bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Child Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Authors: Jones Adele
Published: April 2009

• Summary: This article draws on research with young people affected by immigration controls (Jones, 1998), other studies and relevant literature to examine the conditions and treatment of children and young people who seek asylum in the UK.

• Findings: The findings highlight the detention and impoverishment of young asylum seekers and inadequacies in local authority provisions as evidence of discriminatory treatment. The author argues that contradictions between law and policy relating to children and those concerned with immigration control, negative social constructions of ‘refugee’ and ‘immigrant’ and the masking of social inequalities in dominant discourses of children’s rights are factors which contribute to this situation.

• Applications: The focus of current child care policy within the UK is to improve the quality and consistency of services to children in need, to improve outcomes for children looked after (children separated from birth parents) and to eradicate child poverty. The challenge for social work is to extend this concern to children affected by immigration controls. The author suggests that social workers have a major part to play in reclaiming and revisioning children’s rights as a more inclusive concept in order to address the impact of structural inequality and discrimination on the achievement of rights. Although arising from work in the UK, the findings are more widely applicable in that the need for harmonization of domestic legislation with international agreements is highlighted and in the appeal for a rights-based approach to social work.
Creating Identities?
Authors: Bolzan Natalie , Smith Meg , Mears Jane , Ansiewicz Rhonda
Published: April 2009

• Summary: Support groups for people with a mental illness have been in existence for over 40 years. The current consumerist agenda constructs people with a mental illness as consumers of mental health services such as support groups. To explore the range and type of support groups in New South Wales, Australia, an empirical study based upon interviews with a purposive sample of respondents with experience of using support groups and a postal questionnaire was conducted.

• Findings: From the study it became apparent that (so-called) consumers were challenging the construction of themselves as consumers of services. Instead they were asserting that their contribution to the treatment and management of their illness was closer to that of ‘expert’ than of consumer.

• Application: From these findings, we argue that this reconstruction of their self-perceptions suggests that people with a mental illness are challenging the consumerist agenda and acting as social citizens. This change in self-perception by mentally ill people should be addressed by policymakers and practitioners in all forms of social work practice.
When the Personal and the Political Collide
Authors: Lens Vicki
Published: April 2009

A consistent theme within social work has been the exploration of the conflict between the personal and the political -! especially how social workers resolve conflicts between their own personal values and their political views. This account explores the clash that occurred when a researcher’s findings about school vouchers conflicted with the personal experiences of those around her.
Identity, values and method
Authors: Cawthorne Pamela
Published: April 2009

Qualitative research tends to be regarded as non-rigorous, subjectively biased and, in general, unscientific. This paper is a restatement of the merits of this type of research allied to a repudiation of the arguments of its various critics - particularly the positivist tradition in economics. Primarily, it takes issue with the supposed greater objectivity attained through quantitative and positivistic research methods. But it is equally critical of a too narrow understanding of language and text and of (some types of) worries about disempowered informants. Instead, it is argued that seeking to understand, interpret and report honestly the things people say and the things people do in all their ‘messy complexity’ enables deep and rich knowledge claims to be made. However, for the full richness of such claims to emerge, they must be mediated reflexively and self-consciously through the purposes - and associated theoretical frameworks - researchers bring to their work. An understanding of the Wittgensteinian approach to language, if allied with a Marxian framework for the broader understanding of social processes, is argued to provide powerful analytical tools in the practice of qualitative social and economic research.
Unreliable memories and other contingencies: problems with biographical knowledge
Authors: Gardner Graham
Published: April 2009

This article addresses two concerns that are central to much of the qualitative research currently ongoing in both the social sciences and other fields of social research: the status awarded to biographical knowledges and, associatively, how such knowledges are dealt with in concrete research. The first section calls attention to the unreliability of memory in order to cast doubt on the veracity of lay actors’ accounts and thus question their position in social research. The second section, taking up this challenge, addresses a number of critical issues related to both the theoretical and the empirical status of biographical knowledges in qualitative research. Foremost of these are how both ‘ignorance’ and the dynamic nature of memory are integral to the construction and reconstruction of biographical knowledge. The methodological considerations that arise from this discussion are then considered more explicitly. The article seeks to provoke, rather than foreclose, critical thought and debate.
Unobtrusive measurement: using police information for forensic research
Authors: Alison Laurence J. , Snook Brent , Stein Kristin L.
Published: April 2009

This article explores how unobtrusive research methods popularized by Webb et al. (1966) can be utilized in forensic research. In particular, the value of the approach is considered with special reference to examining investigative processes and criminal behaviour. Webb et al.’s three non-reactive types of unobtrusive measures (physical traces, archival material and simple observation) are discussed in relation to a variety of types of material collected across the course of police enquiries. The breadth and variation of this material is emphasized with special consideration of its utility for research. We illustrate how the limitations and benefits identified by Webb et al. are echoed within the forensic domain and how close attention to the methods of collecting such material developed by researchers may improve the effectiveness of investigations.
Learning from experience: psycho-social research methods in the social sciences
Authors: Clarke Simon
Published: April 2009

