bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crystallographic, thermodynamic, and molecular modeling studies of the mode of binding of oligosaccharides to the potent antiviral protein griffithsin
Authors: Ziółkowska Natasza E. , Shenoy Shilpa R. , O'Keefe Barry R. , McMahon James B. , Palmer Kenneth E. , Dwek Raymond A. , Wormald Mark R. , Wlodawer Alexander
Published: March 2007

The mode of binding of oligosaccharides to griffithsin, an antiviral lectin from the red alga Griffithsia sp., was investigated by a combination of X‐ray crystallography, isothermal titration calorimetry, and molecular modeling. The structures of complexes of griffithsin with 1→6α‐mannobiose and with maltose were solved and refined at the resolution of 2.0 and 1.5 Å, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters of binding of 1→6α‐mannobiose, maltose, and mannose to griffithsin were determined. Binding profiles of 1→6α‐mannobiose and mannose were similar with Kd values of 83.3 μM and 102 μM, respectively. The binding of maltose to griffithsin was significantly weaker, with a fourfold lower affinity (Kd = 394 μM). In all cases the binding at 30°C was entropically rather than enthalpically driven. On the basis of the experimental crystal structures, as well as on previously determined structures of complexes with monosaccharides, it was possible to create a model of a tridentate complex of griffithsin with Man9GlcNAc2, a high mannose oligosaccharide commonly found on the surface of viral glycoproteins. All shorter oligomannoses could be modeled only as bidentate or monodentate complexes with griffithsin. The ability to mediate tight multivalent and multisite interactions with high‐mannose oligosaccharides helps to explain the potent antiviral activity of griffithsin. Proteins 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hydrolytic activation/decomposition pathways of herbicidally active ethyl 5‐[N‐(5,7‐dimethoxy‐2H‐1,2,4‐ thiadiazolo[2,3‐a] pyrimidin‐2‐ylidene)sulfamoyl]‐1,3‐ dimethylpyrazole‐4‐carboxylate
Authors: Okajima Nobuyuki , Aoki Isao , Okada Yoshiyuki , Fujita Toshio
Published: March 2007

Potent herbicidal ethyl 5‐[N‐(5,7‐dimethoxy2H‐1,2,4‐thiadiazolo‐[2,3‐a] pyrimidin‐2‐ylidene)sulfamoyl]‐1,3‐dimethylpyrazole‐4‐carboxylate (I) was hydrolyzed under weakly basic conditions to afford a sulfonylurea (VII), a 2‐pyrimidylcyanamide (IV) and a mercaptopyrazole (VI). The formation of these products was explained by nucleophilic attack at the 1 and 2‐positions of the 1,2,4‐thiadiazolo[2,3‐alpyrimidine ring. This is believed to mimic the process which occurs on application to the plant. I appears to be a pro‐pesticide for the sulfonylurea, VII.
Interactions of insecticides with biological membranes
Authors: Lee Anthony G. , Malcolm East J. , Balgavy Paul
Published: March 2007

Many insecticides (e.g. DDT, lindane, pyrethroids) are hydrophobic molecules which bind extensively to biological membranes. Binding of insecticides to phospholipid bilayers frequently shows saturation, with binding increasing with increasing insecticide concentration up to some limit, beyond which no further insecticide is incorporated into the bilayer. For lindane, this limit has been shown to correspond to the concentration at which the aqueous phase becomes saturated. Simple alkanes show similar saturation phenomena, and binding of halogenated alkanes can be followed by fluorescence quenching methods. It is shown that effects of hydrophobic molecules on bilayer fluidity are small. Effects of alkanes and insecticides on the activity of the (Ca2+‐Mg2+)‐ATPase purified from sarcoplasmic reticulum follow from direct binding to the ATPase, at sites which are not at the lipid‐protein interface of the ATPase.
Properties and functions of proton pumps in higher plants
Authors: Hall J. L. , Williams Lorraine E.
Published: March 2007

The properties of the major H+‐pumps in higher plant cells are described: these are the H+‐ATPase of the plasma membrane and the H+‐ATPase and the H+‐pyrophosphatase of the tonoplast. They are distinguished by their structure, mechanism of action, kinetic properties, and location within the cell. The uses and value of isolated and purified membrane vesicles in transport studies are discussed. A particular example is given by the use of plasma membrane vesicles, purified by phase partition, to study proton/ sucrose co‐transport in Ricinus cotyledons. Current evidence for the interference with these pumps by growth regulators, toxins and xenobiotics is outlined.
Increasing the use of trichogrammatids in insect pest management: A case study from the forests of canada
Authors: Newton Philip J.
Published: March 2007

Practical uses of trichogrammatid egg parasites occur world‐wide against many lepidopterous pests on several key crops. Although several million hectares are treated annually, most of these remain at research and plantation scale, and there are relatively few commercial insectaries producing these organisms as crop protection agents. With few exceptions, trichogrammatids are produced by small, specialized industries with low technology and high labour inputs.

