bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hot Spot for a Large Deletion in the 18- to 19-Centisome Region Confers a Multiple Phenotype in
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Typhimurium Strain ATCC 14028
Authors: Murray Sean R. , de Felipe Karim Suwwan , Obuchowski Pamela L. , Pike Jeremy , Bermudes David , Low K. Brooks 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT

Loss of the
Salmonella
MsbB enzyme, which catalyzes the incorporation of myristate destined for lipopolysaccharide in the outer membrane, results in a strong phenotype of sensitivity to salt and chelators such as EGTA and greatly diminished endotoxic activity. MsbB
−
salmonellae mutate extragenically to EGTA-tolerant derivatives at a frequency of 10
−4
per division. One of these derivatives arose from inactivation of
somA
, which suppresses sensitivity to salt and EGTA. Here we show that a second mode of MsbB
−
suppression is a RecA-dependent deletion between two IS
200
insertion elements present in
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium strain ATCC 14028 but not in two other wild-type strains, LT2 and SL1344, which lack one of the IS
200
elements. This deletion occurs spontaneously in wild-type and MsbB
−
strain 14028 salmonellae and accounts for about one-third of all of the spontaneous suppressors of MsbB
−
in strain 14028. It spans the region corresponding to 17.7 to 19.9 centisomes, which includes
somA
, on the sequenced map of
Salmonella
LT2 (136 ORFs in that strain; ATCC 14028 and other strains showed variability in this region). In addition to conferring EGTA resistance correlated with
somA
, the deletion confers a MacConkey galactose resistance phenotype on MsbB
−
Salmonella
, indicating that at least one additional gene (distinct from
somA
) within the deletion is responsible for this phenotype. In the wild type, the deletion mutant grows with normal exponential growth rate in Luria broth but is chlorate resistant and does not grow on citrate agar. The deletion strains have lost hydrogen sulfide production, nitrate reductase activity, and gas production from glucose fermentation.
Casuistry: Between Legal Concept and Social Praxis
Authors: Johansen Baber 
Published: December 2004

AbstractCasuistry is generally regarded as an important method of reasoning employed by Muslim jurists; Western scholars emphasize its deficiencies and negative effects on the normative structure of Islamic Law, ascribing its preponderance in legal discourse to the quest for abstract thought and jurisprudential (uṢūlī) verbiage. Against this view, I argue that casuistry pertains to a process of social differentiation that renders the universal validity of norms socially implausible and that Muslim jurists often engaged in casuistry in an effort to answer practical problems that evolve from this process of social differentiation.
The New Saudi Representative Assembly
Authors: Aba-Namay Rashed 
Published: December 2004

AbstractSince its founding, the Saudi government has never claimed the right to legislate; rather, it claims to “regulate” the sharīʿah by supplementing it without contradicting it. This understanding of lawmaking may help to explain the absence of a distinct legislative body in Saudi Arabia to the present day. For this reason, the Consultative Council that was introduced by the 1992 Saudi constitutional reform and established in late 1993 is of considerable interest because of its potential to transform Saudi law and politics. In this essay I analyze the new Consultative Council and consider its implications for the Saudi constitutional structure. My goals are (1) to analyze and assess the King's vision of the Consultative Council and its future role; (2) to explore the nature of the Consultative Council and the role that it may play in Saudi politics and society; and (3) to encourage scholars to pay greater attention to this important yet neglected institution.
The Use of Ottoman Sharīʿa Court Records As a Source for Middle Eastern Social History: A Reappraisal
Authors: Ze'Evi Dror 
Published: December 2004

AbstractSharīʿa court records are among the most important sources available for the social, economic and cultural history of the Ottoman empire and its provinces, especially from the sixteenth century onwards. These records contain invaluable material on diverse subjects such as economic consumption, agrarian relations, personal status, social stratification, crime and local politics. While covering a large geographical area and spanning several centuries, these records are often regarded by researchers as a single, homogeneous source and treated as a simple account of facts.In this essay, I argue that Sharīʿa court records are a complex source and that researchers should be cautious about accepting the information they contain at face-value. From their questionable statistical representation of society to their biased representation of Islamic law and order, these records defy categorization as simple reflections of reality. Comparisons between different geographical areas and time periods — and to fieldwork carried out in contemporary Sharīʿa courts, demonstrate the potential distance between the records and the reality they purportedly convey.
Optimal Cyclic Multi-Hoist Scheduling: A Mixed Integer Programming Approach
Authors: Leung Janny M. Y. , Zhang Guoqing , Yang Xiaoguang , Mak Raymond , Lam Kokin 
Published: December 2004

