bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The interaction with Sp1 and reduction in the activity of histone deacetylase 1 are critical for the constitutive gene expression of IL-1α in human melanoma cells
Authors: Enya Kazuaki , Hayashi Hidetoshi , Takii Takemasa , Ohoka Nobumichi , Kanata Shinya , Okamoto Takashi , Onozaki Kikuo 
Published: September 2007

AbstractA375-6 human melanoma cells are sensitive to the antiproliferative effect of IL-1. After a long period of culturing, we have obtained cells resistant to IL-1. The resistant clone A375-R8 constitutively produced IL-1α. In this study, we identified a sequence, CGCC, located at −48 to −45 upstream of the transcription start site, to be essential for the constitutive IL-1α gene activation. Specificity protein 1 (Sp1) and Sp3 bound to the nucleotide containing the sequence. Although the binding level to the nucleotide and expression level of Sp1 and Sp3 are comparable in A375-R8 and A375-6 cells, transactivation activity of Sp1 is higher in A375-R8 cells as compared with A375-6 cells. Sp3 could not transactivate the IL-1α promoter. These results suggest that Sp1 but not Sp3 is important for IL-1α gene activation. Trichostatin A (TSA), an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC), greatly augmented the IL-1α promoter activity in A375-6 cells to the level comparable with that in A375-R8 cells. TSA also induced IL-1α mRNA expression in A375-6 cells. Sp1 and Sp3 bound to HDAC1 in A375-R8 and A375-6 cells. The chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed the binding of Sp1 and HDAC1 to the promoter region of the IL-1α gene. The activities of HDAC bound to Sp1 and Sp3, and that of HDAC1 was lower in A375-R8 cells as compared with A375-6 cells. These results indicate that the reduction in the activity and interaction of HDAC1 with Sp1 are critical for the constitutive IL-1α gene expression.
A regulatory role of interleukin 15 in wound healing and mucosal infection in mice
Authors: Kagimoto Yoshiko , Yamada Hisakata , Ishikawa Takahiro , Maeda Naoyoshi , Goshima Fumi , Nishiyama Yukihiro , Furue Masutaka , Yoshikai Yasunobu 
Published: September 2007

AbstractIL-15 plays a critical role in the development and maturation of γδ intraepithelial T lymphocytes (IEL), which are known to play important roles in wound healing and resolving inflammation in mice. In this study, we found that IL-15 transgenic (Tg) mice, under the control of a MHC Class I promoter, exhibited accelerated wound healing but were highly susceptible to genital infection with HSV-2. The IEL in the skin and reproductive organs of IL-15 Tg mice produced an aberrantly higher level of TGF-β1 upon TCR triggering than in control mice. In vivo neutralization of TGF-β ameliorated the susceptibility of IL-15 Tg mice to genital HSV-2 infection. Taken together, overexpression of IL-15 may stimulate IEL to produce TGF-β1, promoting wound healing but impeding protection against genital HSV-2 infection.
Chronic alcohol consumption perturbs the balance between thymus-derived and bone marrow-derived natural killer cells in the spleen
Authors: Zhang Hui , Meadows Gary G 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAlcohol consumption reduces peripheral NK cell numbers and compromises NK cell cytolytic activity; however, the underlying mechanism is not understood completely. It was found recently that the peripheral NK cell pool consists largely of bone marrow (BM)-derived and thymus-derived cells, which are phenotypically and functionally different. The effects of alcohol consumption on these subpopulations have not been studied previously. Using a well-established alcohol-feeding model, we found that chronic alcohol consumption decreases the percentage and number of peripheral NK cells, especially those expressing a mature phenotype. Alcohol consumption did not alter NK cells in the thymus. NK cells in the BM were increased significantly; however, proliferation rate was not altered by alcohol consumption, which increased CD127+ and decreased Ly49D+ NK cells in the spleen but not in the BM. Chronic alcohol consumption increased IFN-γ-producing NK cells and GATA-3 expression in splenic NK cells. Collectively, these results indicate that chronic alcohol consumption perturbs the balance between thymus-derived and BM-derived NK cells. The increased proportion of thymus-derived NK cells in the spleen likely results from impaired NK cell release from the BM.
Fetomaternal Alloimmunization with Antenatal Glomerulopathies
Authors: DEBIEC HANNA , RONCO PIERRE 
Published: October 2007