There is a growing interest in both psychoanalytically informed theory and practice in the social sciences. Psycho-social studies and psychoanalytic studies address serious social and political issues through a critical welding of sociological and psychoanalytic perspectives. This raises the question: how do we actually use this form of analysis in the practical research environment? In this article, the author seeks to outline a psycho-social research method - in other words, how we do it - and to introduce the reader to both the advantages and problems of doing psychosocial research. This is framed within the context of a research project in which the author explores racism in higher education.
Collocation analysis: a method for conceptualizing and understanding narrative data
Authors: Mello Robin A.
Published: April 2009

In light of the newly defined field of narrative inquiry, this article examines ways in which narrative functions can be used during the analytical and interpretative phases of qualitative research. Using Mishler’s typology as a starting point, it questions the practice of dividing storied data into small bits and suggests that there is a need for a wider range of grounded analytical practices - practices based on the functions and operations of narrative itself. Specifically, this discussion proposes a series of models for collocating narrative data by examining how one researcher created frameworks that helped ground final conclusions within the broader narrative environment and context. The article concludes by suggesting that the collocation of narrative is essential for establishing validity and for creating holistic and connected research texts.
Development gain? Participant observation in interpretive management information systems research
Authors: Nandhakumar Joe , Jones Matthew
Published: April 2009

This article provides a critical assessment of the potential of participant observation as an interpretive data-gathering method for management information systems (MIS) research by drawing on a participant observation study of Executive Information Systems development. It identifies a range of issues with respect to participant observation in MIS research that may also be an integral part of reflective research practice for any field researcher.
Semiotic theory on qualitative interviewing using stimulus texts
Authors: Törrönen Jukka
Published: April 2009

In qualitative research interviewing we can use stimulus texts (such as photos, films, adverts, sketches, news, historical sources) as devices for encouraging our interviewees to speak about the research topic. In literature this subject has, however, received very minor analytical interest. This article proposes that there are at least three analytically separate strategies for selecting and using stimulus texts in the production and analysis of interview data. In qualitative research, stimulus objects may be used as clues, as microcosms or as provokers. The different strategies imply different research designs, interview procedures and ways of analyzing the data. When we use stimulus texts as clues, we build the interview session so that the texts, together with the interview questions, induce our interviewees to extrapolate how the texts stand for the whole (metonymy). When we use stimulus texts as microcosms, we pose the interview questions so that our interviewees compare their worlds and identity positions against those of the stimulus objects (mimesis, identification). When stimulus texts are used as provokers, the researcher chooses cultural products that challenge, with the aid of provocative questions, the interviewees to deal with the established meanings, conventions and practices (symbolic dimension, naturalness, normality) of the phenomenon under examination.
Qualitative research and outcomes in health, social work and education
Authors: Shaw Ian
Published: April 2009

The purpose of this article is to outline ways in which qualitative research has a contribution to make to research on outcomes in health, social work and education. The main questions are contextualized through a general consideration of the relationship between quantitative and qualitative methods, especially in relation to evaluative research. In the main part of the article, I draw some conclusions regarding the contribution that qualitative methodology can make to outcomes research. I illustrate how qualitative research can contribute indispensably to outcomes research in four ways: design solutions; sensitivity to the micro-processes of practice and programmes; applications of symbolic interactionism and ethnomethodology; and qualitative data analysis.
The implication of visual research for discourse analysis: transcription beyond language
Authors: Norris Sigrid
Published: April 2009

This article identifies some limitations of discourse analysis by analyzing interactions between five boys in which the TV and the computer are featured as mediational means. The incorporation of several modalities into transcripts and a shift in focus from primarily language to human action facilitate a better understanding of the multi-modal interaction involved. The use of conventional transcripts with a focus on language demonstrates that movie- and computer-mediated interactions appear fragmented; by contrast, an inclusion of images into the transcripts, representing central interactions and/or images of a movie or computer screen, demonstrates the significant visual modes that are imperative to the ongoing talk. Just as written words correspond to the oral language, images can exemplify the global interaction among the participants, or they can represent the images on the screen. In addition, viewing an image is much faster than reading a description, so that these images also display the fast pace of the movie- and/or computer-mediated interaction.
Travels in hypermodality
Authors: Lemke Jay L.
Published: April 2009

The power of visual communication is multiplied when it is co-deployed with language in multimodal texts. In hypertexts, such as websites, the interaction of these two semiotic resources affords new forms of informational and design complexity and presents us with some new political choices. This article offers a semiotic scheme for the analysis of composite verbal-visual meanings and some discussions of the semiotic politics of visual communication in hypermedia design.
Design and Development of Copper Core Conductive Fabrics for Smart Textiles
Authors: Ramachandran T. , Vigneswaran C.
Published: April 2009

