bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teacher-pupil-parent triads: A typology of interpersonal interaction in the context of learning a musical instrument
Authors: Creech Andrea
Published: March 2011

The main objective of this research was to create a typology of teacher-pupil-parent interpersonal interaction in the context of learning a musical instrument. Three hundred and thirty-seven teacher-pupil-parent triads participated in the research, completing a survey measuring “control” and “responsiveness”. Factor analysis revealed a number of underlying interpersonal dimensions. A cluster analysis was carried out, using control and responsiveness factors as predictors of cluster membership. A model of six distinct interaction types was revealed and validated with in-depth interviews with teacher-pupil-parent triads representing each cluster. Clusters 1, 2 and 3 were each conceptualised as a primary dyad plus a third party, while Cluster 4 was represented as two primary dyads connected by one common member. Cluster 5 was characterized by very little communication between any two of the three individuals, while Cluster 6 was characterized by reciprocity amongst all three participants. This model of interaction types provides a framework within which teachers may interpret their own teacher-parent and teacher-pupil experience, potentially empowering teachers to alter their interaction patterns when migration from one cluster type to another is deemed to be appropriate in terms of enhancing learning or teaching outcomes.
The evolutionary nature of musical meaning
Authors: Cross Ian
Published: March 2011

The paper will draw on ethnomusicological, cognitive and neuroscientific evidence in suggesting that music and language constitute complementary components of the human communicative toolkit. It will start by outlining an operational definition of music as a mode of social interaction in terms of its generic, cross-cultural properties that facilitates comparison with language as a universal human faculty. It will argue that, despite the fact that music appears much more heterogeneous and differentiated in function from culture to culture than does language, music possesses common attributes across cultures: it exploits the human capacity to entrain to external (particularly social) stimuli, and presents a rich set of semantic fields while under-determining meaning.

While language is held to possess both combinatoriality and semanticity, music is often claimed to be combinatorial but to lack semanticity. This paper will argue that music has semanticity, but that this semanticity is adapted for a different function from that of language. Music exploits the human capacity for entrainment, increasing the likelihood that participants will experience a sense of ‘shared intentionality’. It presents the characteristics of an ‘honest signal’ while under-specifying goals in ways that permit individuals to interact even while holding to personal interpretations of goals and meanings that may actually be in conflict. Music allows participants to explore the prospective consequences of their actions and attitudes towards others within a temporal framework that promotes the alignment of participants’ sense of goals. As a generic human faculty music thus provides a medium that is adapted to situations of social uncertainty, a medium by means of which a capacity for flexible social interaction can be explored and reinforced. It will be argued that a faculty for music is likely to have been exaptive in the evolution of the human capacity for complex social interaction.
Some parallels between language and music from a cognitive and evolutionary perspective
Authors: Fenk-Oczlon Gertraud , Fenk August
Published: March 2011

Parallels between language and music are considered as a useful basis for examining possible evolutionary pathways of these achievements. Such parallels become apparent if we compare clauses and syllables in language with phrases and notes in music: Clauses as well as musical phrases typically span about 2 sec and about 5 to 10 pulses, i.e. syllables or notes. The n of syllables per clause or intonation unit also can be used as a measure of tempo across languages and thus also as a means for a better understanding of typological co-variations in the rhythm of speech and music. Further correspondences were found between the size of the sound-relevant inventories, i.e. vowels and musical intervals: a minimum of roughly 3 and a maximum of roughly 12 elements as well as a frequency peak at 5 elements. A link between vowels and musical intervals is also indicated by our findings that in Alpine yodellers the vowels are highly correlated to melodic direction according to their F2 ordering.

These parallels are discussed from an evolutionary perspective that either sees music as a precursor of language or both language and music as descendents of a common, “half-musical” precursor (Jespersen, 1895; Brown, 2000). A rather simple explanation of the parallels is reported: If singing in a broader sense of the word is the most original form of music, then the functionality of any mechanism involved in the programming and the online-control of intonation units will be reflected in language as well as in music.
Individual emotional reactions towards music: Evolutionary-based universals?
Authors: Grewe Oliver , Nagel Frederik , Altenmüller Eckart , Kopiez Reinhard
Published: March 2011

Music can elicit strong feelings and physiological arousal in listeners. However, it is still under debate as to whether these reactions are based on universal reaction patterns or are acquired during a process of individual acculturation. Here we present evidence for the latter hypothesis: Subjective ratings on the axes of valence and arousal as well as physiological measurements of skin conductance response of 38 participants were assessed. Data were recorded continuously over time while participants listened to seven different musical pieces as well as five to ten pieces which they selected individually. Individual reactions showed extreme heterogeneity and revealed no systematic reaction patterns for all participants. In an exploratory approach, reactions of female and male participants were compared in response to singing voices of different registers (basso, tenor, alto, and soprano). The comparison of genders showed no significant differences, either in subjective ratings or in physiological reactions. The data presented here suggests that individual differences in the subjectively felt reactions to music dominate possible universal patterns. We argue that the high diversity in individual affective responses to music suggests a high adaptability of the underlying reaction patterns. This response mechanism might be evolutionarily beneficial due to its potential for social differentiation.
From great man to fittest survivor: Reputation, recapitulation and survival in Victorian concepts of Wagner's genius
Authors: Zon Bennett
Published: March 2011

The transposition of the Great Man into the Fittest Survivor is at the very root of an endemic interchange between the sciences and the arts in late Victorian culture, giving rich metaphoric substance to more heavily concretised scientific terminology. Herbert Spencer's famous phrase, “survival of the fittest” is, arguably, one of the most commonly transposed and consequently influential scientific expressions of the Victorian period, and as such, one of its most malleable idioms.

