bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies sensitive to conformation in the 5HT2c serotonin receptor
Authors: Mancia Filippo , Brenner-Morton Susan , Siegel Risa , Assur Zahra , Sun Yonghua , Schieren Ira , Mendelsohn Monica , Axel Richard , Hendrickson Wayne A.
Published: March 2007

mAbs that are sensitive to protein conformation can be helpful in studies of protein structure and function; in particular, mAb fragments are useful reagents in membrane protein crystallization. We immunized mice with the rat 5HT2c serotonin receptor and derived clonal hybridoma cells, which we tested for specific antigen reactivity by using the complementarity of purified protein from bacteria and receptor-embedded mammalian cell membranes. Nine mAbs met our criteria for specificity, affinity, and sensitivity to conformational features. Epitopes were mapped in various additional tests. Five of the nine mAbs have cytoplasmic epitopes, and two of these are sensitive to the ligand state of the receptor. These properties should be useful both for structural analysis and in probes of function.
GSK-3/Shaggy regulates olfactory habituation in
Drosophila
Authors: Wolf Fred W. , Eddison Mark , Lee Seonok , Cho William , Heberlein Ulrike
Published: March 2007

Habituation is a universal form of nonassociative learning that results in the devaluation of sensory inputs that have little information content. Although habituation is found throughout nature and has been studied in many organisms, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. We performed a forward genetic screen in
Drosophila
to search for mutations that modified habituation of an olfactory-mediated locomotor startle response, and we isolated a mutation in the glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) homolog Shaggy. Decreases in Shaggy levels blunted habituation, whereas increases promoted habituation. Additionally, habituation acutely regulated Shaggy by an inhibitory phosphorylation mechanism, suggesting that a signal transduction pathway that regulates Shaggy is engaged during habituation. Although
shaggy
mutations also affected circadian rhythm period, this requirement was genetically separable from its role in habituation. Thus,
shaggy
functions in different neuronal circuits to regulate behavioral plasticity to an olfactory startle and circadian rhythmicity.
Insight into the selectivity and gating functions of
Streptomyces lividans
KcsA
Authors: Negoda Alexander , Xian Mo , Reusch Rosetta N.
Published: March 2007

Streptomyces lividans
KcsA is a 160-aa polypeptide that oligomerizes to form a tetrameric potassium channel. The three-dimensional structure of the polypeptides has been established, but the selectivity and gating functions of the channel remain unclear. It has been shown that the polypeptides copurify with two homopolymers, poly[(
R
)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) and inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), which have intrinsic capacities for cation selection and transport. PHB/polyP complexes are highly selective for divalent cations when pH is greater than the pK
2
of polyP (≈6.8), but this preference is lost when pH is ≤pK
2
. It is postulated that KcsA polypeptides attenuate the divalent negative charge of the polyP end unit at physiological pH by strategic positioning of two C-terminal arginines. Here we mutate one or both of the C-terminal arginines and observe the effects on channel selectivity in planar lipid bilayers. We find that channels formed by KcsA polypeptides that retain a single C-terminal arginine remain highly selective for K
+
over Mg
2+
, independent of medium pH; however, channels formed by KcsA polypeptides in which both C-terminal arginines have been replaced with neutral residues are selective for Mg
2+
when pH is >7 and for K
+
when pH is <7. Channel gating may be triggered by changes in the balance between the K
+
polyP
−
binding energy, the membrane potential, and the gradient force. The results reveal the importance of the C-terminal arginines to K
+
selectivity and argue for a supramolecular structure for KcsA in which the host polypeptides modify the cation preference of a guest PHB/polyP complex.
Simulating Epstein-Barr virus infection with C-ImmSim
Authors: Castiglione Filippo , Duca Karen , Jarrah Abdul , Laubenbacher Reinhard , Hochberg Donna , Thorley-Lawson David
Published: March 2007

Motivation: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects greater than 90% of humans benignly for life but can be associated with tumors. It is a uniquely human pathogen that is amenable to quantitative analysis; however, there is no applicable animal model. Computer models may provide a virtual environment to perform experiments not possible in human volunteers.

Results: We report the application of a relatively simple stochastic cellular automaton (C-ImmSim) to the modeling of EBV infection. Infected B-cell dynamics in the acute and chronic phases of infection correspond well to clinical data including the establishment of a long term persistent infection (up to 10 years) that is absolutely dependent on access of latently infected B cells to the peripheral pool where they are not subject to immunosurveillance. In the absence of this compartment the infection is cleared.

Availability: The latest version 6 of C-ImmSim is available under the GNU General Public License and is downloadable from www.iac.cnr.it/~filippo/cimmsim.html

Contact: david.thorley-lawson@tufts.edu
Metabolic network properties help assign weights to elementary modes to understand physiological flux distributions
Authors: Wang Qingzhao , Yang Yudi , Ma Hongwu , Zhao Xueming
Published: March 2007

Motivation: Elementary modes (EMs) analysis has been well established. The existing methodologies for assigning weights to EMs cannot be directly applied for large-scale metabolic networks, since the tremendous number of modes would make the computation a time-consuming or even an impossible mission. Therefore, developing more efficient methods to deal with large set of EMs is urgent.