Today wearable electronics are playing a vital role in many applications such as military, medical application, telecommunications, and health care garments. Conductive textiles are also providing wide range of applications in areas of civilian and military purposes. In this research work, an attempt has been made to design and develop core—sheath conductive yarns with copper filament as core and cotton as sheath using Dref-3 friction spinning system. The special guide mechanism has been designed and used to produce uniform structure of core—sheath conductive yarns. Three different core—sheath ratios such as 67/33, 80/20, and 90/10 respectively, were produced by varying the draft in the second drafting unit, which fed the cotton carded slivers to cover the core component. Copper filament of 38 SWG British Standard Gauge has been used as core component. The nominal yarn linear density of core conductive yarn (CCY) produced in this research was 328 tex and core component kept as constant 261 tex for all the yarn samples. The copper CCY were used to develop the conductive fabrics. These fabrics have very good scope for many applications for development of electromagnetic shielding wearable textiles, mobile phone charging, and body temperature sensing garments. The electro-mechanical characteristics of the copper CCY and fabrics have been studied.
ApoE Genotype and Family History in Patients With Dementia and Cognitively Intact Spousal Controls
Authors: Zintl Maria , Schmitz Gerd , Hajak Göran , Klünemann Hans-Hermann
Published: April 2009

Objective: To test that a positive family history and ApoE e4 genotype are prevalent among dementia patients with onset before 70 years of age compared with healthy spousal controls. Methods: A total of 210 patients with dementia and 82 spousal control participants. Neuropsychiatric examination, Consortium to establish a registry on Alzheimer’s disease test battery, Clock-drawing Test, and ApoE genotyping were performed in patients and controls. Results: Of the 131 patients with Alzheimer dementia, 25 were homozygous for Apo e4. Among dementia patients with a positive family history (n = 83), homozygosity for the Apo e4 genotype was found in 19 (22.9%). A positive family history was highest among Apo e4 homozygous Alzheimer dementia patients (72.0%) and lowest among the cognitively normal spousal controls (9.3%). Conclusions: In our sample of patients with Alzheimer dementia, approximately 3 of 4 (72.0%) were homozygous for the genotype Apo e4 when they had a positive family history.
We Should Be Liberals (at least)
Authors: Passavant Paul A.
Published: April 2009

This paper addresses what it means to “critique” liberalism today. Liberalism has been subjected to critique from the left, and has endured such concerted attacks from the right, that virtually no national politician in the United States calls him or herself a “liberal.” This commentary, using John Locke's as an exemplar of liberalism, discusses a tradition of critiques of liberalism that use the resources within liberalism to deepen liberalism's democratic potential. I argue that liberalism, thus understood, enables us to address the most pressing forms of economic and political tyranny in the United States today. Some contend that our future politics should aspire to something more than liberalism. In the meantime, though, let us not be anything less than liberals.
Time's Desire: Literature and the Temporality of Justice
Authors: Kertzer Jon
Published: April 2009

This essay examines how the logic and the spectacle of the law jointly respond to Nietzsche's concern that the one condition that baffles the will is the fact that the past is unalterable. The will cannot will backwards, but justice can, in W.B. Yeats's phrase, dream back by devising a temporality to symbolically redeem the past through a passionate knowledge expressed through haunting spectacles of pain (torture) and payment (punishment). The essay analyzes rhetorical strategies in both literature and legal discourse that offer to transcend the irrevocable in ways that satisfy both the ethical and aesthetic demands of justice: the demands that justice be done by being seen to be done. However, bringing aesthetics to the aid of ethics also has the disruptive effect of opening a gap between the two, of exposing an incommensurability that makes moral repair over time conceivable only through unexpected acts of sacrifice and amnesty — a possibility envisioned in J.M. Coetzee's novel, Disgrace .
Enhanced corrosion protection of AZ31 magnesium alloy by duplex plasma electrolytic oxidation and polymer coatings
Authors: Srinivasan P. B. , Scharnagl N. , Blawert C. , Dietzel W.
Published: April 2009

The corrosion behaviour of an AZ31 magnesium alloy coated with plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO), polymer and a combination of them was assessed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 0·1M NaCl solution. The polymer coating was applied on a just cleaned surface (without any special preparation) and also on PEO treated magnesium substrate. While the polymer coated and the mere PEO treated magnesium alloy specimens lasted less than 50 h in the EIS tests, the specimens with the duplex coating (PEO+polymer) successfully resisted 1000 h in the EIS tests without showing any degradation. The improved adhesion of the polymer coating in presence of the PEO layer and the effective sealing of the pores in the PEO coating with the polymer were responsible for the enhanced corrosion resistance. The synergistic beneficial effect of the duplex coatings on the corrosion behaviour was also witnessed in the salt spray tests.
Study on corrosion resistance properties of hydrothermal sealed arc sprayed aluminium coating
Authors: Liu L. M. , Wang Zh. , Song G.
Published: April 2009

