to the use of Larssen‐preserved cadavers was very satisfactory, i.e. 96.6% of students were in favour of the use of cadavers for surgical training and on average 91.8% (2002–2003) of students preferred the MLS solution as the chemical preserver, whereas only 8.2% elected LS solution for teaching purposes. From the students’ point of view (95.1%) the ideal class would be an initial training in MLS cadavers followed by classes with animals admitted to the Veterinary Hospital.
Female‐Biased Helping in a Cooperatively Breeding Bird: Female Benefits or Male Costs?
Authors: Williams Dean A. , Hale Amanda M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractThere is often a sex bias in helping effort in cooperatively breeding species with both male and female helpers, and yet this phenomenon is still poorly understood. Although sex‐biased helping is often assumed to be correlated with sex‐specific benefits, sex‐specific costs could also be responsible for sex‐biased helping. Cooperatively breeding brown jays (Cyanocorax morio) in Monteverde, Costa Rica have helpers of both sexes and dispersal is male‐biased, a rare reversal of the female‐biased dispersal pattern often seen in birds. We quantified helper contributions to nestling care and analyzed whether there was sex‐biased helping and if so, whether it was correlated with known benefits derived via helping. Brown jay helpers provided over 70% of all nestling feedings, but they did not appear to decrease the workload of breeders across the range of observed group sizes. Female helpers fed nestlings and engaged in vigilance at significantly higher levels than male helpers. Nonetheless, female helpers did not appear to gain direct benefits, either through current reproduction or group augmentation, or indirect fitness benefits from helping during the nestling stage. While it is possible that females could be accruing subtle future direct benefits such as breeding experience or alliance formation from helping, future studies should focus on whether the observed sex bias in helping is because males decrease their care relative to females in order to pursue extra‐territorial forays. Explanations for sex‐biased helping in cooperative breeders are proving to be as varied as those proposed for helping behavior in general, suggesting that it will often be necessary to quantify a wide range of benefits and costs when seeking explanations for sex‐biased helping.
The Effect of Age on a Sexually Selected Acoustic Display
Authors: Jacot Alain , Scheuber Hannes , Brinkhof Martin W. G. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractModels of sexual selection suggest that females should prefer to mate with older males because old age is evidence of heritable high viability. In a longitudinal analysis, we demonstrate that male field crickets (Gryllus campestris) alter their calling song with age. Carrier frequency, a calling song character related to growing condition and the main song component under female preference, changed towards higher sexual attractiveness with age. Body mass decreased slightly with age, while chirp rate, an indicator of current condition, remained stable. By choosing males singing at a low frequency, female field crickets would base their mate choice decision on a sexual trait that indicates superior growing conditions as juvenile and on viability, i.e. enhanced current condition as adult.
Androgen profiles among Egyptian adults considering liver status
Authors: Aguilar Cristina E , Soliman Amr S , McConnell Daniel S , Zekri Abdel‐Rahman , Banerjee Mousumi , Omar Ayman , Sharawy Mohamed , Omar Sherif , Raouf Ahmed , Sowers MaryFran R 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground and aim:  Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and environmental hepatotoxins may have an indirect influence on health by altering the synthesis and function of hormones, particularly reproductive hormones. We aimed to evaluate liver diseases and sex steroid hormones in Egypt, which has the highest prevalence of HCV worldwide.Methods:  We measured markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV), HCV and schistosomiasis infection as well as liver function in 159 apparently healthy subjects. We measured total testosterone (T), sex‐hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin, and calculated the free androgen index.Results:  Anti‐HCV antibodies were detected in 51% of men and 42% of women. Based on HCV reverse transcription PCR (RT‐PCR) of 44 men and 33 women, 11% of men and 21% of women showed HCV viremia. There was schistosomiasis in 25% of men and 9% of women, and mixed HCV viremia and schistosomiasis in 57% of men and 52% of women. Compared with men with schistosomiasis only (mean 593.3 ± 73.4 ng/dL), T was higher in men with mixed HCV viremia and schistosomiasis (mean 854.5 ± 47.9 ng/dL; P = 0.006) and men with mixed chronic HCV and schistosomiasis (mean 812.1 ± 43.3 ng/dL; P = 0.001). Men with mixed chronic HCV and schistosomiasis had also significantly higher SHBG (mean 57.7 ± 3.9 ng/dL) than males with schistosomiasis only (mean 34.8 ± SE 4.5 ng/dL; P = 0.0003).Conclusion:  Future investigations should consider that a high prevalence of asymptomatic liver disease may alter associations between hormone concentrations and chronic disease etiology.
Association between the family environment and television viewing in Australian children
Authors: Van Zutphen Moniek , Bell Andrew C , Kremer Peter J , Swinburn Boyd A 
Published: May 2007