Abstract:
Fetomaternal alloimmunization with antenatal glomerulopathies (FMAIG) is a recently described alloimmune disorder, which results from maternal antibodies that cross the placenta, bind to fetal glomerular podocytes, and mediate renal disease. The pathogenic antibodies are directed against neutral endopeptidase (NEP). The infant's mother is NEP‐deficient and thus she becomes immunized during pregnancy against NEP expressed by placental cells. Because future pregnancies in NEP‐immunized mothers are at high risk for the fetus, detection of anti‐NEP antibodies in pregnant mothers and antigen‐driven therapies including induction of mucosal tolerance, are urgently needed. This ideally requires identification of the pathogenic epitopes born by the antigen. We have recently characterized two linear B cell epitopes on the NEP that are specifically recognized by the mother's antibodies. The identification of these B cell epitopes is useful for diagnostic tests and may lead to future development of new therapeutic approaches based on peptide‐specific immune intervention.
Treatment of BXSB‐Yaa Mice with IL‐21R‐Fc Fusion Protein Minimally Attenuates Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: BUBIER J.A. , BENNETT S.M. , SPROULE T.J. , LYONS B.L. , OLLAND S. , YOUNG D.A. , ROOPENIAN D.C. 
Published: October 2007

Abstract:
Interleukin‐21 (IL‐21) is a pleiotropic cytokine whose function is only now being unraveled. Abundant evidence indicates that activated CD4 T cells are the primary, if not the only, source of IL‐21. While it is clear that IL‐21 is actively transcribed by naïve activated T cells, recent studies have shown that IL‐21 potentially promotes a developmental shift of naïve T cells toward the Th2 phenotype. BXSB‐Yaa mice develop an autoimmune syndrome similar to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), affecting males earlier than females on account of the presence of the Yaa (Y‐linked autoimmune acceleration) locus. Previous results indicate the elevation of IL‐21 expression by BXSB‐Yaa mice at an age when the early characteristics of autoimmune processes first become evident. We set out to determine whether IL‐21 was necessary for disease progression in BXSB‐Yaa mice. Mice were treated for 24 weeks with soluble IL‐21R‐Fc in order to therapeutically neutralize the IL‐21 present. The results overall suggest a biphasic effect of IL‐21, negatively influencing survival early on and positively influencing survival at later stages. We propose that IL‐21 exerts a pleiotropic effect in which it promotes the protective effects of CD8+ suppressor cells in the early disease phase and then promotes the humoral components of SLE in the later disease stages. This experiment provides preliminary evidence for a role of IL‐21 in modulating the severity of SLE in BXSB‐Yaa mice.
A Critique of a Method to Determine Long-Term Decline of Coral Reef Ecosystems
Authors: Ridd Peter V. 
Published: September 2007

The supposedly already-degraded state of coral reef ecosystems is sometimes claimed to be a reason why anthropogenic global warming will have a major impact on the reefs, i.e. they are already close to extinction and can easily be tipped over the edge. Recently published work by Pandolfi et al. (2003) in Science has outlined a method for measuring the decline of coral reef ecosystems throughout the world according to which the outer and inner Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are claimed to be 28% and 36% respectively, down the path towards ecological extinction. This is a highly significant claim given the important status of the GBR, so the result deserves attention and objective scrutiny. This paper sets out to scrutinise the methodology used by Pandolfi et al. (2003) under four headings: (i) the guilds are poorly weighted and focus largely on human target species, rather than species that are ecologically important to reefs; (ii) the numerical scale used to “measure” the state of the reefs is not well-founded and hence distorts the result; (iii) the analysis fails to recognize that the GBR is of relatively recent origin and therefore never existed in the pre-human/pristine cultural period as defined by PAN; and (iv) in many cases it is doubtful that the literature cited demonstrates the claimed decline in ecological state. It is concluded that the work of Pandolfi et al. (2003) cannot be used as justification that the Great Barrier Reef has lost significant resilience, or that it is particularly susceptible to global warming because of its present supposedly degraded state.
Design and Development of Utilization Factor for Solar Absorption Cooling System
Authors: Mittal V. , Thakur N.S. 
Published: September 2007