In this study, traditional hydrothermal sealing (HTS) treatment was for the first time employed to arc sprayed pure aluminium coatings, and proves to be a successful sealing method. Corrosion performances were examined in salt solution immersion test (SSIT) and electrochemical polarisation measurements. The HTS coating is covered with a continuous film of aluminium hydroxide structures, and some deionised water manages to penetrate. Besides, pores in the surface as well as in the inner part get smaller and fewer. In SSIT, the HTS coating has a similar corrosion process to the unsealed one, but corrodes much more slightly. In polarisation curves, the HTS coating exhibits a wide passive region, higher corrosion potential and lower current density than the unsealed coating before immersion. After SSIT, it exhibits small changes in polarisation curves, implying slight corrosion in 90 days immersion and proving much higher corrosion resistance than the unsealed coating in the whole process.
High temperature oxidation studies on HVOF sprayed NiCrAl coatings on superalloys
Authors: Mahesh R A , Jayaganthan R , Prakash S
Published: April 2009

High velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spray coating technology is widely used for depositing wide range of powders on the surface of the materials which require protection in the high temperature environment, without significantly heating the substrate materials. HVOF spray technique has been used to deposit NiCrAl coating on the Ni and Fe based superalloys in the present work. The coating is expected to form protective oxidation resistant scales on the superalloys when it is exposed to corrosive environment as manifested in aero and land based turbine engines. Oxidation kinetics was established for both bare and NiCrAl coated superalloys at 900°C for 100 cycles by thermogravimetric analysis to assess the protective nature of the latter. The scales formed on the coated and bare superalloys, upon subjected to air oxidation at high temperature, were analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope attached with energy dispersive spectrometer (FESEM/EDS) to elucidate the oxidation mechanisms. The coating was found to be effective in enhancing the oxidation resistance of all the superalloys at 900°C under cyclic conditions, due to the formation of protective oxide scales, as observed in the present work. The EDS analysis of the oxide scales revealed the presence of NiO, Cr2O3 and Al2O3.
Hexavalent bispecific antibodies represent a new class of anticancer therapeutics: 1. Properties of anti-CD20/CD22 antibodies in lymphoma
Authors: Rossi Edmund A. , Goldenberg David M. , Cardillo Thomas M. , Stein Rhona , Chang Chien-Hsing
Published: April 2009

The dock and lock (DNL) method is a new technology for generating multivalent antibodies. Here, we report in vitro and in vivo characterizations of 20-22 and 22-20, a pair of humanized hexavalent anti-CD20/22 bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) derived from veltuzumab (v-mab) and epratuzumab (e-mab). The 22-20 was made by site-specific conjugation of e-mab to 4 Fabs of v-mab; 20-22 is of the opposite configuration, composing v-mab and 4 Fabs of e-mab. Each bsAb translocates both CD22 and CD20 into lipid rafts, induces apoptosis and growth inhibition without second-antibody crosslinking, and is significantly more potent in killing lymphoma cells in vitro than their parental antibodies. Although both bsAbs triggered antibody-dependent cellular toxicity, neither displayed complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Intriguingly, 22-20 and 20-22 killed human lymphoma cells in preference to normal B cells ex vivo, whereas the parental v-mab depleted malignant and normal B cells equally. In vivo studies in Daudi tumors revealed 20-22, despite having a shorter serum half-life, had antitumor efficacy comparable with equimolar v-mab; 22-20 was less potent than 20-22 but more effective than e-mab and control bsAbs. These results indicate multiple advantages of hexavalent anti-CD20/22 bsAbs over the individual parental antibodies and suggest that these may represent a new class of cancer therapeutics.
c-Myc–mediated control of cell fate in megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors
Authors: Guo Yinshi , Niu Chao , Breslin Peter , Tang Minghui , Zhang Shubin , Wei Wei , Kini Ameet R. , Paner Gladell P. , Alkan Serhan , Morris Stephan W. , Diaz Manuel , Stiff Patrick J. , Zhang Jiwang
Published: April 2009

It has been found that c-Myc protein plays a critical role in controlling self-renewal versus differentiation in hematopoietic stem cells. We report that c-Myc also controls the fate of megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors through regulating the differentiation of erythroid and megakaryocytic progenitors. In addition to the significant reduction of granulocytes/macrophages and B and T lymphocytes because of the reduction of their corresponding progenitors, we found significantly increased numbers of megakaryocytic progenitors and mature megakaryocytes in bone marrow and spleens of c-Myc-knockout (c-Myc−/−) mice. Differentiation of erythrocytes was blocked at the erythroid progenitor stage. This increased megakaryocytopoiesis is a cell-intrinsic defect of c-Myc-mutant hematopoietic stem cells, as shown by transplantation studies. Furthermore, we found that c-Myc is required for polyploidy formation but not for cytoplasmic maturation of megakaryocytes. Megakaryocytes from c-Myc−/− mice are significantly smaller in size and lower in ploidy than those of control mice; however, because of the dramatic increase in megakaryocyte number, although fewer platelets are produced by each megakaryocyte, a greater than 3-fold increase in platelet number was consistently observed in c-Myc−/− mice. Thus, c-Myc−/− mice develop a syndrome of severe thrombocytosis-anemia-leukopenia because of significant increases in megakaryocytopoiesis and concomitant blockage of erythrocyte differentiation and reductions in myelolymphopoiesis.
Loss of heterozygosity 4q24 and TET2 mutations associated with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms
Authors: Jankowska Anna M. , Szpurka Hadrian , Tiu Ramon V. , Makishima Hideki , Afable Manuel , Huh Jungwon , O'Keefe Christine L. , Ganetzky Rebecca , McDevitt Michael A. , Maciejewski Jaroslaw P.
Published: April 2009

