bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Mathematical Programming Formulation for the Budding Yeast Cell Cycle
Authors: Panning Thomas D. , Watson Layne T. , Shaffer Clifford A. , Tyson John J.
Published: November 2007

The budding yeast cell cycle can be modeled by a set of ordinary differential equations with 143 rate constant parameters. The quality of the model (and an associated vector of parameter settings) is measured by comparing simulation results to the eXperimental data derived from observing the cell cycles of over 100 selected mutated forms. Unfortunately, determining whether the simulated phenotype matches eXperimental data is difficult since the eXperimental data tend to be qualitative in nature (i.e., whether the mutation is viable, or which development phase it died in). Because of this, previous methods for automatically comparing simulation results to eXperimental data used a discontinuous penalty function, which limits the range of techniques available for automated estimation of the differential equation parameters. This paper presents a system of smooth inequality constraints that will be satisfied if and only if the model matches the eXperimental data. Results are presented for evaluating the mutants with the two most frequent phenotypes. This nonlinear inequality formulation is the first step toward solving a large-scale feasibility problem to determine the ordinary differential equation model parameters.
Relationship between Friction and Tactile Properties for Woven and Knitted Fabrics
Authors: Bertaux Emilie , Lewandowski Maryline , Derler Siegfried
Published: November 2007

The relationship between friction and the tactile properties of woven and knitted fabrics was investigated. Coefficients of friction for the fabrics were measured using two devices: a previously developed Textile Friction Analyzer and the Kawabata Evaluation System FB4. The tactile properties of the fabrics were evaluated by a panel, which assessed the roughness and the prickle of textile surfaces in two different blind subjective tests. Correlation between fabric friction and subjectively perceived touch properties was found for knitted, but not for woven fabrics. In order to find out if additional parameters could have influenced the obtained relationship, textile properties such as bending, compression, basis weight, hairiness and fabric thickness were investigated. Using principal component analysis, we found that the relevant properties in the relationship between friction and the touch properties of fabrics were bending, thickness and compressibility. On the other hand, the friction results showed a lack of commonality between the friction analyzer and the Kawabata surface tester, although there seemed to be a negative correlation between the two apparatus. This was attributed to the different testing conditions such as applied load, sliding speed, contact area and material surfaces and illustrated the dependence of fabric friction properties on testing variables
Development of a New Non-woven Composite and its Properties
Authors: Qian Cheng
Published: November 2007

A new three-layer non-woven composite was developed with two materials by spun-lacing method. One was a special non-woven on surface layers, which was trial-produced by wet laying method beforehand using pure super-short and super-fine polyester fibers through proper selecting processing parameters. The other was a polyester woven fabric in the middle layer. The composite structure and bonding mechanisms were analyzed based on micrographs of the non-woven composite by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, its mechanical properties were tested by physical methods. Its properties such as tensile, trapezoid tearing, bursting, bending and compression ratio were compared with those of a synthetic leather substrate made by polyester-nylon complex fibers (micro-split-fiber). Furthermore, the possibility of substituting the synthetic leather substrate with the new non-woven composite is discussed here.
On the Anisotropic Tensile Behaviors of Flexible Polyvinyl Chloride-coated Fabrics
Authors: Chen Shouhui , Ding Xin , Yi Honglei
Published: November 2007

The aim of this study was to provide a practical approach towards discovering the anisotropic behaviors of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-coated fabrics under low tensile stresses, as well as those at the tensile failure stage. Test specimens were PVC-coated polyester woven fabrics. One group of bias tensile experiments, with off-axial angles of 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75° and 90°, was conducted under low tensile stresses. The anisotropic behaviors on elastic constants of coated fabrics were analyzed with the application of off-axial constitutive response of orthotropic and elastic materials. The experiment data agreed well with the prediction of the off-axial constitutive response. It was proved that coated fabrics can be regarded as orthotropic and elastic materials within 20 % of the ultimate tensile stress. To analyze the anisotropic behaviors at the tensile failure stage, another group of bias tensile experiments with the same off-axial angles was carried out. Three types of failure mechanisms, pure tensile failure, pure shear failure and a mixed failure of tensile and shear, were observed by analyzing the fracture configuration of the specimens under each bias tensile loading. For the prediction of the anisotropic failure strength of coated fabrics, Tsai-Hill strength criterion was used and the results analyzed.
The Cybernetic Matrix of `French Theory'
Authors: Lafontaine Céline
Published: November 2007

