bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Weight Loss Interventions for Adult Obesity: Evidence for Practice
Authors: Dick Jennifer J.
Published: December 2004

Background: One out of three adults is obese, making obesity the most common presenting chronic medical condition in the primary care setting. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing secondary illnesses resulting in a higher rate of morbidity. This chronic condition is a constant challenge facing international health care systems. A need for a systematic approach to treatment is essential to conquering obesity and improving patients' outcomes and quality of lives. Despite the existence of evidence‐based guidelines, the proportion of primary care clinicians implementing weight loss counseling is low.

Approach: This article identifies, critiques, and synthesizes the established body of research evidence for weight loss interventions.

Findings: The strategies that have been shown to be effective in the management and treatment of obesity are outlined.

Implications: Finally, the feasibility of applying these findings to practice and the practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Changing Team Practice: Applying Evidence‐Based Brain Injury Guidelines to Clinical Practice
Authors: Bader Mary Kay
Published: December 2004

Background: Trauma teams strive to provide care based on best practice. Examining the outcomes of patients sustaining severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) at our trauma center from 1994–1997, we discovered that at 6 months, 43% of the patients had expired and 30% sustained severe disability. The outcomes were consistent with some studies published on TBI in the 1980s and early 1990s. Research in the past decade on resuscitation efforts and new technology for monitoring the effects of secondary brain injury has produced improved outcomes in managing these patients. In 1995, evidence‐based clinical guidelines for treating severe TBI were published recommending changes in the care of these patients. The guidelines challenged hospitals to evaluate their care practices and examine the clinical outcomes of this high‐risk group.

Approach: Motivated by the new practice recommendations and the potential for impacting patient outcomes, the neuro clinical nurse specialist (CNS) formed a multidisciplinary team to begin the process of performance improvement. Patient management practices were examined and relevant research evaluated. The team melded the national guidelines and supporting literature into hospital‐based clinical guidelines with a series of care algorithms directing the care of these patients from admission, through the operative period, to the intensive care (ICU) phase. Prospective data were collected, and care patterns were analyzed on an annual basis. The team reconvened as needed every 12 to 18 months to discuss issues, review new literature, and alter the clinical guidelines. A vital issue emerged in 2000, which was brought to the neuro CNS by several families. Although liberal family presence was supported in the ICU, this practice was not present on the floor or rehab areas. A team of practitioners and former patients   and families collaborated in August of 2000 exploring the patient‐family experiences during the hospitalization. Supporting evidence‐based nursing literature was reviewed, which led to the adoption of family‐centered care throughout patients' hospitalization.

Findings: Seven years after integrating these changes, the 6‐month outcomes have improved dramatically: 72.1% showed good outcome/moderate disability, 13.6% showed severe disability to persistent vegetative state, and 14.3% died. In addition, families have become a vital force in our team's care. With key hospital team members, the families have developed a TBI family manual and formed a “call‐back program” to provide support to new TBI families. The TBI families have donated more than $3 million in gifts/money to support the program.

Discussion: This presentation will utilize a performance improvement approach revealing the actions used by the team to apply evidence‐based guidelines and literature to the clinical setting. Statistical analysis using an ordinal regression model will provide outcome data emphasizing the positive aspects of applying evidence‐based guidelines/literature to practice.
Learning from Experience: U.K. Perspectives on Translation Research
Authors: Rycroft‐Malone Joanne
Published: December 2004

Objective: Evidence‐based practice has emerged as the dominant theme of practice, policy, management, and education within the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS). Policy frameworks typically indicate that the implementation of evidence into practice follows a logical and rational model from production, to dissemination, and then implementation, audit, and improvement. However, examples and experience from practice suggest that getting evidence into practice is a messy and complex process, which cannot be explained by simplistic processes. This paper will outline some examples from U.K.‐based translation research and consider the implications they have for the advancement of translation science.

Approach: Findings from U.K. projects such as the Promoting Action on Clinical Effectiveness (PACE) programme (Dopson et al. 1999) and the South Thames Evidence‐Based Practice Project (STEP; Redfern et al. 2000) have been reviewed. From this analysis, a number of main themes emerge as influential in the uptake of evidence into practice.

Findings: Key findings include: “Evidence” is socially and historically constructed, change does not follow a prescribed or logical path, context can be a potent mediator, and individuals and groups have significant roles to play in both facilitating and inhibiting implementation efforts.

Conclusions: Based on these findings, a number of suggestions can be made for translation science: (1) There is a need to particularise and situate evidence, (2) improving practice is likely to mean drawing on different forms of information and knowledge to ascertain evidence of what works, (3) approaches and interventions that work with and develop the context may be more successful than those that ignore it, and (4) there is a need to pay more attention to the social and human aspects of getting evidence into practice.