Chromosomal abnormalities are frequent in myeloid malignancies, but in most cases of myelodysplasia (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), underlying pathogenic molecular lesions are unknown. We identified recurrent areas of somatic copy number–neutral loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and deletions of chromosome 4q24 in a large cohort of patients with myeloid malignancies including MDS and related mixed MDS/MPN syndromes using single nucleotide polymorphism arrays. We then investigated genes in the commonly affected area for mutations. When we sequenced TET2, we found homozygous and hemizygous mutations. Heterozygous and compound heterozygous mutations were found in patients with similar clinical phenotypes without LOH4q24. Clinical analysis showed most TET2 mutations were present in patients with MDS/MPN (58%), including CMML (6/17) or sAML (32%) evolved from MDS/MPN and typical MDS (10%), suggesting they may play a ubiquitous role in malignant evolution. TET2 mutations affected conserved domains and the N terminus. TET2 is widely expressed in hematopoietic cells but its function is unknown, and it lacks homology to other known genes. The frequency of mutations in this candidate myeloid regulatory gene suggests an important role in the pathogenesis of poor prognosis MDS/MPN and sAML and may act as a disease gene marker for these often cytogenetically normal disorders.
Perspectives on thrombosis in essential thrombocythemia and polycythemia vera: is leukocytosis a causative factor?
Authors: Barbui Tiziano , Carobbio Alessandra , Rambaldi Alessandro , Finazzi Guido
Published: April 2009

Leukocyte (WBC) count has been recently identified as an independent predictor of major thrombosis in both essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV). However, whether leukocytosis should be simply considered a marker for vascular disease or whether elevated WBC levels actually contribute directly to causing such disorders is presently matter of many studies. By adopting epidemiologic criteria for causation, we have examined the characteristics to support this association such as (1) strength, (2) consistency, (3) specificity, (4) temporality, (5) biologic gradient, (6) plausibility, (7) experimental evidence, and (8) analogy. Our conclusion supports the notion that baseline leukocytosis in ET and PV patients adds prognostic significance to existing risk factors and that may be considered causative of vascular events. These developments could induce clinicians to incorporate WBC count into standard clinical practice. However, we need prospective clinical studies with stratification of patients according to their baseline leukocyte counts. Until such evidence is available, the decision on how to manage these patients should continue to follow conventional criteria.
Characterization of the expression of Salmonella Type III secretion system factor PrgI, SipA, SipB, SopE2, SpaO, and SptP in cultures and in mice
Authors: Gong Hao , Su Jing , Bai Yong , Miao Lu , Kim Kihoon , Yang Yonghua , Liu Fenyong , Lu Sangwei
Published: April 2009

Background

The type III secretion systems (T3SSs) encoded by Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 and 2 (SPI-1 and SPI-2) are important for invasion of epithelial cells during development of Salmonella-associated enterocolitis and for replication in macrophages during systemic infection, respectively. In vitro studies have previously revealed hierarchical transport of different SPI-1 factors and ordered synergistic/antagonistic relationships between these proteins during Salmonella entry. These results suggest that the level and timing of the expression of these proteins dictate the consequences of bacterial infection and pathogenesis. However, the expression of these proteins has not been extensively studied in vivo, especially during the later stages of salmonellosis when the infection is established.

Results

In this study, we have constructed bacterial strains that contain a FLAG epitope inserted in frame to SPI-1 genes prgI, sipA, sipB, sopE2, spaO, and sptP, and investigated the expression of the tagged proteins both in vitro and in vivo during murine salmonellosis. The tagged Salmonella strains were inoculated intraperitoneally or intragastrically into mice and recovered from various organs. Our results provide direct evidence that PrgI and SipB are expressed in Salmonella colonizing the spleen and cecum of the infected animals at early and late stages of infection. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the SpaO protein is expressed preferably in Salmonella colonizing the cecum but not the spleen and that SptP is expressed preferably in Salmonella colonizing the spleen but not the cecum.

Conclusion

These results suggest that Salmonella may express different SPI-1 proteins when they colonize specific tissues and that differential expression of these proteins may be important for tissue-specific aspects of bacterial pathogenesis such as gastroenterititis in the cecum and systemic infection in the spleen.
Clinical and ultrasonographic features of abdominal tuberculosis in HIV positive adults in Zambia
Authors: Sinkala Edford , Gray Sylvia , Zulu Isaac , Mudenda Victor , Zimba Lameck , Vermund Sten H , Drobniewski Francis , Kelly Paul
Published: April 2009

Background

The diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis (TB) is difficult, especially so in health care facilities in developing countries where laparoscopy and colonoscopy are rarely available. There is little information on abdominal TB in HIV infection. We estimated the prevalence and clinical features of abdominal (excluding genitourinary) TB in HIV infected adults attending the University Teaching Hospital, Zambia.