This article aims to draw a portrait of the influence of cybernetics on soft science. To this end, structuralism, post-structuralism and postmodern philosophy will be successively analyzed in a perspective based on importing concepts stemming from the cybernetic paradigm (information, feedback, entropy, complexity, etc.). By focusing more specifically on the American postwar context, we intend to remind the audience that many soft science specialists were involved in the elaboration of this ‘new science’. We will then retrace the influence of the cybernetic paradigm on structuralism. Starting with the historic meeting between Roman Jakobson and Claude Lévi-Strauss, we will illustrate that structural phonology is directly inspired by discoveries stemming from the informational model. In the same perspective, the conceptual borrowings of psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan from cybernetics will be identified and analyzed. Then, we will address the matter of the relationship between postmodern theories and the cybernetic paradigm. The philosophical movement towards deconstruction, as well as Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy, will be analyzed based on how they relate to this paradigm. We will also insist on the fact that the philosophy of Jean- François Lyotard’s La Condition postmoderne is fully in line with the epistemological revolution launched by cybernetics.
Construct validation of analytic rating scales in a speaking assessment: Reporting a score profile and a composite
Authors: Sawaki Yasuyo
Published: November 2007

This is a construct validation study of a second language speaking assessment that reported a language profile based on analytic rating scales and a composite score. The study addressed three key issues: score dependability, convergent/discriminant validity of analytic rating scales and the weighting of analytic ratings in the composite score. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multivariate generalizability theory (G theory) were combined to analyze the responses of 214 admits to a study-abroad program to two role-play speaking tasks in a Spanish speaking assessment designed for student placement and diagnosis. The CFA and G theory approaches provided complementary information, which generally confirmed the key features of the assessment design: (1) the multicomponential and yet highly correlated nature of the five analytic rating scales: Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Cohesion, Organization and Grammar, (2) the high dependability of the ratings and the resulting placement decisions appropriate for the high-stakes decision-making context based on these analytic rating scales and the composite score, and (3) the largest contribution of Grammar to the composite score variance, which was consistent with the intention of program faculty members to reflect in the test design the relative importance of knowledge of grammar for students' academic success in the study-abroad program.
Developing Radical Technology for Sustainable Energy Markets
Authors: Brown James , Hendry Chris , Harborne Paul
Published: November 2007

Electricity supply is a mature industry that is characterized by centralized generation from fossil fuels and the dominant presence of large companies. However, with the advent of liberalized energy markets and global concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, there is now an opportunity for small high technology firms to introduce products that generate electricity from renewable sources. A key technology in this context is the fuel cell, which can be configured to generate electricity and heat for an individual house or a group of buildings. This article looks at the development of fuel cells in this market space and compares the experience of two leading fuel cell companies.We highlight the potential for small firms to play a significant role as creators of `technology specific advocacy coalitions' and promoters of a new technology in multiple experimental situations.
Broadening the Entrepreneurial Perspective
Authors: Mottiar Ziene , Ingle Sarah
Published: November 2007

In this article entrepreneurial literature is combined with industrial district literature to try and explain regional success in an Irish industrial sector. A new concept called `interpreneurship' is introduced as an explanatory concept for regional success in an Irish manufacturing case study, the wooden furniture industry in County Monaghan. A number of conclusions are drawn regarding the extent to which the interpreneurship concept is valid, and the authors recommend that this is an important concept for further research.
The Perceived Employability of Ex-Prisoners and Offenders
Authors: Graffam Joseph , Shinkfield Alison J. , Hardcastle Lesley
Published: November 2007

A large-scale study was conducted to examine the perceived employability of ex-prisoners and offenders. Four participant groups comprising 596 (50.4%) employers, 234 (19.8%) employment service workers, 176 (14.9%) corrections workers, and 175 (14.8%) prisoners and offenders completed a questionnaire assessing the likelihood of a hypothetical job seeker's both obtaining and maintaining employment; the importance of specific skills and characteristics to employability; and the likelihood that ex-prisoners, offenders, and the general workforce exhibit these skills and characteristics. Apart from people with an intellectual or psychiatric disability, those with a criminal background were rated as being less likely than other disadvantaged groups to obtain and maintain employment. In addition, ex-prisoners were rated as being less likely than offenders and the general workforce to exhibit the skills and characteristics relevant to employability. Implications for the preparation and support of ex-prisoners and offenders into employment are discussed, together with broader community-wide initiatives to promote reintegration.
A General Test of Self-Control Theory
Authors: Cretacci Michael A.
Published: November 2007

Self-control theory has been tested for 2 decades. However, mixed results and measurement problems have made it difficult to ascertain its true utility. This study addresses recent concerns and includes variables such as risk, consequences, criminal opportunity, an interaction term, and bond controls in one complete test. It also addresses self-control's ability to explain different forms of crime and whether the support that it has garnered has been exaggerated. Results of both cross-sectional and semilongitudinal tests indicate that self-control significantly predicts a higher probability of involvement in property and drug crime but is virtually silent in its ability to explain violence. Furthermore, it can be tentatively stated that support for the theory wanes over time. Finally, neglected concepts such as opportunity, risk, consequences, and bond controls may be important to the theory's ability to explain crime, and further negligence of these concepts may hamper a true understanding of its impact.
Outsourcing Human Resources
Authors: Coggburn Jerrell D.
Published: November 2007

