bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Shepherding in Colonial Australia
Authors: PICKARD JOHN 
Published: March 2008

AbstractShepherds were a critical component of the early wool industry in colonial Australia and persisted even after fencing was adopted and rapidly spread in the later nineteenth century. Initially shepherds were convicts, but after transportation ceased in the late 1840s, emancipists and free men were employed. Their duty was the same as in England: look after the flock during the day, and pen them nightly in folds made of hurdles. Analysis of wages and flock sizes indicates that pastoralists achieved good productivity gains with larger flocks but inflation of wages reduced the gains to modest levels. The gold rushes and labour shortages of the 1850s played a minor role in increasing both wages and flock sizes. Living conditions in huts were primitive, and the diet monotonous. Shepherds were exposed to a range of diseases, especially in Queensland. Flock-masters employed non-whites, usually at lower wages, and women and children. Fences only replaced shepherds when pastoralists realised that the new technology of fences, combined with other changes, would give them higher profits. The sheep were left to fend for themselves in the open paddocks, a system used to this day.
A Radical Historian's Pursuit of Rural History: The Political Career and Contribution of Reverend Dr. John Charles Cox, c. 1844 to 1919
Authors: HURREN ELIZABETH T. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractHow to Write the History of a Parish(1905) by John Charles Cox is a famous early modern history of the parish-state. Yet its author had an eclectic and radical political career in Midlands' life long before he became famous as an historian of English rural life. Today, Cox's radical activities are in fact an important historical prism. His neglected career demonstrates how a strong personality could bring about genuine political change in agricultural life. Cox always focused on the need to fight for the socio-economic and political rights of the labouring poor. At the same time, he was committed to historical research and record collecting, especially that of the vestry in which the poor found a voice. In so doing, he personifies how the boundaries between private interest and public service, the domestic and the political, were sometimes navigated with personal intensity in rural England during the later nineteenth century.
Uncovering the Lives of Women in Post-War Oxfordshire: An Oral History Approach
Authors: DAVIS ANGELA 
Published: March 2008

AbstractWriting in 1960 Margaret Stacey asserted that, ‘Women, compared with men, tend to show group characteristics regardless of other social factors like class. Their training from childhood sets them apart from boys and together as potential wives and mothers.’ This article will question whether Oxfordshire women did indeed believe that there was a commonality in their experiences at this time, irrespective of the locality in which they lived or the class to which they belonged, or whether these differences were more significant than their shared gender. The first objective of this article is therefore to analyse the role class played in determining women's experiences of life in Oxfordshire at this time. Leading on from this, the second objective is to investigate the importance of locality upon lived experience, and to engage, in Charles Phythian-Adams' words, in the process of ‘unravelling localized identities’ (1987). Using Oxfordshire as a case study it is possible to examine a range of communities: rural, urban and suburban. This article will demonstrate how the nature of these different communities affected women's experiences of living within them. The third objective is to discuss the ways in which the women I interviewed expressed their experiences of rural living through the oral history interview, and how their accounts relate to contemporary debates and existing historical interpretations.
The unreasonable effectivness of CALL: What have we learned in two decades of research?
Authors: Felix Uschi 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThis paper presents a comprehensive picture of what has been investigated in terms of CALL effectiveness over the period 1981–2005 throwing light on why this question is still such a difficult one to answer unequivocally. The author looks at both strengths and weaknesses in this body of work, highlighting pitfalls and paradoxes in research procedures and providing valid design models. This includes the contribution of dedicated meta-analyses to this controversial field and a discussion of the benefits and limitations associated with this type of research. Substantial data, drawn from three extensive studies (Felix, 2005a, b; Felix, 2006a), allows the author to present for the first time synthesized findings relating to the impact of technologies on language learning. The paper concludes with strategies for future work in the context of a proposed research agenda.
Developing online multimodal verbal communication to enhance the writing process in an audio-graphic conferencing environment
Authors: Ciekanski Maud , Chanier Thierry 
Published: March 2008