Methods

We screened 5,609 medical inpatients, and those with fever, weight loss, and clinical features suggestive of abdominal pathology were evaluated further. A clinical algorithm was used to specify definitive investigations including laparoscopy or colonoscopy, with culture of biopsies and other samples.

Results

Of 140 HIV seropositive patients with these features, 31 patients underwent full evaluation and 22 (71%) had definite or probable abdominal TB. The commonest presenting abdominal features were ascites and persistent tenderness. The commonest ultrasound findings were ascites, para-aortic lymphadenopathy (over 1 cm in size), and hepatomegaly. Abdominal TB was associated with CD4 cell counts over a wide range though 76% had CD4 counts <100 cells/μL.

Conclusion

The clinical manifestations of abdominal TB in our HIV-infected patients resembled the well-established pattern in HIV-uninfected adults. Patients with fever, weight loss, abdominal tenderness, abdominal lymphadenopathy, ascites and/or hepatomegaly in Zambia have a high probability of abdominal TB, irrespective of CD4 cell count.
Comprehensive proteomic analysis of human cervical-vaginal fluid using colposcopy samples
Authors: Zegels Geert , Van Raemdonck Geert AA , Coen Edmond P , Tjalma Wiebren AA , Van Ostade Xaveer WM
Published: April 2009

Background

Cervical-vaginal fluid (CVF) plays an important role in the prevention of gynecological infections, although little is known about the contribution of CVF proteins to the immunity of the lower female genital tract. In order to analyze the protein composition of human CVF, we used CVF samples that are routinely collected during colposcopy, but are usually discarded. Since these samples are available in large quantities we aimed to analyze their usefulness for proteomics experiments. The samples were analyzed using different prefractionation techniques (ultrafiltration and C4(RP)-LC protein separation) followed by C18(RP)-LC peptide separation and identification by MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry. To determine the reproducibility of this proteomics platform we analyzed three technical replicates. Using spectral counting, protein abundances were estimated in a semiquantitative way. We also compared the results obtained in this study with those from previous studies derived from patients with different physiological conditions in order to determine an overlapping protein set.

Results

In total, we were able to identify 339 proteins in human CVF of which 151 proteins were not identified in any other proteomics study on human CVF so far. Those included antimicrobial peptides, such as human beta-defensin 2 and cathelicidin, which were known to be present in CVF, and endometrial proteins such as glycodelin and ribonucleoprotein A. Comparison of our results with previously published data led to the identification of a common protein set of 136 proteins. This overlapping protein set shows increased fractions of immunological and extracellular proteins, confirming the extracellular immunological role of CVF.

Conclusion

We demonstrated here that CVF colposcopy samples can be used in proteomics experiments and hence are applicable for biomarker discovery experiments. The delineation of an overlapping set of proteins that is identified in most proteomics studies on CVF may help in the description of a reference proteome when performing proteomics studies on human CVF.
Out of hospital cardiac arrest outside home in Sweden, change in characteristics, outcome and availability for public access defibrillation
Authors: Ringh Mattias , Herlitz Johan , Hollenberg Jacob , Rosenqvist Mårten , Svensson Leif
Published: April 2009

Background

A large proportion of patients who suffer from out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outside home are theoretically candidates for public access defibrillation (PAD). We describe the change in characteristics and outcome among these candidates in a 14 years perspective in Sweden.

Methods

All patients who suffered an OHCA in whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was attempted between 1992 and 2005 and who were included in the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Register (SCAR). We included patients in the survey if OHCA took place outside home excluding crew witnessed cases and those taken place in a nursing home.

Results

26% of all OHCAs (10133 patients out of 38710 patients) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Within this group, the number of patients each year varied between 530 and 896 and the median age decreased from 68 years in 1992 to 64 years in 2005 (p for trend = 0.003). The proportion of patients who received bystander CPR increased from 47% in 1992 to 58% in 2005 (p for trend < 0.0001). The proportion of patients found in ventricular fibrillation (VF) declined from 56% to 50% among witnessed cases (p for trend < 0.0001) and a significant (p < 0.0001) decline was also seen among non witnessed cases.

The median time from cardiac arrest to defibrillation among witnessed cases was 12 min in 1992 and 10 min in 2005 (p for trend = 0.029). Survival to one month among all patients increased from 8.1% to 14.0% (p for trend = 0.01). Among patients found in a shockable rhythm survival increased from 15.3% in 1992 to 27.0% in 2005 (p for trend < 0.0001).

