bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neural correlates of arousal‐induced circadian clock resetting: hypocretin/orexin and the intergeniculate leaflet
Authors: Webb Ian C. , Patton Danica F. , Hamson Dwayne K. , Mistlberger Ralph E. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractIn Syrian hamsters, some procedures for stimulating behavioural arousal (e.g. running in a novel wheel and sleep deprivation by gentle handling with minimal activity) markedly phase‐advance circadian rhythms when applied during the middle of the daily rest period, while other arousal procedures do not (e.g. physical restraint, caffeine and modafinil). The neural basis for this differential effect of arousal procedures on clock resetting is unknown. We used c‐fos expression as a marker for neuronal activation to determine whether these arousal procedures differentially activate two nonphotic inputs to the circadian system, the thalamic intergeniculate leaflet (IGL; a proposed nonphotic gateway to the circadian clock) and the hypothalamic hypocretin system (which depolarizes arousal‐related cell groups throughout the brain and innervates both the IGL and the peri‐suprachiasmatic nucleus region). c‐FOS in hypocretin‐1‐immunoreactive neurons, in hypothalamic nonhypocretin neurons and in the IGL was significantly increased by novel wheel running, gentle handling and physical restraint, but only weakly by systemic injections of modafinil (300 mg/kg) or caffeine (75 mg/kg), at doses that are strongly alerting. Spatial analysis revealed few regional differences in the percentage of cells double‐labelled for hypocretin‐1 and c‐FOS following each treatment. These results suggest that activation of hypocretin neurons (as in the restraint condition) is not sufficient to induce phase shifts, and that gating of arousal effects on circadian clock phase may be downstream from the hypocretin system and from IGL neurons activated by these procedures.
Plant functional traits and soil carbon sequestration in contrasting biomes
Authors: De Deyn Gerlinde B. , Cornelissen Johannes H. C. , Bardgett Richard D. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractPlant functional traits control a variety of terrestrial ecosystem processes, including soil carbon storage which is a key component of the global carbon cycle. Plant traits regulate net soil carbon storage by controlling carbon assimilation, its transfer and storage in belowground biomass, and its release from soil through respiration, fire and leaching. However, our mechanistic understanding of these processes is incomplete. Here, we present a mechanistic framework, based on the plant traits that drive soil carbon inputs and outputs, for understanding how alteration of vegetation composition will affect soil carbon sequestration under global changes. First, we show direct and indirect plant trait effects on soil carbon input and output through autotrophs and heterotrophs, and through modification of abiotic conditions, which need to be considered to determine the local carbon sequestration potential. Second, we explore how the composition of key plant traits and soil biota related to carbon input, release and storage prevail in different biomes across the globe, and address the biome‐specific mechanisms by which plant trait composition may impact on soil carbon sequestration. We propose that a trait‐based approach will help to develop strategies to preserve and promote carbon sequestration.
Metabolism‐dependent taxis towards (methyl)phenols is coupled through the most abundant of three polar localized Aer‐like proteins of Pseudomonas putida
Authors: Sarand Inga , Österberg Sofia , Holmqvist Sofie , Holmfeldt Per , Skärfstad Eleonore , Parales Rebecca E. , Shingler Victoria 
Published: February 2008