Increases in the commercial uses of these naturally occurring ovicides, particularly in intensive agricultural systems with high per‐capita output, have been limited by problems in the scale and economy of production, together with variability in control effect. To become more widely acceptable as plant protection products, trichogrammatids should compete with established methods in cost, availability, efficacy and reliability.

Using a specific example from the forest resources of Canada, this paper focuses on an industrial approach to developing a Trichogrammma sp. as a viable component for insect pest management. In particular, it addresses the problems of production economy and scale, quality control, storage, and application technology.
Simultaneous determination of gemcitabine, taxol, cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide in wipe samples by high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: protocol of validation and uncertainty of measurement
Authors: Sottani Cristina , Turci Roberta , Schierl Rudolf , Gaggeri Raffaella , Barbieri Anna , Violante Francesco Saverio , Minoia Claudio
Published: March 2007

Measurable levels of anticancer agents are still detected on work surfaces in health‐care settings. However, application of recent guidelines for the protection of workers' safety and health has resulted in lowered contamination levels. To assess occupational exposure to antineoplastic agents, very sensitive and specific procedures for environmental sampling and analysis are therefore needed. In the present study an assay for simultaneous determination of gemcitabine, taxol, cyclophosphamide, and ifosfamide in wipe samples, using two internal standards (trofosfamide and cephalomannine), was developed and validated by high‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS). Solid‐phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample concentration and cleanup. The assay was found to be linear up to 1000 ng/wipe, with limits of quantitation of 25.0 ng/wipe for gemcitabine and taxol, and 12.5 ng/wipe for cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide. In order to investigate the effectiveness of the surface sampling, removal efficiency tests were repeated on different types of surfaces. Recovery rates of between 62 and 81% were obtained at two contamination levels (50.0 and 250 ng/100 cm2). Precision and trueness were determined on three different days. The within‐day precision was found to be always less than 12.1% for all the analytes. The overall precision, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), was always less than 9.4%. Recoveries varying from 75.0 (gemcitabine) to 95.0% (taxol) were obtained at three levels. In order to obtain a quantitative indication of the quality of the result, the overall uncertainty of measurement (UOM) was evaluated according to the EURACHEM/CITAC guide. The relative combined uncertainty was found to be always less than 9.5%. The relative expanded uncertainty was also calculated, at three contamination levels. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid measurement of sphingolipids from Arabidopsis thaliana by reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Markham Jonathan E. , Jaworski Jan G.
Published: March 2007

Changes in sphingolipids have been associated with profound effects in cell fate and development in both plants and animals. Sphingolipids as a group consist of a large number of different compound classes of which numerous individual species may vary in response to environmental stimuli to affect cellular responses. The ability to measure all sphingolipids simultaneously is, therefore, essential to an understanding of the biochemical regulation of sphingolipid metabolism and signaling molecules derived from it. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the major sphingolipid classes are glycosylinositolphosphoceramides, glucosylceramides, hydroxyceramides and ceramides. Other minor but potentially important sphingolipids are free long‐chain bases and their phosphorylated derivates. By using a single solvent system with reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry detection we have been able to separate and measure 168 sphingolipids from a crude sample. This greatly speeds up and simplifies the analysis of plant sphingolipids and should pave the way for a better understanding of their role in plant performance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Human sapoviruses: genetic diversity, recombination, and classification
Authors: Hansman Grant S. , Oka Tomoichiro , Katayama Kazuhiko , Takeda Naokazu
Published: March 2007

The familyCaliciviridaecontains four generaSapovirus,Norovirus,LagovirusandVesivirus, which includeSapporo virus(SaV),Norwalk virus(NoV),Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus(RHDV) andFeline calicivirus(FCV), respectively. SaV is a causative agent of gastroenteritis in children and adults. SaV can be divided into five genogroups (GI–GV), among which GI, GII, GIV and GV are known to infect humans, whereas SaV GIII infects porcine species. Detection methods include ELISA, RT‐PCR and real‐time RT‐PCR. Since few SaV studies have been conducted, it is difficult to draw correlations between or conclusions about rates of incidence, detection and overall prevalence. Nevertheless, most studies agree that SaV infection is more frequent in young children than adults and that infection in children almost always occurs by 5 years of age. In addition, children at day‐care centres and institutions are at greatest risk of SaV‐associated infection and transmission. Recently, a number of important findings concerning human SaV were discovered. SaV strains were detected in water samples, which included untreated wastewater specimens, treated wastewater samples and river samples. SaV strains were also detected in shellfish samples destined for human consumption, and recombinant SaV strains were identified in a number of different countries. The purpose of this review was to highlight the current knowledge of human SaV, which appears to be an increasingly important virus causing gastroenteritis in humans. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Offshoring knowledge and service work: A conceptual model and research agenda
Authors: Youngdahl William , Ramaswamy Kannan
Published: March 2007