This article examines human resources outsourcing (HRO) at the State of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). It describes the emergence of HRO in the public sector and analyzes the HHSC case. The article develops an eight-dimension conceptual framework for assessing the appropriateness of public HRO and demonstrates the framework's usefulness by applying it to the HHSC case.
The Effective Manager . . . Takes a Break
Authors: Berman Evan M. , West Jonathan P.
Published: November 2007

This study examines how senior local government managers take work breaks and how doing so is associated with perceptions of performance. Three purposes of taking a break are studied: (a) to reflect on prior work, (b) to restore oneself physically and mentally, and (c) to take care of personal, nonwork needs. On average, managers take a few breaks every week, lasting about 15 min each. Only about 45% of managers agree or strongly agree that break-taking helps them to reduce stress, clear their mind, make them feel reenergized, or otherwise improve their perceived effectiveness. About one third of managers often think about work while taking a break, which is not associated with positive break outcomes. Positive outcomes are strongly associated with minimizing external distractions, such as asking not to be interrupted, removing oneself from the workspace by taking walks or doing exercise, and focusing the mind on nonwork matters.
A Critical Review of the Sweeping Federal Civil Service Changes
Authors: Underhill Jack , Oman Ray
Published: November 2007

This article critiques the proposed radical changes to the civil service system at the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense. It also summarizes the civil service problems and assesses whether the proposed changes would be likely to address those problems. It identifies the difficulties that one of the critical changes (merit pay or pay-for-performance) has encountered in the past. The article is critical of the proposed termination of the General Schedule system, which has served the civil service system so well in the past. It expresses concern about the proposed weakening of rights of employee appeals, protections, and meaningful union participation. The article argues that there are a number of problems facing the civil service, but that most of the changes do not address those problems. It lauds the major achievements of the federal service and cautions against radical changes that will have the effect of weakening it.
Achieving Balance: A Case Study Examination of an Adolescent Coping With Life-Limiting Cancer
Authors: Callaghan Erin E.
Published: November 2007

A single-case study approach was used to provide an in-depth examination of the special events that take place in an early adolescent's family as the adolescent attempts to adapt to living with life-limiting cancer. Through symptom control, hope, denial, and the achievement of developmental tasks such as peer group identification, independence, and autonomy, the early adolescent was able to demonstrate positive coping and adaptation. In the context of the Calgary Family Systems Model, the adolescent achieved individual system balance, which in turn enabled his family's systems to balance. The health care professional played an integral role in enabling the adolescent to accomplish his developmental tasks, which translated into facilitating adaptation.
Rational Choice and Rule-Following Behavior
Authors: Lahno Bernd
Published: November 2007

While Rational Choice Theory (RC) may be understood as a theory of choice, which does not necessarily reflect actual deliberative processes, rule-following behavior is definitely based on a certain form of deliberation. This article aims at clarifying the relationship between the two. Being guided by instrumental rules, i.e., rules reducible to the maximization principle, is perfectly consistent with the fundamental behavioral assumptions of RC. But human individuals use other forms of rules in decision making, especially tie-breaking rules and coordination rules. It is argued that within RC no satisfying account of such rule-following behavior can be given. In particular it is impossible to determine suitable preference orderings such that coordinating may be understood as maximizing relative to these orderings. Still, once there is coordination, following a coordination rule may be perfectly consistent with the basic assumptions of RC. So there might be a more complex theory of action that incorporates RC as well as a satisfying theory of rule-guided behavior.
A Meta-Analysis of Father Involvement in Parent Training
Authors: Lundahl Brad W. , Tollefson Derrik , Risser Heather , Lovejoy M. Christine
Published: November 2007

Objective: Investigate (a) whether including fathers in parent training enhances outcomes and (b) whether mothers and fathers benefit equally from parent training. Method: Using traditional meta-analysis methodology, 26 studies that could answer the research questions were identified and meta-analyzed. Results: Studies that included fathers, compared with those that did not, reported significantly more positive changes in children's behavior and desirable parenting practices, but not in perceptions toward parenting. Compared with mothers, fathers reported fewer desirable gains from parent training. Conclusions: Fathers should not be excluded from parent training and should be encouraged to attend. Further research should seek to understand how parent-training programs might better meet the needs of fathers.
A Practical Guide to the E-Mail Interview
Authors: Hunt Nigel , McHale Sue
Published: November 2007

The e-mail interview is a novel technique that has a number of advantages over traditional interviewing, but there are also some disadvantages. In this methodological article, the authors review the issues surrounding the use of the e-mail interview, providing a concrete example of its use, that of interviewing people with alopecia areata regarding psychological issues associated with the disorder. The authors show in the article that the e-mail interview is an effective interview technique but that users must take account of a number of sensitive issues, and there are a number of serious disadvantages that limit its use to specific areas. The e-mail interview cannot be used simply as a cheap alternative to face-to-face interviews in all circumstances.
Combining Case Study Research and Systems Theory as a Heuristic Model
Authors: Anaf Sophie , Drummond Claire , Sheppard Lorraine A.
Published: November 2007