Implications: The implications these conclusions have for research and practice will be considered as part of this presentation.
Translating Research into Practice: A United States Perspective
Authors: Titler Marita
Published: December 2004

Objective: This paper overviews the state of the science of translation research in the United States, using examples to illustrate major findings.

Design/Methods: A variety of electronic and manual search strategies were used to access studies, including studies funded by federal agencies. Translating research into practice (TRIP) studies were reviewed, critiqued, and synthesized to summarize research methods and findings.

Variables: Study purpose, methods, TRIP interventions tested, adherence to evidence‐based practices (EBPs), and effect on patient outcomes were compared across TRIP studies. Findings from each study were summarized.

Findings: Most studies focused on clinical versus organizational EBPs. Descriptive, cross‐sectional, and experimental methods have been employed. Lack of comparison groups in some studies poses threats to internal validity. A variety of single and multifaceted TRIP interventions have been tested. Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used. Improved patient outcomes and adherence to EBPs are demonstrated when multifaceted TRIP interventions are employed. TRIP science has evolved from demonstration projects to TRIP intervention testing. Few studies have used randomized clinical trials to test TRIP interventions. Several methodological challenges (e.g., methods of measuring adherence, organization context) remain in TRIP science.

Conclusions/Implications: More experimental designs are needed to test TRIP interventions, and more studies on organizational variables are necessary. Methods for measuring TRIP intervention “dose” are lacking. Factors that impact use of EBPs include complexity of the EBP topic, organizational context, single versus multifaceted TRIP interventions, methods of communicating the EBPs to health care providers, and integration of the evidence into organizational structures and processes (e.g., documentation systems). Given the state of the science in the United States, priority should be on conducting experimental studies to test the effectiveness of TRIP interventions and on gaining a better understanding about which TRIP interventions work in which context and with what types of clinical and administrative topics.
Antigua revisited: the impact of climate change on sand and nest temperatures at a hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) nesting beach
Authors: Glen F. , Mrosovsky N.
Published: December 2004

Whether a turtle embryo develops into a male or a female depends, as with many other reptiles, on the temperature during incubation of the eggs. With sea turtles, warm temperatures produce 100% females. Therefore, global warming has the potential to drastically alter their sex ratios. Air temperatures on Antigua have increased by 0.7°C over the last 35 years. Measurements in both the sand and the clutches laid by hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) at Pasture Bay, Antigua, show that for important parts of the nesting season temperatures are already above the level producing 50% of each sex (pivotal level). Comparisons are made to sand temperature measurements taken on this beach in 1989 and 1990. It is estimated that fewer males were produced in 2003 than in the previous years. Recommendations are made for close monitoring of the fertility of eggs and for research on any turtles nesting at cooler times of year.
Exodus stochastic method application in the continuous reheating furnace control system
Authors: Honner Milan , Vesely Zdenek , Svantner Michal
Published: December 2004

A computer simulation model of billet heating process in continuous pusher‐type furnace is presented. The Exodus stochastic simulation method is used to solve the heat conduction partial differential equation. This paper deals with the application of the Exodus method in the furnace optimal heating‐control system. A comparison of the computed results with results of the measurement is presented to show the capabilities of the simulation model.
Surface tension of molten bismuth at different oxygen partial pressure with the sessile drop method
Authors: Yuan Zhangfu , Fan Jianfeng , Li Jing , Ke Jiajun , Mukai Kusuhiro
Published: December 2004

The surface tension of molten bismuth has been analyzed and determined by the sessile drop method at temperatures ranging from 573 to 973 K and in the oxygen partial pressure (Po2) range from 8.56 × 10−16 to 8.37 × 10−6 MPa. At Po2= 8.56 × 10−16 and 5.23 × 10−13 MPa, the surface tension decreases linearly with the increase in temperature and its temperature coefficients are −0.087 and −0.064 mN/m/K, respectively. However, at high Po2 in argon gas (8.37 × 10−6 MPa, not deoxidized with magnesium chips), the surface tension values and the absolute value of its temperature coefficient are both smaller than that at low Po2 ranging from 8.56 × 10−16 to 5.23 × 10−13 MPa. Based on the review of the surface tension and the temperature coefficient of molten bismuth reported by various investigators, the surface tension obtained by our research is recommended as σ (mN/m) = 382 − 0.076 (T− 544 K). The effect of oxygen in the measurement atmosphere is considered from thermodynamics and kinetics on the basis of a model, and the experimental results can be explained qualitatively.
Phase equilibria at sub‐solidus conditions in the Fe–Mg–Zn–O system in air
Authors: Hansson Robert , Hayes Peter C. , Jak Evgueni
Published: December 2004