Conclusion

In Sweden, there was a change in characteristics and outcome among patients who suffer OHCA outside home. Among these patients, bystander CPR increased, but the occurrence of VF decreased. One-month survival increased moderately overall and highly significantly among patients found in VF, even though the time to defibrillation changed only moderately.
Stromal Progesterone Receptors Mediate Induction of Indian Hedgehog (IHH) in Uterine Epithelium and Its Downstream Targets in Uterine Stroma
Authors: Simon Liz , Spiewak Kerry A. , Ekman Gail C. , Kim Jaeyeon , Lydon John P. , Bagchi Milan K. , Bagchi Indrani C. , DeMayo Francesco J. , Cooke Paul S.
Published: April 2009

Uterine receptivity to embryo implantation depends on appropriate progesterone (P4) and estrogen stimulation. P4 rapidly stimulates production of the morphogen Indian hedgehog (IHH) in murine uterine epithelium as well as downstream molecules in the hedgehog pathway such as Patched homolog 1 (PTCH1) and nuclear receptor subfamily 2, group F, member 2 (NR2F2) in uterine stroma. Studies using IHH-null mice indicate that IHH is obligatory for the normal P4 response in the uterus. To determine whether IHH induction in uterine epithelium is mediated through P4 receptor (PR) in epithelium (E) and/or stroma (S), we produced tissue recombinants using uteri from neonatal PR knockout (ko) mice and wild-type (wt) mice containing PR in S and/or E or lacking PR altogether using a tissue recombinant methodology and assessed their response to P4. In tissue recombinants containing wt-S (wt-S + wt-E and wt-S + ko-E), P4 induced Ihh mRNA expression at 6 h that was 6-fold greater than in oil-treated controls (P < 0.05; n = 6) in both types of tissue recombinants despite the absence of epithelial PR in wt-S + ko-E grafts. Conversely, Ihh mRNA expression was unaffected by P4 in ko-S + ko-E and ko-S + wt-E grafts despite epithelial PR expression in the latter. Nr2f2 and Ptch1 mRNA expression was similar in that it was stimulated by P4 only in recombinants containing stromal PR. These results indicate that stromal PR is both necessary and sufficient for P4 stimulation of epithelial IHH as well as downstream events such as PTCH1 and NR2F2 increases in stroma.
The material properties of acellular bone in a teleost fish
Authors: Horton Jaquan M. , Summers Adam P.
Published: April 2009

Several lineages of teleost fishes have independently derived skeletons composed solely of acellular bone, a tissue without obvious advantages over bone that has osteocytes in the matrix. There is no consensus for the functional role of acellular bone, as factors such as salinity, activity level and gross morphology have been shown to be poor predictors of acellularity. We used a three-point bending method to test the hypothesis that the material stiffness (elastic modulus) of acellular bone is higher than that of cellular bone, which could be evidence that material properties were a selective pressure in the evolution of this unusual skeletal material. The acellular ribs of Myoxocephalus polyacanthocephalus are curved, hollow beams that decrease in size both distally and posteriorly along the rib series. First and second moments of area decreased distally and caudally in all individuals. Young's modulus (E) ranged from 3.67 to 8.40 GPa, with a mean of 6.48 GPa. The flexural stiffness (EI) differed significantly between ribs, and the hollow cylinder morphology increased the flexural stiffness by 12.0% over a solid, circular cross-section rod with the same area. Contrary to our expectations, acellular bone is not stiffer by virtue of fewer lacunae but instead falls at the very low end of the range of stiffness seen in cellular bone. There remains the possibility that other properties(e.g. fatigue resistance, toughness) are higher in acellular bone.
Fast learning but coarse discrimination of colours in restrained honeybees
Authors: Niggebrügge C. , Leboulle G. , Menzel R. , Komischke B. , de Ibarra N. Hempel
Published: April 2009

Colours are quickly learnt by free-moving bees in operant conditioning settings. In the present study, we report a method using the classical conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER) in restrained honeybees(Apis mellifera), which allows bees to learn colours after just a few training trials. We further analysed how visual learning and discrimination is influenced by the quality of a stimulus by systematically varying the chromatic and achromatic properties of the stimuli. Using differential conditioning, we found that faster colour discrimination learning was correlated with reduced colour similarity between stimuli. In experiments with both absolute and differential conditioning, restrained bees showed poor colour discrimination and broad generalisation. This result is in strong contrast to the well-demonstrated ability of bees to finely discriminate colours under free-flight conditions and raises further questions about the temporal and perceptual processes underlying the ability of bees to discriminate and learn colours in different behavioural contexts.
Waveform generation in the weakly electric fishGymnotus coropinae(Hoedeman): the electric organ and the electric organ discharge
Authors: Castelló María E. , Rodríguez-Cattáneo Alejo , Aguilera Pedro A. , Iribarne Leticia , Pereira Ana Carolina , Caputi Ángel A.
Published: April 2009