The combined use of case study and systems theory is not often seen in the literature. The use of both approaches enables the specifics of the case to consider the influence of broader systems and external environments, offering in-depth exploration as well as comparative analysis between cases in the context of the system. Health care has obvious systems operating that may have developed from organizational hierarchies, funding mechanisms, or traditional service delivery of health care. Systems theory is ideally suited to examine health care and health promotion sites, such as hospitals or universities. Sites can use the principles of systems theory to explore innovation, change, and complexity of service delivery in the context of a case study approach. This article discusses how the combination of the two can act as a heuristic model, offering its application to emergency department physiotherapy as an example, to further bolster the evidence base for using such a methodology.
Reflexive Journaling on Emotional Research Topics: Ethical Issues for Team Researchers
Authors: Malacrida Claudia
Published: November 2007

Traditional epistemological concerns in qualitative research focus on the effects of researchers' values and emotions on choices of research topics, power relations with research participants, and the influence of researcher standpoints on data collection and analysis. However, the research process also affects the researchers' values, emotions, and standpoints. Drawing on reflexive journal entries of assistant researchers involved in emotionally demanding team research, this article explores issues of emotional fallout for research team members, the implications of hierarchical power imbalances on research teams, and the importance of providing ethical opportunities for reflexive writing about the challenges of doing emotional research. Such reflexive approaches ensure the emotional safety of research team members and foster opportunities for emancipatory consciousness among research team members.
Assessing Cognitive Capacity for Participation in a Research Study
Authors: Nokes Kathleen M. , Nwakeze Peter C.
Published: November 2007

To give informed consent in research, persons must be mentally capable of understanding the study, risks, and benefits. An objective screening tool may assess cognitive capacity better than brief conversations or clinician input. The purpose is to explore the validity of the Mental Alternations Test (MAT) to assess the cognitive capacity of older (ages 50 years +) HIV+ persons (N = 81). Descriptive correlational quantitative method was used. About 12% of the sample was cognitively impaired. Contrary to expectations, primary language was the only variable with a significant relationship with the MAT (r = -.22, p = .02); there were no significant relationships between the MAT and age, education, alcohol, smoking, injection drug use, street or mind-altering drug use, physical functional status, depressive symptoms, comorbidities, or being diagnosed with AIDS. Our findings suggest caution in using the MAT as an instrument for assessing cognitive impairment in a linguistically diverse population.
Review Essay: Weaving Sociocultural Change and Cognitive Development Together
Authors: Carmiol Ana M. , Cenko Enila
Published: November 2007

In Weaving Generations Together, Greenfield describes a long-term project spanning two generations of mothers teaching their daughters how to weave. The author considers the economic and social changes that took place in the Mayan village of Nabenchauk between the 1970s and the 1990s, and explains how they affected weaving apprenticeship and the creative and cognitive processes involved in it. We sympathize with this situated analysis of learning, creativity and cognition, and applaud Greenfield's unique contribution to the understanding of human development under shifting socioeconomic circumstances. At the same time, we highlight the need to enrich the author's account in two distinct ways: (1) by favoring a developmental perspective to the study of changes in practices and psychological phenomena that involves the analysis of processes of transformation and not only the description of differences observed across time; and (2) by specifying the relationship between cultural practices and internal processes. A call is also made to further the discussion about the assumptions that underlie the author's sociocultural approach.
Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME) and the Intra-Regional Migration of Nurses
Authors: Hosein Roger , Thomas Clive
Published: November 2007

CARICOM as a small regional trading agreement is characterized by economies with differing degrees of development. This article reviews the differing economic attributes of these various CARICOM states and then discusses in detail how the intra-regional movement of skilled workers (such as nurses) can help to solve some of the regional shortages of skills which exists for this category of workers. The article argues that this type of skilled worker movement can provide considerable benefits for migrant nurses without the drift of their skills beyond the region.
Social Policy in ASEAN
Authors: Chavez Jenina Joy
Published: November 2007

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has made strides in regional integration and cooperation, aided by unique modes of governance privileging consensus and non-interference. However, the social dimension is in the early stages of development and is currently detached from economic integration initiatives. The movement of low- and unskilled workers, many of whom are undocumented, has received especially little attention in ASEAN. Their growing numbers underscore the importance of treating migration as integral rather than separate from labour and general social protection issues. The establishment of regional agreements on social protection and integration, with particular focus on migration and labour standards, should signal the recognition of the economic nature of migration, and help strengthen the relevance and profile of ASEAN among the citizens of member countries. While existing mechanisms can be used to push for this — from Track II discussions to regional coalition building — the political challenge lies in making the issue an active concern in official ASEAN agenda.
Inventing the Greatest: Crafting Louisville's Future Out of story and Clay
Authors: Throgmorton James A.
Published: November 2007

