bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The IL‐2 Receptor in Hemocytes of the Sea Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk
Authors: Barcia R. , Cao A. , Arbeteta J. , Ramos‐Martinez J. I. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn the hemolymph of the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, two different cell types have been found. Rounded (RH) cells display a nucleus that is very large in relation to the cell size; spread (SH) cells have an expanded cytoplasm and multiple granules. We determined by flow cytometry that only the SH cell types express three interleukin‐2 receptor (IL‐2R) subunits. Mussel IL‐2Ralpha and IL‐2Rbeta subunits display a molecular weight similar to those in vertebrates tissues, whereas mussel IL‐2Rgamma is smaller than that in vertebrates. Both lipopolysaccharide and IL‐2 induce IL‐2Ralpha expression, and such induction depends on the concentration of both agonists.
Adeno‐Associated Virus Rep78 Binds to E2‐Responsive Element 1 of Bovine Papillomavirus Type 1
Authors: Chon Seung K. , Rim Byung M. , Im Dong S. 
Published: July 2007

AbstractAdeno‐associated virus type‐2 (AAV‐2) is a helper‐dependent parvovirus that has been implicated in the inhibition of replication and oncogenic transformation of bovine papillomavirus type‐1 (BPV‐1) and other transforming DNA viruses. Previous studies have suggested that the Rep78 protein of AA V‐2 is a key player mediating this effect. In this report we have analyzed the effect of AAV‐2 Rep78 protein on the regulation of gene expression of a reporter gene under the control of the long control region (LCR) of BPV‐1. Our results show that Rep78 is capable of down‐regulating the promoter activity of the LCR in vivo in tissue culture cells. Inhibition of LCR activity in vivo suggested the need for Rep78 to bind to a region of the LCR promoter spanning the E2‐responsive elements of BPV‐1. This observation was further confirmed in vitro with gel shift assays showing specific binding of Rep78 to DNA oligonucleotides containing E2‐responsive element 1 (E2RE1) sequences of BPV‐1 LCR. Our results expand the understanding of the mechanism of trans‐regulation mediated by Rep78 and involving this protein and DNA sequences with complex secondary structure.
Expression of VEGF Splice Variants 144/145 and 205/206 in Adult Male Tissues
Authors: Burchardt Tatjana , Burchardt Martin , Chen Min‐Wei , Buttyan Ralph , De La Taille Alexandre , Shabsigh Ahmad , Shabsigh Ridwan 
Published: July 2007

AbstractCurrently, at least five different mRNA species encoding vascular endothelial growth factor‐A (VEGF‐A) have been characterized. These variants result from alternative splicing of the VEGF‐A transcript and encode human isoforms of VEGF protein of 121, 145, 165, 189, and 206 amino acids. In the rat, a similar profile of VEGF‐A splice variants has been described, each encoding one fewer amino acid than the human species. Studies of mammalian tissues have shown that these mRNA isoforms vary in abundance. Whereas VEGF 188/189, 164/165, and 120/121 (rat/human, respectively) are the predominant forms expressed in most tissues and cells examined, VEGF 144/145 and 205/206 are rare variants. Previously, VEGF 144/145 had been detected only in placental and uterine tissues and endometrial carcinoma cell lines, whereas VEGF 205/206 was detected only in fetal liver and placenta. Using an RTPCR technique, cDNA cloning, and sequencing, we have detected and confirmed the presence of mRNA encoding VEGF 144/145 and 205/206 in both adult rat lung and penis. Therefore, these lowabundance VEGF splice variants have a more diverse expression pattern than originally predicted.
Specific Domain of cGMP‐Dependent Protein Kinase Iβ but Not Iα Functions as a Transcriptional Activator in Yeast
Authors: Yuasa Keizo , Omori Kenji , Yanaka Noriyuki 
Published: July 2007

