bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional dissection of Hydrophilins during in vitro freeze protection
Authors: REYES JOSÉ L. , CAMPOS FRANCISCO , WEI HUI , ARORA RAJEEV , YANG YONGIL , KARLSON DALE T. , COVARRUBIAS ALEJANDRA A.
Published: August 2008

In plants, Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins typically accumulate in response to low water availability conditions imposed during development or by the environment. Analogous proteins in other organisms are induced when exposed to stress conditions. Most of this diverse set of proteins can be grouped according to properties such as high hydrophilicity and high content of glycine or other small amino acids in what we have termed hydrophilins. Previously, we showed that hydrophilins protect enzyme activities in vitro from low water availability effects. Here, we demonstrate that hydrophilins can also protect enzyme activities from the adverse effects induced by freeze–thaw cycles in vitro. We monitored conformational changes induced by freeze–thaw on the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) using the fluorophore 1‐anilinonaphthalene‐8‐sulfonate (ANS). Hydrophilin addition prevents enzyme inactivation and this effect is reflected in changes in the ANS‐fluorescence levels determined for LDH. We further show that for selected plant hydrophilins, removal of certain conserved domains affects their protecting capabilities. Thus, we propose that hydrophilins, and in particular specific protein domains, have a role in protecting cell components from the adverse effects caused by low water availability such as those present during freezing conditions by preventing deleterious changes in protein secondary and tertiary structure.
A functional haplotype and expression of the PADI4 gene associated with increased rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility in Chinese
Authors: Fan L. Y. , Wang W. J. , Wang Q. , Zong M. , Yang L. , Zhang H. , Sun L. S. , Lu T. B. , Han J.
Published: August 2008

To evaluate the association of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PADI4 mRNA with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a Chinese population, we examined the distribution of four exonic SNPs of the PADI4 gene (padi4_89*G/A, padi4_90*T/C, padi4_92*G/C and padi4_104*T/C) and PADI4 gene expression in 70 RA patients and 81 controls. Increased RA susceptibility was associated with the minor alleles of padi4_89 (P = 0.012), padi4_90 (P = 0.002), padi4_104 (P = 0.001) and the functional haplotype carrying the four minor alleles (P = 0.008). Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DRB1 shared epitope (SE) alleles were also associated with increased RA susceptibility, and the individuals with minor alleles of four exonic SNPs and SE alleles showed more increased RA susceptibility. The PADI4 expression was significantly higher in RA patients than in controls (P < 0.001). HLA‐DRB1 SE alleles and the genotypes carrying the minor alleles of four SNPs were associated with increased PADI4 expression. It is concluded that PADI4 SNPs, functional haplotype and PADI4 expression may contribute to an inherited predisposition to RA in a Chinese population.
Response of Dendroctonus brevicomis to different release rates of nonhost angiosperm volatiles and verbenone in trapping and tree protection studies
Authors: Fettig C. J. , McKelvey S. R. , Dabney C. P. , Borys R. R. , Huber D. P. W.
Published: August 2008

A blend of eight nonhost angiosperm volatiles (benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, guaiacol, nonanal, salicylaldehyde, (E)‐2‐hexenal, (E)‐2‐hexen‐1‐ol and (Z)‐2‐hexen‐1‐ol) without [NAV] and with [NAVV] (–)‐verbenone (4,6,6‐trimethylbicyclo[3.1.1]hept‐3‐en‐2‐one) were tested at low (L), medium (M) and high (H) release rates for their ability to reduce attraction of western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, to attractant‐baited (exo‐brevicomin [racemic, 3 mg/d], frontalin [racemic, 3 mg/d] and myrcene [18 mg/d]) multiple funnel traps. NAV‐L (40 mg/d) had no significant effect. Verbenone alone (50 mg/d) and NAV‐M (240 mg/d) both significantly reduced attraction, but no significant difference was observed between the two treatment means. NAV‐H (430 mg/d) significantly reduced catches by ∼60% and 78% compared to verbenone alone and the baited control, respectively. In a second experiment, combining (–)‐verbenone with NAV (NAVV) increased the effects observed in Experiment 1. NAVV‐M (240 mg/d) resulted in an ∼69% and 83% reduction in trap catch compared to verbenone alone and the baited control, respectively. Significantly fewer D. brevicomis were captured in NAVV‐H (430 mg/d) than any other treatment resulting in an ∼93% reduction in trap catch compared to the baited control. In a third experiment, NAVV was tested at three release rates for its ability to protect individual ponderosa pines, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws., from attack by D. brevicomis. Cumulative release rates varied in direct proportion to tree diameter, but represented quarter, half and full NAVV rates. NAVV significantly reduced the density of D. brevicomis attacks, D. brevicomis successful attacks, and levels of tree mortality on attractant‐baited trees. Only three of 15 NAVV‐treated trees died from D. brevicomis attack while ∼93% mortality (14/15) was observed in the untreated, baited control. Quarter and half rates were ineffective for reducing tree mortality.
Effects of elevated CO2 on feeding preference and performance of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larvae
Authors: Wang X.‐W. , Ji L.‐Z. , Zhang Q.‐H. , Liu Y. , Wang G.‐Q.
Published: August 2008