This paper presents two complementary conceptual models that help shed light on the complexities of offshoring service and knowledge work. In developing the model, we draw upon existing literature in the realm of service operations and delivery and build on insights from allied areas such as management and practice. The models offer a simple yet powerful way to conceptualize offshoring of knowledge and service work and to identify the inherent challenges that such strategies entail. The evolutionary model of offshoring parallels well‐established work in the manufacturing literature to present a sequential view of building organizational competence in offshoring. The implications of the conceptual models have been discussed in a range of propositions that can be viewed as foundations for new inquiry in this research stream.
Transformational offshore outsourcing: Empirical evidence from alliances in China
Authors: Li Yuan , Liu Yi , Li Mingfang , Wu Haibin
Published: March 2007

Adopting a transformational offshore outsourcing perspective, we examine empirically the relationship among the motive to acquire tacit knowledge from outsourcing partners, formal and social control mechanisms, and innovation outcomes among Sino‐foreign as well as local alliances. We constructed our theoretical model incorporating knowledge management, social exchange, and alliance risk perspectives, and hypothesized that motives to acquire partners’ tacit knowledge through offshore outsourcing will affect firm innovation via two forms of control, namely social control and formal control. Our empirical testing, utilizing two sub‐samples composed of Sino‐foreign offshore outsourcing alliances and local outsourcing alliances, respectively, reveals that the motive to acquire outsourcing partner's tacit knowledge and different control mechanisms are significant predictors of incremental and radical innovation outcomes, and that there are some intriguing differences between the Sino‐foreign alliances and local alliances.
Crisis and the construction of modern theoretical physics
Authors: SETH SUMAN
Published: March 2007

This paper takes up the concept of ‘crisis’ at both historical and historiographical levels. It proceeds through two examples of periods that have been described by historians of physics using a language of crisis. The first examines an incipient German theoretical-physics community around 1900 and the debates that concerned the so-called ‘failure’ of the mechanical world view. It is argued, largely on the basis of what is now an extensive body of secondary literature, that there is little evidence for a widespread crisis in this period. Abandoning the term as both description and explanation, one comes to the far more intriguing suggestion that the conflict over foundations was not evidence of a divisive dissonance but rather of collective construction. What has been termed crisis was, in fact, the practice of theoretical physics in the fin de siècle. The second example is the period either side of the advent of quantum mechanics around 1925. Different subgroups within the theoretical-physics community viewed the state of the field in dramatically different ways. Those, such as members of the Sommerfeld school in Munich, who saw the task of the physicist as lying in the solution of particular problems, neither saw a crisis nor acknowledged its resolution. On the other hand those, such as several researchers associated with Niels Bohr's institute in Copenhagen, who focused on the creation and adaptation of new principles, openly advocated a crisis even before decisive anomalies arose. They then sought to conceptualize the development of quantum mechanics in terms of crises and the revolutions that followed. Thomas Kuhn's language of crisis, revolution and anomaly, it is concluded, arises from his focus on only one set of theoretical physicists. A closer look at intra-communal differences opens a new vista onto what he termed ‘normal’ and ‘revolutionary’ science.
Are tortoises and freshwater turtles still traded illegally as pets in Singapore?
Authors: Goh Ter Yang , O'Riordan Ruth M.
Published: March 2007

The red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans is currently the only reptile species that can be legally sold as a pet in Singapore. We report on the species of tortoises and freshwater turtles that were found for sale during a survey of 27 pet shops in 2004. Although the red-eared slider was the most common species for sale, small numbers of 11 other species were available. Of these, the import of one species (the Chinese soft-shell turtle Pelodiscus sinensis) is allowed for food but import of the other 10 species is not permitted for either food or the pet trade. We found that illegally held chelonians are often not kept on the pet shop premises. Our findings suggest that the Singaporean authorities' efforts to address illegal wildlife trade have to include other methods in addition to conducting raids on shop premises.
Do characteristics of patients with major depressive disorder differ between primary and psychiatric care?
Authors: VUORILEHTO MARIA S. , MELARTIN TARJA K. , RYTSÄLÄ HEIKKI J. , ISOMETSÄ ERKKI T.
Published: March 2007

Background. Despite the need for rational allocation of resources and cooperation between different treatment settings, clinical differences in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) between primary and psychiatric care remain obscure. We investigated these differences in representative patient populations from primary care versus secondary level psychiatric care in the city of Vantaa, Finland.

Method. We compared MDD patients from primary care in the Vantaa Primary Care Depression Study (PC-VDS) (n=79) with psychiatric out-patients (n=223) and in-patients (n=46) in the Vantaa Depression Study (VDS). DSM-IV diagnoses were assigned by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I in PC-VDS) or Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN in VDS), and SCID-II interviews. Comparable information was collected on depression severity, Axis I and II co-morbidity, suicidal behaviour, preceding clinical course, and attitudes towards and pathways to treatment.

Results. Prevalence of psychotic subtype and severity of depression were highest among in-patients, but otherwise few clinical differences between psychiatric and primary care patients were detected. Suicide attempts, alcohol dependence, and cluster A personality disorder were associated with treatment in psychiatric care, whereas cluster B personality disorder was associated with primary care treatment. Patients' choice of the initial point of contact for current depressive symptoms seemed to be independent of prior clinical history or attitude towards treatment.