In earlier publications I have argued that planning can be thought of as a form of persuasive and constitutive storytelling about the future. In this article I tell a story about the transformation of Louisville, Kentucky, a city of approximately 700,000 people located in the middle of the United States. The story begins in the early 1950s with a youth named Cassius Marcellus Clay, moves through space and time, weaves together a series of locally grounded common urban narratives, and ends at a new Center in Louisville named after Muhammad Ali. By weaving these tales together, I seek to demonstrate how narrative might be used to generate a more capacious approach to planning, but also to indicate how the physical design of the city-region has to be changed to make space for diverse common urban narratives. I end by suggesting that such an approach might help increase the sustainability of Louisville and other city-regions.
Re-Conceptualizing Public Participation in Planning: A View Through Autopoiesis
Authors: Chettiparamb Angelique
Published: November 2007

This article examines the relevance of the concept of autopoiesis for public participation in spatial planning. The concept of autopoiesis within social science, as advanced by Niklas Luhmann (1995) argues for a systemic, consistent and sophisticated theory of society based on a systems view, as opposed to more familiar action-based theories (for instance as in the case of the Habermasian tradition). By examining the relevance of the concept for public participation in spatial planning, this article highlights specific aspects of public participation that draw attention to dimensions of planning that are not currently explicitly highlighted within mainstream discourses in planning.1
Another planning theory? Rewriting the meta-narrative
Authors: Law-Yone Hubert
Published: November 2007

This essay proposes to frame the persistent scientific/literary genre known as `planning theory' as a peculiar meta-narrative whose ideological underpinnings are seldom faced even by its critics in the discursive field. Although self-referred to as theory, its consistent ignoring of the material and concrete in planning practice on the one hand, and the subservience to the political role of the state by unquestioned professionalism, makes its complicity with power obvious. This kind of theory or theorizing, in spite of its negation of practice as object for analysis, is therefore to be seen as praxis itself. The proposed re-evaluation of this meta-narrative restates past critiques and reviews the historical and material genealogy of planning as a spatial apparatus of the modern state. A critical deconstruction of the dominant discourse of planning suggests challenging its foundational traits: authoritarianism, hierarchy, anonymity and time/space absolutism. Finally, the essay calls for a re-imagining of planning as a counter-hegemonic project.
Sequence analysis of an Archaeal virus isolated from a hypersaline lake in Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Pagaling Eulyn , Haigh Richard D , Grant William D , Cowan Don A , Jones Brian E , Ma Yanhe , Ventosa Antonio , Heaphy Shaun
Published: November 2007

Background

We are profoundly ignorant about the diversity of viruses that infect the domain Archaea. Less than 100 have been identified and described and very few of these have had their genomic sequences determined. Here we report the genomic sequence of a previously undescribed archaeal virus.

Results

Haloarchaeal strains with 16S rRNA gene sequences 98% identical to Halorubrum saccharovorum were isolated from a hypersaline lake in Inner Mongolia. Two lytic viruses infecting these were isolated from the lake water. The BJ1 virus is described in this paper. It has an icosahedral head and tail morphology and most likely a linear double stranded DNA genome exhibiting terminal redundancy. Its genome sequence has 42,271 base pairs with a GC content of ~65 mol%. The genome of BJ1 is predicted to encode 70 ORFs, including one for a tRNA. Fifty of the seventy ORFs had no identity to data base entries; twenty showed sequence identity matches to archaeal viruses and to haloarchaea. ORFs possibly coding for an origin of replication complex, integrase, helicase and structural capsid proteins were identified. Evidence for viral integration was obtained.

Conclusion

The virus described here has a very low sequence identity to any previously described virus. Fifty of the seventy ORFs could not be annotated in any way based on amino acid identities with sequences already present in the databases. Determining functions for ORFs such as these is probably easier using a simple virus as a model system.
Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides in human monocytic leukemia cells: from gene expression to network construction
Authors: Cheng Kun-Chieh , Huang Hsuan-Cheng , Chen Jenn-Han , Hsu Jia-Wei , Cheng Hsu-Chieh , Ou Chern-Han , Yang Wen-Bin , Chen Shui-Tein , Wong Chi-Huey , Juan Hsueh-Fen
Published: November 2007

Background

Ganoderma lucidum has been widely used as a herbal medicine for promoting health and longevity in China and other Asian countries. Polysaccharide extracts from Ganoderma lucidum have been reported to exhibit immuno-modulating and anti-tumor activities. In previous studies, F3, the active component of the polysaccharide extract, was found to activate various cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α. This gave rise to our investigation on how F3 stimulates immuno-modulating or anti-tumor effects in human leukemia THP-1 cells.