Multiple‐choice assays were conducted in the laboratory to examine the effect of CO2‐induced changes in leaf quality on growth, nutritional indices and preferences of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larvae. The tested tree species, one‐year‐old aspen (Populus pseudo‐simonii Kitag.), two‐year‐old birch (Betula platyphylla) and three‐year‐old oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch.) were transplanted to open‐top chambers at ambient or elevated CO2 (650 ppm) concentrations in May 2005. The present study was conducted in 2006. Leaves from the upper and lower crowns of each tree species were sampled and analysed, respectively. On both measurement dates (24 July 2006 and 16 August 2006), there were significant CO2 effects on levels of condensed tannin, starch, nitrogen and C : N ratio. But only on the latter date, were the concentrations of total phenolics, soluble sugar, carbon and total non‐structural carbohydrates significantly affected by elevated CO2. Leaf dry weight content and specific leaf weight were almost completely unaffected by CO2 enrichment. Gypsy moth larvae exhibited a clear selectivity for tested leaf types (leaves from the upper and lower crowns of each tree species) even in their early instar stage, with the upper leaves of P. pseudo‐simonii being the most preferable and the lower leaves of Q. mongolica being the least preferred. The changes in leaf quality significantly reduced larval growth and altered partial indices of insect performance (e.g., relative growth rate and relative consumption rate). However, at least in this short‐term choice feeding assay (13 days), the CO2‐induced changes in leaf quality had no significant effects on food preference behaviour of the gypsy moth larvae, neither within the limited range of host plants nor within the leaves at different canopy heights of the same tree species.
Phyllotreta cruciferae and Phyllotreta striolata responses to insecticidal seed treatments with different modes of action
Authors: Tansey J. A. , Dosdall L. M. , Keddie B. A.
Published: August 2008

The strategy used most commonly in western North America to protect seedlings of canola (Brassica rapa L. and Brassica napus L.) from attack by adults of the flea beetles Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze) and Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) involves planting seed coated with insecticide for systemic activity. Previous research determined that the two beetle species responded differently to the most commonly used neonicotinoid seed dressings. However, other insecticides that exploit different modes of action have commercial potential for managing infestations of these pests, but no information exists on their efficacies for these flea beetle species. Studies were conducted to compare effects of the neonicotinoid compounds, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid, to spinosyn and fipronil as systemic seed treatments for reducing feeding damage to canola seedlings and increasing mortality of P. cruciferae and P. striolata. Phyllotreta cruciferae experienced greater mortality and caused less feeding damage than P. striolata to seedlings treated with the neonicotinoid compounds. Mortality increased and feeding damage decreased significantly when beetles fed upon seedlings treated with fipronil, indicating its potential usefulness for control of these pests. However, spinosyn seed treatment was relatively ineffective against either beetle species. Higher rates of P. striolata mortality with fipronil than thiamethoxam suggest that fipronil may provide improved flea beetle control over hundreds of thousands of hectares in western North America where flea beetle populations are dominated by P. striolata, and control with thiamethoxam has been suboptimal.
Efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for control of Tribolium castaneum with reduced oxygen and increased carbon dioxide
Authors: Lord J. C.
Published: August 2008

This study investigated the effect of atmosphere modification, a widely adopted means of insect control in stored products, on the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana for one of the most difficult to control pests, Tribolium castaneum. Oxygen reduction to 5% (±1%) as opposed to CO2 elevation to 40% (±2%) for the first 72 h of fungus exposure resulted in significantly greater larval mortality than fungus exposure under ambient atmospheres. Both treatments reduced pupation of older larvae suggesting that slowed development may be a beneficial factor for fungal efficacy. CO2 elevation but not O2 reduction significantly affected the mortality of adult beetles that were exposed to the fungus. Carbon dioxide elevation significantly reduced B. bassiana’s germination and growth rates, but oxygen reduction did not.
Erythropoietin and its non‐erythropoietic derivative: Do they ameliorate renal tubulointerstitial injury in ureteral obstruction?
Authors: Srisawat Nattachai , Manotham Krissanapong , Eiam‐Ong Somchit , Katavetin Pisut , Praditpornsilpa Kearkiat , Eiam‐Ong Somchai
Published: August 2008

Objectives:  Pleiotropic effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) have recently been discovered in many non‐renal animal models. The renoprotective effects of EPO and carbamylated‐erythropoietin (CEPO), a novel EPO which has a small stimulatory effect on hemoglobin, have never been explored in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), a chronic tubulointerstitial (TI) disease model which is independent of systemic factors.

Methods:  In order to examine the effects of EPO and CEPO treatments on renal TI injury, 36 male Sprague‐Dawley rats, weighing 250–320 g, underwent: UUO without treatment (group 1, n = 12), UUO with EPO (groups 2, n = 12), and UUO with CEPO (group 3, n = 12). EPO and CEPO were injected subcutaneously at a dose of 5000 u/kg to each respective rat at 1 day pre‐UUO and at day 3, 7 and 10 post‐UUO. After days 3, 7, and 14 of UUO, TI injury, collagen, α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) positive cell, ED1‐positive cell, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) mediated nick‐end labeling (TUNEL)‐positive cell, and transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) were determined. Bcl‐2 expression was also assessed to verify the mechanism of apoptosis.

