bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mdm2 and Mdm4 Loss Regulates Distinct p53 Activities
Authors: Barboza Juan A. , Iwakuma Tomoo , Terzian Tamara , El-Naggar Adel K. , Lozano Guillermina 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Mutational inactivation of p53 is a hallmark of most human tumors. Loss of p53 function also occurs by overexpression of negative regulators such as MDM2 and MDM4. Deletion of Mdm2 or Mdm4 in mice results in p53-dependent embryo lethality due to constitutive p53 activity. However, Mdm2−/− and Mdm4−/− embryos display divergent phenotypes, suggesting that Mdm2 and Mdm4 exert distinct control over p53. To explore the interaction between Mdm2 and Mdm4 in p53 regulation, we first generated mice and cells that are triple null for p53, Mdm2, and Mdm4. These mice had identical survival curves and tumor spectrum as p53−/− mice, substantiating the principal role of Mdm2 and Mdm4 as negative p53 regulators. We next generated mouse embryo fibroblasts null for p53 with deletions of Mdm2, Mdm4, or both; introduced a retrovirus expressing a temperature-sensitive p53 mutant, p53A135V; and examined p53 stability and activity. In this system, p53 activated distinct target genes, leading to apoptosis in cells lacking Mdm2 and a cell cycle arrest in cells lacking Mdm4. Cells lacking both Mdm2 and Mdm4 had a stable p53 that initiated apoptosis similar to Mdm2-null cells. Additionally, stabilization of p53 in cells lacking Mdm4 with the Mdm2 antagonist nutlin-3 was sufficient to induce a cell death response. These data further differentiate the roles of Mdm2 and Mdm4 in the regulation of p53 activities. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(6):947–54)
Tumor Environment Dictates Medulloblastoma Cancer Stem Cell Expression and Invasive Phenotype
Authors: Annabi Borhane , Rojas-Sutterlin Shanti , Laflamme Carl , Lachambre Marie-Paule , Rolland Yannève , Sartelet Hervé , Béliveau Richard 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
The neural precursor surface marker CD133 is thought to be enriched in brain cancer stem cells and in radioresistant DAOY medulloblastoma-derived tumor cells. Given that membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) expression is a hallmark of highly invasive, radioresistant, and hypoxic brain tumor cells, we sought to determine whether MT1-MMP and other MMPs could regulate the invasive phenotype of CD133(+) DAOY cells. We found that when DAOY medulloblastoma or U87 glioblastoma cells were implanted in nude mice, only those cells specifically implanted in the brain environment generated CD133(+) brain tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor gene expression increases in correlation with CD133 expression in those tumors. When DAOY cultures were induced to generate in vitro neurosphere-like cells, gene expression of CD133, MT1-MMP, MMP-9, and MDR-1 was induced and correlated with an increase in neurosphere invasiveness. Specific small interfering RNA gene silencing of either MT1-MMP or MMP-9 reduced the capacity of the DAOY monolayers to generate neurospheres and concomitantly abrogated their invasive capacity. On the other hand, overexpression of MT1-MMP in DAOY triggered neurosphere-like formation which was further amplified when cells were cultured in neurosphere medium. Collectively, we show that both MT1-MMP and MMP-9 contribute to the invasive phenotype during CD133(+) neurosphere-like formation in medulloblastoma cells. Increases in MMP-9 may contribute to the opening of the blood-brain barrier, whereas increased MT1-MMP would promote brain tumor infiltration. Our study suggests that MMP-9 or MT1-MMP targeting may reduce the formation of brain tumor stem cells. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(6):907–16)
Services - Led Growth in Thailand, 1956-1970
Authors: Nartsupha Chatthip 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe purpose of this short paper is to describe briefly the peculiar pattern of Thailand's economic growth during the last 15 years. The paper will be divided into three parts. The first part will briefly describe the pattern of Thailand's economic development from 1956 to 1970. The second part will show the impact of this particular pattern of development on Thailand's balance of payments. The third part will suggest some other possible effects of this development pattern.
Ethical Systems and Economic Development
Authors: Jonassen Christen T. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe possible role of ethical systems in accounting for the wide economic and social gap betweeri developed and underdeveloped countries is examined in the light of the Weberian thesis on the relationship between the Protestant Ethic, capitalism and economic development. Materials from various cultures seem to support Weber, but suggest that the crucial factor in economic development is not necessarily THE PROTESTANT ETHIC, but any ethical system which produces the following results: rational attitudes toward experiences, personal responsibility, a disciplined work force, and worldly asceticism. An ethic which encourages underconsumption and deferred gratification and which creates social motivations and legitimization for worldly work and economic enterprise seems to facilitate economic development in the takeoff period.