SummaryComparatively little is known about directed motility of environmental bacteria to common aromatic pollutants. Here, by expressing different parts of a (methyl)phenol‐degradative pathway and the use of specific mutants, we show that taxis of Pseudomonas putida towards (methyl)phenols is dictated by its ability to catabolize the aromatic compound. Thus, in contrast to previously described chemoreceptor‐mediated chemotaxis mechanisms towards benzoate, naphthalene and toluene, taxis in response to (methyl)phenols is mediated by metabolism‐dependent behaviour. Here we show that P. putida differentially expresses three Aer‐like receptors that are all polar‐localized through interactions with CheA, and that inactivation of the most abundant Aer2 protein significantly decreases taxis towards phenolics. In addition, the participation of a sensory signal transduction protein composed of a PAS, a GGDEF and an EAL domain in motility towards these compounds is demonstrated. The results are discussed in the context of the versatility of metabolism‐dependent coupling and the necessity for P. putida to integrate diverse metabolic signals from its native heterogeneous soil and water environments.
Vitamin D improves endothelial function in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and low vitamin D levels
Authors: Sugden J. A. , Davies J. I. , Witham M. D. , Morris A. D. , Struthers A. D. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAims  To test whether a single large dose of vitamin D2 can improve endothelial function in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and low serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels.Methods  Double‐blind, parallel group, placebo‐controlled randomized trial. A single dose of 100 000 IU vitamin D2 or placebo was administered to patients with Type 2 diabetes over the winter, when levels of circulating 25‐hydroxyvitamin D were likely to be lowest. Patients were enrolled if their baseline 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level was < 50 nmol/l. Endothelial function and blood pressure were measured and fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and 8 weeks after administration of vitamin D.Results  Forty‐nine per cent of subjects screened had 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels < 50 nmol/l. Thirty‐four subjects completed the study, with a mean age of 64 years and a baseline 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level of 38.3 nmol/l. Vitamin D supplementation increased 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels by 15.3 nmol/l relative to placebo and significantly improved flow mediated vasodilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery by 2.3%. The improvement in FMD remained significant after adjusting for changes in blood pressure. Vitamin D supplementation significantly decreased systolic blood pressure by 14 mmHg compared with placebo; this did not correlate with change in FMD.Conclusions  Vitamin D insufficiency is common in patients with Type 2 diabetes during winter in Scotland. A single large dose of oral vitamin D2 improves endothelial function in patients with Type 2 diabetes and vitamin D insufficiency.
Prevalence and clinical characteristics of maternally inherited diabetes and deafness caused by the mt3243A > G mutation in young adult diabetic subjects in Sri Lanka
Authors: Katulanda P. , Groves C. J. , Barrett A. , Sheriff R. , Matthews D. R. , McCarthy M. I. , Gloyn A. L. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractAims  The maternally inherited mt3243A > G mutation is associated with a variable clinical phenotype including diabetes and deafness (MIDD). We aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of MIDD in a large South Asian cohort of young adult‐onset diabetic patients from Sri Lanka.Methods  DNA was available from 994 subjects (age of diagnosis 16–40 years, age at recruitment ≤ 45 years). Mutation screening was performed using a QRT‐PCR method on an ABI 7900HT system using sequence‐specific probes. Samples with heteroplasmy ≥ 5.0% were considered positive.Results  Nine (four males) mutation‐positive subjects were identified (prevalence 0.9%). They were diagnosed at a younger age (25.9 ± 4.8 years vs. 31.9 ± 5.6 years, P = 0.002) and were lean (body mass index [BMI] 18.7 ± 2.7 kg/m2 vs. 24.7 ± 4.0 kg/m2, P < 0.001) compared to NMCs. One mutation‐positive subject (11.1%) had metabolic syndrome, compared to 633 (64.3%) of NMCs. Insulin therapy within 6 months of diagnosis was used in four (44.0%) carriers compared to 6.9% of NMCs (P = 0.002). Combined screening criteria of any two of maternal history of diabetes, personal history of hearing impairment and family history of hearing impairment only identified five (55%) of the carriers, with a positive predictive value of 7.4%.Conclusions  The prevalence of mt3243A > G mutation among young adult‐onset diabetic subjects from Sri Lanka was 0.9%. Our study demonstrates that a maternal family history of diabetes and either a personal and/or family history of deafness only distinguish half of patients with MIDD from Sri Lankan subjects with young‐onset diabetes.
RNA interference (RNAi)‐induced suppression of nicotine demethylase activity reduces levels of a key carcinogen in cured tobacco leaves
Authors: Lewis Ramsey S. , Jack Anne M. , Morris Jerry W. , Robert Vincent J. M. , Gavilano Lily B. , Siminszky Balazs , Bush Lowell P. , Hayes Alec J. , Dewey Ralph E. 
Published: February 2008