Result: We develop a method to evaluate the performance of employing a subset of the elementary modes to reconstruct a real flux distribution by using the relative error between the real flux vector and the reconstructed one as an indicator. We have found a power function relationship between the decrease of relative error and the increase of the number of the selecting EMs, and a logarithmic relationship between the increases of the number of non-zero weighted EMs and that of the number of the selecting EMs. Our discoveries show that it is possible to reconstruct a given flux distribution by a selected subset of EMs from a large metabolic network and furthermore, they help us identify the ‘governing modes’ to represent the cellular metabolism for such a condition.

Contact:  diana_kingson@yahoo.com.cn(or) Wangqingzhao@eyou.com

Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
A functional study of miR-124 in the developing neural tube
Authors: Cao Xinwei , Pfaff Samuel L. , Gage Fred H.
Published: March 2007

Neural development is a highly orchestrated process that entails precise control of gene expression. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in fine-tuning gene networks, the roles of individual miRNAs in vertebrate neural development have not been studied in vivo. We investigated the function of the most abundant neuronal miRNA, miR-124, during spinal cord development. Neither inhibition nor overexpression of miR-124 significantly altered the acquisition of neuronal fate, suggesting that miR-124 is unlikely to act as a primary determinant of neuronal differentiation. Two endogenous targets of miR-124, laminin γ1 and integrin β1, were identified, both of which are highly expressed by neural progenitors but repressed upon neuronal differentiation. Thus miR-124 appears to ensure that progenitor genes are post-transcriptionally inhibited in neurons.
In vivo kinetics of human natural killer cells: the effects of ageing and acute and chronic viral infection
Authors: Zhang Yan , Wallace Diana L. , De Lara Catherine M. , Ghattas Hala , Asquith Becca , Worth Andrew , Griffin George E. , Taylor Graham P. , Tough David F. , Beverley Peter C. L. , Macallan Derek C.
Published: March 2007

Human natural killer (NK) cells form a circulating population in a state of dynamic homeostasis. We investigated NK cell homeostasis by labelling dividing cells in vivo using deuterium‐enriched glucose in young and elderly healthy subjects and patients with viral infection. Following a 24‐hr intravenous infusion of 6,6‐D2‐glucose, CD3– CD16+ NK cells sorted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by fluorescence‐activated cell sorter (FACS) were analysed for DNA deuterium content by gas chromatography mass spectrometry to yield minimum estimates for proliferation rate (p). In healthy young adults (n = 5), deuterium enrichment was maximal ∼ 10 days after labelling, consistent with postmitotic maturation preceding circulation. The mean (± standard deviation) proliferation rate was 4·3 ± 2·4%/day (equivalent to a doubling time of 16 days) and the total production rate was 15 ± 7·6 × 106 cells/l/day. Labelled cells disappeared from the circulation at a similar rate [6·9 ± 4·0%/day; half‐life (T½) < 10 days]. Healthy elderly subjects (n = 8) had lower proliferation and production rates (P = 2·5 ± 1·0%/day and 7·3 ± 3·7 × 106 cells/l/day, respectively; P = 0·04). Similar rates were seen in patients chronically infected with human T‐cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV‐I) (P = 3·2 ± 1·9%/day). In acute infectious mononucleosis (n = 5), NK cell numbers were increased but kinetics were unaffected (P = 2·8 ± 1·0%/day) a mean of 12 days after symptom onset. Human NK cells have a turnover time in blood of about 2 weeks. Proliferation rates appear to fall with ageing, remain unperturbed by chronic HTLV‐I infection and normalize rapidly following acute Epstein–Barr virus infection.
The lived experiences of spiritual suffering and the healing process among Taiwanese patients with terminal cancer
Authors: Chio Chung‐Ching , Shih Fu‐Jin , Chiou Jeng‐Fong , Lin Hsiao‐Wei , Hsiao Fei‐Hsiu , Chen Yu‐Ting
Published: March 2007

Aims and objectives. The purposes of this study were to explore the lived experiences of spiritual suffering and the change mechanism in healing processes among Taiwanese patients with terminal cancer.

Methods. The approach to this study was phenomenological‐hermeneutic. Twenty‐one patients with terminal cancer were invited to participate in a semi‐structured interview that dealt with their experiences of spiritual suffering and the healing process. This study was conducted in the inpatient unit of the oncology department in two general hospitals. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and later analysed using the approach of narrative analysis.

Results. According to the results of case narration, the causes of spiritual suffering included cancer, known as a life‐threatening illness, physical pain, treatment complications, uncertain illness progression, disability problems and lack of support. Patients turned to internal resources (including regarding the suffering as a life challenge, volunteering to help other cancer patients and searching for life wisdoms) and external resources (including peer support groups and family support) as they endured spiritual suffering. Taiwanese patients turned to Eastern and Western philosophies of Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Christianity as methods to interpret their spiritual suffering.

