bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clusterin is highly expressed in pancreatic endocrine tumours but not in solid pseudopapillary tumours
Authors: Mourra N , Couvelard A , Tiret E , Olschwang S , Flejou J‐F 
Published: January 2007

Aims:  Clusterin is a sulphated glycoprotein, implicated in many processes, including tumorigenesis. Several studies have reported its overexpression in many human neoplasms, including prostatic and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, but its expression has not been described previously in other pancreatic tumours. Our aim was to investigate the expression of clusterin by immunohistochemistry in 30 endocrine pancreatic tumours (ENTs) and 22 solid pseudopapillary tumours (SPPTs) to document its potential in differential diagnosis, and the possible correlation between this expression and clinicopathological parameters.Methods and results:  Cytoplasmic positivity was scored qualitatively (weak, moderate or strong immunoreactivity) and quantitatively on a four‐tiered scale. The pattern of immunoreactivity (cytoplasmic, secretory or Golgi pattern) was also assessed. Except for scattered tumour cells in five cases, all SPPTs were negative, while all ENTs showed strong immunoreactivity in a variable proportion of tumour cells. Neither the reactivity score nor the pattern of immunoreactivity was correlated with tumour size, vascular permeation, perineural invasion or lymph node metastasis.Discussion:  The expression of clusterin in all ENTs is of interest and could be an additional useful marker in the differential diagnosis with SPPTs. However, the lack of correlation between clusterin expression and clinicopathological parameters rules out a role as a predictive marker for endocrine tumour aggressiveness.
An assessment of endemism and species richness patterns in the Australian Anura
Authors: Slatyer Cameron , Rosauer Dan , Lemckert Francis 
Published: January 2007

AbstractAim To assemble a continental‐scale data set of all available anuran records and investigate trends in endemism and species richness for the Anura.Location Continental Australia.Methods 97,338 records were assembled, covering 75% of the continent. A neighbourhood analysis was applied to recorded locations for each species to measure richness and endemism for each half‐degree grid square (c.50 km) in the continent. This analysis was performed for all anurans, and also for each of the three main anuran families found in Australia. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to test a null hypothesis that observed centres of endemism could result simply from an unstructured overlapping of species ranges of different sizes.Results Eleven main centres of anuran endemism were identified, the most important being the Wet Tropics and the south‐west near Bunbury‐Augusta and near Walpole. With the exception of south‐western Australia, all of the identified significant endemic centres are in the northern half of the continent. The regions identified as significant for endemism differed from those identified for species richness and are more localized. Species richness is greatest in the Wet Tropics and the Border Ranges. High species richness also occurs in several areas not previously identified along the east and northern coasts.Main conclusions Weighted endemism provides a new approach for determining significant areas for anuran conservation in Australia and areas can be identified that could be targeted for beneficial conservation gains. Patterns in endemism were found to vary markedly between the three main anuran families, and south‐eastern Australia was found to be far less significant than indicated by previous studies. The need for further survey work in inland Australia is highlighted and several priority areas suggested. Our results for species richness remain broadly consistent with trends previously observed for the Australian Anura.
Grey‐scale conversion X‐ray mapping by EDS of multielement and multiphase layered microstructures
Authors: DAHL K. V. , HALD J. , HORSEWELL A. 
Published: February 2007

SummaryA procedure for grey‐scale conversion of energy dispersive spectroscopy X‐ray maps has been developed, which is particularly useful for the plotting of line composition profiles across modified layered engineering surfaces. The method involves (a) the collection of grey‐scale elemental maps, (b) the calculation of mean grey‐scale levels along strips parallel to the layered microstructure and (c) the conversion of grey‐scale line profiles into composition line profiles. As an example of the grey‐scale conversion method and its advantages for multielement and multiphase layered microstructures, the procedure has been applied to a layered microstructure that results from a plasma‐sprayed metallic MCrAlY coating onto a nickel‐superalloy turbine blade. As a further demonstration of the accuracy and amount of compositional data that can be obtained with this procedure, measured compositional profiles have been obtained for several long‐term isothermal heat treatments in which significant interdiffusion has taken place. The resulting composition profiles have greatly improved counting statistics compared to traditional point‐by‐point scans for the same scanning electron microscope time and may be considered as a rapid alternative to energy dispersive spectroscopy spectrum imaging. The composition profiles obtained may be conveniently compared with results of multicomponent thermodynamic modelling of interdiffusion.
Phylogeography of the mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli): diversification, introgression, and expansion in response to Quaternary climate change
Authors: SPELLMAN GARTH M. , RIDDLE BRETT , KLICKA JOHN 
Published: February 2007