Conclusions. Severe, suicidal and psychotic depression cluster in psychiatric in-patient settings, as expected. However, MDD patients in primary care or psychiatric out-patient settings may not differ markedly in their clinical characteristics. This apparent blurring of boundaries between treatment settings calls for enhanced cooperation between settings, and clearer and more structured division of labour.
Remission and relapse after the first hospital admission in psychotic depression: a 4-year naturalistic follow-up
Authors: NAZ BUSHRA , CRAIG THOMAS J. , BROMET EVELYN J. , FINCH STEPHEN J. , FOCHTMANN LAURA J. , CARLSON GABRIELLE A.
Published: March 2007

Background

Few studies have examined the course of illness among severely depressed patients ascertained at first hospitalization. Using data from the Suffolk County Mental Health Project (SCMHP), we investigated the times to and predictors of the first full remission and the first relapse during a 4-year period in a first-admission cohort with major depressive disorder (MDD) with psychotic features.

Method

The cohort included 87 county-wide, first-admission patients with a longitudinal consensus diagnosis of MDD with psychotic features who were systematically followed over a 4-year period. We examined the associations of background, clinical and treatment factors, and time-varying indices of antidepressant (AD) and antipsychotic (AP) medication use to time to remission and relapse using Cox regression.

Results

By the 4-year follow-up, 60 respondents (69·0%) had achieved a period of full remission (median time of 22 weeks among remitters and 54 weeks in the full sample). In the multivariable analysis, longer time to remission was associated with longer latency between initial episode and hospitalization, lower pre-hospital Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score, and lack of insurance, but not use of medication. Twenty-six remitters (43·3%) relapsed (median time of 50 weeks among those who relapsed and 192 weeks among all remitters). None of the risk factors or time-varying medication variables was significantly associated with time to relapse.

Conclusion

Only two-thirds of the sample had at least one full remission by 4 years, and almost half of them subsequently relapsed. Poorer pre-hospital resources predicted remission but not relapse. Medication use over the follow-up was not associated with remission or relapse.
Understanding the Recent Expansion of Swiss Family Policy: An Idea-Centred Approach
Authors: KUEBLER DANIEL
Published: March 2007

Conventional theoretical models of the welfare state have difficulties in accounting for the recent expansion of family policies in mature welfare states. This article uses an idea-centred approach, the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), to understand recent family policy change in Switzerland. In a review of conflicts over the introduction of paid maternity leave as well as child day care during the 1990s, two competing advocacy coalitions were identified. The first coalition aimed at restricting government programmes to the prevention of poverty of families, whereas the second advocated the inclusion of measures for the promotion of gender equality. Towards the end of the 1990s, some members of the first advocacy coalition revised their policy core beliefs and changed coalitions, as a consequence of cognitive framing strategies pursued by gender equality advocates. This led to a power shift within the family policy subsystem, resulting in major change of government programmes at all state levels. It is concluded that, on the basis of the ACF, family policy expansion can be coherently traced back to value orientations and cognitive processes.
Feeding encounters between a group of howler monkeys and white-nosed coatis in a small forest fragment in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico
Authors: Asensio Norberto , Arroyo-Rodríguez Víctor , Cristóbal-Azkarate Jurgi
Published: March 2007

Interactions between sympatric species are of particular interest for understanding the mechanisms that allow animal coexistence in the ecological community. The mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata Gray) and the white-nosed coati (Nasua narica Linnaeus) are similar-sized mammals with a sympatric distribution in the Neotropics (Nowak 1999). Since these two species are partly frugivorous (howler, Crockett & Eisenberg 1987; coati, Gompper 1997), and fruit is often limited (Laurance et al. 2003), howlers and coatis might be observed foraging from the same fruiting tree, but there is no information regarding this possibility. We studied the feeding encounters between these two species in a small forest fragment, and discuss the conditions under which these episodes occur.
Flowering and fruiting phenologies of seasonal and aseasonal neotropical forests: the role of annual changes in irradiance
Authors: Zimmerman Jess K. , Wright S. Joseph , Calderón O. , Pagan M. Aponte , Paton S.
Published: March 2007

The seasonality of both rainfall and solar irradiance might influence the evolution of flowering and fruiting in tropical forests. In seasonally dry forests, to the degree that soil moisture limits plant productivity, community-wide peaks in reproduction are expected during the rainy season, with seedfall and germination timed to allow seedlings to become well established while soil moisture is available. Where soil moisture is never seasonally limiting, seasonal changes in light availability caused by periods of cloudiness or seasonally low zenithal sun angles should favour reproduction during seasons when irradiance levels are high. To evaluate these predictions, we documented the timing of flower and fruit fall for 10 and 15 y at El Verde, Puerto Rico, and Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. At El Verde, rainfall is abundant year-round and solar declination largely determines seasonal variation in irradiance. At BCI, rainfall is abundant throughout the 8-mo wet season while drought develops and average solar irradiance increases by 40–50% over the 4-mo dry season. Seasonal variation in the number of species flowering and fruiting at both sites was generally consistent with the hypothesis that seasonal variation in irradiance limits the evolution of reproductive phenologies. Community-level metrics provided no evidence for a similar role for moisture availability at BCI. Seasonal variation in irradiance also strongly influenced seed development times at both sites. Thus, community-wide phenologies reveal a strong signature of seasonal changes in irradiance, even in those forests that exhibit some degree of seasonality in rainfall.
Storytelling as a medium for balanced dialogue on conservation in Cameroon
Authors: DE GROOT WOUTER T. , ZWAAL NATASCHA
Published: March 2007