Conclusion. Patients’ positive views of misfortune because of cancer and sufficient social supports were the key elements of the healing process to alleviate spiritual suffering.

Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses who learn to participate in suffering assessment are better able to understand spiritual needs of cancer patients. Cancer patients’ views on the change mechanism in healing processes could provide essential information for nurses in developing an effective intervention programme. If nurses consider cultural factors that shape patients’ experiences of spiritual suffering and the healing process, they could learn how to meet the needs of patients better from different cultural backgrounds.
Mental health practitioner's attitude towards maintenance neuroleptic treatment for people with schizophrenia
Authors: HARRIS N. , LOVELL K. , DAY J. C.
Published: March 2007

Pharmacological relapse prevention treatment for people with schizophrenia can last for years if not the person's lifetime. The attitude mental health practitioners (MHPs) hold regarding this treatment can have profound effects on service users' decisions related to treatment. The small number of studies focusing on this issue concentrates on the use of ‘depot’ preparations. To develop a validated inventory to assess the attitudes of MHPs towards treatment and evaluate the attitudes of a sample of MHPs. The inventory was developed in three stages; item selection, piloting and psychometric testing. The validated inventory was administered to a sample of 50 MHPs undertaking a degree level course in the psycho‐social management of psychosis. The final inventory consisted of 21 attitudinal items and four items related to the practitioner's confidence. Results from the sample revealed areas of agreement, variation and uncertainty. A valid and reliable inventory has been developed. The administration of the inventory to 50 MHPs returned results which reflect variable attitudes and perceptions of competency towards maintenance neuroleptic treatment. This diversity in attitudes may have an impact on management of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and clinical outcomes.
Bordering on insanity: misnomer, reviewing the case of condemned women
Authors: WARNE T. , MCANDREW S.
Published: March 2007

In the UK, there have been calls to develop gendered specific mental health services for women in an attempt to ensure privacy and dignity are achieved as and when women come into contact with services. This is a largely rhetorical policy objective. There are more fundamental factors affecting women’s experience of mental health services that need addressing. This paper explores these issues in the context of mental health care for women who have been ‘given’ the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Borderline personality disorder effects 2% of the adult population, 75–90% of those diagnosed being women. This diagnosis continues to present considerable conceptual and therapeutic challenges for all of those involved in mental health services and it remains a categorical label that evokes a wide range of conscious and unconscious responses in mental health nurses. The paper argues that mental health nurses need to recognize the defence mechanisms involved in working with individuals who are often difficult to work with. It is only when mental health nurses can embrace and acknowledge the person in the context of their life, that the pejorative and disabling consequences of the BPD label can be eliminated, ensuring the individual’s story is heard and not that which is often a pre‐constituted account accompanying this diagnosis.
Linkage mapping of AFLP markers in a wild population of great reed warblers: importance of heterozygosity and number of genotyped individuals
Authors: ÅKESSON MIKAEL , HANSSON BENGT , HASSELQUIST DENNIS , BENSCH STAFFAN
Published: March 2007

Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) are dominant markers frequently used to build linkage maps where heterozygosity could be inferred by a backcross breeding strategy. In the present study, we describe the utilization of an unmanipulated great reed warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus pedigree to infer heterozygous genotypes of AFLP markers in order to map these markers to a partial linkage map previously based on microsatellites. In total, 50 of the 83 autosomal AFLPs (60%) and 4 of 5 Z‐linked AFLPs (80%) were mapped. For each marker, on average, 88% of the expected number of heterozygote parents was detected. The likelihood of map assignment was to a large extent due to the number and density of microsatellite markers already in the map. The ‘parsimonious linkage map’, that is the map based on the most parsimonious location of all significantly linked markers, consisted of 21 autosomal linkage groups with 2 to 15 markers and had a total map size of 552 cM in males and 858 cM in females. The Z‐chromosome linkage group with 12 markers had a size of 155 cM. The autosomal ‘framework linkage map’, that is the map based only on markers with an unambiguous position, had a total size of 237 cM in males and 440 cM in females, respectively. The inclusion of AFLPs enlarged the previous map substantially (e.g. the autosomal parsimonious linkage map became 441 cM and 621 cM larger for male and female recombination, respectively). The probability that an AFLP became mapped increased with increasing level of heterozygosity, whereas the probability of mapping into a framework position increased with both heterozygosity and number of genotyped individuals. Our results suggest that AFLP provides a fast and inexpensive means of enlarging genetic maps already composed of markers with high polymorphism, also in wild populations with unmanipulated pedigrees.
Relative sensitivity of hair pluckings and exudate microscopy for the diagnosis of canine demodicosis
Authors: Saridomichelakis Manolis N. , Koutinas Alexander F. , Farmaki Rania , Leontides Leonidas S. , Kasabalis Dimitris
Published: March 2007