AbstractSince the late 1990s, molecular techniques have fuelled debate about the role of Pleistocene glacial cycles in structuring contemporary avian diversity in North America. The debate is still heated; however, there is widespread agreement that the Pleistocene glacial cycles forced the repeated contraction, fragmentation, and expansion of the North American biota. These demographic processes should leave genetic ‘footprints’ in modern descendants, suggesting that detailed population genetic studies of contemporary species provide the key to elucidating the impact of the late Quaternary (late Pleistocene–Holocene). We present an analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in the mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli) in an attempt to examine the genetic evidence of the impact of the late Quaternary glacial cycles. Phylogenetic analyses reveal two strongly supported clades ofP. gambeli: an Eastern Clade (Rocky Mountains and Great Basin) and a Western Clade (Sierra Nevada and Cascades). Post‐glacial introgression is apparent between these two clades in the Mono Lake region of Central California. Within the Eastern Clade there is evidence of isolation‐by‐distance in the Rocky Mountain populations, and of limited gene flow into and around the Great Basin. Coalescent analysis of genetic variation in the Western Clade indicates that northern (Sierra Nevada/Cascades) and southern (Transverse/Peninsular Ranges) populations have been isolated and evolving independently for nearly 60 000 years.
A suite of sucrose transporters expressed in coats of developing legume seeds includes novel pH‐independent facilitators
Authors: Zhou Yuchan , Qu Hongxia , Dibley Katherine E. , Offler Christina E. , Patrick John W. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryA suite of newly discovered sucrose transporter genes, PsSUF1, PsSUF4, PvSUT1 and PvSUF1, were isolated from the coats of developing pea (Pisum sativum L.) and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seeds. Sequence analysis indicated that deduced proteins encoded by PsSUF1, PvSUT1 and PvSUF1 clustered in a separate sub‐group under sucrose transporter Clade I, whereas the deduced protein encoded by PsSUF4 clustered in Clade II. When expressed in yeast, these genes were shown to encode sucrose transporters with apparent Michaelis Menten constant (Km) values ranging from 8.9 to 99.8 mm. PvSUT1 exhibited functional characteristics of a sucrose/H+ symporter. In contrast, PsSUF1, PvSUF1 and PsSUF4 supported the pH‐ and energy independent transport of sucrose that was shown to be bi‐directional. These transport properties, together with that of counter transport, indicated that PsSUF1, PvSUF1 and PsSUF4 function as carriers that support the facilitated diffusion of sucrose. Carrier function was unaffected by diethylpyrocarbonate and by maltose competition, suggesting that the sucrose binding sites of these transporters differed from those of known sucrose/H+ symporters. All sucrose transporters were expressed throughout the plant and, of greatest interest, were co‐expressed in cells considered responsible for sucrose efflux from seed coats. The possible roles played by the novel facilitators in sucrose efflux from seed coats are discussed.
Characterization of the extracellular γ‐glutamyl transpeptidases, GGT1 and GGT2, in Arabidopsis
Authors: Ohkama‐Ohtsu Naoko , Radwan Safaa , Peterson Annita , Zhao Ping , Badr Abdel Fattah , Xiang Chengbin , Oliver David J. 
Published: February 2007

