bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Justice and Career Development: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Authors: McMahon Mary , Arthur Nancy , Collins Sandra
Published: March 2013

Social justice has underpinned career development work since its inception. Over time however, while awareness of social justice issues has been retained, the focus of intervention has largely remained individual. Further, career theory has been criticised for its lack of attention to cultural influences such as gender, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation, in people's career development. In this regard, progress has been made to the extent that multicultural and diversity competencies have been identified and elaborated. However, such competencies maintain a predominant focus on interventions with individuals and there have been calls for career development to identify social justice competencies which necessarily suggest different roles and levels of intervention for career development practitioners. As the implications of globalisation become more apparent and societal inequity is perpetuated, it is timely to revisit the social justice origins of career development and consider how career development may position itself in the 21st century. This paper examines social justice in career development theory and practice, and considers implications for career development practitioners.
Factors that Influence Career Decision-Making among Elite Athletes
Authors: Fogarty Gerard J. , McGregor-Bayne Heather
Published: March 2013

A common belief about elite athletes is that they invest so much effort into the pursuit of their athletic careers that they fail to develop good career decision-making skills. Recent findings challenge that belief. The present study investigated career decision-making difficulties among 117 elite Australian athletes. Participants completed adapted versions of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire, the Athlete Identity Measurement Scale, the Career Decision-Making Self-efficacy Short Form, and the Work Locus of Control Scale. These elite athletes showed no evidence of career decision-making difficulties. Combinations of this set of variables accounted for 35% of the variance in decision status and 20% of the variance in career decision-making difficulties. Career decision-making self-efficacy was a major contributor in both instances. Internal locus of control was also identified as a desirable characteristic in the context of career decision-making. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Putting a Vocational Focus Back into Rehabilitation
Authors: Murphy Gregory C.
Published: March 2013

Traditionally, rehabilitation has been closely associated with vocational potential and return to work post-injury, or the maintenance of work attendance following the onset of chronic disease. Indeed, so close was the association that the terms ‘rehabilitation’ and ‘vocational rehabilitation’ were virtually synonymous. Over the recent past there is evidence of a shift away from vocational goals in rehabilitation. The present paper briefly reviews the scientific literature on the mental and physical health benefits of employment. Having established that employment is health-promoting for most people, the paper analyses the content of recent issues of two major rehabilitation medicine journals to present a summary of the nature and extent of a vocational focus within contemporary rehabilitation research and, by implication, within evidence-based rehabilitation service delivery.
Career Development for Young Indigenous People: A Project Summary
Authors: Lichtenberg Anna , Smith Helen
Published: March 2013

A range of career challenges and employment barriers confronting Indigenous people in Australia have been identified by census data and government reports. This paper describes a project that involved national consultation to determine the type of career programs and resources being used with Indigenous populations. Information was gathered with respect to effective career programs and resources used by the participants, as well as the factors that supported and hindered their effective career development. Consultation included focus group sessions with Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants, follow-up telephone interviews as required, as well as online questionnaires posted on a dedicated project website. In many instances the participants' concerns focused on wider issues and underlying organisational and administrative arrangements. Findings related to effective programs suggested that individuals, program approaches and organisational structures were important. Funding arrangements and staffing concerns proved to be challenges. Recommendations from Stage One consultations led to the second stage of the project: the development of a prototype for a central online career portal for Indigenous populations.
Employees in Outplacement Services: Do They Really Get the Help That is Needed?
Authors: Gribble Lynn , Miller Peter
Published: March 2013

Outplacement is often provided by organisations to people when they are retrenched, but little is understood about the processes of outplacement, or how ‘retrenchees’ experience it. Further, the experiences of those who are retrenched are often not researched, as they no longer belong to the organisation that pays for the outplacement and the outplacement agencies' focus is to assist them to find new employment. This paper investigates retrenchees' experiences with outplacement and finds the focus of the experience is on finding new work, and that their experiences are not always positive. While they are offered services other than job-seeking skills, these services may not provide the support that they need. The paper concludes by recommending that services be tailored to focus on individual needs, based on personal assessment conducted between the retrenchee and outplacement provider.
Career Psychology in South Africa: Addressing and Redressing Social Justice
Authors: Watson Mark
Published: March 2013

This paper explores the definition of social justice in career psychology and how this might be understood in the South African context. In particular, macro-contextual factors that define social justice issues in South African career psychology are described. The extent to which the discipline of career psychology in South Africa has addressed and redressed these issues is examined. Suggestions are provided for the future redress of social justice issues within South African career psychology.
Career Development and Creative Arts Students: An Investigation into the Effectivess of Career Theory and WIL Experiences on Practice
Authors: Daniel Ryan
Published: March 2013