AbstractOver the last decade, most studies in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) have highlighted how online synchronous learning environments implement a new literacy related to multimodal communication. The environment used in our experiment is based on a synchronous audio-graphic conferencing tool. This study concerns false beginners in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course, presenting a high degree of heterogeneity in their proficiency levels. A coding scheme was developed to translate the video data into user actions and speech acts that occurred in the various modalities of the system (aural, textchat, text editing, websites). The paper intends to shed further light on and increase our understanding of multimodal communication structures through learner participation and learning practices. On the basis of evidence from an ongoing research investigation into online CALL literacy, we identify how learners use different modalities to produce collectively a writing task, and how the multimodal learning interaction affects the learners' focus and engagement within the learning process. The adopted methodology combines a quantitative analysis of the learners' participation in a writing task with regard to the use of multimodal tools, and a qualitative analysis focusing on how the multimodal dimension of communication enhances language and learning strategies. By looking at the relationship between how the learning tasks are designed by tutors and how they are implemented by learners, that is to say taking into account the whole perception of multimodal communication for language learning purposes, we provide a framework for evaluating the potential of such an environment for language learning.
Blending classroom instruction with online homework: A study of student perceptions of computer-assisted L2 learning
Authors: Sagarra Nuria , Zapata Gabriela C. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThis study investigates the impact of an online workbook on the attitudes of 245 second language (L2) Spanish learners toward this pedagogical tool over two consecutive semesters. The treatment consisted of four hours of classroom instruction and one set of online homework per week, during two consecutive semesters. Students' attitudes toward the electronic workbook were measured by means of a survey administered after eight months of exposure to the workbook. The qualitative data of the survey was compared to quantitative data from two different language assessment tests. The results of these tests indicated a significant increase in grammar scores. These results are consonant with the positive findings of student perceptions about the online workbook obtained in this and previous studies, emphasizing its benefits in terms of accessibility to the material, user-friendliness, and instant error feedback. More importantly, most students praised the usefulness of the online workbook for language learning, particularly in the areas of grammar and vocabulary acquisition. Despite participants' mostly positive attitudes, the survey also revealed some negative aspects of the use of the online workbook, such as the amount of time needed to complete the online exercises. This paper addresses these issues, and provides suggestions to overcome this type of problem.
The effectiveness of computer-based speech corrective feedback for improving segmental quality in L2 Dutch
Authors: Neri Ambra , Cucchiarini Catia , Strik Helmer 
Published: March 2008

AbstractAlthough the success of automatic speech recognition (ASR)-based Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT) systems is increasing, little is known about the pedagogical effectiveness of these systems. This is particularly regrettable because ASR technology still suffers from limitations that may result in the provision of erroneous feedback, possibly leading to learning breakdowns. To study the effectiveness of ASR-based feedback for improving pronunciation, we developed and tested a CAPT system providing automatic feedback on Dutch phonemes that are problematic for adult learners of Dutch. Thirty immigrants who were studying Dutch were assigned to three groups using either the ASR-based CAPT system with automatic feedback, a CAPT system without feedback, or no CAPT system. Pronunciation quality was assessed for each participant before and after the training by human experts who evaluated overall segmental quality and the quality of the phonemes addressed in the training. The participants' impressions of the CAPT system used were also studied through anonymous questionnaires. The results on global segmental quality show that the group receiving ASR-based feedback made the largest mean improvement, but the groups' mean improvements did not differ significantly. The group receiving ASR-based feedback showed a significantly larger improvement than the no-feedback group in the segmental quality of the problematic phonemes targeted.
SRP-27 is a novel component of the supramolecular signalling complex involved in skeletal muscle excitation–contraction coupling
Authors: Bleunven Christophe , Treves Susan , Jinyu Xia , Leo Elisa , Ronjat Michel , De Waard Michel , Kern Georg , Flucher Bernhard E. , Zorzato Francesco 
Published: March 2008