This study was designed to compare the sensitivity of deep skin scraping, hair plucking, and exudate microscopy for the diagnosis of canine demodicosis. Sixty‐seven dogs diagnosed with demodicosis were enrolled in the study. Thirty dogs had localized and 37 had generalized demodicosis. Twenty‐seven of the 67 dogs had complicated (secondarily infected) and 40 had noncomplicated form. On each dog, a single lesion was randomly selected to obtain one deep skin scraping, hair plucking, and, when present (n = 13) exudate. For skin scraping and exudate microscopy, an area under a cover slip measuring 2.2 × 2.2 mm was examined, while trichography included the evaluation of 100 hair shafts. At least one parasitic element was found in 85.1% of trichograms, and 100% of exudate preparations. The number of parasitic elements was higher in skin scrapings compared to the other two methods. The diagnostic sensitivity of skin scrapings was higher than that of hair pluckings for the total number of samples (P = 0.002) and for those obtained from dogs with the localized (P = 0.004) and the noncomplicated (P = 0.002) forms of the disease. The diagnostic sensitivity of hair pluckings was higher in generalized and complicated demodicosis compared to the localized and noncomplicated variants. Based on these results, exudate microscopy may be equally sensitive to deep skin scrapings, and trichography may be of value in generalized and complicated demodicosis, although a negative result cannot rule it out.
A case of multiple epitrichial sweat gland ductal carcinomas in a horse
Authors: Cihocki L. M. , Divers T. J. , Johnson A. L. , Warren A. L. , Schramme M. , Rassnick K. M. , Scott D. W.
Published: March 2007

This case report describes a rare epitrichial sweat gland ductal carcinoma in a 14‐year‐old horse and is the first report of multiple carcinomas of this type in horses. Although several tumours developed, mostly on the distal extremities, over a 2‐year period, the horse remained otherwise healthy. Topical treatment with imiquimod was successful for many of them.
Intradermal injection of heat‐killed Mycobacterium vaccae in dogs with atopic dermatitis: a multicentre pilot study
Authors: Gutzwiller Meret E. Ricklin , Reist Martin , Peel John E. , Seewald Wolfgang , Brunet Laura Rosa , Roosje Petra J.
Published: March 2007

Canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a common disease with a multifactorial aetiology associated with impaired immunoregulation. The immunopathogenesis has similarities to that of human atopic dermatitis. Clinical signs of allergic disease in humans and mice are reduced by administration of saprophytic mycobacteria that amplify regulatory cytokines and hence the effect of Mycobacterium vaccae on the clinical severity of cAD was investigated. Sixty‐two dogs with cAD, selected according to strict criteria, were treated with a single intradermal injection and evaluated monthly for 3 months in a placebo‐controlled double‐blind clinical trial. Clinical severity was quantified using standardized scores and by owner assessment of pruritus. A single injection of a heat‐killed suspension of M. vaccae was found to be well tolerated and effective in treating mild to moderate cases of cAD demonstrable for 3 months, but was insignificant in more severely affected dogs.
Improving sexual health services in the city: can the NHS learn from clients and the service industry
Authors: Patel Hitesh , Baeza Juan , Patel Mitesh , Greene Linda , Theobald Nick
Published: March 2007

Objective  Genitourinary service providers are struggling to meet patient demand and have introduced changes in access structure to cope. In this study, we explored the perspectives of clients and providers upon the different models of access introduced and whether these maintained service quality using the SERQUAL model.

Methods  Primary data were collected in May 2005 at two genitourinary medicine clinics, two Accident and Emergency Departments and from members of a university ‘gay’ society all of which were located in London. Forty‐four high‐risk clients and 11 health service providers underwent semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews.

Results  Both the walk‐in and appointment‐based access systems were appreciated by clients. Clients said that the most important issue was that they were not turned away when they presented. Health‐care providers had a variety of opinions about the two systems as they had different impacts on morale, training and service provision.

Conclusions  Service quality can be maintained by using both walk‐in and appointment‐based systems. This is because our data, in line with Parasuraman's model of service quality, showed that ‘access’ is but one determinant of quality. Having different modes of access facilitates patient choice, which is paramount in a modern health‐care system. However, to provide a good service it is important to maintain a motivated staff, who can be affected by their working environment.
Gender differences in colorectal cancer screening barriers and information needs1
Authors: Friedemann‐Sánchez Greta , Griffin Joan M. , Partin Melissa R.
Published: March 2007

Context  Several prior studies have found that women are less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer (CRC) than men. While the source of this screening differential is unknown, recent studies suggest gender differences in barriers to screening might explain the disparity.

Objective  This formative study was designed to explore CRC screening barriers, attitudes and preferences by gender.

Methodology  Focus group interviews with groups stratified by gender and screening status. Participants included 27 females and 43 males between the ages of 50 and 75 years who receive primary care at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. We conducted interpretive and grounded text analysis of semi‐structured focus group interviews to assess how knowledge, experiences and sociocultural norms shape female and male preferences and barriers to current CRC screening guidelines.