This case study focuses on the implementation of a professional studies subject at a regional Australian institution of higher education. This subject, established in order to foster the development of links to graduate destinations, creative networks and employment out comes, involves a curriculum that is underpinned by several career theories. Students are exposed to career development theory, after which they are required to reflect on and communicate to their peers the manner in which they both engage with and put in practice the key tenets of these theories in both an overarching career plan and through industry-focused activities. This case study provides direct evidence of the manner in which the students relate to and engage with career concepts, career theory and work-integrated learning.
Embedding an Online Career Development Program into Student Learning
Authors: Thomson Alison
Published: March 2013

The Career Development Program is a nationally recognised, award-winning student-centred program designed to deal with the three university-wide learning and teaching initiatives: Transitions In; Work Integrated Learning; and Transitions Out. The program is oriented to preparing students for university; planning for and taking advantage of ‘real world’ workplace learning experiences during their studies; and preparing them for their professional careers. In response to 21st-century learners' needs and learning preferences the program comprises 30 unique online, interactive modules, which nest within a clear, concise, defensible organisational structure across six individual programs. The program is designed to attract, retain and graduate students who reflect a confident, informed and self-managed approach to ‘real world’ learning and successful employment. The flexibility of the program is designed to maximise student engagement through all stages of a student's higher education and life experiences.
Capturing the Diversity of Transition from a Multidisciplinary Perspective
Authors: Burns Edgar
Published: March 2013

The broad utility of the concept of transition in many disciplines provides career educators and career advisory personnel with expanded opportunities to explore fresh solutions to problems they meet in the course of their work. Further practical solutions become available by continuing to seek applications of the concept. Career transition focuses on contingencies and particular events in individual or organisational circumstances but career change also invokes the generic idea of transition. This article inspects two widely used career transition models: those of Bridges and Schlossberg. It then positions these models by identifying wide cross-disciplinary use of the transition concept, including in social science. Drawing on this richness the idea of transition may be simply used as the context of career discussion or, as suggested here, it may be more consciously and actively mined to respond to career development opportunities.
Is Mixed Methods Research Used in Australian Career Development Research?
Authors: Cameron Roslyn
Published: March 2013

Mixed methods research has become a substantive and growing methodological force that is growing in popularity within the human and social sciences. This article reports the findings of a study that has systematically reviewed articles from the Australian Journal of Career Development from 2004 to 2009. The aim of the study was to provide a methodological map of the career development research reported through this academic journal and, in particular, the use of mixed methods research. A multi-strand conversion mixed model research design was employed for the study. The results were compared to similar research conducted in related discipline areas (psychology, school psychology and vocational education and training) to place the field of career development along the Creswell and Plano Clark (2007) framework for evaluating the level of acceptance of mixed methods research within disciplines.
Career Development Needs of Low Socio-Economic Status University Students
Authors: Doyle Erin
Published: March 2013

With increased funding from the Australian federal government to improve the enrolments of students with low socio-economic status into university, identifying the career needs of this student cohort is of utmost importance, if indeed they are different from other university students. This will ensure career services offer comprehensive and effective support, and avoid duplication or redundant measures. Findings indicate that the careers needs of low socio-economic status university students are different from other university students. Strategies that were reported to increase the effectiveness of career development for low socio-economic status university students included person-centred counselling skills; careers education across all courses to familiarise and normalise the careers planning process; avoidance of jargon or assumptions of implicit knowledge regarding university requirements; ensuring careers practitioners are aware of the experiences of students with low socio-economic status; up-to-date labour market information; and extending careers support to students for at least two years after the completion of their studies.
Student Perceptions of the Value of Career Development Learning to a Work-Integrated Learning Course in Exercise Science
Authors: Reddan Gregory , Rauchle Maja
Published: March 2013

Work-integrated learning has become a significant feature of Australian universities over the past decade. Earlier research indicates that some form of career development is essential to prepare undergraduate students for a competitive employment market. The 2008 National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory services (NAGCAs) symposium sought to establish best practice in the integration of career development learning and work-integrated learning. The NAGCAs symposium and resulting project served as a catalyst for the current study, which examined the value of career development learning to work-integrated learning through student perceptions of the benefits of career education workshops in Field Project, a final-year course for the Bachelor of Exercise science at Griffith University, Gold Coast. The findings suggest that university students should be exposed to courses that provide a combination of career education and work-integrated learning as part of their formal studies to maximise their employment potential for optimal economic and social outcomes.
What Will Work Consist of in the Future?
Authors: Oliver Susan , Wettenhall Gib
Published: March 2013

Change is driven by trends and value shifts in the key areas of science and technology, social and cultural issues, politics, economics and, increasingly, environmental sustainability.