AbstractRecently, cyclic GMP‐dependent protein kinase (cGK) was shown to translocate to the nucleus and regulate gene transcription. To determine whether cGK I proteins function as transcriptional activators, we produced the constructs of cGK Ialpha or Ibeta fused with the DNA binding domain of the yeast transcriptional activator GAL4. Here, we demonstrate that the amino‐terminal region of cGK Ibeta (amino acids 1‐107) exhibits transcriptional activation in yeast. However, full‐length cGK Ialpha and Ibeta and the amino‐terminal region of cGKIalpha had no transcriptional activation function. Amino acid replacement in the leucine zipper motif of the amino‐terminal region of cGK Ibeta substantially reduced transcriptional activation. These results suggest that the Ibeta‐specific region in cGK I proteins may interact with other proteins by way of the leucine zipper motif and has a transcriptional activation function.
Study on the Growth Inhibition of Human Multiple Myeloma Cells by an IL‐6Rα Mutant
Authors: Duan Jubao , Cai Xin , Wang Lihong , Zhang Shuangxi , Wang Jiaxi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractDM650, a soluble human IL‐6Ralpha mutant with mutation of C277D/H280I, was previously shown to exhibit an antagonism to IL‐6, which resulted in growth‐inhibition of human multiple myeloma cell line AF‐10 autocrining as the growth‐stimulating factor. We investigated here the nature of the growth inhibition by examining cell apoptosis. Flow‐cytometric analysis of the DNA fragmentation demonstrated that 7.2% of the AF‐10 cells were apoptotic after 24 h of treatment with DM650. The constitutive gene expression of bcl‐2 in AF‐10 cells indicated that apoptosis suppressed by IL‐6 was independent of bcl‐2 regulation. The altered gene expression of c‐myc and p53 suggested that a novel apoptosis pathway, other than that suppressed by IL‐6, might be triggered by a complex of DM650 and IL‐6.
Macromolecular Mimicry in Translation Initiation: A Model for the Initiation Factor IF2 on the Ribosome
Authors: Moreno Juan Manuel Palacios , SØrensen Hans Peter , Mortensen Kim Kusk , Sperling‐Petersen Hans Uffe 
Published: July 2007

AbstractProtein biosynthesis in bacteria is controlled by a number of translation factors. Recent data based on comparison of sequence and structure data of translation factors have established a novel hypothesis for their interaction with the ribosome: initiation, elongation, and termination factors may use a common or partly overlapping binding site on the ribosome in a process of macromolecular mimicry of an A‐site‐bound tRNA. This paper reviews structural knowledge and tRNA macromolecular mimicry involvement of translation initiation factor IF2. Furthermore, a model is proposed for the factor and its interaction with the ribosome during the formation of the translation initiation complex.
Mitochondrial Protein Lipoylation Does Not Exclusively Depend on the mtKAS Pathway of de Novo Fatty Acid Synthesis in Arabidopsis
Authors: Ewald Ralph , Kolukisaoglu Üner , Bauwe Ursula , Mikkat Stefan , Bauwe Hermann 
Published: July 2007

Abstract
The photorespiratory Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutant gld1 (now designated mtkas-1) is deficient in glycine decarboxylase (GDC) activity, but the exact nature of the genetic defect was not known. We have identified the mtkas-1 locus as gene At2g04540, which encodes β-ketoacyl-[acyl carrier protein (ACP)] synthase (mtKAS), a key enzyme of the mitochondrial fatty acid synthetic system. One of its major products, octanoyl-ACP, is regarded as essential for the intramitochondrial lipoylation of several proteins including the H-protein subunit of GDC and the dihydrolipoamide acyltransferase (E2) subunits of two other essential multienzyme complexes, pyruvate dehydrogenase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. This view is in conflict with the fact that the mtkas-1 mutant and two allelic T-DNA knockout mutants grow well under nonphotorespiratory conditions. Although on a very low level, the mutants show residual lipoylation of H protein, indicating that the mutation does not lead to a full functional knockout of GDC. Lipoylation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase E2 subunits is distinctly less reduced than that of H protein in leaves and remains unaffected from the mtKAS knockout in roots. These data suggest that mitochondrial protein lipoylation does not exclusively depend on the mtKAS pathway of lipoate biosynthesis in leaves and may occur independently of this pathway in roots.
Mutations in CHLOROPLAST RNA BINDING provide evidence for the involvement of the chloroplast in the regulation of the circadian clock in Arabidopsis
Authors: Hassidim Miriam , Yakir Esther , Fradkin David , Hilman Dror , Kron Ido , Keren Nir , Harir Yael , Yerushalmi Shai , Green Rachel M. 
Published: July 2007