SummaryTechnologies for reducing the levels of tobacco product constituents that may contribute to unwanted health effects are desired. Target compounds include tobacco‐specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), a class of compounds generated through the nitrosation of pyridine alkaloids during the curing and processing of tobacco. Studies have reported the TSNA N′‐nitrosonornicotine (NNN) to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals. NNN is formed via the nitrosation of nornicotine, a secondary alkaloid produced through enzymatic N‐demethylation of nicotine. Strategies to lower nornicotine levels in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) could lead to a corresponding decrease in NNN accumulation in cured leaves. The major nicotine demethylase gene of tobacco has recently been isolated. In this study, a large‐scale field trial was conducted to evaluate transgenic lines of burley tobacco carrying an RNA interference (RNAi) construct designed to inhibit the expression of this gene. Selected transgenic lines exhibited a six‐fold decrease in nornicotine content relative to untransformed controls. Analysis of cured leaves revealed a commensurate decrease in NNN and total TSNAs. The inhibition of nicotine demethylase activity is an effective means of decreasing significantly the level of a key defined animal carcinogen present in tobacco products.
A Wider Europe? The View from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine*
Authors: WHITE STEPHEN , KOROSTELEVA JULIA , MCALLISTER IAN 
Published: February 2008

AbstractOn the evidence of national surveys conducted between 2000 and 2006, there is a declining sense of European self‐identity in the three Slavic post‐Soviet republics of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Attitudes towards the European Union and the possibility of membership are broadly supportive, but with a substantial proportion who find it difficult to express a view, and substantial proportions are poorly informed in comparison with the general public in EU member or prospective member countries. Those who are better informed are more likely to favour EU membership and vice versa. Generally, socioeconomic characteristics (except for age and region) are relatively poor predictors of support for EU membership as compared with attitudinal variables. But ‘Europeanness’ should not be seen as a given, and much will depend on whether EU member countries emphasize what is common to east and west or establish ‘new dividing lines’ in place of those of the cold war.
The Treaty Reform of the EU: Constitutional Agenda‐Setting, Intergovernmental Bargains and the Presidency's Crisis Management of Ratification Failure*
Authors: KÖNIG THOMAS , DAIMER STEPHANIE , FINKE DANIEL 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThis study empirically investigates the two options which were considered by the German presidency for finding a solution to the crisis of the EU's reform process. Our findings reveal that making concessions to the remaining eight ratification countries and renegotiating the text with all Member States were feasible solutions for reform.
The EU's Political Conditionality and Post‐Accession Tendencies: Comparisons from Slovakia and Latvia
Authors: PRIDHAM GEOFFREY 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe EU's political conditionality during the 2004 enlargement process recorded significant progress but imperfect implementation. But what has happened since post‐Communist countries joined the EU three years ago now that the leverage of Brussels has ceased? This article develops an analytical approach to answer this question and applies it to the two cases of Slovakia and Latvia during the first three years of membership, showing some further progress with conditionality matters but also a rather mixed picture. Altogether, there is no common pattern whereby conditionalty loses momention and becomes unscrambled even though the drive behind enlargement has been the crucial force driving conditionality policy.
What do ‘Europeans’ Think? Analyses of the European Union's Current Crisis by European Elites*
Authors: ROSS GEORGE 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe EU has been in ‘crisis’ at least since the 2005 referendums. This article presents different explanations for crisis held by high‐level EU insiders, based on in‐depth interviews with ‘Europeans’, people whose lives have been deeply invested in the EU through careers either committed to ‘building Europe’ or to observing Europe's building sites professionally. The results demonstrate a variety of causal stories that explain the present situation, the conviction that the EU is entering a new and very different era and pervasive sense of pessimism, all in the form of penetrating analyses.
Fresh cheese from camel milk coagulated with Camifloc
Authors: EL ZUBEIR IBTISAM E M , JABREEL SAMAH O 
Published: February 2008