Summaryγ‐Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) is the only enzyme known that can cleave the γ‐peptide bond between glutamate and cysteine in glutathione, and is therefore a key step in glutathione degradation. There are three functional GGT genes in Arabidopsis, two of which are considered here. GGT1 and GGT2 are apoplastic, associated with the plasma membrane and/or cell wall. RNA blots and analysis of enzyme activity in knockout mutants suggest that GGT1 is expressed most strongly in leaves but is found throughout the plant. A GGT1::GUS fusion construct showed expression only in vascular tissue, specifically the phloem of the mid‐rib and minor veins of leaves, roots and flowers. This localization was confirmed in leaves by laser microdissection. GGT2 expression is limited to embryo, endosperm, outer integument, and a small portion of the funiculus in developing siliques. The ggt2 mutants had no detectable phenotype, while the ggt1 knockouts were smaller and flowered sooner than wild‐type. In ggt1 plants, the cotyledons and older leaves yellowed early, and GSSG, the oxidized form of glutathione, accumulated in the apoplastic space. These observations suggest that GGT1 is important in preventing oxidative stress by metabolizing extracellular GSSG, while GGT2 might be important in transporting glutathione into developing seeds.
Nicotinamidase participates in the salvage pathway of NAD biosynthesis in Arabidopsis
Authors: Wang Guodong , Pichersky Eran 
Published: February 2007

SummaryNicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), which is derived from NAD, have important roles as a redox carriers in metabolism. A combination of de novo and salvage pathways contribute to the biosynthesis of NAD in all organisms. The pathways and enzymes of the NAD salvage pathway in yeast and animals, which diverge at nicotinamide, have been extensively studied. Yeast cells convert nicotinamide to nicotinic acid, while mammals lack the enzyme nicotinamidase and instead convert nicotinamide to nicotinamide mononucleotide. Here we show that Arabidopsis thaliana gene At2g22570 encodes a nicotinamidase, which is expressed in all tissues, with the highest levels observed in roots and stems. The 244‐residue protein, designated AtNIC1, converts nicotinamide to nicotinic acid and has a Km value of 118 ± 17 μm and a Kcat value of 0.93 ± 0.13 sec−1. Plants homozygous for a null AtNIC1 allele, nic1‐1, have lower levels of NAD and NADP under normal growth conditions, indicating that AtNIC1 participates in a yeast‐type NAD salvage pathway. Mutant plants also exhibit hypersensitivity to treatments of abscisic acid and NaCl, which is correlated with their inability to increase the cellular levels of NAD(H) under these growth conditions, as occurs in wild‐type plants. We also show that the growth of the roots of wild‐type but not nic1‐1 mutant plants is inhibited and distorted by nicotinamide.
The post‐operative analgesic effects of a combination of gabapentin and paracetamol in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Durmus M. , Kadir But A. , Saricicek V. , Ilksen Toprak H. , Ozcan Ersoy M. 
Published: January 2007

Background:  The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of a combination of gabapentin and paracetamol with gabapentin alone and placebo on post‐operative pain and morphine consumption.Methods:  Seventy‐five ASA I–II patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy were included in the study and randomly divided into three groups. Placebo capsules (Group I, n= 25), 1200 mg of gabapentin (Group II, n= 25), or 1200 mg of gabapentin and 20 mg/kg paracetamol in combination (Group III, n= 25) were administered 1 h prior to surgery. Anaesthesia was standardized for all patients. Non‐invasive arterial pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, morphine consumption, nausea and vomiting, visual analogue scale‐pain intensity scores (VAS‐PI) and sedation scores were recorded at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 24 h following the operation.Results:  Morphine consumption at 24 h was 66.60 ± 11.49 mg, 42.74 ± 12.33 mg and 30.50 ± 11.55 mg, respectively, in groups I, II and III (P < 0.05). Post‐operative VAS‐PI scores at movement and at rest were decreased with gabapentin and even more with a combination of gabapentin and paracetamol. Post‐operative sedation scores were higher in groups II and III during the initial 4 h while these scores were higher in group I at 24 h.Conclusions:  The single dose of gabapentin as well as a combination of gabapentin and paracetamol decreased the opioid requirement and increased the patients’ satisfaction post‐operatively.
Parapharyngeal abscess by Aspergillus flavus in a neutropenic patient with myelogenous leukaemia
Authors: Evison John , Blaser Beat , Stauffer Edouard , Mühlemann Kathrin 
Published: February 2007