In conservation efforts where genuine community involvement is aimed at, communication should be a two-way affair in which the local voice can be truly heard. In developing countries especially, however, this voice tends to be smothered by the power and prestige that usually lies with the supra-local conservation agencies. This paper explores how fictional storytelling, a communication medium as old as mankind, may enable local people to respond in freedom to the issue of conservation. Stories that end by posing a dilemma to the audience are generally used in Cameroon to initiate discussion. First trials in Cameroon used this format to tell a story of animals that found themselves at risk of extinction and sent out a delegation to the human world to plea for a ‘last home’. Although enjoyed by researchers and audience alike, this story appeared to suffer from several technical and structural shortcomings. In order to overcome these, empirical research (for example the gathering of some 600 stories in the field) and theoretical considerations led to the design of a second-generation story that retained the dilemma format but carried fewer implicit messages and introduced a third, adjudicating party. This story was tried out in 13 villages in Central and North Cameroon with full success, both in terms of process (the elicitation of focused and rich debate) and in terms of content (the clarity of arguments and underlying assumptions). If led by the principles developed in this paper, fictional storytelling is a worthy addition to the methodological repertoire of all conservation professionals who wish to communicate conservation to local communities in a manner that is structurally balanced and substantively open.
Evidence for a revised dating of the anonymous fourteenth-century Italian treatise Capitulum de vocibus applicatis verbis
Authors: ABRAMOV-VAN RIJK ELENA
Published: March 2007

No bibliographical information has survived regarding the anonymous treatise Capitulum de vocibus applicatis verbis, the only treatise of the Trecento that provides a description of the musical genres of Italian secular music. The problem of dating the Capitulum is the more challenging for scholars, given the absence of unequivocal points of reference of known date (the presently accepted dating, since Debenedetti’s first description of the source in 1906, is ‘between the years 1313–1332’). The Capitulum and Antonio da Tempo’s Summa artis rithmici vulgaris dictaminis (1332), are connected by the phrase ‘nova sunt pulchritudine decorata’, which appears in the final section of the Capitulum and at the very beginning of da Tempo’s Summa. The original source of this phrase, which does not appear in any other medieval source, is the Constitutio Omnem, a letter written by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I (527–65) on 16 December 533. Antonio da Tempo, who was a judge in Padua, was evidently the first to extract this quotation (with a slight change in the word order) from Justinian’s Constitutio for use in his treatise on poetic forms. For his part, the author of the Capitulum, apparently a simple teacher of grammar and music, took the statement ‘nova sunt’ not directly from Justinian’s Constitutio, but verbatim from da Tempo’s Summa, a source that was closer to his field of professional activity. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Capitulum was compiled not at the beginning of the Trecento but after 1332, the year in which da Tempo completed his Summa.
‘S’en dirai chançonete’: hearing text and music in a medieval motet
Authors: CLARK SUZANNAH
Published: March 2007

The texts of thirteenth-century vernacular motets have held centre stage in many recent debates about this polytextual genre: the purported unintelligibility of the words in performance has led to questions about how motets were meant to be understood, especially by third-party listeners, both medieval and modern. The irony is that the purpose of the music has gone unheard in this debate. Using a single motet as point of focus, this article suggests various ways in which the music clarifies rather than obscures the meaning of the text in performance. These range from the use of simple musical devices, such as musical repetition or changes in texture that draw attention to significant moments in the text, to the exploitation of refrain melodies, which I argue carries out an ‘intersonic’ duty that serves as an interpretive companion to the more traditional ‘intertextual’ readings of recent scholarship.
Improving food provision in a Guyanese home for the elderly: a participatory approach
Authors: Hewitt Gillian , Draper Alizon , Ismail Suraiya , Patterson Sybil
Published: March 2007

Objectives

To conduct a needs assessment of all aspects of food provision in a residential home and to evaluate a subsequent nutrition intervention.

Design

An intervention study using a before and after design. A participatory approach was adopted and quantitative and qualitative methods used throughout. The intervention involved a revised menu, kitchen equipment, and establishing wholesale shopping and food donations.

Setting

A residential home for senior citizens in Guyana.

Results

Meals at the home were nutritionally inadequate and deeply unpopular with the residents. Intakes of fruits and vegetables were low and the home was heavily reliant on donated soya mince and rice. Meals were served within an eight-hour period to accommodate the staff's hours of work. Cutbacks in the food budget indicated that the financial state of the home explained some of the problems. The intervention was unable to address all problems identified, but led to substantial improvements in the nutritional adequacy of the food provided following the inclusion in the menu of a number of nutrient-dense foods such as chicken liver. The new menu was acceptable to the cooks and largely popular with the residents, although some problems persisted.