Science holds some mind-boggling changes. Research is under way that seeks to unravel the circuitry of the brain. Educators may be able to run up a training program for, say, becoming a doctor, the imprinting of which on a student might become as simple as customising software for today's computers.

Technology is leading to massive restructuring of the workplace, and is supposedly responsible for two thirds of the jobs lost since 1989. In post industrial society, the majority of the labour force will no longer be employed in such traditional areas as manufacturing and retailing. To find employment, people will have to move into the information and service sectors, where 40 per cent of today's workforce can be found.

The new information and communication technologies create the potential for radically reorganising the location of employment to meet both environmental and social goals: that is, of reducing travel and bringing the home, the school and the workplace together. The reality, however, is that much high-tech home working is targeted at women caring for young children at home. Such home work thereby reinforces the traditional distinction between men's and women's work.

Social and cultural issues play a major part in setting future trends. One of the major challenges is to look at how men could be encouraged to broaden their focus from the competitive climb up the career ladder to taking up caring roles both in the home and in the community.

Environmental management, both at the government and corporate level, is likely to be one of the key career growth areas.

On the economic front, many would now argue that, in its traditional sense, full employment is unachievable. Unless current policies change, we can expect the creation of a permanent rump of unemployed, many of whom we can expect to be young. Any discussion of future employment and education needs, therefore, to look beyond the traditional definition of what constitutes a job.
Editorial
Authors: Shears Meredith , Manager Rob Ware Editorial
Published: March 2013

Feedback from our readers is essential to ensure that we are meeting your needs for a professional practitioner journal. Thank you to all those who participated in our Focus Groups and to all those readers who responded to our survey. We have incorporated suggested changes in the design of the Journal and will continue to elicit contributions in the areas you have suggested.
Development of a Systems Theory of Career Development
Authors: McMahon Mary , Patton Wendy
Published: March 2013

Through consideration of the recent debate over the issue of convergence in career development theory and using their own research, the authors have developed a systems theory framework of career development. This paper locates the systems theory framework within the extant literature of both the fields of career development and counselling, and attempts to illustrate how a systems theory approach can address current criticisms of career development theory and add to and complement this literature. The influences and processes illustrated in the systems theory framework are also described.
Career Aspirations of Young Australians in Relation to the Defence Force
Authors: O'Brien Kevin , Rahmani Zakir
Published: March 2013

At present some 7000 jobs are available for young Australians in the Australian Defence Force. As a part of recruiting strategies the Defence Force Recruiting Branch regularly examines the issues and concerns on which 17–24 year olds base their career decisions. This case study describes the key findings of recent research undertaken by two different consultants on the perceptions of young Australians towards schooling, careers and employment, and identifies the factors affecting their choice of a career in the Australian Defence Force.

Based on a paper presented at the Australian Association of Career Counsellors Conference, April 1995.
A Careers Practitioner's Guide to Organisational Culture
Authors: Temple Brad
Published: March 2013

Careers practitioners are generally good at thinking “educationally”. However, this article tries to encourage them to also think “organisationally”. By developing an understanding of how organisations work, careers practitioners are more likely to be able to ensure the viability of their programs, as well as improve the quality of the outcomes for their clients.
Inside Running
Authors: Smith Martin
Published: March 2013

The relationship between the higher education sector and employment is under close examination, with the employment outcomes of graduates being seen as an important indicator of institutional performance. Universities have responded by providing a range of services and programs. One such program, Inside running, has been implemented at the University of Western Sydney, with the financial support of all sectors of the institution, to develop graduates who have a greater awareness of the culture and operations of large corporations. Inside running addresses the integral elements of a career education program through student participation in an intensive six day exposure to the corporate world. This article describes the program and its outcomes.
A Profile of Career Beliefs among Retired Australian Athletes
Authors: Lavallee David , Gordon Sandy , Grove Robert
Published: March 2013

Forty-eight former Australian athletes responded to a questionnaire regarding their retirement from sport. Current career beliefs, as well as perceptions of life skills learned in sport that are transferable to post-athletic career occupations, were assessed with an Australian-integrated version of the Career Beliefs Inventory (CBI). Examination of CBI responses revealed several areas of career development that have particular relevance to elite athletes in Australia. Further analyses also demonstrated that the type of sport athletes participate in can have a significant impact on career development. Findings are discussed, including implications for professional practitioners. Future research directions in the area of career development in sport are elaborated.
Career Education in a Changing World of Work
Authors: Irving Barrie A. , Raja Sajida
Published: March 2013

This article identifies the impact of a rapidly changing world of work upon the provision of career education, and considers the need to implement a radical response. Moving away from narrow definitions of career as “linear progression and work preparation”, a “new” career education paradigm is discussed that is proactive, dynamic, forward looking and critical, locating career education at the centre of the school curriculum. It is imperative for career education to develop an “organic” model that demonstrates relevancy and meaning by embracing and involving all sections of the wider community. Questions are raised about the current philosophy of career education and the extent to which it reflects and transmits the inequities of the current labour market. A critical framework is proposed that seeks to actively empower students by enabling them to review and evaluate the changes taking place, from both a social and individual perspective. Implications for practice and delivery of career education are identified and located within a lifelong learning context.
Mentoring as a Career Development Tool
Authors: Maresca Maryanna
Published: March 2013

Imagine this. You have skills, knowledge and experience, plus a pinch of wisdom, after climbing the career ladder and advising others along the way. You've discovered some tools to share with those who might well be your bosses in the next millennium.