SummaryThis is the first description of an Aspergillus infection of the parapharyngeal space. A high degree of clinical suspicion may be needed due to the non‐specific signs and symptoms and repeated tissue biopsies for microbiological and histopathological work up may be warranted.
Enhanced resistance to Phoma tracheiphila and Botrytis cinerea in transgenic lemon plants expressing a Trichoderma harzianum chitinase gene
Authors: Gentile A. , Deng Z. , La Malfa S. , Distefano G. , Domina F. , Vitale A. , Polizzi G. , Lorito M. , Tribulato E. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractAntifungal genes from micro‐organisms were inserted into the genome of a number of plant species, representing a promising strategy for conferring genetic disease resistance against a broad range of plant pathogenic fungi. In the present study, the chit42 gene from Trichoderma harzianum (codifying the antifungal protein endochitinase) was introduced into the ‘Femminello siracusano’ lemon by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, in order to regenerate transgenic plants resistant to fungal disease. Three polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐positive clones were obtained. Southern blot confirmed the integration of the transgene in the lemon genome and revealed that one or two copies had been inserted. Reverse transcriptase‐PCR, Northern blot and Western analysis were performed and the results confirmed the expression of the inserted gene. The transgenic clones were tested in vitro and in vivo for disease resistance. Conidia germination and fungal growth of Phoma tracheiphila were strongly inhibited in vitro by the transgenic foliar proteins, while no effects were observed with the controls. Disease resistance assays were performed in vivo with Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of grey mould in fruit. Transgenic lemon plants, inoculated with lemon petals infected by a single‐conidial isolate of B. cinerea, showed significantly less lesion development than the controls. On the whole, the results indicate that the transformation with the antifungal endochitinase gene may represent a strategy for disease control in citrus crops.
Effects of Hordeum chilense cytoplasm on agronomic traits in common wheat
Authors: Atienza S. G. , Martín A. C. , Ramírez M. C. , Martín A. , Ballesteros J. 
Published: February 2007

AbstractThe genome of bread wheat, AABBDD, was substituted into the cytoplasm of Hordeum chilense by repeated backcrossing to produce alloplasmic lines. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of H. chilense cytoplasm on agronomic traits in common wheat. Three cytolines were developed. The alloplasmic nature of these lines was confirmed using chloroplast simple‐sequence repeat markers. Each cytoline was compared with its respective euplasmic control for agronomic performance during 2 years of field trials. The interaction between H. chilense cytoplasm and common wheat genome greatly affected most of the traits evaluated. Among them, alloplasmic lines showed delayed anthesis date, lower yield and lower plant height. These effects are similar to those caused by Aegilops cytoplasm. The main conclusion of this work is that H. chilense cytoplasm is of limited value for wheat breeding.
Species richness and wood production: a positive association in Mediterranean forests
Authors: Vilà Montserrat , Vayreda Jordi , Comas Lluís , Ibáñez Joan Josep , Mata Teresa , Obón Berta 
Published: February 2007

AbstractA major debate in the study of biodiversity concerns its influence on ecosystem functioning. We compared whether wood production in forests was associated with tree functional group identity (i.e. deciduous, conifer or sclerophylous), tree species richness (1–≥ 5) and tree functional group richness (1–3) by comparing more than 5000 permanent plots distributed across Catalonia (NE Spain). Deciduous forests were more productive than coniferous and sclerophylous forests. Wood production increased with tree species richness. However, functional group richness increased wood production only in sclerophylous forests. When other forest structure, environmental variables and management practices were included in the analysis, tree functional group identity and species richness still remained significant, while functional species richness did not. Our survey indicates that across a regional scale, and across a broad range of environmental conditions, a significant positive association exists between local tree species richness and wood production at least in typical early successional Mediterranean‐type forests.
Regulation and the Macroeconomy
Authors: Dawson John W. 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARYThis article uses the number of pages in the Code of Federal Regulations to investigate the empirical relationship between federal regulation and macroeconomic performance in the U.S. The analysis uses an aggregate production framework to study the co‐movement of output and the factors of production that results from regulation. The use of cointegration methodology overcomes some shortcomings of traditional techniques. The results suggest that regulation generally is negatively related to aggregate economic performance in both the short run and the long run. Some specific areas of regulation are also found to have important long‐run effects, some positive and some negative.
Time Use of the Self‐Employed
Authors: Hyytinen Ari , Ruuskanen Olli‐Pekka 
Published: January 2007