Results:  At day 14 UUO caused severe TI injury with a significant increase in collagen, α‐SMA, ED1‐positive cell, TUNEL‐positive cell, and TGF‐β1 mRNA expression. Administration of EPO and CEPO significantly attenuated TI injury, collagen, ED1‐positive cells, and TUNEL‐positive cells. Only CEPO‐treated rats had decreased α‐SMA positive cells and TGF‐β1 mRNA. The expression of Bcl‐2 was demonstrated only in EPO‐treated rats. The hematocrit levels in EPO‐treated rats were higher than the control and CEPO‐treated rats.

Conclusions:  EPO and CEPO can limit 14‐day UUO‐induced TI injury by reducing inflammation, interstitial fibrosis, and tubular apoptosis.
Is liquidity the missing link?
Authors: Limkriangkrai Manapon , Durand Robert B. , Watson Iain
Published: August 2008

Durand et al. (2006a) argue that the Australian market is both internationally integrated and domestically segmented. They find that the US‐based three‐factor model captures returns of the largest stocks in Australia (evidence of international integration), but that it is unable to account for the returns of the smallest stocks (evidence of domestic segmentation). This study resolves the puzzle left by Durand et al. (2006a). Incorporating a liquidity factor provides the missing link in their analysis: it results in a model that permits both the international integration of the largest stocks and the model can account for the returns of the smallest stocks. Our analysis highlights the important role of liquidity in Australian asset pricing.
Putting Moral Standards on the Map: The Construction of Unemployment and the Housing Problem in Turn‐of‐the‐Century London1
Authors: MANSFIELD MALCOLM
Published: August 2008

Abstract  This article challenges the idea that the construction of unemployment in turn‐of‐the‐century Great Britain was an attempt simply to normalize employment relations by promoting regular work patterns. An analysis of the Booth survey in terms of the standard of life concept demonstrates the importance of the slum clearance problematic in bringing about the major rethink in policy thinking which ultimately led to the labour exchange project. The peculiar mobilisation patterns promoted by the labour exchange project reflect the difficulty or impossibility of delocalising industry or dock activity into the London suburbs.
Explaining the Emergence Process of the Civil Rights Protest in Northern Ireland (1945–1968): Insights from a Relational Social Movement Approach1
Authors: BOSI LORENZO
Published: August 2008

Abstract This article explains how the contingent of complex interactions among pre‐existing structural settings, institutional constraints, processes of regional and international transformative events, and uniquely combined developments within and between different contenders in the aftermath of the Second World War shaped Northern Ireland socio and political relations and thus instigated the Civil Rights Movement mobilization process. By re‐introducing the time‐space context into our studies of collective action, through a relational reading, my intent first is to advance our understanding of those episodes and complex patterns of interaction that give rise to social movements, and second to move beyond the static movement‐centric approach explanation and away from the a‐historical nature of much of the social movement literature. My historical‐sociological research, into the longitudinal case study of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement mobilization, involves secondary and new empirical primary sources, such as archival analysis, qualitative examination of Northern Ireland daily newspapers during the 1960s, and the collection of 35 semi‐structured interviews with key players from the Civil Rights Movement.
Auditing Nature, Enacting Culture: Rationalisation as Disciplinary Purification in Early Twentieth‐Century British Dairy Farming
Authors: NIMMO RICHIE
Published: August 2008

Abstract  This paper undertakes a critical examination of the rationalisation of British dairy farming in the early twentieth century, with a particular focus upon the emergence of milk yield recording as a vehicle of rationalisation. The historical analysis is used to rework and rethink the concept of rationalisation itself, by conceiving it as a disciplinary technology of ontological purification, which reconfigures the relations between humans and nonhumans, and between humans and animals in particular. In this way I seek to integrate contrasting approaches to modernity, showing how the core sociological narrative of rationalisation can be re‐worked in terms of a Foucauldian conception of disciplinary power and a symmetrical or ‘actor‐network’ approach to ontological politics.
Political Economy, Social Movements and State Power: A Marxian Perspective on Two Decades of Resistance to the Narmada Dam Projects*
Authors: NILSEN ALF GUNVALD
Published: August 2008

Abstract  In this article, I put forward a Marxian analysis of the conflict over dam‐building on the Narmada River in central and western India, which seeks to bring out how in this specific conflict it is possible to discern the workings of the master change processes that have moulded the Indian trajectory of postcolonial capitalist development. I start by showing how the concrete case of dispossession in the Narmada Valley is expressive of how the development strategies that defined the postcolonial nation‐building project have been moulded in such a way as to create a de facto transfer of productive resources to the country's dominant proprietary classes. I then move on to argue that these features of the political economy of India's postcolonial development project can be understood as the sediment of struggles between social movements from above and below in the decades immediately prior to Independence. Arguing that the postcolonial development project has unravelled, I outline the fundamentals of an analysis of the characteristics of social movements from below in the conflictual field of force which is emerging in its wake. Finally, I draw on the trajectory of resistance to dam‐building on the Narmada to articulate a series of reflections on the nature of state power in India and the possibilities that might exist for the state to function as an enabling space for the struggles of subaltern social groups.
Property, the Formation of the Pioneer State and the Working of Power in Rural Australia
Authors: VOYCE MALCOLM
Published: August 2008