Conclusions

The results show that improvements in the nutrient profile of the diet could be achieved with a flexible, community-based, participatory approach that addressed all elements of a home's food provision system. The changes also proved largely popular with the residents, thus potentially contributing to their quality of life.
Dietary patterns and survival of older Europeans: The EPIC-Elderly Study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition)
Authors: Bamia Christina , Trichopoulos Dimitrios , Ferrari Pietro , Overvad Kim , Bjerregaard Lone , Tjønneland Anne , Halkjær Jytte , Clavel-Chapelon Françoise , Kesse Emmanuelle , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Boffetta Paolo , Nagel Gabriele , Linseisen Jacob , Boeing Heiner , Hoffmann Kurt , Kasapa Christina , Orfanou Anastasia , Travezea Chrysoula , Slimani Nadia , Norat Teresa , Palli Domenico , Pala Valeria , Panico Salvatore , Tumino Rosario , Sacerdote Carlotta , Bueno-de-Mesquita H Bas , Waijers Patricia MCM , Peeters Petra HM , van der Schouw Yvonne T , Berenguer Antonio , Martinez-Garcia Carmen , Navarro Carmen , Barricarte Aurelio , Dorronsoro Miren , Berglund Göran , Wirfält Elisabet , Johansson Ingegerd , Johansson Gerd , Bingham Sheila , Khaw Kay-Tee , Spencer Elizabeth A , Key Tim , Riboli Elio , Trichopoulou Antonia
Published: March 2007

Objective

To investigate the association of a posteriori dietary patterns with overall survival of older Europeans.

Design and setting

This is a multi-centre cohort study. Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the association of the prevailing, a posteriori-derived, plant-based dietary pattern with all-cause mortality in a population of subjects who were 60 years or older at recruitment to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Elderly cohort). Analyses controlled for all known potential risk factors.

Subjects

In total, 74 607 men and women, 60 years or older at enrolment and without previous coronary heart disease, stroke or cancer, with complete information about dietary intakes and potentially confounding variables, and with known survival status as of December 2003, were included in the analysis.

Results

An increase in the score which measures the adherence to the plant-based diet was associated with a lower overall mortality, a one standard deviation increment corresponding to a statistically significant reduction of 14% (95% confidence interval 5–23%). In country-specific analyses the apparent association was stronger in Greece, Spain, Denmark and The Netherlands, and absent in the UK and Germany.

Conclusions

Greater adherence to the plant-based diet that was defined a posteriori in this population of European elders is associated with lower all-cause mortality. This dietary score is moderately positively correlated with the Modified Mediterranean Diet Score that has been constructed a priori and was also shown to be beneficial for the survival of the same EPIC-Elderly cohort.
Cryptic expression of functional glutamate transporters in the developing rodent brain
Authors: WILLIAMS SUSAN M. , MACNAB LAUREN T. , POW DAVID V.
Published: March 2007

The co-ordinate functioning of neurons and glia is required for glutamate-mediated neurotransmission. In this study, we show by immunocytochemical detection of D-aspartate uptake, that functional glutamate transporters are present in the developing CNS of fetal and neonatal rats, including forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain, at least as early as embryonic day 12 (E12). Use of the transport inhibitor dihydrokainic acid revealed a significant role for GLT-1 in the uptake process. Immunolabelling for the glutamate transporters GLAST, GLT-1α and GLT-1v showed that each of these proteins are expressed early in development and appear to be restricted to glial-like cells throughout the development period examined (except in the retina, where neuronal elements were also labelled). Our capacity to detect very early expression of the variant forms of GLT-1 contrasts with other studies, a feature that we attribute to the use of antigen-recovery techniques that unmask protein epitopes that are otherwise undetectable. These studies illustrate the widespread presence of functional glutamate transporters in the developing CNS, in many cases before the onset of periods of synaptogenesis and indicate that regulation of extracellular glutamate by multiple excitatory amino acid transporters might be crucial in early CNS development.
Axonal signalling and the making of olfactory ensheathing cells: a hypothesis
Authors: WEWETZER KONSTANTIN , BRANDES GUDRUN
Published: March 2007