Results

Here, we integrated time-course DNA microarray analysis, quantitative PCR assays, and bioinformatics methods to study the F3-induced effects in THP-1 cells. Significantly disturbed pathways induced by F3 were identified with statistical analysis on microarray data. The apoptosis induction through the DR3 and DR4/5 death receptors was found to be one of the most significant pathways and play a key role in THP-1 cells after F3 treatment. Based on time-course gene expression measurements of the identified pathway, we reconstructed a plausible regulatory network of the involved genes using reverse-engineering computational approach.

Conclusion

Our results showed that F3 may induce death receptor ligands to initiate signaling via receptor oligomerization, recruitment of specialized adaptor proteins and activation of caspase cascades.
Suicide candidate genes associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia: An exploratory gene expression profiling analysis of post-mortem prefrontal cortex
Authors: Kim Sanghyeon , Choi Kwang-Ho , Baykiz Ali Fuat , Gershenfeld Howard K
Published: November 2007

Background

Suicide is an important and potentially preventable consequence of serious mental disorders of unknown etiology. Gene expression profiling technology provides an unbiased approach to identifying candidate genes for mental disorders. Microarray studies with post-mortem prefrontal cortex (Brodmann's Area 46/10) tissue require larger sample sizes. This study poses the question: to what extent are differentially expressed genes for suicide a diagnostic specific set of genes (bipolar disorder vs. schizophrenia) vs. a shared common pathway?

Results

In a reanalysis of a large set of Affymetrix Human Genome U133A microarray data, gene expression levels were compared between suicide completers vs. non-suicide groups within a diagnostic group, namely Bipolar disorder (N = 45; 22 suicide completers; 23 non-suicide) or Schizophrenia (N = 45; 10 suicide completers ; 35 non-suicide). Among bipolar samples, 13 genes were found and among schizophrenia samples, 70 genes were found as differentially expressed. Two genes,PLSCR4(phospholipid scramblase 4) andEMX2(empty spiracles homolog 2 (Drosophila)) were differentially expressed in suicide groups of both diagnostic groups by microarray analysis. By qRT-PCR,PLSCR4andEMX2were significantly down-regulated in the schizophrenia suicide completers, but could not be confirmed in bipolar disorder.

Conclusion

This molecular level analysis suggests that diagnostic specific genes predominate to shared genes in common among suicide vs. non-suicide groups. These differentially expressed, candidate genes are neural correlates of suicide, not necessarily causal. While suicide is a complex endpoint with many pathways, these candidate genes provide entry points for future studies of molecular mechanisms and genetic association studies to test causality.
Inhibitory activity spectrum of reuterin produced by Lactobacillus reuteri against intestinal bacteria
Authors: Cleusix Valentine , Lacroix Christophe , Vollenweider Sabine , Duboux Marc , Le Blay Gwenaelle
Published: November 2007

Background

Reuterin produced from glycerol by Lactobacillus reuteri, a normal inhabitant of the human intestine, is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent. It has been postulated that reuterin could play a role in the probiotic effects of Lb. reuteri. Reuterin is active toward enteropathogens, yeasts, fungi, protozoa and viruses, but its effect on commensal intestinal bacteria is unknown. Moreover reuterin's mode of action has not yet been elucidated. Glutathione, a powerful antioxidant, which also plays a key role in detoxifying reactive aldehydes, protects certain bacteria from oxidative stress, and could also be implicated in resistance to reuterin.

The aim of this work was to test the activity of reuterin against a representative panel of intestinal bacteria and to study a possible correlation between intracellular low molecular weight thiols (LMW-SH) such as glutathione, hydrogen peroxide and/or reuterin sensitivity. Reuterin was produced by Lb. reuteri SD2112 in pure glycerol solution, purified and used to test the minimal inhibitory (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBC). Hydrogen peroxide sensitivity and intracellular LMW-SH concentration were also analysed.

Results

Our data showed that most tested intestinal bacteria showed MIC below that for a sensitive indicator Escherichia coli (7.5–15 mM). Lactobacilli and Clostridium clostridioforme were more resistant with MIC ranging from 15 to 50 mM. No correlation between bacterial intracellular concentrations of LMW-SH, including glutathione, and reuterin or hydrogen peroxide sensitivities were found.

Conclusion

Our data showed that intestinal bacteria were very sensitive to reuterin and that their intracellular concentration of LMW-SH was not directly linked to their capacity to resist reuterin or hydrogen peroxide. This suggests that detoxification by LMW-SH such as glutathione is not a general mechanism and that other mechanisms are probably involved in bacterial tolerance to reuterin and hydrogene peroxide.
Adult neurogenesis and specific replacement of interneuron subtypes in the mouse main olfactory bulb
Authors: Bagley Joshua , LaRocca Greg , Jimenez Daniel A , Urban Nathaniel N
Published: November 2007

Background

New neurons are generated in the adult brain from stem cells found in the subventricular zone (SVZ). These cells proliferate in the SVZ, generating neuroblasts which then migrate to the main olfactory bulb (MOB), ending their migration in the glomerular layer (GLL) and the granule cell layer (GCL) of the MOB. Neuronal populations in these layers undergo turnover throughout life, but whether all neuronal subtypes found in these areas are replaced and when neurons begin to express subtype-specific markers is not known.