In Victorian musicology this influence is especially obvious in biographical works which privilege Richard Wagner as the greatest genius of musical history. Thus in Mezzotints in Modern Music (1899) James Huneker declares that “Wagner carried within his breast the precious eucharist of genius. ” It is the attitude of Huneker and like-minded musicologists, like C. Hubert H. Parry, William Wallace, Francis Hueffer and Richard Wallaschek, which forms the basis of a three-part exploration of Wagner's genius, covering (1) the role of “endurance” in Victorian definitions of genius, from Carlyle and Sully to Galton; (2) the influence of German morphology on evolutionary terminology in Britain, with particular reference to ontogeny, phylogeny and recapitulation; and (3) Spencer's adaptation of German morphology and his influence on Victorian perceptions of Wagner's genius. These collectively argue through the paradigm of Wagner that the formulation of late Victorian musical genius was incomplete without recourse to evolutionary terminology of survival. Indeed, for Victorian musicology, Wagner, the Great Man, had evolved Into Wagner, the Fittest Survivor.
Musical tastes of secondary school students' with different cultural backgrounds: A study in the spanish north african city of Melilla
Authors: Cremades Roberto , Lorenzo Oswaldo , Herrera Lucíaa
Published: March 2011

The purpose of this study is to analyze the musical tastes of secondayr school students in terms of cultural origin, in the Spanish city of Melilla, a North African enclave bordered by Morocco and characterized by its cultural diversity. The study also examines the musical environment of the students since, as different studies have shown (Frith, 2004; Hargreaves, Marshall & North, 2003; Lundquist, 2002; Pitts, 2007), there is no direct relationship between music studied formally in school and the music listened to in daily life. Some 667 students from first to fourth year in compulsory secondary education level (334 females and 323 males), between the ages of 12 and 16 participated, of which 55.9% were of Berber origin, 39.1% of European origin, and 4.9% of mixed origin. The results that were derived from the Questionnaire on Preferences of Musical Styles prepared by Lorenzo, Herrera & Cremades (2008) reflect that the musical tastes of students are oriented towards popular music (Reggaeton, Pop, Hip-Hop or Rap, amongst others) and, on the other hand, they differ according to the cultural group of origin. These musical preferences are clearly influenced by several agents of socialization that are part of informal education (principally peer groups, TV, radio, and the Internet), that shape the cultural and musical consumption habits of young people. Finally, a number of proposals are made for the integration of formal and informal musical education.
Is independent creation likely to happen in pop music?
Authors: Frieler Klaus , Riedemann Frank
Published: March 2011

In this study we try to address the question of whether independent (re-)creations are likely to happen in pop music. The interest in this topic stems from the fact that the claim of an “independent creation” is a common defence strategy in copyright infringement lawsuits. We conducted a main experiment in which subjects were asked to invent short, “catchy” pop melodies to a given backing track over a very common chord sequence (I VI IV V). Additionally, we incorporated 5 melodies from hit songs over the same chords in a comparable tempo. The collected melodies were examined for similarities, between participants’ melodies and hit songs on the one hand, and between participants’ songs on the other. In each case at least two melody pairs with high similarity were found. A deeper analysis of these cases revealed that indeed independent (re-)creations might have taken place.
Individual music listening in workplace settings
Authors: Haake Anneli B.
Published: March 2011

Increasing access to listening technologies (MP3 players and digital file formats) and the internet has contributed to a new era of listening to music in offices, where many employees listen to music through computers and personal listening devices. While many studies in the past have examined the effects of researcher-selected music on work performance, no studies to date have explored office workers’ music-listening patterns, what they listen to and why. This article reports the findings of a survey that used a holistic approach to examine music-listening practices and experiences in office settings in the UK. Nearly three hundred (295) office employees provided quantitative and qualitative data on listening patterns and experience. Previous research has focused on positive mood and negative effects of distraction on task performance, but this study identified additional significant functions: inspiration, concentration, positive distraction, stress relief and managing personal space. Employees listened to music for a third of their working week, and reported listening to a wide variety of music styles and artists. Music helped them to both engage in and escape from work, and they often used music to seal themselves off from the office environment. Employees managed their listening practices so as not to disturb colleagues or appear unprofessional in front of clients. Managers and employees can benefit from recognizing the importance of employees being able to select their own music, and the multidimensionality of workplace music listening is also of interest to therapists, office designers and music technology developers.
Development and Initial Validation of the Intimate Violence Responsibility Scale (IVRS)
Authors: Sung Hyun Yun  , Vonk M. Elizabeth
Published: March 2011