SummaryThe Arabidopsis circadian system regulates the expression of up to 36% of the nuclear genome, including many genes that encode photosynthetic proteins. The expression of nuclear‐encoded photosynthesis genes is also regulated by signals from the chloroplasts, a process known as retrograde signaling. We have identified CHLOROPLAST RNA BINDING (CRB), a putative RNA‐binding protein, and have shown that it is important for the proper functioning of the chloroplast. crb plants are smaller and paler than wild‐type plants, and have altered chloroplast morphology and photosynthetic performance. Surprisingly, mutations in CRB also affect the circadian system, altering the expression of both oscillator and output genes. In order to determine whether the changes in circadian gene expression are specific to mutations in the CRB gene, or are more generally caused by the malfunctioning of the chloroplast, we also examined the circadian system in mutations affecting STN7, GUN1, and GUN5, unrelated nuclear‐encoded chloroplast proteins known to be involved in retrograde signaling. Our results provide evidence that the functional state of the chloroplast may be an important factor that affects the circadian system.
Influence of vitamin E supplementation on spontaneous oxidized flavour of milk in dairy buffaloes
Authors: PANDA N , KAUR H 
Published: July 2007

Twenty‐four Murrah buffaloes (60 days pre‐partum) were divided into four equal groups (T

1

, T

2

, T

3

and T

4

) and were supplemented with 0, 1000, 1500 and 2000 IU α‐tocopheryl acetate per day up to 30 days of lactation, and half of these doses from 30 to 60 days of lactation. Milk samples collected fortnightly were analysed for vitamin E, fat, and development of oxidized flavour, with and without copper addition by a panel of judges, and chemically by the thiobarbituric acid test. Scores for oxidized flavour ranged from 0 to 10 with 0–4 as definite, 5–7 as light and 8–10 having no defect. The α‐tocopherol content in milk fat (µg/g) averaged 20.55, 25.56, 29.98 and 31.38 in T

1

, T

2

, T

3

and T

4

groups, respectively. The addition of Cu in the milk significantly increased milk fat oxidation. Better stability of milk in T

3

and T

4

groups was observed, which might be due to a higher level of milk α‐tocopherol. Addition of 1500 IU α‐tocopheryl acetate in the diet of buffaloes helped in improving the oxidative stability of milk.
Proteolysis in ultra‐filtered and conventional Iranian white cheese during ripening
Authors: HESARI JAVAD , EHSANI MOHAMED R , MOSAVI MOHAMED A E , McSWEENEY PAUL L H 
Published: July 2007

Conventional and ultra‐filtered (UF) Iranian white cheeses were made with almost identical gross chemical composition and the extent and characteristics of proteolysis were studied during ripening. UF cheeses exhibited a lower rate of development of pH 4.6‐soluble nitrogen than conventional cheeses. The rates of degradation of αs1‐casein and particularly β‐casein were lower in UF cheeses than in conventional cheeses. Plasmin activity was lower in UF cheeses than that in conventional cheese, whereas coagulant activity was higher in the former. Noticeable qualitative and quantitative differences were observed in reverse‐phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC) peptide profiles between UF and conventional white cheeses and chemometric analysis of peak height data distributed the cheeses into two separate groups. The levels of free amino acids in UF cheeses were lower than in conventional cheeses. Lower peptide degradation and production of amino acids suggested slower ripening, which may have been associated with the weak aroma development characteristic of UF cheeses.
Effects of Oxygen on Biofilm Formation and the AtlA Autolysin of
Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Ahn Sang-Joon , Burne Robert A. 
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT

The
Streptococcus mutans atlA
gene encodes an autolysin required for biofilm maturation and biogenesis of a normal cell surface. We found that the capacity to form biofilms by
S. mutans
, one of the principal causative agents of dental caries, was dramatically impaired by growth of the organism in an aerated environment and that cells exposed to oxygen displayed marked changes in surface protein profiles. Inactivation of the
atlA
gene alleviated repression of biofilm formation in the presence of oxygen. Also, the formation of long chains, a characteristic of AtlA-deficient strains, was less evident in cells grown with aeration. The SMu0629 gene is immediately upstream of
atlA
and encodes a product that contains a C-X-X-C motif, a characteristic of thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases. Inactivation of SMu0629 significantly reduced the levels of AtlA protein and led to resistance to autolysis. The SMu0629 mutant also displayed an enhanced capacity to form biofilms in the presence of oxygen compared to that of the parental strain. The expression of SMu0629 was shown to be under the control of the VicRK two-component system, which influences oxidative stress tolerance in
S. mutans
. Disruption of
vicK
also led to inhibition of processing of AtlA, and the mutant was hyperresistant to autolysis. When grown under aerobic conditions, the
vicK
mutant also showed significantly increased biofilm formation compared to strain UA159. This study illustrates the central role of AtlA and VicK in orchestrating growth on surfaces and envelope biogenesis in response to redox conditions.
A Phenomenological Investigation of Altruism as Experienced by Moral Exemplars
Authors: Mastain Lisa 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis research study used descriptive phenomenological methods (Giorgi, 1989, Methods, 1, 39-61) to investigate and document the lived experience of altruism as described by moral exemplars. Six moral exemplars wrote descriptions of situations in which they engaged in spontaneous altruism. Altruism was defined for the purpose of this study as a motivational state with the ultimate goal of increasing another's welfare (Batson, 1991, The altruism question: Toward a social psychological answer). These descriptions were then expanded and clarified through follow up interviews. The results of this descriptive phenomenological analysis produced two structures: the structure of the lived experience of altruism as described by moral exemplars, and the structure of the lived experience of helping as described by moral exemplars. The differences between these two structures suggest that altruistically motivated pro-social behavior is more committed, extensive and effective than egoistically motivated helping, and results in a higher level of concern for the long-term well-being of the individuals helped. Although differentiated by primary motivations, altruistic or egoistic, both structures identify the motivating factors of empathy, personal historical life experiences, moral values, and personal identity as essential to the experience of assisting another individual in need.
Performance analysis of parallel machines using multi‐read memory
Authors: Amano Hideharu , Chikawa Junji , Yoshida Takaichi , Also Hideo 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe multi‐read memory is a special type of shared memory which provides multiple data copies and allows multiple PUs to read data simultaneously. This paper analyzes the behavior of parallel machines using the multi‐read memory and provides some methods to determine their performance. First, a Markov chain model is applied to n ‐ n systems in which the number of copies is the same as that of PUs. Then a less complex expectation model is introduced as well as approximate expressions for the performance and it is shown that the results are almost the same as those of the Markov chain model. The paper also analyzes n ‐ m systems in which the number of copies is less than that of PUs and obtains approximate expressions for the performance. The results of the behavior analysis clarify the upper limit of the number of PUs, the optimum number of copies and other useful results for implementation of the systems.
Segmentation method of document images by two‐dimensional fourier transformation
Authors: Hase Masahiko , Hoshino Yasushi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractA processing method is described for the document image composed of characters, graphics and photographs, extracting those regions by the following procedures. (1) Two‐dimensional Fourier transformation is performed for the entire image, the angle of the character lines is corrected utilizing the peak coordinate of the transform result, and the period of the character lines is calculated. (2) Based on the real and imaginary parts of the transform result, the coordinates for the characters are calculated. (3) The two‐dimensional Fourier transformation is performed for the subpictures determined by the character period. The entire document is scanned and the regions are detected by determining the existence of the peak corresponding to the character‐line period. It is shown by experiment that the angle of the line can be detected with accuracy within 2 degrees between ‐45 and +45 degrees. An experiment was performed for the image (journal article and patent document) composed of graphics and photographs, and it is verified that the method can extract the regions with sufficient accuracy.
Analysis of line drawings based on automatically inferred grammar and its application to chest X‐ray images
Authors: Nakayama Akira , Yoshida Yuuji , Fukumura Teruo 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper proposes a syntactic method of analysis for line drawings, which extracts the required line drawings from the noisy ones and represents them as a set of strings. The method utilizes the generative grammar, which is inferred automatically. In the proposed method of analysis, the noise and the irregular components in the symbol string are separated and smoothed out based on syntactic information, making it possible to extract the required line drawings. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, it is applied to the extraction of the rib‐center (costal) pattern from 30 thinned chest X‐ray images. The result indicated the usefulness of the proposed method.
Optimization of functional language ASL/F programs
Authors: Seki Hiroyuki , Taniguchi Kenichi , Kasami Tadao 
Published: July 2007