One approach to the problem of determining economic solar air conditioning/heating system designs is to use computer simulations directly as a design tool. However, the use of computer simulations to aid in the design of every solar air conditioning/heating application is not satisfactory for those engineers and designers who do not have access to computer facilities. As a result, a simplified design procedure will be required for use by the engineers and designers when dealing with solar air conditioning/heating systems. In this paper a utilization factor which reflects the long term performance of a solar absorption cooling has been defined and developed and then simulation studies are performed to develop a correlation between the utilization factor for cooling and the important parameters of the solar air conditioning system. The result is a simple method requiring only monthly average meteorological data which can be used to estimate the utilization factor for cooling of a solar air conditioning system as a function of the major system design parameters.
Global Warming: The Social Construction of a Quasi-Reality?
Authors: Ambler Dennis 
Published: September 2007

The pressure to prove that anthropogenic global warming is real, and happening now has become so strong, that in spite of major and irresolvable uncertainties in climate models, there is a daily renewal and re-inforcement of the idea of scientific certainty in the mainstream media. Whilst uncertainties are often acknowledged in the body of scientific reports, they are rarely seen in press releases and executive summaries. This paper examines how an almost mass acceptance of imminent and potentially catastrophic global warming by politicians, the media and the public, has come about and highlights the role of various UK agencies such as the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the Met Office in producing this result.
Experiment Setup for Shear Wave and Electrical Resistance Measurements in an Oedometer
Authors: Lee Changho , Lee Jong-Sub , Lee Woojin , Cho Tae-Hyeon 
Published: October 2007

Abstract
The development of a new laboratory oedometer cell, which includes bender elements and an electrical resistance probe, is documented. The apparatus is used to evaluate consolidation characteristics such as primary consolidation, anisotropy, void ratio, and the preconsolidation stress by using the elastic and electromagnetic waves. Bender elements are installed on the top cap and the bottom plate and are also mounted on the wall of the oedometer cell. The electrical resistance probe is positioned onto the top cap of the oedometer cell. The primary consolidation time can be assessed with the evolution of shear wave velocity and the slope of the resistance-log time curve. The increment of the shear wave velocity, which propagates along the long axis of particles, is higher when the vertical effective stress is higher than the preconsolidation stress. The preconsolidation stress is confirmed by the relationship between the void ratio and the electrical resistance, and cementation and stress controlled regions are confirmed with the shear wave velocity. The electrical resistance linearly increases with the vertical effective stress in the stress controlled region. This study suggests that the shear wave velocity and electrical resistance provide complementary information about primary consolidation, anisotropy, void ratio, and the preconsolidation stress.
The Longue Durée of Racial Fixity and the Transformative Conjunctures of Racial Blending
Authors: Whitten Norman E. 
Published: September 2007

The new human beings of the modern world—español, indio, negro, mestizo, mulato, sambo—were born out of the same upheaval that made "nations," "bureaucrats," "slavers," "global merchants," and "colonies." It was the modern world's signature to etch economic dominance and political supremacy into a radical cultural design. It was also its signature to hide the social relations that were brewing supremacy and conflict behind a semblance of "race things".Irene Silverblatt (2004:5)As tends to happen with martyrs and saints, any undercurrent of doubt is usually excised from the biographies of key figures associated with the defense of Latin America's unique mesticity.Marilyn Grace Miller (2004:14)
“That's Online Writing, Not Boring School Writing”: Writing With Blogs and the Talkback Project
Authors: Witte Shelbie 
Published: October 2007

The Talkback Project used blog software to involve eighth‐grade language arts students, preservice teachers, and parents in online discussion of young adult novels and their personal connections with them. The author shares the challenges associated with the project—including the implications of Internet safety and legal concerns associated with technology integration—but argues that classroom blogging provides positive opportunities for students to
Develop their digital fluency
Strengthen traditional literacy skills
Apply real‐life 21st‐century skills in a safe and monitored environment
Supporting Students With Dyslexia at the Secondary Level: An Emotional Model of Literacy
Authors: Long Louise , MacBlain Sean , MacBlain Martin 
Published: October 2007