The present study demonstrates the development and initial examination of psychometric properties of the Intimate Violence Responsibility Scale (IVRS) in a community-based sample (N = 527). The underlying factor structure of the IVRS was tested by the exploratory factor analysis (Principal Axis Factoring), which identifies the four factors: partner blame, distal blame, minimization, and violence recognition. The internal consistency of the four subscales of the 20-item IVRS had an acceptable-to-good coefficient alpha ranging from .75 to .83. Evidence for the convergent and discriminant validity was established through correlational analyses. The initial findings of this study support that the IVRS is a reliable and valid self-reporting instrument that measures attitudes related to responsibility for violent behavior toward the intimate partner. Implications for practice and future research are specified.
The Effects of Financial Resources on Test Pass Rates: Evidence from Vermont’s Equal Education Opportunity Act
Authors: Sherlock Molly
Published: March 2011

This article explores the impact of changes in financial resources on student performance under Vermont’s Equal Education Opportunity Act (Act 60). Under Act 60, per-pupil resources changed from year to year for many Vermont towns. This article asks whether these changes in resources were associated with changes in student performance as measured by pass rates on standardized tests. Using annual data on spending at pass rates, fixed effects and instrumental variables estimation techniques are employed. Changes in town spending under Vermont’s Act 60 may have had a positive impact on fourth-grade math pass rates. However, these spending changes did not significantly affect reading or writing pass rates. There is suggestive, but inconclusive, evidence that additional resources were more effective at increasing test score pass rates in initially low-spending schools. There is not, however, any evidence that money was more effective in schools that were initially low achieving.
Probiotic helminth administration in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis: a phase 1 study
Authors: Fleming JO , Isaak A , Lee JE , Luzzio CC , Carrithers MD , Cook TD , Field AS , Boland J , Fabry Z
Published: March 2011

Background: Probiotic treatment strategy based on the hygiene hypothesis, such as administration of ova from the non-pathogenic helminth, Trichuris suis, (TSO) has proven safe and effective in autoimmune inflammatory bowel disease. Objective: To study the safety and effects of TSO in a second autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), we conducted the phase 1 Helminth-induced Immunomodulatory Therapy (HINT 1) study.

Methods: Five subjects with newly diagnosed, treatment-naive relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) were given 2500 TSO orally every 2 weeks for 3 months in a baseline versus treatment control exploratory trial.

Results: The mean number of new gadolinium-enhancing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions (n-Gd+) fell from 6.6 at baseline to 2.0 at the end of TSO administration, and 2 months after TSO was discontinued, the mean number of n-Gd+ rose to 5.8. No significant adverse effects were observed. In preliminary immunological investigations, increases in the serum level of the cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 were noted in four of the five subjects. Conclusion: TSO was well tolerated in the first human study of this novel probiotic in RRMS, and favorable trends were observed in exploratory MRI and immunological assessments. Further investigations will be required to fully explore the safety, effects, and mechanism of action of this immunomodulatory treatment.
Critical appraisal of animal models of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Baker David , Gerritsen Wouter , Rundle Jon , Amor Sandra
Published: March 2011

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a spectrum of neurological disorders in laboratory animals that is used to model multiple sclerosis (MS). However, few agents have translated from efficacy in EAE to the treatment of human disease. Although this may reflect species differences in pathological disease mechanisms, importantly it may also relate to the practice of how drugs and models are currently used. This often bears very little resemblance to the clinical scenarios where treatments are investigated, such that lack of appreciation of the biology of disease may doom drugs to failure. The use of EAE is critically appraised with the aim of provoking thought, improving laboratory practise and aiding researchers and reviewers to address quality issues when undertaking, reporting and interpreting animal studies related to MS research. This is important as many researchers using EAE could and should do more to improve the quality of the studies.
Rape, love and war-personal or political?
Authors: Ericsson Kjersti
Published: March 2011

This article discusses how war rapes and consensual sexual relationships with enemy soldiers are framed and understood, with special emphasis on the consequences for the women involved. It war rapes in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the Balkan war and Danish and Norwegian women’s sexual relationships with German occupant soldiers during the Second World War. I argue that the conception of women’s sexuality as national property is central to understanding the attitudes towards both categories of women. To preserve their dignity, war rape victims may profit from a collective, political discourse. Women having had consensual relationships to enemy soldiers, however, have to extricate themselves from the collective and political discourse and interpret what happened to them as strictly personal.
Behind the Data
Authors: King Colby
Published: March 2011

Working as a Census enumerator, Colby King learned firsthand the challenges and importance of accurate counting.
Measuring Social Capital and Building Community in the Ozarks
Authors: Stout Michael , Harms John , Knapp Tim , Vess Lora
Published: March 2011