Abstract  This paper is concerned with the role of property ownership and the importance of male patriarchy on family farms. I critique here the role of property and family and its role in State formation. I am interested in local and regional sites where I argue that identity and conduct was determined. This approach indicates how the cultural values of farming were reflected in the culture of the State through its administrative apparatuses of power. Through an explanation of the role of ‘family’ and ‘property’, I show how different discourse and techniques involved with rural life received endorsement and support, within legal and non‐legal forms of power. I outline the direction my argument will take. Firstly, I show the importance of the family in State policy and how the family was imbedded in ideas of property. Secondly, I show the role of economics as a form of governance. Economics, I argue formed a discipline of productivity through which the family governed the individual and the State governed the family. Thirdly, I show how property, the family and economics were linked within other administrative agencies involved in the ‘governmentalisation of society’.
Silencing by RNAi of the gene for Pns12, a viroplasm matrix protein of Rice dwarf virus, results in strong resistance of transgenic rice plants to the virus
Authors: Shimizu Takumi , Yoshii Motoyasu , Wei Taiyun , Hirochika Hirohiko , Omura Toshihiro
Published: August 2008

The non‐structural protein Pns12 of Rice dwarf virus is one of the early proteins expressed in cultured insect cells, and it is one of 12 proteins that initiate the formation of the viroplasm, the putative site of viral replication. Pns4 is also a non‐structural protein, visible as minitubules after nucleation of the viroplasm. We introduced Pns12‐ and Pns4‐specific RNA interference (RNAi) constructs into rice plants. The resultant transgenic plants accumulated short interfering RNAs specific to the constructs. The progeny of rice plants with Pns12‐specific RNAi constructs, after self‐fertilization, were strongly resistant to viral infection. By contrast, resistance was less apparent in the case of rice plants with Pns4‐specific RNAi constructs, and delayed symptoms appeared in some plants of each line. Our results suggest that interference with the expression of a protein that is critical for viral replication, such as the viroplasm matrix protein Pns12, might be a practical and effective way to control viral infection in crop plants.
Primary pupils' use of information and communication technologies at school and home
Authors: Selwyn Neil , Potter John , Cranmer Sue
Published: August 2008

Based on survey data from 612 pupils in five English primary schools, this paper investigates children's engagement with information and communication technologies (ICTs) inside and outside the school context. Analysis of the data shows pupils' engagements with ICTs to be often perfunctory and unspectacular, especially within the school setting, where the influence of year group and school attended are prominent. Whilst the majority of children felt that ICT use led to gains in learning, the paper discusses how there was a strong sense of educational uses of ICTs being constrained by the nature of the schools within which ‘educational’ use was largely framed and often situated. The paper concludes by suggesting possible changes to ICT provision in primary schools, most notably relaxing school restrictions regarding Internet access and developing meaningful dialogues with pupils about future forms of educational ICT use.
HR fables: schizophrenia, selling your soul in dystopia, fuck the employees, and sleepless nights
Authors: Steers Ian
Published: August 2008

Aesop's fables are used to gather HR fables and these fables are told mainly in the words of the protagonists of these moral stories, HR practitioners. Leaving the moral meaning of the fables for the reader to interpret so the reader can ethically connect with the morality of HR work, the personal narratives of practitioners and their humanity, the fables conclude with a critical commentary by the author, the promotion of a human virtue and HR moral maxim. The article, itself, then ends with an explanation of the research methodology adopted to compile the HR fables.
Death Without God
Authors: Edmondson Donald , Park Crystal L. , Chaudoir Stephenie R. , Wortmann Jennifer H.
Published: August 2008

Religious worldviews often provide comfort near the end of life, but they can cause distress if life circumstances are perceived as evidence of God's disfavor. This study, the first to test terror management theory (TMT) with terminally ill participants, examined the hypothesis that concerns about death mediate the relationship between religious struggle (and religious comfort) and depression in the terminally ill. Ninety-eight patients with end-stage congestive heart failure (CHF) completed measures of religious comfort, religious struggle, belief in an afterlife, concerns about death, and depression. In separate hierarchical linear regression models that controlled for degree of belief in an afterlife, death concerns fully mediated the relationships between religious struggle and depression and between religious comfort and depression. These findings suggest that religious struggle is a breakdown in the terror management system that leaves the individual vulnerable to the terror of death, and that properly functioning religious worldviews offer comfort by buffering the individual against death concerns.
From Sucker to Saint
Authors: Jordan Alexander H. , Monin Benoît
Published: August 2008

When people's rationality and agency are implicitly called into question by the more expedient behavior of others, they sometimes respond by feeling morally superior; this is referred to as the sucker-to-saint effect. In Experiment 1, participants who completed a tedious task and then saw a confederate quit the same task elevated their own morality over that of the confederate, whereas participants who simply completed the task or simply saw the confederate quit did not. In Experiment 2, this effect was eliminated by having participants contemplate a valued personal quality before encountering the rebellious confederate, a result suggesting a role for self-threat in producing moralization. These studies demonstrate that moral judgments can be more deeply embedded in judges' immediate social contexts–and driven more by motivations to maintain self-image—than is typically appreciated in contemporary moral-psychology research. Rather than uphold abstract principles of justice, moral judgment may sometimes just help people feel a little less foolish.
I Am Too Just Like You
Authors: Lakin Jessica L. , Chartrand Tanya L. , Arkin Robert M.
Published: August 2008