AbstractFunctional languages are known to have such advantages as simply defined semantics. However little study has been made regarding compilation or optimization methods for efficient execution on a conventional machine. This paper formulates some optimization methods compiling a functional language ASL/F program into an object program in a procedural language, and further gives some sufficient conditions to perform these optimizations. It introduces “needed‐argument‐first computation” and “globalization of sorts (data types),” which are new optimization methods and have not been discussed before. Sample programs which are compiled and executed by an experimental compiler perform these optimization methods, as well as elimination of duplicated computation for common subterms, elimination of tail recursion, and rewriting in compilation. These experimental results show that execution time and dynamic memory space requirement of the object program are reduced by these optimizations and the program can be executed in almost the same time as an equivalent program written in a procedural language such as PASCAL.
An n‐dimensional region data management system using combined tree structures
Authors: Ohsawa Yutaka , Sakauchi Masao 
Published: July 2007

AbstractIn this paper we describe management system for region data using tree structures. Though the region data are divided into spatial data and alpha‐numerical data, we are primarily concerned with the management of spatial data. In the proposed method the cellular data obtained by partitioning them into equally spaced meshes (the cells have regional IDs as values) are managed by using combined two‐step binary tree structures. First, the three structures of the first step (primary structures) are constructed with the following procedure. (1) The object plane is recursively partitioned into two equal parts alternating vertically and horizontally, so that the number of kinds of regions contained in a small rectangle is two or less. (2) This partition procedure is represented by using a tree structure with two children (degree 2). Also, a secondary structure serves to distinguish the patterns of two regions in a rectangle given by a leaf of the primary structure and the representation by a simplified binary tree is used. The tree structures have the following characteristics. (1) Since global data on the whole object plane are obtained by the primary structure, range search can be conducted efficiently. (2) By using the simplified binary tree representation for the secondary structures, the total number of nodes is reduced to less than one half of that in an ordinary binary tree representation. (3) Since the operations for searching or overlaying are simplified, they can be executed at high speed.
An algorithm to perform the rank filter and its applications
Authors: Nakayama Tadayoshi , Yokoi Shigeki , Toriwaki Jun‐ichiro 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThe median filter is used frequently in image processing for smoothing while retaining edges. This paper describes an efficient method to calculate the rank filter, which is a generalization of the median filter and includes it as a special case. The presented method is simpler than the method proposed previously by Danielsson. A strict proof is given for its validity. An application to the construction of a logical circuit realizing the algorithm is also described.
A restoration algorithm of fingerprint images
Authors: Nakamura Osamu , Nagaoka Yoshihiro , Minami Toshi 
Published: July 2007

AbstractThis paper discusses noise elimination and restoration of the ridge structure of fingerprints in preprocessing for automatic fingerprint identification. The basic idea is as follows. The object image is partitioned into 64 × 64 unit regions with 8 pixels as edge. After estimating the locations of the ridges and valleys the restoration is performed by gray‐scale correction with different weights for each location. The processing is roughly divided as follows: (1) separation of background; (2) detection of ridge direction (quantized in 8 directions); (3) detection of ridge and valley locations; and (4) correction of gray‐scale value. Processing (2) greatly affects the later accuracy of detection and correction and requires high accuracy. In this paper the direction of the ridges is estimated hierarchically both from the local and global views and then is corrected by applying stochastic relaxation. As a result of experiment for 28 fingers (75903 unit regions) 99.00% of the estimates were within direction error of 0 and ±1. Considering that true correspondence of feature points was achieved for more than 73% between the later processed result and the original image, the above value is quite satisfactory for identification, verifying the usefulness of the proposed method.