SUMMARYIt is a well‐documented empirical regularity that it is more satisfying to be self‐employed than to work as an employee for an organization. A large part of this difference in job satisfaction is attributed in the literature to the strong perception of independence by the self‐employed. In this paper we study people's time use as a source of entrepreneurial independence. By making use of disaggregated sequential microdata on people's time use, we are able to document that the self‐employed work longer effective hours, as well as more in the evenings and weekends, than those employed by an organization. Even though being able to decide when to do one's work may be a sign of flexibility in time use, the self‐employed have less pure leisure and are less frequently absent from work in general and when sick on weekdays in particular. Moreover, we document that the self‐employed who have small children are more likely to work after 5 p.m., when the com‐munal day‐care centres close. Based on these findings it is not surprising that the self‐employed perceive that they are more often under time pressure and in a hurry than those employed by an organization.
Growth and metabolism in sugarcane are altered by the creation of a new hexose‐phosphate sink
Authors: Chong Barrie Fong , Bonnett Graham D. , Glassop Donna , O'Shea Michael G. , Brumbley Stevens M. 
Published: January 2007

SummaryAn efficient in planta sugarcane‐based production system may be realized by coupling the synthesis of alternative products to the metabolic intermediates of sucrose metabolism, thus taking advantage of the sucrose‐producing capability of the plant. This was evaluated by synthesizing sorbitol in sugarcane (Saccharum hybrids) using the Malus domestica sorbitol‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase gene (mds6pdh). Mature transgenic sugarcane plants were compared with untransformed sugarcane variety Q117 by evaluation of the growth, metabolite levels and extractable activity of relevant enzymes. The average amounts of sorbitol detected in the most productive line were 120 mg/g dry weight (equivalent to 61% of the soluble sugars) in the leaf lamina and 10 mg/g dry weight in the stalk pith. The levels of enzymes involved in sucrose synthesis and cleavage were elevated in the leaves of plants accumulating sorbitol, but this did not affect sucrose accumulation in the culm. The activity of oxidative reactions in the pentose phosphate pathway and the non‐reversible glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase reaction were elevated to replenish the reducing power consumed by sorbitol synthesis. Sorbitol‐producing sugarcane generated 30%−40% less aerial biomass and was 10%−30% shorter than control lines. Leaves developed necrosis in a pattern characteristic of early senescence, and the severity was related to the relative quantity of sorbitol accumulated. When the Zymomonas mobilis glucokinase (zmglk) gene was co‐expressed with mds6pdh to increase the production of glucose‐6‐phosphate, the plants were again smaller, indicating that glucose‐6‐phosphate deficiency was not responsible for the reduced growth. In summary, sorbitol hyperaccumulation affected sugarcane growth and metabolism, but the outcome was not lethal for the plant. This work also demonstrated that impressive yields of alternative products can be generated from the intermediates of sucrose metabolism in Saccharum spp.
Looking compensates for the distance between mother and infant chimpanzee
Authors: Okamoto‐Barth Sanae , Tanaka Masayuki , Kawai Nobuyuki , Tomonaga Masaki 
Published: February 2007

Abstract The development of visual interaction between mother and infant has received much attention in developmental psychology, not only in humans, but also in non‐human primates. Recently, comparative developmental approaches have investigated whether the mechanisms that underlie these behaviors are common in primates. In the present study, we focused on the question of whether chimpanzee mother and infant replace physical contact with visual contact. To test this hypothesis, we measured non‐synchronous looking (‘looking’) between mother and infant. A unique setting, in which the mother chimpanzee stayed in one location and the infant chimpanzee moved freely, allowed us to analyze the relation between the visual interaction and the distance of a mother–infant pair during the first year of life. Our results showed that ‘looking’ increased when body contact decreased or when the distance between mother and infant increased. We also show a behavioral sequence of typical ‘secure base’ behavior, a behavior characterized by the infant regularly returning to its mother when exploring the environment. These findings imply that attachment between mother and infant chimpanzee appears to develop in a similar fashion as in humans.