Research across various disciplines has demonstrated that social exclusion has devastating psychological, emotional, and behavioral consequences. Excluded individuals are therefore motivated to affiliate with others, even though they may not have the resources, cognitive or otherwise, to do so. The current research explored whether nonconscious mimicry of other individuals—a low-cost, low-risk, automatic behavior—might help excluded individuals address threatened belongingness needs. Experiment 1 demonstrated that excluded people mimic a subsequent interaction partner more than included people do. Experiment 2 showed that individuals excluded by an in-group selectively (and nonconsciously) mimic a confederate who is an in-group member more than a confederate who is an out-group member. The relationship between exclusion and mimicry suggests that there are automatic behaviors people can use to recover from the experience of being excluded. In addition, this research demonstrates that nonconscious mimicry is selective and sensitive to context.
The incidence of and risk factors for MRSA bacteraemia in an HIV‐infected cohort in the HAART era*
Authors: Burkey MD , Wilson LE , Moore RD , Lucas GM , Francis J , Gebo KA
Published: August 2008

Objectives

To define the incidence and risk factors for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia in an HIV‐infected population.

Methods

From January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2004, we conducted a retrospective cohort study. We identified all cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB), including MRSA, among patients enrolled in the Johns Hopkins Hospital out‐patient HIV clinic. A conditional logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors for MRSA bacteraemia compared with methicillin‐sensitive SAB and no bacteraemia in unmatched (1:1) and matched (1:4) nested case‐control analyses, respectively.

Results

Of 4607 patients followed for a total of 11 020 person‐years (PY) of follow‐up, 216 episodes of SAB occurred (incidence: 19.6 cases per 1000 PY), including 94 cases (43.5%) which were methicillin‐resistant. The incidence of MRSA bacteraemia increased from 5.3 per 1000 PY in 2000–2001 to 11.9 per 1000 PY in 2003–2004 (P=0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that independent predictors of MRSA bacteraemia (vs. no bacteraemia) were injection drug use (IDU), end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) and CD4 count <200 cells/μL.

Conclusions

MRSA bacteraemia was an increasingly common diagnosis in our HIV‐infected cohort, especially in patients with history of IDU, low CD4 cell count and ESRD.
Stability of HIV RNA in plasma specimens stored at different temperatures
Authors: Amellal B , Murphy R , Maiga A , Brucker G , Katlama C , Calvez V , Marcelin AG
Published: August 2008

Objectives

In resource‐limited countries, HIV‐1 RNA quantification is usually performed in reference laboratories. Samples from remote areas are transported under suboptimal conditions. Here we evaluated HIV‐1 RNA stability in plasma stored at different temperatures for 1 week.

Methods

Blood samples collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and processed within 6 h of collection were tested by HIV‐1 RNA quantification using Roche Cobas Ampliprep‐Cobas TaqMan® (Roche Diagnostics). The results were compared with matched HIV‐1 RNA concentrations determined from plasma stored for 1 week at 4, 22, 30 or 37 °C.

Results

A total of 51 samples were evaluated: 10 stored at 4 °C, 15 at 22 °C, 16 at 30 °C and 10 at 37 °C. Keeping plasma at 4, 22 or 30 °C for 1 week did not affect HIV RNA measurement. Compared with HIV‐1 RNA concentrations determined from fresh plasma, the correlation was significant for each of the three temperatures with no RNA decay. In contrast, HIV‐1 RNA levels decreased significantly when plasma was stored at 37 °C. The 10 samples submitted at this temperature showed a weaker correlation (ρ=0.84; P=0.012) and a significantly reduced median HIV‐1 RNA concentration (−0.92 log10 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL; P=0.005).

Conclusion

Plasma can be saved for up to 1 week at 30 °C before shipping to a reference laboratory for HIV‐1 RNA quantification.
Routine, voluntary HIV testing in Durban, South Africa: correlates of HIV infection*
Authors: Bassett IV , Giddy J , Wang B , Lu Z , Losina E , Freedberg KA , Walensky RP
Published: August 2008

Background

Routine HIV testing is increasingly recommended in resource‐limited settings. Our objective was to evaluate factors associated with a new diagnosis of HIV infection in a routine HIV testing programme in South Africa.

Methods

We established a routine HIV testing programme in an out‐patient department in Durban, South Africa. All registered adults were offered a rapid HIV test; we surveyed a sample of tested patients.

Results

During the 12‐week study, 1414 adults accepted HIV testing. Of those, 463 (32.7%) were HIV‐infected. Seven hundred and twenty (50.9%) were surveyed. Compared with married women, unmarried men were at the highest risk of HIV [odds ratio (OR) 6.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.45–23.55], followed by unmarried women (OR 5.90; 95% CI 3.25–10.70) and married men (OR 4.00; 95% CI 2.04–7.83). Age 30–39 years (compared with ≥50 years; OR 5.10; 95% CI 2.86–9.09), no prior HIV test (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.07–2.27) and an imperfect HIV knowledge score (OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.24–4.35) were also associated with HIV infection.