Hindu Mediumship in Singapore 1
Authors: Babb Lawrence A. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractIt is'a commonplace to ethnographers of Singapore that the island has provided a fertile environment for the flourishing of Chinese spirit mediumship. This pheonomenon has been well-described elsewhere (see Elliot). It is perhaps less well known that medium- . ship constitutes an extremely important element in the religious life of Singapore's Indian minority. It is with Hindu mediumship in Singapore that the present essay is concerned. My aims are two: to describe some of the most salient features of the institution, and to show how it fits into broader patterns of Hindu religious belief and practice as seen in Singapore.. ! I hope to show that Hindu mediumship is an important component of a more inclusive religious system, a component which functions to mediate between the highly particularized religious interests of individuals and the abstract conceptions of divine power which seem to underlie the religious system as a whole. The data upon which the study is based were drawn from formal and casual interviews with many informants, and from focussed investigations of the activities of five different Hindu mediums. This sample is not random. Hindu mediums operate in relative obscurity and there seems to be no way to search out a sample in a systematic way. I heard of each medium from a friend or acquaintance who thought I might be interested. and in this respect my initial encounters with them were not unlike their initial encounters with their normal clients. In most cases my relationship with the medium became a dual one. I identified myself as a researcher interested in Hinduism, and I interviewed mediums, clients and hangers-on in this spirit. But at the same time there was often what seemed to be an inevitable drift from the role of investigator to that of client, the latter being the only legitimate niche which the situation seemed to be able to provide for my presence. Accordingly, I participated in ceremonies and, with other clients, sought the counsel of the gods through their human representatives.
THE POWER ELITE IN THAILAND: A General Survey with a Focus on the Civil Bureaucrats
Authors: Dhiravegin Likhit 
Published: June 2008

AbstractAt the macro level, we have given a systemic picture of the elite structure of Thai society. We have argued that the most three powerful groups of elite are the military, the civil bureaucratic elite and the business elite. Among these three groups of elite, an alliance has been developed. The business elite have sought political protection from the military and the bureaucratic elite while the latter. two groups obtain economic benefit. Below the three groups of elite lie the people's representatives; the student leaders, the labour leaders and the peasant organizers. We have argued that the people's representatives are on the border line because the democratice structure has not yet become institutionalized. And this is true also for the student leaders, the labour leaders and the peasant organizers. At best, they are at the early stage of getting organized and thus they are classified as interest groups who are becoming more and more active in politics. At the micro level, we have presented an analysis of the general characteristics of the civil bureaucratic elite of Thailand. We have found from our discussion that more than two-fifths (41%) of the elite in our study have fathers in government service; 31.44% are from families of business; only 5.6% are from a peasant background. There ia an inbreeding in the government service career. We have hypothesized that family background plays a crucial role in an individual's educational achievement which, in turn, leads to his social mobility. From our study, we have found that social mobility
LITERARY RESPONSE AND THE SOCIAL PROCESS- An Analysis of Cultural and Political Beliefs among Malay Writers
Authors:   Tham Seong Chee
Published: June 2008

AbstractThis paper is an attempt to explore the larger connections between literature and society principally in the context of modem Malay literature. / shall not go into the various theoretical considerations that relate to the concept of 'social process' rather / shall attempt a more practical approach by first sketching briefly the traditional Malay social system and the ideational system underlying it following which / shall discuss the literary response associated with the change andcontinuityof the traditional social system.
Utopias in Social Planning Utility in Four Southevst Asion Nations
Authors:   Chong Li Choy
Published: June 2008

AbstractThis paper examines the role of utopias in social planning in the four Southeast Asian nations of Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Southeast Asian utopias are generally incomplete and are represented by vague though highly agreeable images of the future. Nevertheless they give direction to and help to legitimate social planning efforts. They are no mere "castles in the air" but represent future hopes for the mosses. They help to solicit mass participation and support for social planning efforts. They are symbolic of a brighter tomorrow in these nations. Even if they can never be achieved, Southeast Asian utopias gained sufficient merit as factors promoting social change through their impacts on various planned development efforts.
I was no Stranger in Vancouver - A Buddhist Evaluation
Authors: Gnanatilake Tissa 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe sixth Assembly of the World Council of Churches was held from 26th July till 10th August, 1933 at the British Columbia University in Vancouver, Canada. Representatives from more than 300 Christian Churches from over 100 countries participated at this meeting. Among this assembly of about 3,500 representatives were children, young people and the aged as well as persons from various stations in life. In addition to the delegates a special feature of the Assembly was the participation of representatives from other world religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, the foman Catholic Church, Islam and Judaism. Although the number of invited guests who participated was a small company in terms of numbers it may be said that they enjoyed an important place in the life of the Assembly. Among the representatives of other religions who participated in this Assembly there were about four of us who were Buddhists. I feel that I should place on record my feelings and valuable experience both as a Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist who participated in the Assembly as well as a stranger who witnessed this event. I believe that this will be of use both to Sri Lanka Buddhists as well as Catholic and Christian friends who live with us.