Collaborative efforts in the Ozarks develop and apply knowledge about social capital to bolster civic engagement.
“Children” Having Children
Authors: Mollborn Stefanie
Published: March 2011

Putting a face on teenage pregnancy helps us to look past stereotypes to understand the challenges of teen parenthood.
Culture Goes to Camp
Authors: Delale-O'Connor Lori
Published: March 2011

Many “culture camps” seek to enhance transnational adoptees' sense of ethnic identify. While camps may not achieve this goal, they do provide a space for adoptees and their parents to feel supported, create networks, and explore an “adoptive” identity.
Dorsal forearm adipofascial turnover flap among the elderly
Authors: Silva J.Braga , Padoin A. V. , Gazzalle A. , da Cunha G. L.
Published: March 2011

We have assessed the results of soft tissue cover on the back of the hand using an adipofascial turnover flap. From 2004 until 2007, 14 patients (mean age: 62 years) underwent reconstruction of extensive defects in the dorsum of the hand, using a forearm adipofascial turnover flap based on the perforators of the anterior interosseous artery covered with a split skin graft. The pivot point of the flap is typically 4–6 cm proximal to the level of the radial styloid process. In 93% of patients, the reconstruction healed without any problem. The adipofascial turnover flap is a useful and reliable method of reconstruction of the dorsum of the hand even in elderly patients.
The airway epithelium: more than just a structural barrier
Authors: Tam Anthony , Wadsworth Samuel , Dorscheid Delbert , Man S.F. Paul , Sin Don D.
Published: March 2011

The mammalian airway is lined by a variety of specialized epithelial cells that not only serve as a physical barrier but also respond to environment-induced damage through the release of biologically active factors and constant cellular renewal. The lung epithelium responds to environmental insults such as pathogens, cigarette smoke and pollution by secreting inflammatory mediators and antimicrobial peptides, and by recruiting immune cells to the site of infection or damage. When the epithelium is severely damaged, basal cells and Clara cells that have stem-cell-like properties are capable of self-renewal and proliferation in the affected area, to repair the damage. In order to effectively fight off infections, the epithelium requires the assistance of neutrophils recruited from the peripheral circulation through transendothelial followed by transepithelial migration events. Activated neutrophils migrate across the epithelium through a series of ligand–receptor interactions to the site of injury, where they secrete proteolytic enzymes and oxidative radicals for pathogen destruction. However, chronic activation and recruitment of neutrophils in airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma has been associated with tissue damage and disease severity. In this paper, we review the current understanding of the airway epithelial response to injury and its interaction with inflammatory cells, in particular the neutrophil.
What If?
Authors: Woodworth R. Mark
Published: March 2011

Changing room rates at the rate of inflation sounds like a good bet, especially when the vacuum of recession drags industry pricing. However, an analysis that pits actual prices against what room rates would have been based on simply extending the average rate of change shows that hotel managers have, on balance, beat the average in setting room rates. What that means for the upcoming industry recovery is that we can anticipate that managers will again exceed the average rate of change as demand allows rates to increase.
Aspirin Resistance
Authors: Schwartz Kenneth A.
Published: March 2011

Aspirin is an inexpensive, readily available medication that reduces the risk of subsequent vascular disease by about 25% in patients with known occlusive vascular disease. Aspirin’s beneficial effect is mediated via inhibition of arachidonic acid (AA) activation of platelets and is detected by demonstrating a decrease in platelet function and/or a decrease in prostaglandin metabolites. Patients who are assumed to be taking their aspirin, but who do not demonstrate an aspirin effect are labeled as, “aspirin resistant.” This is an unfortunate designation as the vast majority of patients labeled as “aspirin resistant” are noncompliant. Noncompliance is demonstrated in multiple studies that use repeat testing for platelet inhibition in patients with an initial inadequate response to aspirin. When the test is repeated under condition where ingestion of the test aspirin is assured, the patients' platelets are inhibited. Instead of using the term “aspirin resistance,” this review will use “inadequate response to aspirin.” Patients with an inadequate aspirin response have an increased likelihood for subsequent vascular events. Detection and treatment of an inadequate aspirin response would be facilitated by the development of a bedside assay that uses whole blood, is technically simple, inexpensive, sensitive, specific, reproducible, and provides an answer in a few minutes. Future research in patients with an inadequate response to aspirin should focus on mechanisms to improve compliance, which should decrease their risk of future vascular events.
Differences in clinical outcomes after 2009 influenza A/H1N1 and seasonal influenza among hematopoietic cell transplant recipients
Authors: Choi Su-Mi , Boudreault Alexandre A. , Xie Hu , Englund Janet A. , Corey Lawrence , Boeckh Michael
Published: March 2011