Results

Here we use BrdU injections and immunohistochemistry against (calretinin, calbindin, N-copein, tyrosine hydroxylase and GABA) and show that adult-generated neurons express markers of all major subtypes of neurons in the GLL and GCL. Moreover, the fractions of new neurons that express subtype-specific markers at 40 and 75 days post BrdU injection are very similar to the fractions of all neurons expressing these markers. We also show that many neurons in the glomerular layer do not express NeuN, but are readily and specifically labeled by the fluorescent nissl stain Neurotrace.

Conclusion

The expression of neuronal subtype-specific markers by new neurons in the GLL and GCL changes rapidly during the period from 14–40 days after BrdU injection before reaching adult levels. This period may represent a critical window for cell fate specification similar to that observed for neuronal survival.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cuba: description and tentative explanation of its low HIV prevalence
Authors: de Arazoza Héctor , Joanes Jose , Lounes Rachid , Legeai Camille , Clémençon Stéphan , Pérez Jorge , Auvert Bertran
Published: November 2007

Background

The Cuban HIV/AIDS epidemic has the lowest prevalence rate of the Caribbean region. The objective of this paper is to give an overview of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cuba and to explore the reasons for this low prevalence.

Methods

Data were obtained from the Cuban HIV/AIDS programme established in 1983. This programme has an extensive adult HIV testing policy, including testing of all pregnant women. HIV and AIDS cases have been recorded since 1986. Persons found to be HIV-positive are interviewed on their sexual behaviour and partners. Tracing and voluntary testing of these partners are organised. Epidemiological description of this epidemic was obtained from analysis of this data set. Using elementary mathematical analyses, we estimated the coverage of the detection system (percentage of HIV-positive adults detected) and the average period between HIV infection and detection. Estimated HIV prevalence rates were corrected to account for the coverage.

Results

HIV prevalence has increased since 1996. In 2005, the prevalence among pregnant women was 1.2 per 10,000 (16/137000). Estimated HIV prevalence among 15- to 49-year-olds was 8.1 per 10,000 (4913/6065000; 95%CI: 7.9 per 10,000 – 8.3 per 10,000). Most (77%) of the HIV-positive adults were men, most (85.1%) of the detected HIV-positive men were reported as having sex with men (MSM), and most of the HIV-positive women reported having had sex with MSM. The average period between HIV infection and detection was estimated to be 2.1 years (IQR = 1.7 – 2.2 years). We estimated that, for the year 2005, 79.6% (IQR: 77.3 – 81.4%) of the HIV-positive persons were detected.

Conclusion

MSM drive the HIV epidemic in Cuba. The extensive HIV testing policy may be an important factor in explaining the low HIV prevalence. To reduce the HIV epidemic in Cuba, the epidemic among MSM should be addressed. To understand this epidemic further, data on sexual behaviour should be collected. Now that antiretroviral therapy is more widely available, the Cuban policy, based on intensive HIV testing and tracing of partners, may be considered as a possible policy to control HIV/AIDS epidemics in other countries.
Changes in health risk behaviors of elementary school students in northern Taiwan from 2001 to 2003: results from the child and adolescent behaviors in long-term evolution study
Authors: Wu Wen-Chi , Chang Hsing-Yi , Yen Lee-Lan , Lee Tony Szu-Hsien
Published: November 2007

Background

Previous research has indicated that children's behaviors have long-term effects on later life. Hence it is important to monitor the development of health risk behaviors in childhood. This study examined the changes in health risk behaviors in fourth- to sixth-grade students in northern Taiwan from 2001 to 2003.

Methods

The Child and Adolescent Behaviors in Long-Term Evolution (CABLE) study collected data from 1,820 students from 2001 to 2003 (students were 9 or 10 years old in 2001). Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the aggregation of health risk behaviors. A linear growth curve model was used to determine whether health risk behaviors changed over time.

Results

Of the 13 behaviors, staying up late and eating snacks late at night were the most prevalent (82.3% of subjects in 2001, 81.8% in 2002, 88.5% in 2003) and second most prevalent (68.7%, 67.4%, 71.6%) behaviors, respectively, from 2001 to 2003. The three least prevalent health risk behaviors were chewing betel nut (1.0%, 0.4%, 0.2%), smoking (1.4%, 1.0%, 0.8%), and drinking alcohol (8.5%, 6.0%, 5.2%). The frequencies of swearing and staying up late showed the greatest significant increases with time. On the other hand, suppressing urination and drinking alcohol decreased over time. Using exploratory factor analysis, we aggregated the health risk behaviors into three categories: unhealthy habits, aggressive behaviors, and substance use. Although students did not display high levels of aggressive behavior or experimentation with substances, the development of these behaviors in a small proportion of students should not be ignored. The results of the linear growth curve model indicated that unhealthy habits and aggressive behaviors increased over time. However, substance use slightly decreased over time.