Results  Female and male participants reported similar preferences for CRC screening mode, but there were notable differences in the barriers and facilitators to screening. Key findings suggest that women viewed the preparation for endoscopic procedures as a major barrier to screening while men did not; women and men expressed different fears and information preferences regarding endoscopic procedures; and women perceive CRC as a male disease thus feeling less vulnerable to CRC. Gender‐specific barriers may explain women's lower rate of screening for CRC.

Conclusion  Colorectal cancer screening promotion interventions, decision aids and clinical practice may benefit by being tailored by gender.
Assessing exercise performance after heart transplantation
Authors: Ulubay Gaye , Ulaslı Sevinc Sarınc , Sezgin Atilla , Haberal Mehmet
Published: March 2007

Abstract:  Objective:  Heart transplantation improves the survival rate and quality of life in patients with severe symptoms of congestive heart failure and an ejection fraction of 20% or less. Despite marked symptomatic and clinical improvement in those who undergo heart transplantation, exercise capacity often remains reduced, and the factors limiting exercise performance during the post‐transplantation period remain unclear. This study was performed to investigate the factors affecting exercise capacity in heart transplantation recipients.

Patients and methods:  Fourteen patients with cardiomyopathy were enrolled in this study. We measured peak exercise oxygen uptake (peak VO2) in seven patients (age range: 42 ± 14 yr) 10–28 months after transplantation, in seven patients (age range: 33 ± 18 yr) with dilated cardiomyopathy before heart transplantation, and in 14 healthy control subjects (age range: 44 ± 12 yr). The left ventricular ejection fraction, Beck Depression Inventory score, Medical Outcome Health Survey Short Form‐36 Questionnaire (SF‐36) results, and immunosuppressive therapy administered were recorded in all patient groups.

Results:  All patients in the post‐transplantation group terminated exercise testing before the anaerobic threshold because of general fatigue. All heart transplantation recipients exhibited a left ventricular ejection fraction within the normal range (mean ± SD = 57% ± 2%). The peak VO2 mean values were significantly different among the three groups (p = 0.001). There were statistically significant correlations between the peak VO2 values and the Beck Depression Inventory scores (r = −0.637, p = 0.01), between the peak VO2 values and bodily pain (r = 0.717, p = 0.006), between the peak VO2 values and general health perceptions (r = 0.706, p = 0.007), and between peak VO2 values and postoperative duration (r = 0.843, p = 0.03) in all patient groups.

Conclusion:  In the long‐term treatment of heart transplant recipients, exercise training should be considered an important therapeutic tool that enables patients to achieve a good quality of life.
Sesame food allergy and sensitization in children: the natural history and long‐term follow‐up
Authors: Cohen Adi , Goldberg Michael , Levy Batia , Leshno Moshe , Katz Yitzhak
Published: March 2007

Sesame food allergy (SFA) in children is an increasingly recognized one in many countries. Our objective was to describe the course and natural history of SFA. Seventy‐four patients sensitized to sesame were evaluated using clinical records, questionnaires, skin prick tests (SPT), in vitro specific immunoglobulin (sIg) E, and oral challenges (OC) and categorized into three groups: group A: patients who experienced allergic reaction after ingestion of sesame‐containing food (n = 45); group B: patients evaluated for atopic dermatitis and found to be sesame SPT‐positive (n = 11); group C: patients with sensitization to sesame allergen (n = 18). Group A patients were followed for an average of 6.7 yr. Analysis of our results revealed that 76% of patients in group A developed the allergy by the age of 2. The median age at onset of allergy in these patients was 1 yr. Immediate reaction to a minimal amount of sesame was characteristic. Skin was the most common site of involvement, followed by respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Tolerance developed in only 20% of the patients. High sIgE (>0.15 IU) was demonstrated only in 75% of those in which it was examined. Sixteen patients performed oral sesame food challenge which was found positive in 88%. No correlation was found between the size of SPT and the level of in vitro sesame IgE antibodies, the outcome of OC results, and the development of tolerance to sesame. In conclusion, SFA tends to appear early in life, but unlike cow's milk and egg allergy, persists in 80% of the cases. Typical reactions combined with positive sesame SPT are reliable for diagnosis.
Allometric scaling, metabolic body size and interspecies comparisons of basal nutritional requirements*
Authors: Rucker R. B.
Published: March 2007

The amounts of specific substances needed per day that are generally thought to be nutritionally essential or conditionally important are similar among animal species when expressed per unit of energy consumed or per metabolic body size. Accordingly, a case is made that in addition to basal daily energy utilization, allometric scaling based on metabolic body size (3/4 power of mass or weight in kg) may be used to predict and compare basal nutrient requirements among widely varied species, as well as make comparative toxicological and other biological assessments and predictions. Furthermore, given the increasing evidence for allometric scaling for a broad range of biological phenomena (both empirical and theoretical) there is usually a good biological question to be answered when an organismal process deviates markedly from an allometric scale.
Physiological, numerical and molecular characterization of alkyl ether‐utilizing rhodococci
Authors: Kim Yong‐Hak , Engesser Karl‐Heinrich , Kim Sang‐Jong
Published: March 2007