In the manufacture of circuit boards, panels are immersed sequentially in a series of tanks, with upper and lower bounds on the processing time within each tank. The panels are mounted on carriers that are lowered into and raised from the tanks, and transported from tank to tank by programmable hoists. The sequence of hoist moves does not have to follow the sequence of processing stages for the circuit boards. By optimising the sequence of hoist moves, we can maximise the production throughput. We consider simple cyclic schedules, where the hoist move sequence repeats every cycle and one panel is completed per cycle. Phillips and Unger (1976) developed the first mixed integer programming model for finding the hoist move schedule to minimise the cycle time for lines with only one hoist. We discuss how their formulation can be tightened, and introduce new valid inequalities. We present the first mixed integer programming formulation for finding the minimum-time cycle for lines with multiple hoists and present valid inequalities for this problem. Some preliminary computational results are also presented.
Culture and CEO Compensation
Authors: Tosi Henry L. , Greckhamer Thomas 
Published: December 2004

The theory and research on chief executive officer (CEO) compensation tends to be dominated by assumptions and values reflective of those dominant in the national culture of the United States, where most of this work is done. This suggests that an underlying theme focuses on how CEO compensation is related to instrumental choices made in a competitive, capitalist culture. This study seeks to expand the understanding of CEO compensation by examining it in the context of other cultures, based on the premise that national culture plays a significant part in the nature of compensation strategies. We relate cultural dimensions (uncertainty avoidance, power distance, individualism, and masculinity-femininity) developed by Hofstede (Hofstede 1980a, 2001) to several dimensions of CEO compensation. These dimensions are total CEO pay, the proportion of variable pay to total compensation, and the ratio of CEO pay to the lowest level employees. The main findings of our paper are (1) all of the different dimensions of CEO pay were related to power distance, leading us to infer that CEO pay in a culture is most reflective of the strength of the power structure in a society, and (2) total compensation and the ratio of variable pay to total pay are related to individualism. We conclude that cultural dimensions can contribute to understanding cross-national CEO compensation. The implication of this conclusion is that there are different ways that CEO compensation fits into the cognitive schema of various cultures and, furthermore, that these cognitive schema vary across societies that affect the nature of the “cultural matrix into which [money] is incorporated” (Bloch and Parry 1989, p. 1). Moreover, our results imply that particular forms of CEO compensation do not mean the same thing in different cultures, but rather carry different symbolic connotations depending on the values dominant in a society. Thus, not only does the compensation structure of a firm within a culture have a symbolic meaning within organizations (e.g., Trice and Beyer 1993), but it can also be seen as an expression of deeper social values (Hofstede et al. 1990) that may differ across countries.
Identification and localisation of a type IV cytosolic phospholipase A2 in rat pancreatic β-cells
Authors: Parker K J , Jones P M , Hunton C H , Persaud S J , Taylor C G , Howell S L 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT
The liberation of arachidonic acid (AA), by phospholipase A2 (PLA2), is the rate-limiting step in a number of cell signalling pathways. In the pancreatic β-cell, AA itself is thought to participate in the regulation of insulin secretion. Recently a Ca2+-sensitive, AA-selective cytosolic PLA2 (type IV cPLA2) has been isolated from the human monocyte U937 cell line. Although the DNA sequence of this enzyme implies a molecular weight of 85 kDa, the protein migrates with a molecular weight of 100-110 kDa on SDS-PAGE. In many cell types, cPLA2s which are reactive towards antibodies raised against the type IV cPLA2 have been shown to hydrolyse AA from membrane glycerophospholipids. Using a polyclonal antibody raised against a recombinant form of type IV cPLA2, we have detected an immunoreactive protein with a molecular weight of 93·5 kDa in rat islets of Langerhans. Furthermore, we have detected similar immunoreactive proteins in insulin-secreting β-cell lines and have shown co-expression of type IV cPLA2 immunoreactivity and insulin immunoreactivity in rat pancreatic β-cells. Under non-stimulatory conditions the 93·5 kDa immunoreactive protein detected in rat islets of Langerhans was located predominantly in the cytosolic fraction. We have shown that immunoprecipitation of the rat immunoreactive protein from rat islet homogenates significantly decreases the total dithiothreitol/β-mercaptoethanol-insensitive PLA2 activity by 56·4±7% This provides further evidence that the immunoreactive rat protein is a type IV cPLA2 and is responsible for a large component of the PLA2 activity in rat islets of Langerhans. It is possible that, in the rat β-cell, type IV cPLA2 couples the increase in intracellular Ca2+, brought about by insulin secretagogues, to the liberation of AA and the subsequent release of insulin.