You have been invited to attend a “Women of Substance Breakfast” and pay a fee, which sponsors a schoolgirl. Your interests lie in mentoring the talented, particularly gifted girls, and this is an opportunity not to be missed.

You reach for the telephone and make a booking. You arrive on that fateful Friday morning at 6.45 am after arriving back to Brisbane from Sydney at 9.50 pm the evening before — a regular routine! Curious and comfortable, a veteran of business breakfasts and networking functions, you take your assigned place at the table and through a non-scientific matching process, you meet your “mentee”.

Let me share the experience with you.
Early-Determined Business Endgame Standings
Authors: Wolfe Joseph , Biggs William D. , Gold Steven C.
Published: March 2013

Teach and Patel reported that teams playing CAPSTONE arrived at their final financial standings early in the game. Based on this, they concluded that participants could feel the game was unfair and that further plays beyond the game’s early rounds might be counterproductive from a game-grade perspective, and even worse, from a learning perspective. Their study was repeated using 1,164 CAPSTONE firms in 194 competitions for 9,312 rounds of play. Their findings of early-determined first-place and last-place finishes were not confirmed based on either cumulative or round-by-round profits. The Teach and Patel research design was also applied to a larger scale game. The results found a company’s early results were low predictors of their final results which did not support the early-finish observation. Game users are cautioned that the educational benefits of any game depends on optimizing all aspects of the simulation’s teaching/learning environment and that competitive fluidity exists throughout a game’s duration.
A Prospective Pilot Study of B2A-Coated Ceramic Granules (Amplex) Compared to Autograft for Ankle and Hindfoot Arthrodesis
Authors: Glazebrook Mark , Younger Alastair , Wing Kevin , Lalonde Karl-Andre
Published: March 2013

Background:

To reduce fusion nonunion, autogenous bone graft is often incorporated into foot and ankle fusion procedures. B2A peptide-coated ceramic granules, with encouraging results in pilot studies of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion, were here reformulated into Amplex with a coating concentration of 225 μg B2A/cm3 ceramic granules (B2A-granule) with the goal of eliminating autogenous bone graft in foot and ankle arthrodesis. The purpose of this study was to perform a multicenter prospective randomized pilot clinical trial designed to compare the safety and effectiveness of B2A-granule to autogenous bone graft in patients undergoing foot and ankle arthrodesis surgery.

Methods:

This study was a multicenter, prospective, randomized, pilot clinical trial designed to compare safety and effectiveness of B2A-granule to autogenous bone graft in patients undergoing foot and ankle arthrodesis surgery. Twenty-four patients were enrolled and randomized (1:1) into 2 groups: autogenous bone graft control and B2A-granule. Primary outcome measures at 6 months (with follow-up at 9 and 12 months) included radiographic fusion assessed by computerized tomography and Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale scores for pain and disability.

Results:

Radiographic fusion success rates were similar in both groups (100% in the B2A-granule group, 92% autograft). Both the B2A-granule group and the autograft group had improvements in the pain and disability scores over the course of the study. Graft harvest-site pain affected only autograft-treated patients. There were no adverse events attributed to the graft material in either the B2A-granule or autograft group.

Conclusion:

The results of this pilot study are supportive of a larger clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of B2A-granule as a bone graft substitute in foot and ankle fusions.

Level of Evidence:

Level II, prospective comparative study.
A New Technique of Branched Stent Graft Treatment for Ruptured Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Authors: Constantinou Jason , Giannopoulos Argyrios , Jayia Parveen , Agu Obiekezie , Raja George , Ivancev Krassi
Published: March 2013

Endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) using a branched stent graft is a technically challenging procedure. A 64-year-old man with multiple medical problems, including severe renal impairment, is presented with a ruptured type IV TAAA. He underwent emergency repair using an off-the-shelf branched stent graft and carbon dioxide as the exclusive contrast agent.
Ten years’ experience with a pyrocarbon prosthesis replacing the proximal interphalangeal joint. A prospective clinical and radiographic follow-up
Authors: Tägil M. , Geijer M. , Abramo A. , Kopylov P.
Published: March 2013