Twenty‐seven Gram‐positive strains were characterized physiologically and numerically and classified them into four groups according to their specific activities for utilization of linear alkyl ethers (AEs), cyclic AEs, monoalkoxybenzenes and 1,4‐diethoxybenzene. The comparative analysis of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene and 16S−23S intergenic spacer region showed that they belonged to the genera Rhodococcus and Gordonia. Alkyl ether‐utilizing rhodococci appeared to involve various and diverse cytochromes P450 of the families CYP116 (25 positive strains from 27), CYP153 (5/27), CYP249 (1/27) and a new family P450RR1 (27/27). The presence of P450RR1 was strongly related to the specific activity for utilization of 2‐methoxyphenol and 2‐ethoxyphenol. In addition, 26 of 27 strains contained multiple alkB genes coding for probable non‐haem iron containing alkane monooxygenases and hydroxylases. Similar DNA fragments coding for a tetrahydrofuran monooxygenase A subunit (ThmA) were found in all cyclic AE‐utilizing strains and nearly identical DNA fragments coding for likely orthologues of a propane monooxygenase A subunit (PrmA) in all linear AE‐utilizing strains. The substrate availability in the degradation of aryl AEs, cyclic AEs and linear AEs agreed with the molecular probing of the respective genes encoding cytochrome P450RR1, ThmA and PrmA.
Macronutrient intakes and their role in obesity
Authors: Skidmore P.
Published: March 2007

Summary  Obesity is the leading public health problem in the 21st century, both in its own right and as a risk factor for many chronic diseases, and it occurs when there is an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. This review will focus on the role of energy density, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fruit and vegetables, and alcohol in weight loss and weight management, and the biochemical, social and behavioural factors that influence dietary intake.
Carbohydrates and mental function: feeding or impeding the brain?
Authors: Gibson E. L.
Published: March 2007

Summary  Despite over 25 years of research into carbohydrates and mental function, findings have, if anything, become more divergent in recent years, and no clear mechanistic model that satisfactorily explains such variability has been produced. At best, there is some consensus that individuals with poor regulation of glucose, and who find the tests of cognitive performance particularly challenging, may benefit from some improvement in mental function after a specific dose of carbohydrate. Even then, this is mainly limited to hippocampally mediated verbal memory.

Recent developments in understanding the regulation of energy supply (principally glucose) for neuronal function suggest that it is too simplistic to assume that ingesting carbohydrates will inevitably improve cognitive function. There is a damping or buffering seen between glucose changes in blood and brain extracellular fluid, and even evidence for an acute dissociation of these glucose changes during task performance in specific brain regions. This may be mainly owing to the role of astrocytes, which are large, star‐shaped cells within the central nervous system that can store glucose as glycogen, and when needed, release energy to neurones ‘on demand’.

Variables such as age, effort, personality, glucoregulation, time of day, task demand, task domain, and nature and amount of the carbohydrate, can all affect the outcome. One factor that could be involved in all of these variables is the limbic–hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which controls release of glucocorticoid hormones such as cortisol, and is believed to be a major route by which the brain regulates its energy supply. Moreover, rapidly absorbed carbohydrate provokes a greater cortisol release during stressful tasks and, like glucose, cortisol is known to have dose‐dependent, and bidirectional, effects on cognitive function, especially memory. This process might help explain recent findings that carbohydrate‐rich foods with lower glycaemic indices provide more benefit to mental function than high‐glycaemic foods.

The challenge now is to identify characteristics of both susceptible individuals and the carbohydrate manipulations that can best predict improvements in selective cognitive functions. This should be aided by a better understanding of the regulation of energy supply to the brain, together with knowledge of the relevant nutritional, neuronal, physiological and psychological parameters that would consistently promote improvements in cognitive function by carbohydrates.
Achieving scientific consensus in nutrition and behaviour research
Authors: Lieberman H. R.
Published: March 2007

Summary  Dietary supplements and special diets that purportedly enhance cognitive function are widely promoted in many countries. Nutritional interventions claiming to relieve stress and depression, increase energy or improve memory are common. Limited regulatory requirements for marketing dietary supplements or special diets, particularly in comparison with drugs, place substantial responsibility on scientists conducting research in this area. Agreement on scientific standards for the conduct and evaluation of research is clearly desirable, so that scientists can achieve consensus regarding such claims. Many of the methods used to assess dietary supplements and other nutritional factors are similar to those used in other fields, such as psychopharmacology, and are widely accepted by investigators conducting nutrition and behaviour research. Key methods in common include use of double‐blind procedures, dose–response studies and placebo treatments. Some of these procedures can be difficult or impossible to implement in nutritional studies. Other critical methods, such as selection of appropriate tests to assess cognitive performance and mood state, are more controversial among scientists working in this and other areas, and difficult to standardise. Scientific consensus on these issues will ensure availability of safe and efficacious dietary supplements and help eliminate dangerous or ineffective products.
THE INFLUENCE OF TYPE OF HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDED ON UNIVERSITY PERFORMANCE*
Authors: BIRCH ELISA ROSE , MILLER PAUL W.
Published: March 2007