SRP-27 (sarcoplasmic reticulum protein of 27 kDa) is a newly identified integral membrane protein constituent of the skeletal muscle SR (sarcoplasmic reticulum). We identified its primary structure from cDNA clones isolated from a mouse skeletal muscle cDNA library. ESTs (expressed sequence tags) of SRP-27 were found mainly in cDNA libraries from excitable tissues of mouse. Western blot analysis confirmed the expression of SRP-27 in skeletal muscle and, to a lower extent, in heart and brain. Mild trypsin proteolysis combined with primary-structure prediction analysis suggested that SRP-27 has four transmembrane-spanning alpha helices and its C-terminal domain faces the cytoplasmic side of the endo(sarco)plasmic reticulum. The expression of SRP-27 is higher in fast twitch skeletal muscles compared to slow twitch muscles and peaks during the first month of post-natal development. High-resolution immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis of subcellular fractions indicated that SRP-27 is distributed in both longitudinal tubules and terminal cisternae of the SR, as well as in the perinuclear membrane systems and the nuclear envelope of myotubes and adult fibres. SRP-27 co-sediments with the RyR (ryanodine receptor) macromolecular complex in high-salt sucrose-gradient centrifugation, and is pulled-down by anti-RyR as well as by maurocalcin, a well characterized RyR modulator. Our results indicate that SRP-27 is part of a SR supramolecular complex, suggesting the involvement of SRP-27 in the structural organization or function of the molecular machinery underlying excitation–contraction coupling.
Human PDE4A8, a novel brain-expressed PDE4 cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase that has undergone rapid evolutionary change
Authors: Mackenzie Kirsty F. , Topping Emma C. , Bugaj-Gaweda Bozena , Deng Chengjun , Cheung York-Fong , Olsen Aileen E. , Stockard Cecil R. , High Mitchell Lisa , Baillie George S. , Grizzle William E. , De Vivo Michael , Houslay Miles D. , Wang Daguang , Bolger Graeme B. 
Published: March 2008

We have isolated cDNAs encoding PDE4A8 (phosphodiesterase 4 isoform A8), a new human cAMP-specific PDE4 isoform encoded by the PDE4A gene. PDE4A8 has a novel N-terminal region of 85 amino acids that differs from those of the related ‘long’ PDE4A4, PDE4A10 and PDE4A11 isoforms. The human PDE4A8 N-terminal region has diverged substantially from the corresponding isoforms in the rat and other mammals, consistent with rapid evolutionary change in this region of the protein. When expressed in COS-7 cells, PDE4A8 localized predominantly in the cytosol, but approx. 20% of the enzyme was associated with membrane fractions. Cytosolic PDE4A8 was exquisitely sensitive to inhibition by the prototypical PDE4 inhibitor rolipram (IC50 of 11±1 nM compared with 1600 nM for PDE4A4), but was less sensitive to inhibition by cilomilast (IC50 of 101±7 nM compared with 61 nM for PDE4A4). PDE4A8 mRNA was found to be expressed predominantly in skeletal muscle and brain, a pattern that differs from the tissue expression of other human PDE4 isoforms and also from that of rat PDE4A8. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that PDE4A8 could be detected in discrete regions of human brain, including the cerebellum, spinal cord and cerebral cortex. The unique tissue distribution of PDE4A8, combined with the evolutionary divergence of its N-terminus, suggest that this isoform may have a specific function in regulating cAMP levels in human skeletal muscle and brain.
Interaction of the Lys3614–Asn3643 calmodulin-binding domain with the Cys4114-Asn4142 region of the type 1 ryanodine receptor is involved in the mechanism of Ca2+/agonist-induced channel activation
Authors: Gangopadhyay Jaya P. , Ikemoto Noriaki 
Published: March 2008