II. Worksh ops
Authors: Pobee John S. , Bosch David J. , Bourdeaux Michael , McLaughlin Janice , Robert Dana L. , Thomas Norman , Fernandes Walter , Chirenje J. Mutero , Daneel M.L. , Dillon-Malone Clive , Gort J.D. , Becken Hans-Jürgen , West Charles C. , Idarous Nat , Kerr David , Dickson Kwesi A. , Kalilombe P.A. , Presler Titus 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe workshop brought together some twenty persons from varied and diverse nations and political-economic circumstances - Ghana, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America, West Germany and Zimbabwe. The workshop also reflected a number of Christian denominations - Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Reformed, Roman Catholic and Seventh Day Adventist. The gathering then was truly pluralistic and ecumenical. Such composition made for a rich encounter of varied and diverse understandings and approaches.
Liberative Ecumenism: Gateway To the Sharing of Religious Experience Today
Authors: Gort Jerald D. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThis essay represents an attempt to discover a promising entrée to interreligious sharing of experience. It is argued that within the present context of global pluralization in the form of increasing religious division and ever widening economic-political disparities such sharing is of vital importance. Legitimate interreligious sharing, it is contended, must be understood in the trilateral sense of mutual participation, mutual accountability, and potential conversional movement. Moving vertically through the various levels of articulated religious experience there is no prior reason to assume that true sharing among people of differing faiths is impossible. Moving horizontally from the general to the specific, however, the gap between religions widens and interreligious sharing becomes relatively more difficult to achieve. An eminently promising means of bridging this gap and of discovering possible areas of overlap of religious experience is the practice of liberative ecumenism, i.e., interreligious cooperation on behalf of and with the poor.
Changes in the Relationships Between Third World Countries and First World Countries
Authors: Hinkelammert Franz J. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractI wish to develop some theses on the changes in the relationship between Third World countries and First World countries, which have been strongly affected by the crisis of socialism in the Soviet Union and in the Eastern European countries. It is a profound change, which came about in the '80s but which had already been developing in the decades prior to that.
The Arts of Black Africa and the Project of a Cfmstian Art
Authors: Ndi Okalla Joseph-Marie 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThis essay is in honour and in memory of the late Prof. Dr. Engelbert MVENG Sf. Born in Cameroon on May 9, 1930, Fr. Mveng has been found murdered in Yaoundé on April 23, 1995 before he would turn 65 years old. In the last thirty years, he was professor at the University of Yaoundé/Cameroon, Department of History. As a historian and theologian, he has enormous contributions to African culture and history, especially in the realm of cultural and religious anthropology as well as in iconology, which have won a wide acclaim. The internationally renowned artistic work of Fr. Mveng which can be found in different churches, chapels and educational centers the world over, underlines the iconographic contribution of Africa to the world and to Christianity. See, for example: Our Lady of Africa in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth/Israel; the Jesuit Hekima College in Nairobi/Kenya; Uganda Martyrs Altar at Libermann, Douala/Cameroon; Our Lady of the Yaoundé Cathedral/Cameroon; the decoration of the chapel of the Catholic University of Central Africa, Yaoundé/Cameroon ... and various centers in Africa and in the United States ... I have presented the first version of this essay on the occasion of a visit of John Paul II to Cameroon. I enclose a selected bibliography of the writings of Fr. Engelbert Mveng.
Comparison of Two Raindrop Size Distribution Retrieval Algorithms for X-Band Dual Polarization Observations
Authors: Anagnostou Marios N. , Anagnostou Emmanouil N. , Vivekanandan Jothiram , Ogden Fred L. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
In this study the authors evaluate two algorithms, the so-called beta (β) and constrained methods, proposed for retrieving the governing parameters of the “normalized” gamma drop size distribution (DSD) from dual-polarization radar measurements. The β method treats the drop axis ratio as a variable and computes drop shape and DSD parameters from radar reflectivity (ZH), differential reflectivity (ZDR), and specific differential phase shift (KDP). The constrained method assumes that the axis-ratio relation is fixed and computes DSD parameters from ZH, ZDR, and an empirical relation between the DSD slope and shape parameters. The two techniques are evaluated for polarimetric X-band radar observations by comparing retrieved DSD parameters with disdrometer observations and examining simulated radar parameters for consistency. Error effects on the β method and constrained method retrievals are analyzed. The β approach is found to be sensitive to errors in KDP and to be less consistent with observations. Large retrieved β values are found to be associated with large retrieved DSD shape parameters and small median drop diameters. The constrained method provides reasonable rain DSD retrievals that agree better with disdrometer observations.