ABSTRACT Camel milk was processed into cheese using Camifloc and calcium chloride. Two types of cheeses were produced from camel milk, using Camifloc (CF cheese) and CaCl2 in addition to Camifloc (CFCC cheese). The study revealed the usefulness of Camifloc in coagulation of camel milk. The time of coagulation was found to be about 2–3 h, and the yield of CFCC cheese was found to be higher than the CF cheese, while a shelf life of 4 days was obtained for both cheeses. Both cheeses showed nonsignificant variations in compositional content except for the percentages of protein and ash, which showed significant differences at P < 0.001 and P < 0.05. Sensory evaluation by taste panellists was conducted to determine the acceptability of cheeses during the storage periods. Differences were found between the CF cheese and the CFCC cheese in saltiness and overall acceptability, and higher mean scores were recorded for the CF cheese than the CFCC cheese. The study recommends the use of Camifloc in making cheese from camel milk; and if CaCl2 is added, it can improve the cheese yield. However, we suggest that the rate of salting should be reduced, and further drying and storage of the cheese should be done.
Nutrient issues on Irish farms and solutions to lower losses
Authors: HUMPHREYS JAMES 
Published: February 2008

Agriculture in Ireland utilizes 63% of total land area and has a big environmental impact accounting for 70% of phosphorus and 82% of nitrogen in surface waters, and for 97% of ammonia, 81% of nitrous oxide and 86% of methane emissions to air. Phosphorus loss to water is Ireland's most serious pollution problem. The deterioration of water quality that has been evident since the 1970s has been halted and reduction targets for ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture are being achieved. These achievements are largely attributable to declining ruminant livestock populations and declining inputs of manufactured fertilizers as a result of increasing emphasis on extensification of production practices in the Common Agricultural Policy during the past decade. Nevertheless, substantial improvements in water quality are needed by 2015 to meet the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. To meet this and a broad range of environmental targets and to comply with the Nitrates Directive, a wide ranging set of regulations governing agricultural practices was implemented into law in 2006. These include general limits on stocking rates on farms of no greater than 170 kg/ha of N in livestock manures applied mechanically or deposited by grazing livestock. There are periods between September and January when the application of fertilizers and manures is prohibited and minimum winter storage requirements apply for manures generated on farms of between 16 and 26 weeks depending on location and agricultural enterprise. The use of phosphorous is stringently curtailed; there are limits on phosphorous concentrations in soil as determined by a soil test and limits on imports of phosphorus onto farms, which generally cannot exceed exports. These regulations are likely to make an important contribution to achieving environmental targets in Ireland, particularly the improvement in water quality required by the Water Framework Directive.
Activation of brain protein phosphatase‐1I following cardiac arrest and resuscitation involving an interaction with 14‐3‐3γ
Authors: Platholi Jimcy , Heerdt Paul M. , Lim Tung H. Y. , Hemmings Hugh C. 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe intracellular signaling mechanisms that couple transient cerebral ischemia to cell death and neuroprotective mechanisms provide potential therapeutic targets for cardiac arrest. Protein phosphatase (PP)‐1 is a major serine/threonine phosphatase that interacts with and dephosphorylates critical regulators of energy metabolism, ionic balance, and apoptosis. We report here that PP‐1I, a major regulated form of PP‐1, is activated in brain by approximately twofold in vivo following cardiac arrest and resuscitation in a clinically relevant pig model of transient global cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. PP‐1I purified to near homogeneity from either control or ischemic pig brain consisted of the PP‐1 catalytic subunit, the inhibitor‐2 regulatory subunit, as well as the novel constituents 14‐3‐3γ, Rab GDP dissociation protein β, PFTAIRE kinase, and C‐TAK1 kinase. PP‐1I purified from ischemic brain contained significantly less 14‐3‐3γ than PP‐1I purified from control brain, and purified 14‐3‐3γ directly inhibited the catalytic subunit of PP‐1 and reconstituted PP‐1I. These findings suggest that activation of brain PP‐1I following global cerebral ischemia in vivo involves dissociation of 14‐3‐3γ, a novel inhibitory modulator of PP‐1I. This identifies modulation of PP‐1I by 14‐3‐3 in global cerebral ischemia as a potential signaling mechanism‐based approach to neuroprotection.
A role for glutamate in growth and invasion of primary brain tumors
Authors: Sontheimer Harald 
Published: February 2008