It is widely reported that the main determinant of success at university is the score on university entrance exams. Recent studies have argued that the outcomes at university also differ according to the type of high school attended. This paper examines the impact of attending a non‐Government school on the marks of first‐year university students. Non‐Government school students are found to have lower marks at university than Government school students, with the mark differential being slightly larger for those who do not perform well at tertiary study. The main factors influencing the size of the gap between the university marks of students from Government and non‐Government schools are university entrance exam results and attendance at same‐sex high schools.
IMMIGRATION UNEMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP: THE EVIDENCE FROM CANADA*
Authors: ISLAM ASADUL
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the relationship between unemployment and immigration in Canada. The bi‐directional causality test finds no evidence of a significant effect of Canadian immigration on unemployment. Cointegration tests indicate that there is no observed increase in aggregate unemployment due to immigration in the long run. The results from the causality test based on the vector error correction model confirm that, in the short run, past unemployment does cause (less) immigration but notvice versa. There is also a long‐run positive relationship amongper‐capitaGDP, immigration rate and real wages. The results indicate that, in the short‐run, more immigration is possibly associated with attractive Canadian immigration policies, and in the long‐run, as the labour market adjusts, Canadian‐born workers are likely to benefit from increased migration.
RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY OF AUSTRALIAN ACADEMIC ECONOMISTS: HUMAN‐CAPITAL AND FIXED EFFECTS*
Authors: RODGERS JOAN R. , NERI FRANK
Published: March 2007

This study investigates why some economics departments in Australian universities are more research productive than others. The hypothesis is simple: research productivity depends upon the human capital of department members and the department‐specific conditions under which they work. A Tobit model is used to estimate the magnitude of the two effects. Both are found to be important. Our results help explain why a small number of departments consistently outperform the others in studies that rank Australian economics departments according to research output.
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD WOOL MARKET: TRADE, PRODUCTIVITY AND GROWERS’ INCOMES*
Authors: VERIKIOS GEORGE
Published: March 2007

Applying recent estimates of total factor productivity (TFP) growth on Australian sheep farms, we analyse the long‐run effects of TFP growth on the world wool market using a detailed model of the world wool market that treats raw wool, wool textiles and wool garments as heterogeneous commodities. The model divides the world wool market into nine regions and eight major industrial sectors capturing the extreme nature of the multistage production system through which wool passes. We find that regional sheep producer's welfare responds by between ‐0.9 per cent and 0.7 per cent assuming conservative TFP growth over the period 1995/96–2003/04. Sensitivity analysis shows the welfare effects to be robust with respect to all model parameters, but sensitive to the size of the TFP growth and the degree of TFP spill‐over. Our realistic representation of the multistage nature of the wool production system shows that wool inputs steadily decline in importance in moving from early‐ to late‐stage processing. This production structure indicates that the productivity of sheep farmers has little effect on the prices of and demand for wool garments. In contrast, trade in wool inputs is very responsive to the productivity of sheep farmers.
Mission Impossible and Wittgenstein's Standard Metre
Authors: Dolev Yuval
Published: March 2007

In this paper, I argue that context sensitivity is crucial for a proper exegesis of Wittgenstein's remark that one can say of the standard metre rod neither that it is one metre long nor that it is not one metre long. I discuss cases in which we can meaningfully assert that the rod in question is one metre long and explain why these cases do not conflict with Wittgenstein's insight. I analyse Pollock's recent defence of Wittgenstein's remark, as well as Kripke's objections to it, and show that, while their commentaries are helpful, blindness to context renders them unsatisfactory.
THE ‘IRON CAGE’ STRENGTHENED? DISCRETION AND DIGITAL DISCIPLINE
Authors: JORNA FRANS , WAGENAAR PIETER
Published: March 2007

Research on changes in public administration associated with the adoption and use of information and communication technologies (‘informatization’), almost univocally supports the conclusion that shop floor discretion disappears under their influence. We, however, are ill at ease with this direction in thought about discretion. Our unease is based on the scholarly work about practices, organizational learning and responsiveness. In this article, we test the thesis on the relation between informatization and operational discretion in an empirical research of operational discretion and informatization in two Dutch public agencies, both large and both automated. Our findings show that informatization does not destroy operational discretion, but rather obscures discretion. Based on the work of Argyris, we show that the phenomenon at work is ‘participatory boundary practices’, the direct personal ties that keep an organization together. ICTs destroy such links and thereby affect organizational learning.
FINANCIAL CRIME IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Gilligan George
Published: March 2007

Financial crime is increasingly seen as a threat to the integrity of Australia's important financial sector. This paper examines the difficulties of evaluating the costs of financial crime and considers specific initiatives that have been undertaken in recent years to combat such activities.
THE FUNDING OF TRADITIONAL ORGANISED CRIME IN RUSSIA
Authors: Abramova Irina
Published: March 2007