Conclusion

In a routine HIV testing programme in South Africa, rates of previously undiagnosed HIV were highest among men, young and unmarried patients, and those with poorer HIV knowledge. Better interventions are needed to improve HIV knowledge and decrease HIV risk behaviour.
Altered frontostriatal coupling in pre‐manifest Huntington’s disease: effects of increasing cognitive load
Authors: Wolf R. C. , Sambataro F. , Vasic N. , Schönfeldt‐Lecuona C. , Ecker D. , Landwehrmeyer B.
Published: August 2008

Background and purpose:  Functional neuroimaging studies have suggested a dysfunction of prefrontal regions in clinically pre‐symptomatic individuals with the Huntington’s disease (HD) gene mutation (pre‐HD) during cognitive processing. The objective of this study was to test the impact of cognitive demand on prefrontal connectivity in pre‐HD individuals.

Methods:  Sixteen healthy controls and sixteen pre‐HD subjects were studied using functional MRI and a verbal working memory task with increasing cognitive load. Load‐dependent functional connectivity of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was investigated by means of psychophysiological interactions.

Results:  In pre‐HD subjects, aberrant functional connectivity of the left DLPFC was found at high working memory load levels only. Compared with healthy controls, pre‐HD individuals exhibited lower connectivity strength in the left putamen, the right anterior cingulate and the left medial prefrontal cortex. Pre‐HD individuals close to the onset of motor symptoms additionally exhibited lower connectivity strength in the right putamen and the left superior frontal cortex. The connectivity strength in the left putamen was associated with several clinical measures including CAG repeat length, Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale motor score and predicted years to manifest symptom onset.

Conclusion:  These findings suggest that early prefrontal connectivity abnormalities in pre‐HD individuals are modulated by cognitive demand.
Breaking the mould: new trajectories in the domiciliary care of older people in Ireland
Authors: Doyle Martha , Timonen Virpi
Published: August 2008

This article reviews the development of domiciliary care services for older people in Ireland over the last decade. It reveals three central developments, namely (i) the first steps, in the Irish context, towards a quasi‐market; (ii) the introduction of cash‐for‐care and the subsequent notable segmentation of care tasks among three provider groups; and (iii) a rapidly increasing reliance on for‐profit private home care providers. The authors conclude that while the Irish social care regime is still anchored in important ways in the primacy of informal (family) care and the subsidiarity principle, it has broken path‐dependency by evolving towards an increasingly complex mix of public, not‐for‐profit and for‐profit provision and financing. The most policy‐relevant aspect of this new constellation is the lack of a regulatory framework that would enable the State to monitor the multiple and diverse providers with the view to ensuring the quality of home care services.
Using Linkage Analysis to Identify Quantitative Trait Loci for Sleep Apnea in Relationship to Body Mass Index
Authors: Larkin E. K. , Patel S. R. , Elston R. C. , Gray‐McGuire C. , Zhu X. , Redline S.
Published: August 2008

To understand the genetics of sleep apnea, we evaluated the relationship between the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and body mass index (BMI) through linkage analysis to identify genetic loci that may influence AHI and BMI jointly and AHI independent of BMI.

Haseman‐Elston sibling regression was conducted on AHI, AHI adjusted for BMI and BMI in African‐American and European‐American pedigrees. A comparison of the magnitude of linkage peaks was used to assess the relationship between AHI and BMI. In EAs, the strongest evidence for linkage to AHI was on 6q23‐25 and 10q24‐q25, both decreasing after BMI adjustment, suggesting loci with pleiotropic effects. Also, a promising area of linkage to AHI but not BMI was observed on 6p11‐q11 near the orexin‐2 receptor, suggesting BMI independent pathways. In AAs the strongest evidence of linkage for AHI after adjusting for BMI was on chromosome 8p21.3 with linkage increasing after BMI adjustment and on 8q24.1 with linkage decreasing after BMI adjustment. Novel linkage peaks were also observed in AAs to both BMI and AHI on chromosome 13 near the serotonin‐2a receptor. These analyses suggest genetic loci for sleep apnea that operate both independently of BMI and through BMI‐related pathways.
Blood lead levels in wintering and moulting Icelandic whooper swans over two decades
Authors: O'Connell M. M. , Rees E. C. , Einarsson Ó. , Spray C. J. , Thorstensen S. , O'Halloran J.
Published: August 2008

Lead poisoning of waterfowl through the ingestion of spent gunshot and discarded anglers' weights continues to be a problem worldwide. We took blood samples from 363 whooper swans Cygnus cygnus at wintering sites in Britain and Ireland and at moulting sites in Iceland during 2001–2005, and analysed them for total blood lead. Lead levels were generally low in swans in Iceland; 6% of samples exceeded 1.21 μmol L−1, the level indicative of elevated lead and above background levels. The proportion of swans with elevated lead was much higher in the wintering range, varying between 43 and 70% at three sites monitored over the winters 2003/2004–2005/2006, and with blood lead levels ranging up to 19.6 μmol L−1. The highest levels were in samples taken from swans in Scotland, with a mean value of 3.0 μmol L−1, but nevertheless they indicated a marked decrease compared with blood lead levels measured for whooper swans at the same site 20 years ago. There also appeared to be a significant long‐term decrease in the proportion of swans with elevated blood lead in Iceland, from 60% of birds in 1984 to 8% in 2005, although this may be due to the birds being caught in different parts of Iceland. The most likely source of elevated lead in whooper swans is spent gunshot. Management measures to reduce the impact of lead in the environment on the birds are discussed.
The importance of understanding different complaint themes' impact on commitment
Authors: Bunker Matthew P.
Published: August 2008