Aim:  To describe the time children spend watching television (TV) and to assess associations between TV viewing time, the family environment and weight status.Methods:  Parents reported the amount of time children watched TV/video both for ‘the previous school day’ and ‘usually’ and described aspects of the family environment influencing TV access as part of a large cross‐sectional study in the Barwon South‐western region of Victoria, Australia. Child weight status was based on measured height and weight. All data were collected in 2003/2004.Results:  A total of 1926 children aged 4–12 years participated. Parent‐reported mean ± SE TV time for the previous school day was 83 ± 1.5 min. Children who lived in a family with tight rules governing TV viewing time (22%), or who never watched TV during dinner (33%), or had only one TV in the household (23%) or had no TV in their bedroom (81%) had significantly less TV time than their counterparts. Overweight or obese children had more TV time than healthy weight children 88 ± 2.9 versus 82 ± 1.7 min per day (P = 0.04). They were also more likely to live in a household where children had a TV in their bedroom than healthy weight children (25% vs. 17%, P < 0.001).Conclusion:  Strategies to reduce TV time should be included as part of broader strategies to prevent childhood obesity. They should include messages to parents about not having a TV in children’s bedrooms, encouraging family rules restricting TV viewing, and not having the TV on during dinner.
Vitamin D deficiency in general medical inpatients in summer and winter
Authors: Chatfield S. M. , Brand C. , Ebeling P. R. , Russell D. M. 
Published: May 2007

AbstractBackground: Vitamin D deficiency is common in various populations worldwide. Adverse effects of vitamin D deficiency are the development of bone disorders; however, other diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and certain cancers have also been linked to vitamin D deficiency. The general medical inpatient population is a group at increased risk of vitamin D deficiency. These patients often have coexistent risk factors for its consequences. This study aims to document a point prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this population.Methods: Two cross‐sectional audits of patients admitted to general medicine units were carried out – the first in mid‐November at the end of winter and the second in mid‐April and May at the end of summer. Information regarding patients’ comorbidities, medication usage, previous falls and fractures was obtained and serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone and calcium levels were measured.Results: A total of 129 patients was studied (65 in winter and 64 in summer). Ninety‐four patients (74%) had 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels ≤50 nmol/L. Seven patients had severe deficiency (levels ≤12.5 nmol/L). Average vitamin D levels were lower at the end of winter (35 vs 43 nmol/L, P = 0.007). Of the 37 patients receiving vitamin D supplements, 20 (54%) had 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels ≤50 nmol/L.Conclusion: Low vitamin D levels were common in this general medical inpatient population. The average vitamin D level was lower in the patient group tested in November following winter. Supplementation of vitamin D did not uniformly prevent deficiency.
Differentiation potential of urothelium from patients with benign bladder dysfunction
Authors: Southgate Jennifer , Varley Claire L. , Garthwaite Mary A.E. , Hinley Jennifer , Marsh Fiona , Stahlschmidt Jens , Trejdosiewicz Ludwik K. , Eardley Ian 
Published: May 2007

OBJECTIVETo develop a novel in vitro approach to test the hypothesis that failure of urothelial differentiation underlies the aetiopathology of interstitial cystitis (IC), where there is evidence of compromised urinary barrier function, as benign dysfunctional bladder disease encompass several poorly understood clinically defined conditions, including IC, idiopathic detrusor overactivity (IDO) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI).MATERIALS AND METHODSBiopsy‐derived urothelial cells from dysfunctional bladder biopsies were propagated as finite cell lines and examined for their capacity to differentiate in vitro, as assessed by the acquisition of a transitional cell morphology, a switch from a cytokeratin (CK)13lo/CK14hi to a CK13hi/CK14lo phenotype, expression of claudin 3, 4 and 5 proteins, and induction of uroplakin gene transcription.RESULTSTwo of 12 SUI cell lines showed early senescent changes in culture and were not characterized further; one of seven IC, one of five IDO and a further three SUI cell lines had some evidence of senescence at passage 3. Of the seven IC‐derived cell lines, four showed a near normal range of differentiation‐associated responses, but the remainder showed little or no response. Most IDO cell lines (four of five) showed a normal differentiation response, but at least three of the 10 SUI cell lines showed some compromise of differentiation potential.CONCLUSIONThis study supports the existence of a subset of patients with IC in whom a failure of urothelial cytodifferentiation might contribute to the disease, and provides a novel platform for investigating the cell biology of urothelium from SUI and other benign dysfunctional conditions.
Venous thromboembolism and cyproterone acetate in men with prostate cancer: a study using the General Practice Research Database
Authors: Seaman Helen E. , Langley Stephen E.M. , Farmer Richard D.T. , De Vries Corinne S. 
Published: May 2007