This article deals with the electric organ and its discharge in Gymnotus coropinae, a representative species of one of the three main clades of the genus. Three regions with bilateral symmetry are described: (1)subopercular (medial and lateral columns of complex shaped electrocytes); (2)abdominal (medial and lateral columns of cuboidal and fusiform electrocytes);and (3) main [four columns, one dorso-lateral (containing fusiform electrocytes) and three medial (containing cuboidal electrocytes)]. Subopercular electrocytes are all caudally innervated whereas two of the medial subopercular ones are also rostrally innervated. Fusiform electrocytes are medially innervated at the abdominal portion, and at their rostral and caudal poles at the main portion. Cuboidal electrocytes are always caudally innervated. The subopercular portion generates a slow head-negative wave(V1r) followed by a head-positive spike (V3r). The abdominal and main portions generate a fast tetra-phasic complex(V2345ct). Since subopercular components prevail in the near field and the rest in the far field, time coincidence of V3r with V2 leads to different waveforms depending on the position of the receiver. This confirms the splitting hypothesis of communication and exploration channels based on the different timing, frequency band and reach of the regional waveforms. The following hypothesis is compatible with the observed anatomo-functional organization: V1r corresponds to the rostral activation of medial subopercular electrocytes and V3r to the caudal activation of all subopercular electrocytes; V2, and part of V3ct, corresponds to the successive activation of the rostral and caudal poles of dorso-lateral fusiform electrocytes; and V345ct is initiated in the caudal face of cuboidal electrocytes by synaptic activation (V3ct) and it is completed (V45ct)by the successive activation of rostral and caudal faces by the action currents evoked in the opposite face.
Effects of a short period of elevated circulating corticosterone on postnatal growth in free-living Eurasian kestrelsFalco tinnunculus
Authors: Müller Claudia , Jenni-Eiermann Susanne , Jenni Lukas
Published: April 2009

Environmental conditions affect growth and development and, through developmental plasticity, create phenotypic variation. In suboptimal conditions current survival is traded-off against development. Corticosterone,the main glucocorticoid in birds, may be involved in the reallocation of energy from growth to maintenance, but its effect on growth has rarely been investigated in altricial birds under natural conditions in the wild. In free-living Eurasian kestrel Falco tinnunculus nestlings, we artificially elevated corticosterone to stress-induced levels over 2–3 days in the middle of the nestling stage by implanting biodegradable implants,controlling the treatment with a placebo group. We measured the length of primary feather 8, hand length, tarsus length, body mass and subcutaneous fat stores from day 10 to 25. During corticosterone elevation, primary growth of cort-nestlings was significantly reduced to 71% of placebo-nestlings, hand and tarsus growth were significantly reduced to 14% and 26% of placebo-nestlings,respectively, and body mass increase stopped, while subcutaneous fat-store growth was not affected. Over the following 5 days, primary growth was still significantly suppressed to 84% of placebo-nestlings, while hand, tarsus and body mass growth were back to normal. During the subsequent 4 days,cort-nestlings partly compensated for the lag in body mass by significantly accelerating the body mass increase compared with placebo-nestlings. Before fledging, primary length was 10% shorter, hand and tarsus 5% and 4% shorter and body mass 8.5% lower in cort-nestlings than in placebo-nestlings, while fat score did not differ significantly between the two groups. Thus, we have shown that in free-living, altricial nestlings a few days of elevated plasma corticosterone levels alone, without food restriction, suppressed growth and this could only partly be compensated for afterwards. Feather, bone and body mass growth were reduced to different degrees, indicating that corticosterone had a differential effect on different structures. This demonstrates that corticosterone is probably involved in the control of developmental plasticity.
Glutamine accumulation and up-regulation of glutamine synthetase activity in the swamp eel,Monopterus albus(Zuiew), exposed to brackish water
Authors: Tok Chia Y. , Chew Shit F. , Peh Wendy Y. X. , Loong Ai M. , Wong Wai P. , Ip Yuen K.
Published: April 2009

The swamp eel, Monopterus albus, is an air-breathing teleost which typically lives in freshwater but can also be found in estuaries, where it has to deal with ambient salinity fluctuations. Unlike other teleosts, its gills are highly degenerate. Hence, it may have uncommon osmoregulatory adaptations,but no information is available on its osmoregulatory capacity and mechanisms at present. In this study M. albus was exposed to a 5 day progressive increase in salinity from freshwater (1‰) to brackish water(25‰) and subsequently kept in 25‰ water for a total of 4 days. The results indicate that M. albus switched from hyperosmotic hyperionic regulation in freshwater to a combination of osmoconforming and hypoosmotic hypoionic regulation in 25‰ water. Exposure to 25‰water resulted in relatively large increases in plasma osmolality,[Na+] and [Cl–]. Consequently, fish exposed to 25‰ water had to undergo cell volume regulation through accumulation of organic osmolytes and inorganic ions. Increases in tissue free amino acid content were apparently the result of increased protein degradation, decreased amino acid catabolism, and increased synthesis of certain non-essential amino acids. Here we report for the first time that glutamine is the major organic osmolyte in M. albus. Glutamine content increased to a phenomenal level of >12 μmol g–1 and >30 μmol g–1 in the muscle and liver, respectively, of fish exposed to 25‰ water. There were significant increases in glutamine synthetase(GS) activity in muscle and liver of these fish. In addition, exposure to 25‰ water for 4 days led to significant increases in GS protein abundance in both muscle and liver, indicating that increases in the expression of GS mRNA could have occurred.