In the present study we show that the interaction of the CaM (calmodulin)-binding domain (Lys3614–Asn3643) with the Cys4114–Asn4142 region (a region included in the CaM-like domain) serves as an intrinsic regulator of the RyR1 (type-1 ryanodine receptor). We tested the effects of antibodies raised against the two putative key regions of RyR1 [anti-(Lys3614–Asn3643) and anti-(Cys4114–Asn4142) antibodies]. Both antibodies produced significant inhibition of [3H]ryanodine-binding activity of RyR1. This suggests that the inter-domain interaction between the two domains, Lys3614–Asn3643 and Cys4114–Asn4142, activates the channel, and that the binding of antibody to either side of the interacting domain pair interfered with the formation of a ‘channel-activation link’ between the two regions. In order to spectroscopically monitor the mode of interaction of these domains, the site of inter-domain interaction was fluorescently labelled with MCA [(7-methoxycoumarin-4-yl)acetyl] in a site-directed manner. The accessibility of the bound MCA to a large molecular mass fluorescence quencher, BSA-QSY (namely, the size of a gap between the interacting domains) decreased with an increase of [Ca2+] in a range of 0.03–2.0 μM, as determined by Stern–Volmer fluorescence quenching analysis. The Ca2+-dependent decrease in the quencher accessibility was more pronounced in the presence of 150 μM 4-CmC (4-chlorometacresol), and was reversed by 1 mM Mg2+ (a well-known inhibitor of Ca2+/agonist-induced channel activation). These results suggest that the Lys3614–Asn3643 and Cys4114–Asn4142 regions of RyR1 interact with each other in a Ca2+- and agonist-dependent manner, and this serves as a mechanism of Ca2+- and agonist-dependent activation of the RyR1 Ca2+ channel.
Structural and functional consequences of the replacement of proximal residues Cys172 and Cys192 in the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: García-Murria María-Jesús , Karkehabadi Saeid , Marín-Navarro Julia , Satagopan Sriram , Andersson Inger , Spreitzer Robert J. , Moreno Joaquín 
Published: March 2008

Proximal Cys172 and Cys192 in the large subunit of the photosynthetic enzyme Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase; EC 4.1.1.39) are evolutionarily conserved among cyanobacteria, algae and higher plants. Mutation of Cys172 has been shown to affect the redox properties of Rubisco in vitro and to delay the degradation of the enzyme in vivo under stress conditions. Here, we report the effect of the replacement of Cys172 and Cys192 by serine on the catalytic properties, thermostability and three-dimensional structure of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Rubisco. The most striking effect of the C172S substitution was an 11% increase in the specificity factor when compared with the wild-type enzyme. The specificity factor of C192S Rubisco was not altered. The Vc (Vmax for carboxylation) was similar to that of wild-type Rubisco in the case of the C172S enzyme, but approx. 30% lower for the C192S Rubisco. In contrast, the Km for CO2 and O2 was similar for C192S and wild-type enzymes, but distinctly higher (approximately double) for the C172S enzyme. C172S Rubisco showed a critical denaturation temperature approx. 2 °C lower than wild-type Rubisco and a distinctly higher denaturation rate at 55 °C, whereas C192S Rubisco was only slightly more sensitive to temperature denaturation than the wild-type enzyme. X-ray crystal structures reveal that the C172S mutation causes a shift of the main-chain backbone atoms of β-strand 1 of the α/β-barrel affecting a number of amino acid side chains. This may cause the exceptional catalytic features of C172S. In contrast, the C192S mutation does not produce similar structural perturbations.
TRPC3-interacting triadic proteins in skeletal muscle
Authors: Woo Jin Seok , Kim Do Han , Allen Paul D. , Lee Eun Hui 
Published: March 2008

The expression of TRPC3 (canonical-type transient receptor potential cation channel type 3) is tightly regulated during skeletal muscle cell differentiation, and a functional interaction between TRPC3 and RyR1 [(ryanodine receptor type 1), an SR (sarcoplasmic reticulum) Ca2+-release channel] regulates the gain of SR Ca2+ release during EC (excitation–contraction) coupling. However, it has not been possible to demonstrate direct protein–protein interactions between TRPC3 and RyR1. To identify possible candidate(s) for a linker protein(s) between TRPC3 and RyR1 in skeletal muscle, in the present study we performed MALDI–TOF (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization–time-of-flight) MS analysis of a cross-linked triadic protein complex from rabbit skeletal triad vesicles and co-immunoprecipitation assays using primary mouse skeletal myotubes. From these studies, we found that six triadic proteins, that are known to regulate RyR1 function and/or EC coupling [TRPC1, JP2 (junctophilin 2), homer, mitsugumin 29, calreticulin and calmodulin], interacted directly with TRPC3 in a Ca2+-independent manner. However we again found no direct interaction between TRPC3 and RyR1. TRPC1 was identified as a potential physical link between TRPC3 and RyR1, as it interacted with both TRPC3 and RyR1, and JPs showed subtype-specific interactions with both RyR1 and TRPC3 (JP1–RyR1 and JP2–TRPC3). These results support the hypothesis that TRPC3 and RyR1 are functionally engaged via linker proteins in skeletal muscle.
Lamellipodin proline rich peptides associated with native plasma butyrylcholinesterase tetramers
Authors: Li He , Schopfer Lawrence M. , Masson Patrick , Lockridge Oksana 
Published: March 2008