We prospectively assessed the subjective, objective, and radiographic results at 1, 2, and 5 years in 65 patients who had pyrocarbon proximal interphalangeal prostheses inserted between 2001 and 2010. Further operations were done on 10 of the 89 joints (four for prosthetic extraction and arthrodesis, two for component changes, and four for soft tissue procedures). At 1 year, the visual analogue scale score for pain at rest had improved to 0 cm from a pre-operative 4 cm, pain at activity from 6 to 1.8 cm, and Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score from 40 to 25. Range of movement and grip strength were unchanged. At 5 years, 31 joints (21 patients) had a complete radiographic follow-up. Seven proximal and 12 distal components showing zones of osteolysis at 1 year had stabilized and were inert or integrated at 5 years. Three proximal and three distal components had osteolytic zones at 5 years. Forty-seven of 59 patients were pain-free at rest at 1 year, and 19 of 21 at 5 years. No late revisions or loosening occurred.
A Comparison between Museum, Hotel, and Tourist Sector Sites in a Country in Southeast Asia
Authors: Chang Yun-Ke , Morales-Arroyo Miguel Angel
Published: March 2013

The objective of this study is to compare three different kinds of portals in a country in Southeast Asia using a comprehensive set of evaluation criteria for e-commerce sites. The three types of business including hotels, museums, and tourism sectors were selected randomly. Three independent observers evaluated fifteen sites, and their results were consolidated to a single data set for analysis. Multidimensional Scaling was used to reveal patterns found in the data. The two dimensions in the MDS map were found to be associated with user perceived trustworthiness and transaction speed. In general, tourism sites do better in navigation and content categories; hotel sites do better in interface and reliability categories. Museum sites have more similarity as they are closer to each other in the MDS map. However, foreign language support was not observed on websites.
Empirical Bayes estimation of posterior probabilities of enrichment: A comparative study of five estimators of the local false discovery rate
Authors: Yang Zhenyu , Li Zuojing , Bickel David R
Published: March 2013

Background

In investigating differentially expressed genes or other selected features, researchers conduct hypothesis tests to determine which biological categories, such as those of the Gene Ontology (GO), are enriched for the selected features. Multiple comparison procedures (MCPs) are commonly used to prevent excessive false positive rates. Traditional MCPs, e.g., the Bonferroni method, go to the opposite extreme: strictly controlling a family-wise error rate, resulting in excessive false negative rates. Researchers generally prefer the more balanced approach of instead controlling the false discovery rate (FDR). However, the q-values that methods of FDR control assign to biological categories tend to be too low to reliably estimate the probability that a biological category is not enriched for the preselected features. Thus, we study an application of the other estimators of that probability, which is called the local FDR (LFDR).

Results

We considered five LFDR estimators for detecting enriched GO terms: a binomial-based estimator (BBE), a maximum likelihood estimator (MLE), a normalized MLE (NMLE), a histogram-based estimator assuming a theoretical null hypothesis (HBE), and a histogram-based estimator assuming an empirical null hypothesis (HBE-EN). Since NMLE depends not only on the data but also on the specified value ofΠ0, the proportion of non-enriched GO terms, it is only advantageous when eitherΠ0is already known with sufficient accuracy or there are data for only 1 GO term. By contrast, the other estimators work without specifyingΠ0but require data for at least 2 GO terms. Our simulation studies yielded the following summaries of the relative performance of each of those four estimators. HBE and HBE-EN produced larger biases for 2, 4, 8, 32, and 100 GO terms than BBE and MLE. BBE has the lowest bias ifΠ0is 1 and if the number of GO terms is between 2 and 32. The bias of MLE is no worse than that of BBE for 100 GO terms even when the ideal number of components in its underlying mixture model is unknown, but has high bias when the number of GO terms is small compared to the number of estimated parameters. For unknown values ofΠ0, BBE has the lowest bias for a small number of GO terms (2-32 GO terms), and MLE has the lowest bias for a medium number of GO terms (100 GO terms).

Conclusions

For enrichment detection, we recommend estimating the LFDR by MLE given at least a medium number of GO terms, by BBE given a small number of GO terms, and by NMLE given either only 1 GO term or precise knowledge ofΠ0.
Multigenic nature of the mouse pulmonary adenoma progression 1locus
Authors: Dassano Alice , Noci Sara , Galbiati Federica , Colombo Francesca , Trincucci Gaia , Pettinicchio Angela , Dragani Tommaso A , Manenti Giacomo
Published: March 2013

Background

In an intercross between the SWR/J and BALB/c mouse strains, the pulmonary adenoma progression 1 (Papg1) locus on chromosome 4 modulates lung tumor size, one of several measures of lung tumor progression. This locus has not been fully characterized and defined in its extent and genetic content. Fine mapping of this and other loci affecting lung tumor phenotype is possible using recombinant inbred strains.