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are Schwann cell-like glial cells of the olfactory system that promote neural repair under experimental conditions. It is a matter of debate in how far OECs resemble Schwann cells and whether they possess specific properties. Although OECs have been characterized mainly with respect to their regenerative effects after transplantation, both their cellular identity and the regulating factors involved have remained vague. The aim of this article is to define OEC and Schwann-cell identity in molecular terms, and to discuss crucial factors that are involved in determination in vitro and in vivo. Distinct OEC features such as the down-regulation of the low affinity neurotrophin receptor p75NTR by neuronal contact are apparent in vivo under physiological conditions, whereas OECs acquire a Schwann cell-like phenotype and up-regulate p75NTR expression in vitro and following transplantation into the lesioned spinal cord. This might indicate that establishment of the OEC phenotype depends on specific axonal stimuli. In this review we hypothesize that OECs and Schwann cells possess malleable cellular phenotypes that acquire distinct features only upon specific interaction with their natural neuronal partner. This concept is consistent with previous findings in vitro and in vivo, and might be relevant for studies that use OECs and Schwann cells for nervous system repair.
Possible role of spinal astrocytes in maintaining chronic pain sensitization: review of current evidence with focus on bFGF/JNK pathway
Authors: Ji Ru-Rong , Kawasaki Yasuhiko , Zhuang Zhi-Ye , Wen Yeong-Ray , Decosterd Isabelle
Published: March 2007

Although pain is regarded traditionally as neuronally mediated, recent progress shows an important role of spinal glial cells in persistent pain sensitization. Mounting evidence has implicated spinal microglia in the development of chronic pain (e.g. neuropathic pain after peripheral nerve injury). Less is known about the role of astrocytes in pain regulation. However, astrocytes have very close contact with synapses and maintain homeostasis in the extracellular environment. In this review, we provide evidence to support a role of spinal astrocytes in maintaining chronic pain. In particular, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) is activated persistently in spinal astrocytes in a neuropathic pain condition produced by spinal nerve ligation. This activation is required for the maintenance of neuropathic pain because spinal infusion of JNK inhibitors can reverse mechanical allodynia, a major symptom of neuropathic pain. Further study reveals that JNK is activated strongly in astrocytes by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), an astroglial activator. Intrathecal infusion of bFGF also produces persistent mechanical allodynia. After peripheral nerve injury, bFGF might be produced by primary sensory neurons and spinal astrocytes because nerve injury produces robust bFGF upregulation in both cell types. Therefore, the bFGF/JNK pathway is an important signalling pathway in spinal astrocytes for chronic pain sensitization. Investigation of signaling mechanisms in spinal astrocytes will identify new molecular targets for the management of chronic pain.
Influence of cover crops and soil amendments on okra (Abelmoschus esculentusL.) production and soil nematodes
Authors: Wang Qingren , Li Yuncong , Klassen Waldemar , Handoo Zafar
Published: March 2007

A pot experiment to determine the effects of summer cover crops and soil amendments on okra yields and population densities of various soil nematode taxa was conducted in two consecutive growing seasons in a subtropical region. Two cover crops, sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) and sorghum sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor×S. bicolorvar. sudanense), were grown and returned to the soil with fallow as a control. As soon as these cover crops were harvested, they were soil-incorporated together with one of several organic amendments. These organic amendments were biosolids, N-Viro soil (a 1:1 mixture of coal ash and biosolids), coal ash, co-compost (a 3:7 mixture of biosolids and yard wastes), and yard waste compost compared with a control (no additional amendment). Other treatments were fumigation with MC-33 (a mixture of 33% of methyl bromide and 67% of chloropicrin) and cover crop removal (harvested and removed cover crops and their residues from the soil). A nematode-susceptible vegetable crop, okra (Abelmoschus esculentusL.), was grown under these treatments. Among organic amendments, the application of biosolids produced the highest okra yield and biomass, and greatly suppressed root-knot nematodes,Meloidogyne incognita, in the soil. Between these two cover crops, sunn hemp was superior to sorghum sudangrass in improving okra production and in suppressing root-knot nematodes. The result indicates that growing sunn hemp as a cover crop and applying certain organic amendments can improve okra production and suppress root-knot nematodes, which are very damaging to okra plants. Such combined practices show a significant potential for application in organic farming and sustainable agriculture systems in a tropical or subtropical region.
Consumer interactions and influences on farmers' market vendors
Authors: Hunt Alan R.
Published: March 2007

Consumers interact with each other and vendors on a social level at farmers' markets. Some consumer social interactions, such as enjoying the market, talking with farmers about seasonal products and making a trip to the market a family event, are significant and positive influences on spending at farmers' markets as identified through a survey of 216 shoppers at eight farmers' markets in Maine. Vendors at these markets were also surveyed, with 65 of the 81 vendors being farmers. Through direct farmer/consumer relations, farmers indicated a willingness to reduce chemical inputs to meet customer demands, suggesting that customer interaction has the potential to affect environmental quality. By examining the linkages between producers and consumers at a direct market—often embedded with a sense of local identity—there is the potential to better understand social interactions that can support the economic and environmental sustainability of local agriculture.
Beeinflussen Narzissmus und Selbstkonzeptklarheit aggressives Fahrverhalten in selbstwert- bedrohlichen Situationen?
Authors: Steffgen Georges
Published: March 2007