It is not known whether pandemic 2009 influenza A/H1N1 (2009 H1N1) leads to more serious disease than seasonal influenza in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients. In a retrospective study in HCT recipients with virologically proven influenza virus infection, a total of 161 HCT recipients (18 2009 H1N1, 103 seasonal influenza A, and 40 seasonal influenza B) were analyzed. In multivariable analyses, more patients with 2009 H1N1 had lower respiratory tract disease (LRD), hypoxemia, and prolonged viral shedding compared with seasonal influenza A. Seasonal influenza A and B outcomes were similar. There was no difference in overall and influenza-associated mortality among influenza virus types. Both early and delayed administration of antiviral therapy was shown to be beneficial in terms of decreased rates of development of LRD, although earlier intervention appeared to be more effective. Profound lymphopenia and lack of early antiviral therapy were associated significantly with LRD, hypoxemia, and death. High-dose corticosteroid treatment (≥ 1 mg/kg) given at the time of influenza diagnosis was associated with a reduced risk for mechanical ventilation. Thus, our data suggest that infection with 2009 influenza A/H1N1 resulted in more severe respiratory disease in HCT recipients compared with seasonal influenza.
The integrin coactivator Kindlin-2 plays a critical role in angiogenesis in mice and zebrafish
Authors: Pluskota Elzbieta , Dowling James J. , Gordon Natalie , Golden Jeffrey A. , Szpak Dorota , West XiaoXia Z. , Nestor Carla , Ma Yan-Qing , Bialkowska Katarzyna , Byzova Tatiana , Plow Edward F.
Published: March 2011

Kindlin-2, a widely distributed cytoskeletal protein, has been implicated in integrin activation, and its absence is embryonically lethal in mice and causes severe developmental defects in zebrafish. Knockdown of kindlin-2 levels in endothelial cells resulted in defective adhesive and migratory responses, suggesting that angiogenesis might be aberrant even with partial reduction of kindlin-2. This hypothesis has now been tested in the kindlin-2+/− mice. RM1 prostate tumors grown in kindlin-2+/− mice had fewer blood vessels, which were thinner and shorter and supported less tumor growth compared with wild-type littermates. The vessels that did form in the kindlin-2+/− mice lacked smooth muscle cells and pericytes and had thinner basement membranes, indicative of immature vessels. VEGF-induced angiogenesis in matrigel implants was also abnormal in the kindlin-2+/− mice. Vessels in the kindlin-2+/− mice were leaky, and BM transplantation from kindlin-2+/− to WT mice did not correct this defect. Endothelial cells derived from kindlin-2+/− mice had integrin expression levels similar to WT mice but reduced αVβ3-dependent signaling, migration, adhesion, spreading, and tube formation. Developmental angiogenesis was markedly impaired by kindlin-2 morpholinos in zebrafish. Taken together, kindlin-2 plays an important role in pathologic and developmental angiogenesis, which arises from defective activation of integrin αVβ3.
Protective effects of hydrogen-rich saline on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in a rat model
Authors: Wang Yun , Jing Lei , Zhao Xiao-Min , Han Ji-Ju , Xia Zuo-Li , Qin Shu-Cun , Wu Ya-Ping , Sun Xue-Jun
Published: March 2011

Background

Hydrogen-rich saline has been reported to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and effectively protect against organ damage. Oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to the pathogenesis and/or development of pulmonary hypertension. In this study, we investigated the effects of hydrogen-rich saline on the prevention of pulmonary hypertension induced by monocrotaline in a rat model.

Methods

In male Sprague-Dawley rats, pulmonary hypertension was induced by subcutaneous administration of monocrotaline at a concentration of 6 mg/100 g body weight. Hydrogen-rich saline (5 ml/kg) or saline was administred intraperitoneally once daily for 2 or 3 weeks. Severity of pulmonary hypertension was assessed by hemodynamic index and histologic analysis. Malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-desoxyguanosine level, and superoxide dismutase activity were measured in the lung tissue and serum. Levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6) in serum were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Hydrogen-rich saline treatment improved hemodynamics and reversed right ventricular hypertrophy. It also decreased malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy-desoxyguanosine levels, and increased superoxide dismutase activity in the lung tissue and serum, accompanied by a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Conclusions

These results suggest that hydrogen-rich saline ameliorates the progression of pulmonary hypertension induced by monocrotaline in rats, which may be associated with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
A modified scoring system to describe gross pathology in the rabbit model of tuberculosis
Authors: Jassal Mandeep S , Nedeltchev Gueno G , Osborne Jonathan , Bishai William R
Published: March 2011

Background

The rabbit model is an ideal means to study the pathogenesis of tuberculosis due to its semblance to the disease in humans. We have previously described the results using a bronchoscopic route of infection with live bacilli as a reliable means of generating lung cavities in sensitized rabbits. The role of sensitization in the development of disease outcomes has been well established in several animal models. We have described here the varying gross pathology that result from lack of sensitization with heat-killed M. bovis prior to high-dose bronchoscopic infection with live bacilli.