Results

A population of 376 mice, obtained by crossing mice of the SWR/J strain with CXBN recombinant inbred mice, was treated with a single dose of urethane and assayed for multiplicity of large lung tumors (N2lung). A genome-wide analysis comparing N2lung with 6364 autosomal SNPs revealed multiple peaks of association. The Papg1 locus had two peaks, at rs3654162 (70.574 Mb, -logP=2.8) and rs6209043 (86.606 Mb, -logP=2.7), joined by an interval of weaker statistical association; these data confirm the presence of Papg1 on chromosome 4 and reduce the mapping region to two stretches of ~6.8 and ~4.2 Mb, in the proximal and distal peaks, respectively. The distal peak included Cdkn2a, a gene already proposed as being involved in Papg1 function. Other loci possibly modulating N2lung were detected on chromosomes 5, 8, 9, 11, 15, and 19, but analysis for linkage disequilibrium of these putative loci with Papg1 locus suggested that only those on chromosomes 11 and 15 were true positives.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that Papg1 consists, most likely, of two distinct, nearby loci, and point to putative additional loci on chromosomes 11 and 15 modulating lung tumor size. Within Papg1, Cdkn2a appears to be a strong candidate gene while additional Papg1 genes await to be identified. Greater knowledge of the genetic and biochemical mechanisms underlying the germ-line modulation of lung tumor size in mice is relevant to other species, including humans, in that it may help identify new therapeutic targets in the fight against tumor progression.
Mutation spectrum in human colorectal cancers and potential functional relevance
Authors: Yin Hongzhuan , Liang Yichao , Yan Zhaopeng , Liu Baolin , Su Qi
Published: March 2013

Background

Somatic variants, which occur in the genome of all cells, are well accepted to play a critical role in cancer development, as their accumulation in genes could affect cell proliferations and cell cycle.

Methods

In order to understand the role of somatic mutations in human colorectal cancers, we characterized the mutation spectrum in two colorectal tumor tissues and their matched normal tissues, by analyzing deep-sequenced transcriptome data.

Results

We found a higher mutation rate of somatic variants in tumor tissues in comparison with normal tissues, but no trend was observed for mutation properties. By applying a series of stringent filters, we identified 418 genes with tumor specific disruptive somatic variants. Of these genes, three genes in mucin protein family (MUC2, MUC4, and MU12) are of particular interests. It has been reported that the expression of mucin proteins was correlated with the progression of colorectal cancer therefore somatic variants within those genes can interrupt their normal expression and thus contribute to the tumorigenesis.

Conclusions

Our findings provide evidence of the utility of RNA-Seq in mutation screening in cancer studies, and suggest a list of candidate genes for future colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Hyperparasitaemic human Plasmodium knowlesi infection with atypical morphology in peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Lee Wenn-Chyau , Chin Pek-Woon , Lau Yee-Ling , Chin Lit-Chein , Fong Mun-Yik , Yap Chee-Jiek , Supramaniam Raymond Raj , Mahmud Rohela
Published: March 2013

Plasmodium knowlesi is a potentially life-threatening zoonotic malaria parasite due to its relatively short erythrocytic cycle. Microscopic identification of P. knowlesi is difficult, with “compacted parasite cytoplasm” being one of the important identifying keys. This report is about a case of hyperparasitaemic human P. knowlesi infection (27% parasitaemia) with atypical amoeboid morphology. A peninsular Malaysian was admitted to the hospital with malaria. He suffered anaemia and acute kidney function impairment. Microscopic examination, assisted by nested PCR and sequencing confirmed as P. knowlesi infection. With anti-malarial treatment and several medical interventions, patient survived and recovered. One-month medical follow-up was performed after recovery and no recrudescence was noted. This case report highlights the extreme hyperparasitaemic setting, the atypical morphology of P. knowlesi in the patient’s erythrocytes, as well as the medical interventions involved in this successfully treated case.
A survey of ex vivo/in vitro transduction efficiency of mammalian primary cells and cell lines with Nine natural adeno-associated virus (AAV1-9) and one engineered adeno-associated virus serotype
Authors: Ellis Brian L , Hirsch Matthew L , Barker Jenny C , Connelly Jon P , Steininger Robert J , Porteus Matthew H
Published: March 2013

Background

The ability to deliver a gene of interest into a specific cell type is an essential aspect of biomedical research. Viruses can be a useful tool for this delivery, particularly in difficult to transfect cell types. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a useful gene transfer vector because of its ability to mediate efficient gene transduction in numerous dividing and quiescent cell types, without inducing any known pathogenicity. There are now a number of natural for that designed AAV serotypes that each has a differential ability to infect a variety of cell types. Although transduction studies have been completed, the bulk of the studies have been done in vivo, and there has never been a comprehensive study of transduction ex vivo/in vitro.