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with the use of cyproterone acetate (CPA) amongst men with prostate cancer.PATIENTS AND METHODSUsing data from the General Practice Research Database, cases of VTE were identified amongst men with prostate cancer. Four controls with no evidence of a VTE were selected for each case. The time from diagnosis of prostate cancer to first hormonal treatment, and from first hormonal treatment to VTE, was compared for different treatments. Adjusted risk estimates for VTE were derived from further analysis using a nested case‐control study design amongst all men with advanced prostate cancer, qualified by evidence of hormonal treatment.RESULTSThe time between diagnosis and first treatment was significantly shorter for men first treated with CPA than for men first treated with a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue (adjusted hazard ratio 1.33, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.06–1.67). When the first treatment was CPA, the treatment‐free period after diagnosis was significantly shorter for men who later had a VTE than for those who did not. The case‐control study yielded an adjusted risk estimate for VTE amongst CPA users that was significantly higher than amongst men who were prescribed an LHRH analogue or who had had an orchidectomy (adjusted odds ratio 5.23, 95% CI 3.12–8.79).CONCLUSIONThere was a greater risk of VTE associated with CPA, which might be due to differences in disease severity between users of different products. The clinical significance of this finding is unclear.
Rivalry or Synergy? Formal and Informal Local Governance in Rural India
Authors: Ananth Pur Kripa 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTInformal local governance institutions (ILGIs) are prevalent at the village level in rural India. Generally perceived by urban Indians to be ‘oppressive’, ILGIs also have progressive features and often perform a range of useful collective functions at the village level. Instead of fading away in the face of modernity, ILGIs have found ways to interact, often in a positive manner, with the newer, elected local government institutions, the Grama Panchayats. Based on field research in Karnataka state, this article tries to present a more holistic picture of ILGIs, including their role in village governance and service delivery; the ways in which they interact with Grama Panchayats, and the implications of their existence and role for local democracy. It also presents a tentative theoretical framework towards explaining why ILGIs in Karnataka particularly, and in India generally, seem to be less repressive, more functional and more likely to survive than in some other countries of the South.
IT Industrial Development in Taiwan and the Constraints on Environmental Mobilization
Authors: Tu Wen‐Ling 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTStudies in the development of high‐tech industries have shown low levels of community involvement and environmental mobilization. In contrast to the tenets of social movement theories, it seems that the openness of political systems and the tactics of social movements are not enough to lead to increased grassroots environmental resistance in the context of high‐tech development. This article uses the example of high‐tech electronic development in Hsinchu, Taiwan, to examine why and how grassroots activism has been impeded in the past two decades. The article highlights the industrial characteristics and processes within the information technology sector, and analyses existing obstacles to environmental mobilization in the context of a fast‐growing high‐tech economy. It argues that a unique IT development structure has dramatically changed local social characteristics in a way that constrains grassroots mobilization in public social agendas. It also shows how the influential and rapidly expanding IT sector has come to dominate resource‐use in the area, leaving opposing forces more powerless than ever.
Unofficial Road Building in the Amazon: Socioeconomic and Biophysical Explanations
Authors: Perz Stephen G. , Caldas Marcellus M. , Arima Eugenio , Walker Robert J. 
Published: May 2007

ABSTRACTRoads have manifold social and environmental impacts, including regional development, social conflicts and habitat fragmentation. ‘Road ecology’ has emerged as an approach to evaluate the various ecological and hydrological impacts of roads. This article aims to complement road ecology by examining the socio‐spatial processes of road building itself. Focusing on the Brazilian Amazon, a heavily‐studied context due to forest fragmentation by roads, the authors consider non‐state social actors who build ‘unofficial roads’ for the purpose of gaining access to natural resources to support livelihoods and community development. They examine four case studies of roads with distinct histories in order to explain the socio‐spatial processes behind road building in terms of profit maximization, land tenure claims, co‐operative and conflictive political ecologies, and constraints as well as opportunities afforded by the biophysical environment. The study cases illustrate the need for a multi‐pronged theoretical approach to understanding road building, and call for more attention to the role of non‐state actors in road construction.