A 13‐year‐old male adolescent with dyslexia was studied to examine how holistic approaches to intervention can foster academic achievement and emotional well‐being. Findings suggest that appropriate strategies can empower learners and raise standards and highlight the importance of teacher empathy in enhancing the quality of the learning environment. This is best achieved through collaborative practice and whole‐school systemic work.As a follow‐up, a convenience sample of 25 dyslexic adolescents was surveyed to examine perceptions of being dyslexic and evaluations of the learning environment. Results indicated that although study skills are being taught, teachers may lack approachability and empathy. Findings are discussed in the context of the role of teachers in promoting student engagement and enhancing self‐efficacy. Strategies are suggested for empowering learners, promoting self‐esteem, and modifying the learning environment to provide student‐centered, affective, and social‐academic pathways.
“School” Reading and Multiple Texts: Examining the Metacognitive Development of Secondary‐Level Preservice Teachers
Authors: Lesley Mellinee , Watson Patricia , Elliot Susan 
Published: October 2007

This practitioner‐research study investigated the reading behaviors of preservice teachers from diverse content disciplines as they engaged in reading multiple texts pertaining to a historical topic. Through participant‐observer field notes, reader response journals, reflective essays, and participant debriefing, the authors examined the metacognitive awareness of students enrolled in a content area literacy course for preservice, secondary‐level teachers.Results indicated that prospective teachers relied predominantly on a limited number of metacognitive strategies and engaged in reading behavior ranging from skimming and incomplete reading practices to not reading at all. This trend of engaging in less proficient or “pseudo‐reading” strategies points to similarities in the reading behaviors and identities of these preservice teachers and of struggling readers described in many pedagogical theories surrounding content area literacy instruction. This study offers an explanation for the resistance secondary preservice teachers often exhibit toward content area literacy methods.
Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor α interacts with estrogen receptor α and influences estrogen responsiveness
Authors: El Marzouk Saad , Schultz-Norton Jennifer R , Likhite Varsha S , McLeod Ian X , Yates John R , Nardulli Ann M 
Published: October 2007

AbstractEstrogen receptor α (ERα) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates expression of estrogen-responsive genes. Upon binding of the ligand-occupied ERα to estrogen response elements (EREs) in DNA, the receptor interacts with a variety of coregulatory proteins to modulate transcription of target genes. We have isolated and identified a number of proteins associated with the DNA-bound ERα. One of these proteins, Rho guanosine diphosphate (GDP) dissociation inhibitor α (RhoGDIα), is a negative regulator of the Rho family of GTP-binding proteins. In this study, we demonstrate that endogenously expressed RhoGDIα is present in the nucleus as well as the cytoplasm of MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and that RhoGDIα binds directly to ERα, alters the ERα–ERE interaction, and influences the ability of ERα to regulate transcription of a heterologous estrogen-responsive reporter plasmid in transient transfection assays as well as endogenous, estrogen-responsive genes in MCF-7 cells. Our studies suggest that, in addition to the activity of RhoGDIα in the cytoplasm, it also influences ERα signaling in the nucleus.
LEARNING FROM LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: MODELING THE PASTORAL‐NOMADIC RANGE MANAGEMENT OF THE HIMBA, NAMIBIA
Authors: Müller Birgit , Linstädter Anja , Frank Karin , Bollig Michael , Wissel Christian 
Published: October 2007