The phase equilibria in the Fe–Mg–Zn–O system in the temperature range 1100–1550°C in air have been experimentally studied using equilibration and quenching followed by electron probe X‐ray microanalysis. The compositions of condensed phases in equilibrium in the binary MgO–ZnO system and the ternary Fe–Mg–O system have been reported at sub‐solidus in air. Pseudo‐ternary sections of the quaternary Fe–Mg–Zn–O system at 1100, 1250 and 1400°C in air were constructed using the experimental data. The solid solution of iron oxide, MgO and ZnO in the periclase (Mg, Zn, Fe)O, spinel (Mg2+, Fe2+, Zn2+)xFe3+(2+y)O4 and zincite (Zn, Mg, Fe)O phases were found to be extensive under the conditions investigated. A continuous spinel solid solution is formed between the magnesioferrite (Mg2+, Fe2+)xFe3+(2+y)O4 and franklinite (Zn2+, Fe2+)xFe3+(2+y)O4 end‐members at 1100 and 1250°C, extending to magnetite (Fe2+)xFe3+(2+y)O4 at 1400°C in air. The compositions along the spinel boundaries were found to be non‐stoichiometric, the magnitude of the non‐stoichiometry being a function of composition and temperature in air. It was found that hematite dissolves neither MgO nor ZnO in air.
Hematotoxicity in Workers Exposed to Low Levels of Benzene
Authors: Lan Qing , Zhang Luoping , Li Guilan , Vermeulen Roel , Weinberg Rona S. , Dosemeci Mustafa , Rappaport Stephen M. , Shen Min , Alter Blanche P. , Wu Yongji , Kopp William , Waidyanatha Suramya , Rabkin Charles , Guo Weihong , Chanock Stephen , Hayes Richard B. , Linet Martha , Kim Sungkyoon , Yin Songnian , Rothman Nathaniel , Smith Martyn T.
Published: December 2004

Benzene is known to have toxic effects on the blood and bone marrow, but its impact at levels below the U.S. occupational standard of 1 part per million (ppm) remains uncertain. In a study of 250 workers exposed to benzene, white blood cell and platelet counts were significantly lower than in 140 controls, even for exposure below 1 ppm in air. Progenitor cell colony formation significantly declined with increasing benzene exposure and was more sensitive to the effects of benzene than was the number of mature blood cells. Two genetic variants in key metabolizing enzymes, myeloperoxidase and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase, influenced susceptibility to benzene hematotoxicity. Thus, hematotoxicity from exposure to benzene occurred at air levels of 1 ppm or less and may be particularly evident among genetically susceptible subpopulations.
Chemistry of Rocks and Soils at Meridiani Planum from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Authors: Rieder R. , Gellert R. , Anderson R. C. , Brückner J. , Clark B. C. , Dreibus G. , Economou T. , Klingelhöfer G. , Lugmair G. W. , Ming D. W. , Squyres S. W. , d'Uston C. , Wänke H. , Yen A. , Zipfel J.
Published: December 2004

The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer on the Opportunity rover determined major and minor elements of soils and rocks in Meridiani Planum. Chemical compositions differentiate between basaltic rocks, evaporite-rich rocks, basaltic soils, and hematite-rich soils. Although soils are compositionally similar to those at previous landing sites, differences in iron and some minor element concentrations signify the addition of local components. Rocky outcrops are rich in sulfur and variably enriched in bromine relative to chlorine. The interaction with water in the past is indicated by the chemical features in rocks and soils at this site.
Soils of Eagle Crater and Meridiani Planum at the Opportunity Rover Landing Site
Authors: Soderblom L. A. , Anderson R. C. , Arvidson R. E. , Bell J. F. , Cabrol N. A. , Calvin W. , Christensen P. R. , Clark B. C. , Economou T. , Ehlmann B. L. , Farrand W. H. , Fike D. , Gellert R. , Glotch T. D. , Golombek M. P. , Greeley R. , Grotzinger J. P. , Herkenhoff K. E. , Jerolmack D. J. , Johnson J. R. , Jolliff B. , Klingelhöfer G. , Knoll A. H. , Learner Z. A. , Li R. , Malin M. C. , McLennan S. M. , McSween H. Y. , Ming D. W. , Morris R. V. , Rice J. W. , Richter L. , Rieder R. , Rodionov D. , Schröder C. , Seelos F. P. , Soderblom J. M. , Squyres S. W. , Sullivan R. , Watters W. A. , Weitz C. M. , Wyatt M. B. , Yen A. , Zipfel J.
Published: December 2004