Identification of Gαs messenger ribonucleic acid splice variants in human granulosa cells
Authors: Europe-Finner G N , Cartwright E , Bellinger J , Mardon H J , Barlow D H , Bernal A López 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT
Granulosa cells are essential for follicular development and corpus luteum formation and their functions are regulated by gonadotrophins through G protein-coupled receptors. The dominant second messenger pathway involves the stimulation of cyclic AMP formation by Gαs-linked receptors. In this paper we have investigated the expression of Gαs mRNA splice variants in relation to expression of Gαs protein isoforms in granulosa cells obtained from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization. We have carried out ribonuclease protection assays using cRNA riboprobes which are capable of detecting all Gαs mRNA isoforms as well as quantifying total amounts of Gαs mRNA. Granulosa cells express the message for Gαs-Large and Gαs-Small and the presence of two distinct protein products was confirmed by immunoblotting using the antibody RM/1. Moreover, the data show that a significant fraction of Gαs-Large and Gαs-Small mRNAs contain an extra CAG codon. This should generate proteins with an extra serine residue, resulting in Gαs variants with the consensus sequence of a protein kinase C phosphorylation site. These results highlight the possible interaction between different signalling pathways in the control of cAMP production and the need to investigate the relationship between Gαs variants and different adenylyl cyclase isozymes in patients with normal and abnormal ovarian function.
Changes in expression of neurohypophysial hormone genes during spawning migration in chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta
Authors: Hiraoka S , Ando H , Ban M , Ueda H , Urano A 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT
We analyzed changes in the hypothalamic levels of vasotocin (VT) and isotocin (IT) mRNA in chum salmon during spawning migration to the Ishikari river. The fish were caught at Atsuta, a fisherman's village facing the Ishikari bay, and at Chitose, an upstream branch of the Ishikari river. The former are referred to as sea water (SW) fish, and the latter as freshwater (FW) fish. The levels of VT and IT mRNA in the forebrains were determined by quantitative Northern blot analysis using single-stranded DNA with the same mRNA sequences as the standards. Levels of VT mRNA were higher in the FW males than the FW females, although no such difference was seen in the SW fish. Changes in the levels of VT mRNA were markedly different in males and females. In the males, no significant differences were seen in the levels of VT-I and VT-II mRNA between the SW and FW fish. However, in the females, the levels of VT mRNA in the FW fish were significantly lower than those in the SW fish. Changes in the levels of IT-I and IT-II mRNA were essentially similar in the males and females. These results suggest that the control of VT gene expression is different in males and females during spawning migration, although the neuroendocrine mechanism is not known.
Vasopressin synergistically stimulates DNA synthesis in normal and regenerating rat liver cell cultures in the presence of hepatocyte growth factor
Authors: Metcalfe A M J , Phillips P , Dixon R M , Radda G K 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT
Liver regeneration is significantly impaired in rats with both α-adrenergic hepatic denervation and hereditary vasopressin deficiency. This may implicate a direct role for these agonists in the process of compensatory hyperplasia. The mitogenic capacities of norepinephrine, vasopressin and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), either alone or in combination were investigated by [3H]thymidine incorporation into hepatocyte cultures prepared from normal and regenerating rat livers. The results show that normal hepatocytes incorporate less [3H]thymidine in response to HGF than do regenerating hepatocytes. In addition, physiological concentrations of vasopressin cause a synergistic stimulation of [3H]thymidine uptake in rat liver cells in the presence of HGF.
Inhibition of proliferation of prostate cancer cells by a 19-nor-hexafluoride vitamin D3 analogue involves the induction of p21waf1, p27kip1 and E-cadherin
Authors: Campbell M J , Elstner E , Holden S , Uskokovic M , Koeffler H P 
Published: December 2004