It is widely accepted that successful grazing management strategies in semiarid ecosystems need to be adapted to the highly temporal and spatially heterogeneous forage production. Nevertheless, a full understanding of the key factors and processes for sustainable adaptive management has yet to be reached. The investigation of existing, successful range management systems by simulation models may help to derive general understanding and basic principles.The semi‐nomadic Himba in northern Namibia applied a sophisticated management system until the mid‐1990s which combined season‐dependent pasture use (resulting in rainy‐season pastures and dry‐season pastures), preservation of reserves for drought and sanctions for rule breaking. A stochastic ecological simulation model has been developed here which represents the main aspects of this management system. With this model we analyze (1) which components of the traditional Himba strategy are essential for sustainability and (2) what happens to the state of the rangeland system under socioeconomic changes.This study shows that temporally and spatially heterogeneous pasture use yields higher productivity and quality of a pasture area than the pressure of homogeneous permanent grazing. Two aspects are of importance: (1) intra‐annual heterogeneous use (resting of the dry‐season pastures during the rainy season) and (2) interannual heterogeneous use (spatial extension of grazing in years of drought). This management system leads to an effective build‐up and use of a buffer in the system: the reserve biomass (the non‐photosynthetic reserve organs of the plants), an indicator for grazing and management history.Analyzing purchase as one form of socioeconomic change, we demonstrate that easier market access to purchase livestock may lead to a decline in vegetation quality. However, cattle production increases as long as rest periods on parts of the pasture during the rainy season are granted.Methodologically, we emphasize that simulation models offer an excellent framework for analyzing and depicting basic principles in sustainable range management derived from local knowledge. They provide the opportunity of testing whether these basic principles are also valid under different ecological and socioeconomic settings.
Neuritin Mediates Nerve Growth Factor–Induced Axonal Regeneration and Is Deficient in Experimental Diabetic Neuropathy
Authors: Karamoysoyli Eugenia , Burnand Rebecca C. , Tomlinson David R. , Gardiner Natalie J. 
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE—Axonal regeneration is defective in both experimental and clinical diabetic neuropathy, contributing to loss of axonal extremities and neuronal dysfunction. The mechanisms behind this failure are not fully understood; however, a deficit in neurotrophic support and signaling has been implicated.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We investigated the expression of neuritin (also known as candidate plasticity gene 15, cpg15) in the sensory nervous system of control rats and rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes using microarray PCR, Western blotting, and immunocytochemical analysis. The functional role of neuritin in sensory neurons in vitro was assessed using silencing RNA.
RESULTS—Neuritin was expressed by a population of small-diameter neurons in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and was anterogradely and retrogradely transported along the sciatic nerve in vivo. Nerve growth factor (NGF) treatment induced an increase in the transcription and translation of neuritin in sensory neurons in vitro. This increase was both time and dose dependent and occurred via mitogen-activated protein kinase or phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase activation. Inhibition of neuritin using silencing RNA abolished NGF-mediated neurite outgrowth, demonstrating the crucial role played by neuritin in mediating regeneration. Neuritin levels were reduced in both the DRG and sciatic nerve of rats with 12 weeks of STZ-induced diabetes, and these deficits were reversed in vivo by treatment with NGF.
CONCLUSIONS—Manipulation of neuritin levels in diabetes may therefore provide a potential target for therapeutic intervention in the management of neuropathy.
Synthesis and Surface Engineering of Complex Nanostructures by Atomic Layer Deposition
Authors: Knez M. , Nielsch K. , Niinistö L. 
Published: October 2007

AbstractAtomic layer deposition (ALD) has recently become the method of choice for the semiconductor industry to conformally process extremely thin insulating layers (high‐k oxides) onto large‐area silicon substrates. ALD is also a key technology for the surface modification of complex nanostructured materials. After briefly introducing ALD, this Review will focus on the various aspects of nanomaterials and their processing by ALD, including nanopores, nanowires and ‐tubes, nanopatterning and nanolaminates as well as low‐temperature ALD for organic nanostructures and biomaterials. Finally, selected examples will be given of device applications, illustrating recent innovative approaches of how ALD can be used in nanotechnology.
Solvent‐free reactions of alcohols with β‐dicarbonyl compounds catalyzed by iron(III) chloride
Authors: Yuan Yu , Shi Zhuangzhi , Feng Xuan , Liu Xiangnong 
Published: October 2007

AbstractThe direct substitution of alcohols and β‐dicarbonyl compounds was catalyzed with FeCl3 under solvent‐free conditions. The catalyst loading could be decreased to 0.01 mol% at high activities. It was shown that the reaction proceeded in two steps via the etherification of the alcohols. This method provided an easy and practical procedure for CC bond formation.Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.