Conclusion

We found that some health risk behaviors increased with time while others did not. Unhealthy habits and aggressive behaviors increased, whereas substance use slightly decreased during this period. Educational professionals should pay attention to the different patterns of change in these behaviors in elementary school students.
Audiologic monitoring of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients on aminoglycoside treatment with long term follow-up
Authors: Duggal Prahlad , Sarkar Malay
Published: November 2007

Background

Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis has emerged as a significant problem with the resurfacing of tuberculosis and thus the need to use the second line drugs with the resultant increased incidence of adverse effects. We discuss the effect of second line aminoglycoside anti-tubercular drugs on the hearing status of MDR-TB patients.

Methods

Sixty four patients were put on second line aminoglycoside anti-TB drugs. These were divided into three groups: group I, 34 patients using amikacin, group II, 26 patients using kanamycin and group III, 4 patients using capreomycin.

Results

Of these, 18.75% of the patients developed sensorineural hearing loss involving higher frequencies while 6.25% had involvement of speech frequencies also. All patients were seen again approximately one year after aminoglycoside discontinuation and all hearing losses were permanent with no threshold improvement.

Conclusion

Aminoglycosides used in MDR-TB patients may result in irreversible hearing loss involving higher frequencies and can become a hearing handicap as speech frequencies are also involved in some of the patients thus underlining the need for regular audiologic evaluation in patients of MDR-TB during the treatment.
Adherence to yoga and exercise interventions in a 6-month clinical trial
Authors: Flegal KE , Kishiyama S , Zajdel D , Haas M , Oken BS
Published: November 2007

Background

To determine factors that predict adherence to a mind-body intervention in a randomized trial.

Design

We analyzed adherence data from a 3-arm trial involving 135 generally healthy seniors 65–85 years of age randomized to a 6-month intervention consisting of: an Iyengar yoga class with home practice, an exercise class with home practice, or a wait-list control group. Outcome measures included cognitive function, mood, fatigue, anxiety, health-related quality of life, and physical measures. Adherence to the intervention was obtained by class attendance and biweekly home practice logs.

Results

The drop-out rate was 13%. Among the completers of the two active interventions, average yoga class attendance was 77% and home practice occurred 64% of all days. Average exercise class attendance was 69% and home exercise occurred 54% of all days. There were no clear effects of adherence on the significant study outcomes (quality of life and physical measures). Class attendance was significantly correlated with baseline measures of depression, fatigue, and physical components of health-related quality of life. Significant differences in baseline measures were also found between study completers and drop-outs in the active interventions. Adherence was not related to age, gender, or education level.

Conclusion

Healthy seniors have good attendance at classes with a physically active intervention. Home practice takes place over half of the time. Decreased adherence to a potentially beneficial intervention has the potential to decrease the effect of the intervention in a clinical trial because subjects who might sustain the greatest benefit will receive a lower dose of the intervention and subjects with higher adherence rates may be functioning closer to maximum ability before the intervention. Strategies to maximize adherence among subjects at greater risk for low adherence will be important for future trials, especially complementary treatments requiring greater effort than simple pill-taking.
Biomechanical simulations of the scoliotic deformation process in the pinealectomized chicken: a preliminary study
Authors: Lafortune Pierre , Aubin Carl-Éric , Boulanger Hugo , Villemure Isabelle , Bagnall Keith M , Moreau Alain
Published: November 2007

Background

The basic mechanisms whereby mechanical factors modulate the metabolism of the growing spine remain poorly understood, especially the role of growth adaptation in spinal disorders like in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). This paper presents a finite element model (FEM) that was developed to simulate early stages of scoliotic deformities progression using a pinealectomized chicken as animal model.

Methods

The FEM includes basic growth and growth modulation created by the muscle force imbalance. The experimental data were used to adapt a FEM previously developed to simulate the scoliosis deformation process in human. The simulations of the spine deformation process are compared with the results of an experimental study including a group of pinealectomized chickens.

Results

The comparison of the simulation results of the spine deformation process (Cobb angle of 37°) is in agreement with experimental scoliotic deformities of two representative cases (Cobb angle of 41° and 30°). For the vertebral wedging, a good agreement is also observed between the calculated (28°) and the observed (25° – 30°) values.

Conclusion

The proposed biomechanical model presents a novel approach to realistically simulate the scoliotic deformation process in pinealectomized chickens and investigate different parameters influencing the progression of scoliosis.