ABSTRACT
We have synthesized and studied the ability of a series of seven novel 1α,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 analogues to inhibit clonal growth of prostate cancer cells (LNCaP, PC-3 and DU-145). Addition of double and triple bonds to the C/D ring (C-16) and side chain (C-22 and C-23) as well as lengthening of the side chain were important for enhanced activity against LNCaP and PC-3. Reorientation of the side chain in the 20-epi configuration resulted in analogues that were extremely potent only against LNCaP (ED50 ≈ 5 × 10−11 m). Compounds with six fluorines on the end of the side chain were very active against both PC-3 and LNCaP (ED50 ≈ 2 × 10−8 m). DU-145 cells were relatively resistant to compounds with all of these modifications, but removal of C-19 (e.g. 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-26,27-F6-19-nor-D3) resulted in an analogue that was inhibitory against all three prostate cell lines. Further analysis showed that pulse exposure (3 days, 10−7 m) to this analogue was enough to inhibit clonal growth of PC-3 cells by 50%. The same exposure also induced cell cycle arrest of all three cell lines, accompanied by upregulated protein expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI) known as p21waf1 in all three cell lines, and the CDKI known as p27kip1 in LNCaP cells. Associated with upregulation of these CDKIs, partial differentiation occurred as measured by increased expression of both prostate-specific antigen by LNCaP cells and E-cadherin, a cell adhesion protein that may act as a putative tumour suppressor (LNCaP and PC-3 cells). In summary, this is the first report of a potent series of 19-nor-vitamin D3 analogues with the ability to inhibit proliferation of LNCaP, PC-3 and DU-145 prostate cancer cell lines. These compounds may mediate their potent anti-proliferative activities through a cell cycle arrest pathway.
Total amount of circulating human chorionic gonadotrophin α and β subunits in first trimester trisomies 21 and 18
Authors: Jauniaux E , Nicolaides K H , Nagy A-M , Brizot M , Meuris S 
Published: December 2004

Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the variations in the balance between total (free and combined) circulating α and β subunits of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in trisomy 21 and 18.
Maternal serum samples were collected at 10 and 11 weeks of gestation from 22 singleton pregnancies with trisomy 21 (n=17) and trisomy 18 (n=5) and 66 chromosomally normal controls, matched for gestational age. The hCG and free α and β subunits circulating levels were measured using specific immunoradiometric assays and converted in a common unit system obtained using calibration of the assays with intact and thermally dissociated purified hCG preparation.
In trisomy 21, the only significant difference from controls was in the free βhCG level which was increased. In trisomy 18, intact hCG, free βhCG as well as total αhCG and total βhCG levels were significantly lower whereas the free αhCG level was significantly higher than in controls. The decrease in total βhCG was more pronounced than the decrease in total αhCG resulting in a significant increase in the total α- to βhCG subunit ratio in trisomy 18.
These findings suggest some modifications in the biosynthesis and/or release rates of the hCG subunits in these trisomies.
Journal of Endocrinology (1996) 148, 27–31
Thyroid hormone modulates androgen and oestrogen receptor content in the Sertoli cells of peripubertal rats
Authors: Panno M L , Sisci D , Salerno M , Lanzino M , Pezzi V , Morrone E G , Mauro L , Palmero S , Fugassa E , Andò S 
Published: December 2004