Results

Rabbits lacking sensitization did not generate lung cavities, but instead formed solely a tuberculoid pneumonia that replaced the normal lung parenchyma in the area of infection. Extrapulmonary dissemination was seen in approximately equal frequency and distribution in both rabbit populations. Notable differences include the lack of intestinal lesions in non-sensitized rabbits likely due to the lack of ingestion of expectorated bacilli from cavitary lesions. The experiment also employed a modified scoring system developed initially in the primate model of tuberculosis to allow for the quantification of findings observed at necropsy.

Conclusions

To date, no such scoring system has been employed in the rabbit model to describe gross pathology. The quantitative methodology would allow for rapid comparative analyses and standardization of thoracic and extrapulmonary pathology that could be evaluated for statistical significance. The aim is to use such a scoring system as the foundation for all future rabbit studies describing gross pathology at all stages in TB pathogenesis.
Developmental localization and the role of hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins during somatic embryogenesis of banana (Musaspp. AAA)
Authors: Xu Chunxiang , Takáč Tomáš , Burbach Christian , Menzel Diedrik , Šamaj Jozef
Published: March 2011

Background

Hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) are implicated to have a role in many aspects of plant growth and development but there is limited knowledge about their localization and function during somatic embryogenesis of higher plants. In this study, the localization and function of hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins in embryogenic cells (ECs) and somatic embryos of banana were investigated by using immunobloting and immunocytochemistry with monoclonal JIM11 and JIM20 antibodies as well as by treatment with 3,4-dehydro-L-proline (3,4-DHP, an inhibitor of extensin biosynthesis), and by immunomodulation with the JIM11 antibody.

Results

Immunofluorescence labelling of JIM11 and JIM20 hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein epitopes was relatively weak in non-embryogenic cells (NECs), mainly on the edge of small cell aggregates. On the other hand, hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein epitopes were found to be enriched in early embryogenic cells as well as in various developmental stages of somatic embryos. Embryogenic cells (ECs), proembryos and globular embryos showed strong labelling of hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein epitopes, especially in their cell walls and outer surface layer, so-called extracellular matrix (ECM). This hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein signal at embryo surfaces decreased and/or fully disappeared during later developmental stages (e.g. pear-shaped and cotyledonary stages) of embryos. In these later developmental embryogenic stages, however, new prominent hydroxyproline rich glycoprotein labelling appeared in tri-cellular junctions among parenchymatic cells inside these embryos. Overall immunofluorescence labelling of late stage embryos with JIM20 antibody was weaker than that of JIM11. Western blot analysis supported the above immunolocalization data. The treatment with 3,4-DHP inhibited the development of embryogenic cells and decreased the rate of embryo germination. Embryo-like structures, which developed after 3,4-DHP treatment showed aberrant non-compact epidermis with discontinuous ECM at the outer surface as well as much less immunolabelling with the JIM11 antibody. This treatment also decreased the plant regeneration capacity in embryogenic banana cultures. Finally, immunomodulation of surface hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins by co-culture of embryos with the JIM11 antibody resulted in a much lower germination capacity of these embryos.

Conclusions

These results suggest that hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins play an important developmental role, especially in the process of regeneration and germination of embryos during plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis. Proper content and localization of hydroxyproline rich glycoproteins seem to be essential for the formation and regeneration of banana somatic embryos.
Does dog-ownership influence seasonal patterns of neighbourhood-based walking among adults? A longitudinal study
Authors: Lail Parabhdeep , McCormack Gavin R , Rock Melanie
Published: March 2011

Background

In general dog-owners are more physically active than non-owners, however; it is not known whether dog-ownership can influence seasonal fluctuations in physical activity. This study examines whether dog-ownership influences summer and winter patterns of neighbourhood-based walking among adults living in Calgary, Canada.

Methods

A cohort of adults, randomly sampled from the Calgary metropolitan area, completed postal surveys in winter and summer 2008. Both winter and summer versions of the survey included questions on dog-ownership, walking for recreation, and walking for transportation in residential neighbourhoods. Participation in neighbourhood-based walking was compared, among dog-owners and non-owners, and in summer and winter, using general linear modeling. Stability of participation in neighbourhood-based walking across summer and winter among dog-owners and non-owners was also assessed, using logistic regression.

Results

A total of 428 participants participated in the study, of whom 115 indicated owning dogs at the time of both surveys. Dog-owners reported more walking for recreation in their neighbourhoods than did non-owners, both in summer and in winter. Dog-owners were also more likely than non-owners to report participation in walking for recreation in their neighbourhoods, in summer as well as in winter. Dog-owners and non-owners did not differ in the amount of walking that they reported for transportation, either in summer or in winter.