Sensitivity of Land Surface Simulations to the Treatment of Vegetation Properties and the Implications for Seasonal Climate Prediction
Authors: Gao Xiang , Dirmeyer Paul A. , Guo Zhichang , Zhao Mei 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
A coupled land–atmosphere climate model is used to investigate the impact of vegetation parameters (leaf area index, absorbed radiation, and greenness fraction) on the simulation of surface fluxes and their potential role in improving climate forecasts. Ensemble simulations for 1986–95 have been conducted with specified observed sea surface temperatures. The vegetation impact is analyzed by comparing integrations with two different ways of specifying vegetation boundary conditions: observed interannually varying vegetation versus the climatological annual cycle. Parallel integrations are also implemented and analyzed for the land surface model in an uncoupled mode within the framework of the Second Global Soil Wetness Project (GSWP-2) for the same period. The sensitivity to vegetation anomalies in the coupled simulations appears to be relatively small. There appears to be only episodic and localized favorable impacts of vegetation variations on the skill of precipitation and temperature simulations. Impacts are sometimes manifested strictly through changes in land surface fluxes, and in other cases involve clear interactions with atmospheric processes. In general, interannual variations of vegetation tend to increase the temporal variability of radiation fluxes, soil evaporation, and canopy interception loss in terms of both spatial frequency and global mean. Over cohesive regions of significant and persistent vegetation anomalies, cumulative statistics do show a net response of surface fluxes, temperature, and precipitation with vegetation anomalies of ±20% corresponding to a precipitation response of about ±6%. However, in about half of these cases no significant response was found. The results presented here suggest that vegetation may be a useful element of the land surface for enhancing seasonal predictability, but its role in this model appears to be relatively minor. Improvement does not occur in all circumstances, and strong anomalies have the best chance of a positive impact on the simulation.
Hematopoietic-specific Stat5-null mice display microcytic hypochromic anemia associated with reduced transferrin receptor gene expression
Authors: Zhu Bing-Mei , McLaughlin Sara K. , Na Risu , Liu Jie , Cui Yongzhi , Martin Cyril , Kimura Akiko , Robinson Gertraud W. , Andrews Nancy C. , Hennighausen Lothar 
Published: June 2008

AbstractIron is essential for all cells but is toxic in excess, so iron absorption and distribution are tightly regulated. Serum iron is bound to transferrin and enters erythroid cells primarily via receptor-mediated endocytosis of the transferrin receptor (Tfr1). Tfr1 is essential for developing erythrocytes and reduced Tfr1 expression is associated with anemia. The transcription factors STAT5A/B are activated by many cytokines, including erythropoietin. Stat5a/b−/− mice are severely anemic and die perinatally, but no link has been made to iron homeostasis. To study the function of STAT5A/B in vivo, we deleted the floxed Stat5a/b locus in hematopoietic cells with a Tie2-Cre transgene. These mice exhibited microcytic, hypochromic anemia, as did lethally irradiated mice that received a transplant of Stat5a/b−/− fetal liver cells. Flow cytometry and RNA analyses of erythroid cells from mutant mice revealed a 50% reduction in Tfr1 mRNA and protein. We detected STAT5A/B binding sites in the first intron of the Tfr1 gene and found that expression of constitutively active STAT5A in an erythroid cell line increased Tfr1 levels. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed the binding of STAT5A/B to these sites. We conclude that STAT5A/B is an important regulator of iron update in erythroid progenitor cells via its control of Tfr1 transcription.
Graft-versus-host disease causes failure of donor hematopoiesis and lymphopoiesis in interferon-γ receptor-deficient hosts
Authors: Delisle Jean-Sébastien , Gaboury Louis , Bélanger Marie-Pier , Tassé Éliane , Yagita Hideo , Perreault Claude 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe immunopathologic condition known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) results from a type I T-cell process. However, a prototypical type I cytokine, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), can protect against several manifestations of GVHD in recipients of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)–mismatched hematopoietic cells. We transplanted hematopoietic cells from C3H.SW donors in wild-type (wt) and IFN-γ-receptor–deficient (IFN-γRKO) MHC-matched C57BL/6 recipients. In IFN-γRKO recipients, host cells were unresponsive to IFN-γ, whereas wt donor cells were exposed to exceptionally high levels of IFN-γ. From an IFN-γ perspective, we could therefore evaluate the impact of a loss-of-function on host cells and gain-of-function on donor cells. We found that lack of IFN-γR prevented up-regulation of MHC proteins on host cells but did not mitigate damage to most target organs. Two salient phenotypes in IFN-γRKO recipients involved donor cells: lymphoid hypoplasia and hematopoietic failure. Lymphopenia was due to FasL-induced apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation. Bone marrow aplasia resulted from a decreased proliferation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells that was associated with down-regulation of 2 genes negatively regulated by IFN-γ: Ccnd1 and Myc. We conclude that IFN-γ produced by alloreactive T cells may entail a severe graft-versus-graft reaction and could be responsible for cytopenias that are frequently observed in subjects with GVHD.