Methods

Each cell type was infected with each serotype at a multiplicity of infection of 100,000 viral genomes/cell and transduction was analyzed by flow cytometry + .

Results

We found that AAV1 and AAV6 have the greatest ability to transduce a wide range of cell types, however, for particular cell types, there are specific serotypes that provide optimal transduction.

Conclusions

In this work, we describe the transduction efficiency of ten different AAV serotypes in thirty-four different mammalian cell lines and primary cell types. Although these results may not be universal due to numerous factors such as, culture conditions and/ or cell growth rates and cell heterogeneity, these results provide an important and unique resource for investigators who use AAV as an ex vivo gene delivery vector or who work with cells that are difficult to transfect.
Molecular characterization of HTLV-1 gp46 glycoprotein from health carriers and HAM/TSP infected individuals
Authors: Mota-Miranda Aline C A , Barreto Fernanda K , Amarante Maria F C , Batista Everton , Monteiro-Cunha Joana P , Farre Lourdes , Galvão-Castro Bernardo , Alcantara Luiz C J
Published: March 2013

Background

Human T-cell Leukemia Virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiological agent of tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP) that can be identified in around 0.25%–3.8% of the infected population. Disease progression can be monitored by the proviral load and may depend on genetic factors, however, it is not well understood why some HTLV-1 infected people develop the disease while others do not. The present study attempts to assess the molecular diversity of gp46 glycoprotein in HAM/TSP patients and Health Carrier (HC) individuals.

Methods

Blood samples were collected from 10 individuals, and DNA was extracted from PBMCs to measure the HTLV-1 proviral load. The gp46 coding sequences were amplified PCR, cloned and sequenced. The molecular characterization was performed using bioinformatics tools.

Results

The median HTLV-1 proviral load of HC (n = 5) and HAM/TSP (n = 5) patients was similar (average 316,227 copies/106PBMCs). The gp46 molecular characterization of 146 clones (70 HC and 76 HAM/TSP) revealed an overall diversity, within HC and HAM/TSP clones, of 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively. Five frequent mutations were detected among groups (HAM/TSP and HC clone sequences). A single amino acid (aa) substitution (S35L) was exclusive for the HC group, and three gp46 substitutions (F14S, N42H, G72S) were exclusive for the HAM/TSP group. The remaining frequent mutation (V247I) was present in both groups (p = 0.0014). The in silico protein analysis revealed that the mutated alleles F14S and N42H represent more hydrophilic and flexible protein domains that are likely to be less antigenic. The Receptor Binding Domain is quite variable in the HAM/TSP group. Two other domains (aa 53–75 and 175–209) that contain multiple linear T-cell epitopes showed genetic diversity in both HAM/TSP and HC groups. Further analysis revealed 27 and 13 T-cell epitopes for class I HLA alleles and class II HLA alleles, when analyzing the entire gp46.

Conclusions

The most common gp46 mutations were not associated clinical status because they were found in only one individual, except for the V247I mutation, that was found at viral clones from HAM/TSP ad HC individuals. Because of this, we cannot associate any of the gp46 found mutations with the clinical profile.
Lower ratio of high-molecular-weight adiponectin level to total may be associated with coronary high-risk plaque
Authors: Moroi Masao , Akter Shamima , Nakazato Ryo , Kunimasa Taeko , Masai Hirofumi , Furuhashi Tatsuhiko , Fukuda Hiroshi , Koda Eiichi , Sugi Kaoru , Jesmin Subrina
Published: March 2013

Background

Although high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin is believed to protect against atherosclerosis, the association between HMW adiponectin and the composition of coronary plaques is unknown. We evaluated whether the HMW to total adiponectin ratio was associated with the presence of coronary plaque and its composition using multi-slice computed tomography coronary angiography (MSCTCA).

Methods

Serum total and HMW adiponectin levels were measured in 53 consecutive patients (age, 71) with >50% coronary artery stenosis detected by MSCTCA. A low-attenuation coronary plaque was defined as a plaque with a mean CT density <50 Hounsfield units. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the predictors of the presence of low-attenuation coronary plaques, which is thought to be high risk, on CT.

Results

Decreased serum levels of total as well as HMW adiponectin were significantly associated with the presence of at least one calcified or non-calcified coronary artery plaque (total adiponectin level: odds ratio 0.76, 95% CI 0.58–0.99, P = 0.048; HMW adiponectin level: odds ratio 0.65, 95% CI 0.42–0.99, P = 0.047). A low ratio of HMW to total adiponectin was significantly associated with the presence of low-attenuation coronary plaques (4.55, 1.94–21.90, P = 0.049). However, neither the total adiponectin nor the HMW adiponectin level was associated with the presence of low-attenuation coronary plaques.