AbstractThe vast majority of primary brain tumors derive from glial cells and are collectively called gliomas. While, they share some genetic mutations with other cancers, they do present with a unique biology and have developed adaptations to meet specific biological needs. Notably, glioma growth is physically restricted by the skull, and, unless normal brain cells are destroyed, tumors cannot expand. To overcome this challenge, glioma cells release glutamate which causes excitotoxic death to surrounding neurons, thereby vacating room for tumor expansion. The released glutamate also explains peritumoral seizures which are a common symptom early in the disease. Glutamate release occurs via system Xc, a cystine–glutamate exchanger that releases glutamate in exchange for cystine being imported for the synthesis of the cellular antioxidant GSH. It protects tumor cells from endogenously produced reactive oxygen and nitrogen species but also endows tumors with an enhanced resistance to radiation‐ and chemotherapy. Pre‐clinical data demonstrates that pharmacological inhibition of system Xc causes GSH depletion which slows tumor growth and curtails tumor invasion in vivo. An Food and Drug Administration approved drug candidate is currently being introduced into clinical trials for the treatment of malignant glioma.
ON THE LINKAGE BETWEEN FINANCIAL RISK TOLERANCE AND RISK AVERSION
Authors: Faff Robert , Mulino Daniel , Chai Daniel 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe explore the linkage between financial risk tolerance (FRT) and risk aversion. To do this, we obtain FRT scores from a psychometrically validated survey and conduct a battery of online lottery choice experiments involving the same nonstudent participants. We contrast: real and hypothetical payoffs, low and high stakes, decisions involving gains and losses, and order effects. Our key finding is that the two approaches to analyzing decision making under uncertainty are strongly aligned. We present evidence that this is particularly the case for the female participants in our sample and when high‐stake gambles are employed.
LIQUIDITY COMMONALITY BEYOND BEST PRICES
Authors: Kempf Alexander , Mayston Daniel 
Published: February 2008

AbstractPrevious market microstructure research focuses on commonality in liquidity at the inside spread. However, liquidity at the inside spread only determines the systematic liquidity risk of small and medium trades. We study commonality in displayed liquidity beyond best prices, which determines the systematic liquidity risk of large trades. We show that it is much larger than commonality at the inside spread. The deeper we look into the order book, the higher is the level of commonality. In addition, it rises in the morning and when markets fall.
GLAMOUR VERSUS VALUE: TRADING BEHAVIOR OF INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS
Authors: Sharma Vivek , Hur Jungshik , Lee Heiwai 
Published: February 2008

AbstractWe design a new metric to measure the net buying and selling by institutions and individual investors and find that from 1980 to 2004 institutional investors were net buyers of growth stocks and net sellers of value stocks, implying that individual investors were net buyers of value stocks and net sellers of glamour stocks. The institutional preference for glamour and value stocks seems to be related to sell‐side analysts' recommendations and recent favorable stock price performances, especially during the post‐1994 period. Finally, the institutional buying of growth stocks and sale of value stocks was not based on superior information.
Kabbalah: A Medieval Tradition and Its Contemporary Appeal
Authors: Tirosh‐Samuelson Hava 
Published: February 2008

AbstractPopular culture today is suffused with kabbalah, an elitist, intellectual strand of medieval Judaism that claimed to disclose the esoteric meaning of the rabbinic tradition. While rooted in esoteric speculations in late antiquity, kabbalah emerged in the tenth century as an internal debate among Jewish theologians about the ontological status of divine attributes. At the end of the twelfth century speculations about the nature of God emerged among the Pietists of Germany and the ‘masters of kabbalah’ in Provence. During the thirteenth century kabbalah flourished in Spain where its self‐understanding as redemptive activity was expressed in two paradigms – the ‘theosophy‐theurgic’ and the ‘ecstatic‐prophetic’. Kabbalah continued to evolve in the early modern period, shaping both Jewish and European cultures. The modern period saw the rise of the academic study of kabbalah, but it was employed in two conflicting manners: in the nineteenth century scholars associated with the Enlightenment used historical analysis of kabbalah to debunk Jewish traditionalism, but in the first half of the twentieth century, the academic study of kabbalah was used to generate a secular, collective Zionist identity. Although scholarship on kabbalah has flourished in the twentieth century, kabbalah has become a variant of New‐Age religions, accessible to all, regardless of ethnic identity or spiritual readiness.