The changed economic and political situation in Russia since the 1990s brought about a qualitative transformation of Russian organised crime, particularly in organisational and behavioural patterns. In particular, a pronounced shift from violent crime towards economic crime is being observed. Criminals try to establish and exercise control over legitimate businesses via corrupt politicians, local authorities and/or law enforcement officials. A tendency towards the consolidation of criminal groups within given territories is also discernible, whilst there are signs of increased interregional integration among different criminal organisations.
FINANCIAL CRIME IN SOUTH AFRICA
Authors: De Koker Louis
Published: March 2007

During the 1990s economic crime began to spiral in South Africa. This phenomenon coincided with the country's transition to a democratic state. The article outlines a number of steps that South Africa took to align its laws with international standards and to improve the legal tools of law enforcement to address the crime wave. A number of successes, for instance the improvement in tax morality, are pointed out but it is argued that co‐ordination and co‐operation between law enforcement agencies require more attention.
HOW TRADE UNIONS ARE A ROADBLOCK TO POLAND'S ECONOMIC RENAISSANCE
Authors: Zientara Piotr
Published: March 2007

The trade union movement has played an important role in the modern history of Poland. Its activism precipitated the fall of communism. Yet, with the transition to a free‐market economy gaining momentum, it turned out that Solidarity embraced a vision of a new socio‐economic model. Its leaders understood it as being a variant of Franco‐German welfarism rather than Anglo‐Saxon liberalism. Hence, as the union movement grew in power, it started to influence economic policy along interventionist lines, which not only affected labour market performance, but also the structure of the economy and the transformation processes. In consequence, Poland began to turn increasingly dirigiste. Thus the article – pointing to analogies, toutes proportions gardées, between trade union activism in the UK (1970–85) and in Poland (1990–2005) – argues that reducing the power of Polish labour organisations is a prerequisite of free‐market reform and economic advancement.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RIGHT TO BUY AND THE SALE OF COUNCIL HOUSES
Authors: Sillars Robin
Published: March 2007

The history of the ‘Right to Buy’ local government‐owned council houses is examined in this paper. It is seen that the right of councils to sell was transformed into the right of tenants to demand such sales. Peter Walker had a pivotal role in this process. Later, Michael Heseltine and Margaret Thatcher emerged as key political players. The other intellectual drivers of this reform are also discussed.
AN EXAMINATION OF THE UK LABOUR MARKET FOR DOCTORS
Authors: Fox Roger
Published: March 2007

One area of health services in the UK which has been neglected by commentators is the supply of skilled medical staff within a nationalised health service. This is a surprising omission because in the UK we have a labour market for doctors which exhibits the worst aspects of monopoly. Furthermore, the combination of monopoly control by the medical profession on the supply side and the nationalised National Health Service on the demand side has resulted in a lower number of doctors per head than in other Western European countries. Overseas doctors are recruited to make up some of the shortfall but the deficiency in numbers is such that government plans to deliver more healthcare more quickly cannot be met in the short term without importing overseas firms with their staff, and in the long term require an expansion in medical education.
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
Authors: Dawkins Georgina , Grail Julie
Published: March 2007

The article covers the history of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the USA and UK and some of the lessons learnt in the UK after the first year of operation. The authors then consider economic issues raised by the initiative and why BIDs will be the best option for some urban centres.
Superior virological response to boosted protease inhibitor‐based highly active antiretroviral therapy in an observational treatment programme
Authors: Wood E , Hogg RS , Yip B , Moore D , Harrigan PR , Montaner JSG
Published: March 2007

Background

The use of boosted protease inhibitor (PI)‐based antiretroviral therapy has become increasingly recommended in international HIV treatment consensus guidelines based on the results of randomized clinical trials. However, the impact of this new treatment strategy has not yet been evaluated in community‐treated cohorts.

Methods

We evaluated baseline characteristics and plasma HIV RNA responses to unboosted and boosted PI‐based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among antiretroviral‐naïve HIV‐infected patients in British Columbia, Canada who initiated HAART between August 1997 and September 2003 and who were followed until September 2004. We evaluated time to HIV‐1 RNA suppression (<500 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL) and HIV‐1 RNA rebound (≥500 copies/mL), while stratifying patients into those that received boosted and unboosted PI‐based HAART as the initial regimen, using Kaplan–Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

During the study period, 682 patients initiated therapy with unboosted PI and 320 individuals initiated HAART with a boosted PI. Those who initiated therapy with a boosted PI were more likely to have a CD4 cell count <200 cells/μL and to have a plasma HIV RNA>100 000 copies/mL, and to have AIDS at baseline (all P<0.001). However, when we examined virological response rates, those who initiated HAART with a boosted PI achieved more rapid virological suppression [relative hazard 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06–1.51, P=0.010].

Conclusions

Patients prescribed boosted PIs achieved superior virological response rates despite baseline factors that have been associated with inferior virological responses to HAART. Despite the inherent limitations of observational studies which require this study be interpreted with caution, these findings support the use of boosted PIs for initial HAART therapy.