Conclusion

Lower total or HMW adiponectin levels are associated with the presence of calcified and non-calcified coronary plaques, whereas a lower ratio of HMW to total adiponectin associated with the presence of low-attenuation coronary plaques (thought to be high risk). Measurement of total and HMW adiponectin levels and the HMW to total adiponectin ratio may be useful for risk stratification of coronary artery plaques.
Functional genetic characterization of salivary gland development in Aedes aegypti
Authors: Nguyen Chilinh , Andrews Emily , Le Christy , Sun Longhua , Annan Zeinab , Clemons Anthony , Severson David W , Duman-Scheel Molly
Published: March 2013

Background

Despite the devastating global impact of mosquito-borne illnesses on human health, very little is known about mosquito developmental biology. In this investigation, functional genetic analysis of embryonic salivary gland development was performed inAedes aegypti, the dengue and yellow fever vector and an emerging model for vector mosquito development. Although embryonic salivary gland development has been well studied inDrosophila melanogaster, little is known about this process in mosquitoes or other arthropods.

Results

Mosquitoes possess orthologs of many genes that regulateDrosophila melanogasterembryonic salivary gland development. The expression patterns of a large subset of these genes were assessed duringAe. aegyptidevelopment. These studies identified a set of molecular genetic markers for the developing mosquito salivary gland. Analysis of marker expression allowed for tracking of the progression ofAe. aegyptisalivary gland development in embryos. InDrosophila,the salivary glands develop from placodes located in the ventral neuroectoderm. However, inAe. aegypti,salivary marker genes are not expressed in placode-like patterns in the ventral neuroectoderm. Instead, marker gene expression is detected in salivary gland rudiments adjacent to the proventriculus. These observations highlighted the need for functional genetic characterization of mosquito salivary gland development. An siRNA- mediated knockdown strategy was therefore employed to investigate the role of one of the marker genes,cyclic-AMP response element binding protein A(Aae crebA),duringAe. aegyptisalivary gland development.These experiments revealed thatAae crebAencodes a key transcriptional regulator of the secretory pathway in the developingAe. aegyptisalivary gland.

Conclusions

The results of this investigation indicated that the initiation of salivary gland development inAe. aegyptisignificantly differs from that ofD. melanogaster. Despite these differences, some elements of salivary gland development, including the ability of CrebA to regulate secretory gene expression, are conserved between the two species. These studies underscore the need for further analysis of mosquito developmental genetics and may foster comparative studies of salivary gland development in additional insect species.
Part 1: Why I Am Not a Postsecularist
Authors: Robbins Bruce
Published: March 2013

The post in postsecular assumes the prior existence of secularism as a dominant social sensibility that can and should be superseded. Taking as its point of departure the fact that, for better or worse, secularism has never enjoyed such a hegemonic status in the United States, where supernatural beings are routinely assumed to intervene in earthly events, this essay rejects the term and asks how the scholarly community has come to see it as plausible. It answers this question by pointing to the cultural disciplines and their risky, though perhaps inevitable, respect for the concept of culture. It then proceeds to analyze the culturalism disguised by the vocabulary of Foucault in the work of anthropologists Talal Asad and Saba Mahmood. It concludes by reflecting on the concepts of gratitude and the visceral in the writings of political theorist William Connolly.
The Cul-de-Sac of Schmittian Political Theology: The Case of Paul Kahn’s Analysis of American Power
Authors: Stevens Jason W.
Published: March 2013

While in many respects valuable, postsecularism also encompasses unhelpful views that wish to liberate us from the legacy of the Enlightenment, which is made the whipping boy for all manner of ruses and self-deceptions of power. Religion, in contrast, is revalued because it is a repository of truths hidden from rational subjectivity and belying the foundations of the liberal state. Such claims rest on highly disputable theories of secularization that selectively sample the past and themselves simplify the interrelationships between profane reason and religious lifeworlds that have gone into the construction of liberal democracies. My chief exhibit will be the work of Paul W. Kahn (professor of law and the humanities at Yale Law School and director of its Center for International Human Rights) and the marriage of his thought to Carl Schmitt’s. Schmitt is not a late encounter in Kahn’s work, though his stature has grown enormously in 2011’s Political Theology: Four New Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty. Kahn’s subject in the text is the relationship between American power and American culture, a relationship he defines as a “political theological project.” My purpose is not to defend America from Schmittian accusations but to use the case of Kahn to isolate errors of methodology, recklessness of anti-Enlightenment rhetoric, and exploitation of theology that I hope the best aspects of postsecularism can avoid going forward.