The research establishes that different complaint themes do not impact commitment with the same intensity. In other words, managers should not give the same amount of attention to all of the complaints received by the company. Thirty‐five complaints were recorded and eventually categorized into four groups. These groups were: (1) high price; (2) lacking a sense of community; (3) firm procedures; and (4) other. The fourth theme was labelled ‘other’ because of the heterogeneity that existed among the complaints that did not fit with the other three themes. These four themes were compared with each other concerning their effect on commitment. Because of the small sample size, a Kruskal‐Wallis test was used to analyse the data. Next, a post hoc test was conducted using a series of Mann‐Whitney tests. The results show that the theme with the most complaints (high price) did not have the biggest impact on commitment. Rather, another complaint (lacking a sense of community) demonstrated the largest impact on commitment. This research highlights the importance of analysing complaint groups with other relationship variables, and not just choosing the most frequently stated complaint as the area to improve an organization.
Oriented growth of garnet by topotactic reactions and epitaxy in high‐pressure, mafic garnet granulite formed by dehydration melting of metastable hornblende‐gabbronorite (Jijal Complex, Kohistan Complex, north Pakistan)
Authors: PADRÓN‐NAVARTA J. A. , GARRIDO C. J. , SÁNCHEZ‐NAVAS A. , TOMMASI A. , LÓPEZ SÁNCHEZ‐VIZCAÍNO V. , GÓMEZ‐PUGNAIRE M. T. , HUSSAIN S. S.
Published: August 2008

Garnet growth in high‐pressure, mafic garnet granulites formed by dehydration melting of hornblende‐gabbronorite protoliths in the Jijal complex (Kohistan palaeo‐island arc complex, north Pakistan) was investigated through a microstructural EBSD‐SEM and HRTEM study. Composite samples preserve a sharp transition in which the low‐pressure precursor is replaced by garnet through a millimetre‐sized reaction front. A magmatic foliation in the gabbronorite is defined by mafic‐rich layering, with an associated magmatic lineation defined by the shape‐preferred orientation (SPO) of mafic clusters composed of orthopyroxene (Opx), clinopyroxene (Cpx), amphibole (Amp) and oxides. The shape of the reaction front is convoluted and oblique to the magmatic layering. Opx, Amp and, to a lesser extent, Cpx show a strong lattice‐preferred orientation (LPO) characterized by an alignment of [001] axes parallel to the magmatic lineation in the precursor hornblende‐gabbronorite. Product garnet (Grt) also displays a strong LPO. Two of the four 〈111〉 axes are within the magmatic foliation plane and the density maximum is subparallel to the precursor magmatic lineation. The crystallographic relationship 〈111〉Grt//[001]Opx,Cpx,Amp deduced from the LPO was confirmed by TEM observations. The sharp and discontinuous modal and compositional variations observed at the reaction front attest to the kinetic inhibition of prograde solid‐state reactions predicted by equilibrium‐phase diagrams. The P–T field for the equilibration of Jijal garnet granulites shows that the reaction affinities are 5–10 kJ mol.−1 for the Grt‐in reaction and 0–5 kJ mol.−1 for the Opx‐out reaction. Petrographic and textural observations indicate that garnet first nucleated on amphibole at the rims of mafic clusters; this topotactic replacement resulted in a strong LPO of garnet. Once the amphibole was consumed in the reaction, the parallelism of [001] axes of the mafic‐phase reactants favoured the growth of garnet crystals with similar orientations over a pyroxene substrate. These aggregates eventually sintered into single‐crystal garnet. In the absence of deformation, the orientation of mafic precursor phases conditioned the nucleation site and the crystallographic orientation of garnet because of topotaxial transformation reactions and homoepitaxial growth of garnet during the formation of high‐pressure, mafic garnet‐granulite after low‐pressure mafic protoliths.
Quantitative phase petrology of cordierite–orthoamphibole gneisses and related rocks
Authors: DIENER J. F. A. , POWELL R. , WHITE R. W.
Published: August 2008

Cordierite–orthoamphibole gneisses and rocks of similar composition commonly contain low‐variance mineral assemblages that can provide useful information about the metamorphic evolution of a terrane. New calculated petrogenetic grids and pseudosections are presented in the FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O (FMASH), Na2O–CaO–K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O (NCKFMASH) and Na2O–CaO–K2O–FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2–H2O–TiO2–Fe2O3 (NCKFMASHTO) chemical systems to investigate quantitatively the phase relations in these rocks. Although the bulk compositions of cordierite–orthoamphibole gneisses are close to FMASH, calculations in this system do not adequately account for the observed range of mineral assemblages. Calculations in NCKFMASH and NCKFMASHTO highlight the role of minor constituents such as Ca, Na and Fe3+ in the mineral assemblage evolution of such rocks and these systems are more appropriate for interpreting the evolution of natural examples.
Maintenance of platelet in vitro properties during 7‐day storage in M‐sol with a 30‐hour interruption of agitation
Authors: Wagner Stephen J. , Myrup Andrew , Awatefe Helen , Thompson‐Montgomery Dedeene , Hirayama Junichi , Skripchenko Andrey
Published: August 2008