Zusammenfassung: Ausgehend von dem theoretischen Modell von Baumeister, Smart und Boden (1996) kann der bedrohte Selbstwert als eine bedeutsame Ursache für aggressives Verhalten angesehen werden. Insbesondere narzisstische Personen mit einem instabilen Selbstwert neigen stärker dazu, Situationen als selbstwertbedrohlich zu erleben und mit Aggressionen zu reagieren. Stucke (2001) belegte in diesem Kontext, dass aggressives Fahrverhalten durch die Interaktion von Narzissmus und Selbstkonzeptklarheit vorhergesagt werden kann. In der vorliegenden Studie wird die Rolle der Persönlichkeitsvariablen Selbstwertbedrohung, Narzissmus und Selbstkonzeptklarheit für aggressives Fahrverhalten von Motorradfahrern/-innen untersucht. Untersuchungsteilnehmer/-innen waren 126 Motorradfahrer/-innen (98 Männer und 28 Frauen) in dem Altersbereich von 19 bis 61 Jahren. Die regressionsanalytischen Befunde belegen, dass Ärgerreaktionen von Motorradfahrern/-fahrerinnen im Straßenverkehr durch die Interaktion von Narzissmus, Selbstkonzeptklarheit und Selbstwertbedrohung vorhergesagt werden können. Die theoretischen und empirischen Implikationen der Befunde werden abschließend diskutiert.
Altersabhängige Unterschiede in neuropsychologischen Leistungsprofilen bei ADHS und Autismus
Authors: Sinzig Judith , Bruning Nicole , Morsch Dagmar , Lehmkuhl Gerd
Published: March 2007

Zusammenfassung: Fragestellung: In dieser Studie wurden Kinder und Jugendliche mit einer autistischen Störung und solche mit einer Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung (ADHS) mit gesunden Kindern und Jugendlichen mit normaler Entwicklung hinsichtlich der Ausprägung von neuropsychologischen Variablen in drei unterschiedlichen Altersgruppen verglichen. Methodik: Es wurden 42 Kinder und Jugendliche mit einer autistischen Störung (High-Functioning Autismus bzw. Asperger-Syndrom), 31 Kinder mit einem ADHS (nach ICD-10 und DSM-IV) sowie 30 gesunde Kontrollkinder im Rahmen der Studie untersucht. Dabei wurden folgende neuropsychologische Testverfahren eingesetzt: 1. Testbatterie für Aufmerksamkeitsstörungen (TAP) (Daueraufmerksamkeit, Inhibition und Reaktionswechsel); 2. Cambridge Neuropsychological Automated Test Battery (CANTAB) zur Erfassung exekutiver Funktionen (Arbeitsgedächtnis und Planungsverhalten); 3 «Frankfurt Test und Training von fazialem Affekt» (FEFA) zur emotionsbezogenen Gesichtererkennung. Ergebnisse: Unsere Daten liefern Hinweise dafür, dass sich die von uns untersuchten Aufmerksamkeitsfunktionen mit zunehmendem Alter verbessern. Deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den beiden klinischen Gruppen fanden sich insbesondere für 11 bis 14-jährige im Bereich der Daueraufmerksamkeit und der Inhibition. Sowohl in Bezug auf die Exekutivfunktionen, als auch im Bereich der emotionsbezogenen Gesichtererkennung fanden sich keine statistisch bedeutsamen Unterschiede zwischen den drei Gruppen. Schlussfolgerungen: Obwohl unsere Ergebnisse aufgrund des deskriptiven Charakters der Untersuchung und der sehr kleinen Stichproben nur mit Einschränkung zu interpretieren sind, erscheint die Berücksichtigung des Alters bei der Anwendung neuropsychologischer Testverfahren sinnvoll, um so den individuellen Leistungsvoraussetzungen der unterschiedlichen Patientengruppen besser gerecht zu werden.
Seasonal evolution and interannual variability of the local solar energy absorbed by the Arctic sea ice–ocean system
Authors: Perovich Donald K. , Nghiem Son V. , Markus Thorsten , Schweiger Axel
Published: March 2007

The melt season of the Arctic sea ice cover is greatly affected by the partitioning of the incident solar radiation between reflection to the atmosphere and absorption in the ice and ocean. This partitioning exhibits a strong seasonal cycle and significant interannual variability. Data in the period 1998, 2000–2004 were analyzed in this study. Observations made during the 1997–1998 SHEBA (Surface HEat Budget of the Arctic Ocean) field experiment showed a strong seasonal dependence of the partitioning, dominated by a five‐phase albedo evolution. QuikSCAT scatterometer data from the SHEBA region in 1999–2004 were used to further investigate solar partitioning in summer. The time series of scatterometer data were used to determine the onset of melt and the beginning of freezeup. This information was combined with SSM/I‐derived ice concentration, TOVS‐based estimates of incident solar irradiance, and SHEBA results to estimate the amount of solar energy absorbed in the ice‐ocean system for these years. The average total solar energy absorbed in the ice‐ocean system from April through September was 900 MJ m−2. There was considerable interannual variability, with a range of 826 to 1044 MJ m−2. The total amount of solar energy absorbed by the ice and ocean was strongly related to the date of melt onset, but only weakly related to the total duration of the melt season or the onset of freezeup. The timing of melt onset is significant because the incident solar energy is large and a change at this time propagates through the entire melt season, affecting the albedo every day throughout melt and freezeup.