Abstract
A possible role of tri-iodothyronine (T3) on the interplay between testicular steroids and Sertoli cells has been investigated on the basis of previous findings demonstrating a direct inhibitory influence of T3 on aromatase activity and oestradiol production in peripuberal Sertoli cells. In this context, the present study was focused on the effects of T3 on oestrogen receptor (ER) and androgen receptor (AR) contents in the cytosol and nucleus of Sertoli cells isolated from 2-, 3- and 4-week-old euthyroid, hypothyroid and hypothyroid treated rats.
Hypothyroidism was induced by the oral administration of 0·025% methimazole (MMI) from birth until the rats were killed at 2, 3 and 4 weeks of age. Half of the MMI-treated animals were injected i.p. with l-tri-iodothyronine (T3; 3 μg/100 g body weight) during the last week before death. Sertoli cells from all groups were initially cultured under basal conditions for the first 24 h and subsequently in the presence of testosterone with or without T3 for an additional 24 h. Hypothyroidism was associated with severe impairment of body as well as testicular growth. Euthyroid ERs showed an elevated Kd (0·76 nm) which was similar in the different age groups investigated. The in vitro addition of T3 or testosterone induced a decrease in ER content and this decrease was greater after exposure to both hormones. In 2- and 3-week-old hypothyroid rats, ER content was markedly increased and was reversed in euthyroid rats when T3 was given in vivo. When ERs were assayed in the Sertoli cell nucleus and cytoplasm of 2- and 3-week-old animals, a strong relationship in ER content in the two cellular compartments was observed. Neither of the hormones tested seemed to affect the AR content in the nucleus significantly, while the in vitro addition of testosterone or T3 or both hormones together augmented the ARs in the cytosol to a greater extent, resulting in an increase in their total (cytosolic and nuclear) content in the cells.
The present data suggest that T3 down-regulates ERs and up-regulates ARs in peripuberal Sertoli cells. The additive effect of testosterone and T3 in up-regulating ARs could possibly involve a role for T3 in influencing the androgen responsiveness of the Sertoli cells during spermatogenesis.
Journal of Endocrinology (1996) 148, 43–50
Plasma levels and molecular forms of proatrial natriuretic peptides in healthy subjects and in patients with congestive heart failure
Authors: Azizi C , Maistre G , Kalotka H , Isnard R , Barthélemy C , Masson F , Pham P , Pousset F , Eurin J , Lechat P , Komajda M , Carayon A 
Published: December 2004

Abstract
A specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the N-terminal fragment of proatrial natriuretic peptide (NproANP) was developed. Antiserum raised in rabbits against a mixture enriched with prohormone was 100% cross-reactive with human proANP(1–30). Plasma concentrations of proANP(1–30) and ANP immunoreactivities (ir-) were simultaneously measured in healthy subjects and patients with congestive heart failure (CHF; 26 dilated cardiomyopathy and 5 ischemic heart disease). High plasma levels of both ir-proANP(1–30) and ir-ANP were detected in CHF patients. Circulating ir-ANP levels were elevated in New York Heart Association functional Classes II and III patients but not in Class I patients. However, plasma levels of ir-proANP(1–30) were higher in asymptomatic patients than in healthy subjects, and markedly increased in patients of Classes II and III. Analysis of ir-proANP(1–30) by gel filtration chromatography or reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography revealed a 10 kDa peptide circulating as a distinct entity.
These findings indicate that: (i) the most probable form of NproANP in human plasma is a 10 kDa peptide and (ii) in CHF patients the rise in plasma ir-proANP(1–30) levels is more pronounced than the variation in plasma ir-ANP. Thus, NproANP plasma levels may prove to be a more sensitive marker of left ventricular dysfunction than ANP.
Journal of Endocrinology (1996) 148, 51–57
Leukaemia inhibitory factor in human endometrium throughout the menstrual cycle
Authors: Vogiagis D , Marsh M M , Fry R C , Salamonsen L A 
Published: December 2004

Abstract
Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine previously demonstrated to be essential for blastocyst implantation in mice. Samples of endometrium from normal cyclic women throughout the menstrual cycle were tested for LIF messenger RNA by Northern blot analysis and the corresponding protein was localised immunohistochemically with a polyclonal antibody to LIF. Western blot analysis detected a 45 kDa LIF protein in an extract from late secretory tissue. The expression of LIF messenger RNA transcript was detected only during the mid and late secretory phases of the cycle after day 20. Immunoreactive LIF was observed in all human endometrial samples. In the stroma there were moderate to high levels of immunohistochemical staining throughout the cycle with considerable variation between individuals but no cyclical variation. Epithelial staining, both luminal and glandular, was also present throughout the cycle but this was relatively low in the proliferative phase and strongest in the mid to late secretory phases. The marked cyclical changes of immunoreactive LIF in the human endometrial epithelium suggest a paracrine/autocrine role for LIF in endometrial function. Whether LIF is essential for implantation in the human remains to be established.
Journal of Endocrinology (1996) 148, 95–102