BACKGROUND: Extensive periods without agitation can occasionally occur during platelet (PLT) shipment and can affect PLT quality during 5‐ to 7‐day storage. The use of buffer‐containing PLT additive solutions (ASs) may better preserve PLT quality during storage by maintaining PLT pH and other in vitro variables. A newly described bicarbonate‐containing AS, M‐sol, was compared to plasma for preservation of whole blood–derived PLT concentrates in which a 30‐hour interruption of agitation was included.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: ABO‐identical PLT‐rich plasma intermediate products were pooled in sets of four, split, and centrifuged with subsequent plasma expression (n = 12). Two units were resuspended with M‐sol AS to produce a 70 percent solution/30 percent plasma PLT concentrate; 2 units were resuspended in 100 percent plasma. One M‐sol resuspended unit and 1 plasma unit were held on a laboratory bench in a standard shipping box for 30 hours between Day 2 and Day 3, while the other M‐sol and plasma unit were continuously agitated. Standard in vitro testing for PLT quality variables on each set of 4 units was performed during storage (n = 12).

RESULTS: Interrupting agitation of PLTs suspended in M‐sol resulted in less of a pH decrement during storage than that of PLTs suspended in 100 percent plasma. On Days 5 and 7, the pH differences between M‐sol and plasma units were 0.56 and 0.75 pH units, respectively (p < 0.0003). In addition, PLTs suspended in M‐sol and subjected to an interruption of agitation had lesser Day 7 CD62+ cells, glucose utilization, and lactate production and greater hypotonic stress response, morphology, swirling, and aggregation response than those suspended in plasma (p ≤ 0.005).

CONCLUSION: The in vitro properties of PLTs suspended in 70 percent M‐sol/30 percent plasma and subjected to a 30‐hour interruption of agitation are better maintained during 7‐day storage than those of matched units suspended in plasma.
Mixed‐Effect Hybrid Models for Longitudinal Data with Nonignorable Dropout
Authors: Yuan Ying , Little Roderick J. A.
Published: August 2008

Summary Selection models and pattern‐mixture models are often used to deal with nonignorable dropout in longitudinal studies. These two classes of models are based on different factorizations of the joint distribution of the outcome process and the dropout process. We consider a new class of models, called mixed‐effect hybrid models (MEHMs), where the joint distribution of the outcome process and dropout process is factorized into the marginal distribution of random effects, the dropout process conditional on random effects, and the outcome process conditional on dropout patterns and random effects. MEHMs combine features of selection models and pattern‐mixture models: they directly model the missingness process as in selection models, and enjoy the computational simplicity of pattern‐mixture models. The MEHM provides a generalization of shared‐parameter models (SPMs) by relaxing the conditional independence assumption between the measurement process and the dropout process given random effects. Because SPMs are nested within MEHMs, likelihood ratio tests can be constructed to evaluate the conditional independence assumption of SPMs. We use data from a pediatric AIDS clinical trial to illustrate the models.
Related Causal Frameworks for Surrogate Outcomes
Authors: Joffe Marshall M. , Greene Tom
Published: August 2008

Summary Four major frameworks have been developed for evaluating surrogate markers in randomized trials: one based on conditional independence of observable variables, another based on direct and indirect effects, a third based on a meta‐analysis, and a fourth based on principal stratification. The first two of these fit into a paradigm we call the causal‐effects (CE) paradigm, in which, for a good surrogate, the effect of treatment on the surrogate, combined with the effect of the surrogate on the clinical outcome, allow prediction of the effect of the treatment on the clinical outcome. The last two approaches fall into the causal‐association (CA) paradigm, in which the effect of the treatment on the surrogate is associated with its effect on the clinical outcome. We consider the CE paradigm first, and consider identifying assumptions and some simple estimation procedures; we then consider the CA paradigm. We examine the relationships among these approaches and associated estimators. We perform a small simulation study to illustrate properties of the various estimators under different scenarios, and conclude with a discussion of the applicability of both paradigms.
Ratio Estimation with Measurement Error in the Auxiliary Variate
Authors: Gregoire Timothy G. , Salas Christian
Published: August 2008

Summary With auxiliary information that is well correlated with the primary variable of interest, ratio estimation of the finite population total may be much more efficient than alternative estimators that do not make use of the auxiliary variate. The well‐known properties of ratio estimators are perturbed when the auxiliary variate is measured with error. In this contribution we examine the effect of measurement error in the auxiliary variate on the design‐based statistical properties of three common ratio estimators. We examine the case of systematic measurement error as well as measurement error that varies according to a fixed distribution. Aside from presenting expressions for the bias and variance of these estimators when they are contaminated with measurement error we provide numerical results based on a specific population. Under systematic measurement error, the biasing effect is asymmetric around zero, and precision may be improved or degraded depending on the magnitude of the error. Under variable measurement error, bias of the conventional ratio‐of‐means estimator increased slightly with increasing error dispersion, but far less than the increased bias of the conventional mean‐of‐ratios estimator. In similar fashion, the variance of the mean‐of‐ratios estimator incurs a greater loss of precision with increasing error dispersion compared with the other estimators we examine. Overall, the ratio‐of‐means estimator appears to be remarkably resistant to the effects of measurement error in the auxiliary variate.