Conclusions

By acting as cues for physical activity, dogs may help their owners remain active across seasons. Policies and programs related to dog-ownership and dog-walking, such as dog-supportive housing and dog-supportive parks, may assist in enhancing population health by promoting physical activity.
Training initiatives within the AFHSC-Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System: support for IHR (2005)
Authors: Otto Jean L , Baliga Priya , Sanchez Jose L , Johns Matthew C , Gray Gregory C , Grieco John , Lescano Andres G , Mothershead Jerry L , Wagar Eric J , Blazes David L ,   the AFHSC-GEIS Training Writing Group
Published: March 2011

Training is a key component of building capacity for public health surveillance and response, but has often been difficult to quantify. During fiscal 2009, the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Division of Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (AFHSC-GEIS) supported 18 partner organizations in conducting 123 training initiatives in 40 countries for 3,130 U.S. military, civilian and host-country personnel. The training assisted with supporting compliance with International Health Regulations, IHR (2005). Training activities in pandemic preparedness, outbreak investigation and response, emerging infectious disease (EID) surveillance and pathogen diagnostic techniques were expanded significantly. By engaging local health and other government officials and civilian institutions, the U.S. military’s role as a key stakeholder in global public health has been strengthened and has contributed to EID-related surveillance, research and capacity-building initiatives specified elsewhere in this issue. Public health and emerging infections surveillance training accomplished by AFHSC-GEIS and its Department of Defense (DoD) partners during fiscal 2009 will be tabulated and described.
Enteric disease surveillance under the AFHSC-GEIS: Current efforts, landscape analysis and vision forward
Authors: Money Nisha N , Maves Ryan C , Sebeny Peter , Kasper Matthew R , Riddle Mark S ,   the AFHSC-GEIS Enteric Surveillance Writing Group
Published: March 2011

The mission of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Division of Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System (AFHSC-GEIS) is to support global public health and to counter infectious disease threats to the United States Armed Forces, including newly identified agents or those increasing in incidence. Enteric diseases are a growing threat to U.S. forces, which must be ready to deploy to austere environments where the risk of exposure to enteropathogens may be significant and where routine prevention efforts may be impractical. In this report, the authors review the recent activities of AFHSC-GEIS partner laboratories in regards to enteric disease surveillance, prevention and response. Each partner identified recent accomplishments, including support for regional networks. AFHSC/GEIS partners also completed a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) survey as part of a landscape analysis of global enteric surveillance efforts. The current strengths of this network include excellent laboratory infrastructure, equipment and personnel that provide the opportunity for high-quality epidemiological studies and test platforms for point-of-care diagnostics. Weaknesses include inconsistent guidance and a splintered reporting system that hampers the comparison of data across regions or longitudinally. The newly chartered Enterics Surveillance Steering Committee (ESSC) is intended to provide clear mission guidance, a structured project review process, and central data management and analysis in support of rationally directed enteric disease surveillance efforts.
Erratum to Hypoxia-induced down-regulation of microRNA-449a/b impairs control over targeted SERPINE1 (PAI-1) mRNA - a mechanism involved in SERPINE1 (PAI-1) overexpression
Authors: Muth Michaela , Hussein Kais , Jacobi Christoph , Kreipe Hans , Bock Oliver
Published: March 2011

After publication of our article [1], we realized the need for posting a correction note in order to prevent i) overinterpretation of some results by the readers and ii) concerns about potentially unintended misguidance by the authors.
Structure-dependent growth control in nanowire synthesis via on-film formation of nanowires
Authors: Shim Wooyoung , Ham Jinhee , Noh Jin-Seo , Lee Wooyoung
Published: March 2011

On-film formation of nanowires, termed OFF-ON, is a novel synthetic approach that produces high-quality, single-crystalline nanowires of interest. This versatile method utilizes stress-induced atomic mass flow along grain boundaries in the polycrystalline film to form nanowires. Consequently, controlling the magnitude of the stress induced in the films and the microstructure of the films is important in OFF-ON. In this study, we investigated various experimental growth parameters such as deposition rate, deposition area, and substrate structure which modulate the microstructure and the magnitude of stress in the films, and thus significantly affect the nanowire density. We found that Bi nanowire growth is favored in thermodynamically unstable films that facilitate atomic mass flow during annealing. A large film area and a large thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the film and the substrate were found to be critical for inducing large compressive stress in a film, which promotes Bi nanowire growth. The OFF-ON method can be routinely used to grow nanowires from a variety of materials by tuning the material-dependent growth parameters.
Complete genome analysis of a novel E3-partial-deleted human adenovirus type 7 strain isolated in Southern China
Authors: Su Xiaobo , Tian Xingui , Zhang Qiwei , Li Haitao , Li Xiao , Sheng Huiying , Wang Youshao , Wu Houbo , Zhou Rong
Published: March 2011