BChE (butyrylcholinesterase) protects the cholinergic nervous system from organophosphorus nerve agents by scavenging these toxins. Recombinant human BChE produced from transgenic goat to treat nerve agent intoxication is currently under development. The therapeutic potential of BChE relies on its ability to stay in the circulation for a prolonged period, which in turn depends on maintaining tetrameric quaternary configuration. Native human plasma BChE consists of 98% tetramers and has a half-life (t½) of 11–14 days. BChE in the neuromuscular junctions and the central nervous system is anchored to membranes through interactions with ColQ (AChE-associated collagen tail protein) and PRiMA (proline-rich membrane anchor) proteins containing proline-rich domains. BChE prepared in cell culture is primarily monomeric, unless expressed in the presence of proline-rich peptides. We hypothesized that a poly-proline peptide is an intrinsic component of soluble plasma BChE tetramers, just as it is for membrane-bound BChE. We found that a series of proline-rich peptides was released from denatured human and horse plasma BChE. Eight peptides, with masses from 2072 to 2878 Da, were purified by HPLC and sequenced by electrospray ionization tandem MS and Edman degradation. All peptides derived from the same proline-rich core sequence PSPPLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPLP (mass 2663 Da) but varied in length at their N- and C-termini. The source of these peptides was identified through database searching as RAPH1 [Ras-associated and PH domains (pleckstrin homology domains)-containing protein 1; lamellipodin, gi:82581557]. A proline-rich peptide of 17 amino acids derived from lamellipodin drove the assembly of human BChE secreted from CHO (Chinese-hamster ovary) cells into tetramers. We propose that the proline-rich peptides organize the 4 subunits of BChE into a 340 kDa tetramer, by interacting with the C-terminal BChE tetramerization domain.
Transmembrane helices that form two opposite homodimeric interactions: An asparagine scan study of αM and β2 integrins
Authors: Parthasarathy Krupakar , Lin Xin , Tan Suet Mien , Law S.K. Alex , Torres Jaume 
Published: March 2008

AbstractIntegrins are α/β heterodimers, but recent in vitro and in vivo experiments also suggest an ability to associate through their transmembrane domains to form homomeric interactions. While the results of some in vitro experiments are consistent with an interaction mediated by a GxxxG‐like motif, homo‐oligomers observed after in vivo cross‐linking are consistent with an almost opposite helix–helix interface. We have shown recently that both models of interaction are compatible with evolutionary conservation data, and we predicted that the α‐helices in both models would have a similar rotational orientation. Herein, we have tested our prediction using in vitro asparagine scan of five consecutive residues along the GxxxG‐like motif of the transmembrane domain of α and β integrins, αM and β2. We show that Asn‐mediated dimerization occurs twice for every turn of the helix, consistent with two almost opposite forms of interaction as suggested previously for αIIb and β3 transmembrane domains. The orientational parameters helix tilt and rotational orientation of each of these two Asn‐stabilized dimers were measured by site‐specific infrared dichroism (SSID) in model lipid bilayers and were found to be consistent with our predicted computational models. Our results highlight an intrinsic tendency for integrin transmembrane α‐helices to form two opposite types of homomeric interaction in addition to their heteromeric interactions and suggest that integrins may form complex and specific networks at the transmembrane domain during function.