Human adenovirus (HAdV) is a causative agent of acute respiratory disease, which is prevalent throughout the world. Recently there are some reports which found that the HAdV-3 and HAdV-5 genomes were very stable across 50 years of time and space. But more and more recombinant genomes have been identified in emergent HAdV pathogens and it is a pathway for the molecular evolution of types. In our paper, we found a HAdV-7 GZ07 strain isolated from a child with acute respiratory disease, whose genome was E3-partial deleted. The whole genome was 32442 bp with 2864 bp deleted in E3 region and was annotated in detail (GenBank: HQ659699). The growth character was the same as that of another HAdV-7 wild strain which had no gene deletion. By comparison with E3 regions of the other HAdV-B, we found that only left-end two proteins were remained: 12.1 kDa glycoprotein and 16.1 kDa protein. E3 MHC class I antigen-binding glycoprotein, hypothetical 20.6 kDa protein, 20.6 kDa protein, 7.7 kDa protein., 10.3 kDa protein, 14.9 kDa protein and E3 14.7 kDa protein were all missing. It is the first report about E3 deletion in human adenovirus, which suggests that E3 region is also a possible recombination region in adenovirus molecular evolution.
Virulence of H5N1 virus in mice attenuates after in vitro serial passages
Authors: Li Jing , Liu Bohua , Chang Guohui , Hu Yi , Zhan Dawei , Xia Yukun , Li Yongqiang , Yang Yinhui , Zhu Qingyu
Published: March 2011

The virulence of A/Vietnam/1194/2004 (VN1194) in mice attenuated after serial passages in MDCK cells and chicken embryos, because the enriched large-plaque variants of the virus had significantly reduced virulence. In contrast, the small-plaque variants of the virus and the variants isolated from the brain of mice that were infected with the parental virus VN1194 had much higher virulence in mice. The virulence attenuation of serially propagated virus may be caused by the reduced neurotropism in mice. Our whole genome sequence analysis revealed substitutions of a total of two amino acids in PB1, three in PB2, two in PA common for virulence attenuated variants, all or part of which may be correlated with the virulence attenuation and reduced neurotropism of the serially propagated VN1194 in mice. Our study indicates that serial passages of VN1194 in vitro lead to adaptation and selection of variants that have markedly decreased virulence and neurotropism, which emphasizes the importance of direct analysis of original or less propagated virus samples.
Exploring the oral microbiota of children at various developmental stages of their dentition in the relation to their oral health
Authors: Crielaard Wim , Zaura Egija , Schuller Annemarie A , Huse Susan M , Montijn Roy C , Keijser Bart JF
Published: March 2011

Background

An understanding of the relation of commensal microbiota to health is essential in preventing disease. Here we studied the oral microbial composition of children (N = 74, aged 3 - 18 years) in natural transition from their deciduous to a permanent dentition and related the microbial profiles to their oral health status. The microbial composition of saliva was assessed by barcoded pyrosequencing of the V5-V6 hypervariable regions of the 16 S rRNA, as well as by using phylogenetic microarrays.

Results

Pyrosequencing reads (126174 reads, 1045 unique sequences) represented 8 phyla and 113 higher taxa in saliva samples. Four phyla - Firmicutes, Bacteriodetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria - predominated in all groups. The deciduous dentition harboured a higher proportion of Proteobacteria (Gammaproteobacteria, Moraxellaceae) than Bacteroidetes, while in all other groups Bacteroidetes were at least as abundant as Proteobacteria. Bacteroidetes (mainly genus Prevotella), Veillonellaceae family, Spirochaetes and candidate division TM7 increased with increasing age, reflecting maturation of the microbiome driven by biological changes with age.

Microarray analysis enabled further analysis of the individual salivary microbiota. Of 350 microarray probes, 156 gave a positive signal with, on average, 77 (range 48-93) probes per individual sample.

A caries-free oral status significantly associated with the higher signal of the probes targeting Porphyromonas catoniae and Neisseria flavescens.

Conclusions

The potential role of P. catoniae and N. flavescens as oral health markers should be assessed in large-scale clinical studies. The combination of both, open-ended and targeted molecular approaches provides us with information that will increase our understanding of the interplay between the human host and its microbiome.
Reliability of capturing foot parameters using digital scanning and the neutral suspension casting technique
Authors: Carroll Matthew , Annabell Mary‐Ellen , Rome Keith
Published: March 2011

Background

A clinical study was conducted to determine the intra and inter‐rater reliability of digital scanning and the neutral suspension casting technique to measure six foot parameters. The neutral suspension casting technique is a commonly utilised method for obtaining a negative impression of the foot prior to orthotic fabrication. Digital scanning offers an alternative to the traditional plaster of Paris techniques.

Methods

Twenty one healthy participants volunteered to take part in the study. Six casts and six digital scans were obtained from each participant by two raters of differing clinical experience. The foot parameters chosen for investigation were cast length (mm), forefoot width (mm), rearfoot width (mm), medial arch height (mm), lateral arch height (mm) and forefoot to rearfoot alignment (degrees). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to determine the intra and inter‐rater reliability. Measurement error was assessed through the calculation of the standard error of the measurement (SEM) and smallest real difference (SRD).

Results

ICC values for all foot parameters using digital scanning ranged between 0.81‐0.99 for both intra and inter‐rater reliability. For neutral suspension casting technique inter‐rater reliability values ranged from 0.57‐0.99 and intra‐rater reliability values ranging from 0.36‐0.99 for rater 1 and 0.49‐0.99 for rater 2.

Conclusions

The findings of this study indicate that digital scanning is a reliable technique, irrespective of clinical experience, with reduced measurement variability in all foot parameters investigated when compared to neutral suspension casting.