The soils at the Opportunity site are fine-grained basaltic sands mixed with dust and sulfate-rich outcrop debris. Hematite is concentrated in spherules eroded from the strata. Ongoing saltation exhumes the spherules and their fragments, concentrating them at the surface. Spherules emerge from soils coated, perhaps from subsurface cementation, by salts. Two types of vesicular clasts may represent basaltic sand sources. Eolian ripples, armored by well-sorted hematite-rich grains, pervade Meridiani Planum. The thickness of the soil on the plain is estimated to be about a meter. The flatness and thin cover suggest that the plain may represent the original sedimentary surface.
Role of anosXHomolog inStreptococcus gordoniiin Aerobic Growth and Biofilm Formation
Authors: Loo C. Y. , Mitrakul K. , Jaafar S. , Gyurko C. , Hughes C. V. , Ganeshkumar N.
Published: December 2004

Oral streptococci such asStreptococcus gordoniiare facultative anaerobes that initiate biofilm formation on tooth surfaces. An isolatedS. gordonii::Tn917-lacbiofilm-defective mutant contained a transposon insertion in an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a homolog of NosX ofRalstonia eutropha, a putative maturation factor of nitrous oxide reductase. Located downstream are two genes,qor1andqor2, predicted to encode two putative NADPH quinone oxidoreductases. These three genes are cotranscribed, forming a putative oxidative stress response (osr) operon inS. gordonii. Inactivation ofnosX,qor1, orqor2resulted in biofilm-defective phenotypes. Expression ofnosX, measured by the β-galactosidase activity of thenosX::Tn917-lacmutant, was growth-phase dependent and enhanced when grown under aerobic conditions or in the presence of paraquat. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR revealed thatnosX-specific mRNA levels were increased approximately 8.4 and 3.5 fold in biofilm-derived cells grown on plastic and glass, respectively, when compared to planktonic cells. Expression ofnosXincreased 19.9 fold in cells grown under aerated aerobic conditions and 4.7 fold in cells grown under static aerobic conditions. Two ORFs immediately adjacent to theosroperon encode a putative NADH oxidase (Nox) and a putative thiol-specific antioxidant enzyme (AhpC, for alkyl hydroperoxide peroxidase C). Expression ofnoxandahpCwas also significantly increased in cells grown under aerated and static aerobic conditions when compared to anaerobic conditions. In addition,noxexpression was increased in biofilm cells compared to planktonic cells. These genes may be part of an island that deals with oxidoreductive response, some of which may be important inS. gordoniibiofilm formation.
Role and Regulation of σ
s
in General Resistance Conferred by Low-Shear Simulated Microgravity in
Escherichia coli
Authors: Lynch S. V. , Brodie E. L. , Matin A.
Published: December 2004

Life on Earth evolved in the presence of gravity, and thus it is of interest from the perspective of space exploration to determine if diminished gravity affects biological processes. Cultivation of
Escherichia coli
under low-shear simulated microgravity (SMG) conditions resulted in enhanced stress resistance in both exponential- and stationary-phase cells, making the latter superresistant. Given that microgravity of space and SMG also compromise human immune response, this phenomenon constitutes a potential threat to astronauts. As low-shear environments are encountered by pathogens on Earth as well, SMG-conferred resistance is also relevant to controlling infectious disease on this planet. The SMG effect resembles the general stress response on Earth, which makes bacteria resistant to multiple stresses; this response is σ
s
dependent, irrespective of the growth phase. However, SMG-induced increased resistance was dependent on σ
s
only in stationary phase, being independent of this sigma factor in exponential phase. σ
s
concentration was some 30% lower in exponential-phase SMG cells than in normal gravity cells but was twofold higher in stationary-phase SMG cells. While SMG affected σ
s
synthesis at all levels of control, the main reasons for the differential effect of this gravity condition on σ
s
levels were that it rendered the sigma protein less stable in exponential phase and increased
rpoS
mRNA translational efficiency. Since σ
s
regulatory processes are influenced by mRNA and protein-folding patterns, the data suggest that SMG may affect these configurations.
MazF-Mediated Cell Death in
Escherichia coli
: a Point of No Return
Authors: Amitai Shahar , Yassin Yussuf , Engelberg-Kulka Hanna
Published: December 2004

mazEF
is a stress-induced toxin-antitoxin module, located on the chromosome of
Escherichia coli
, that we have previously described to be responsible for programmed cell death in
E. coli. mazF
specifies a stable toxin, and
mazE
specifies a labile antitoxin. Recently, it was reported that inhibition of translation and cell growth by ectopic overexpression of the toxin MazF can be reversed by the action of the antitoxin MazE ectopically overexpressed at a later time. Based on these results, it was suggested that rather than inducing cell death,
mazF
induces a state of reversible bacteriostasis (K. Pederson, S. K. Christensen, and K. Gerdes, Mol. Microbiol. 45:501-510, 2002). Using a similar ectopic overexpression system, we show here that overexpression of MazE could reverse MazF lethality only over a short window of time. The size of that window depended on the nature of the medium in which MazF was overexpressed. Thus, we found “a point of no return,” which occurred sooner in minimal M9 medium than it did in the rich Luria-Bertani medium. We also describe a state in which the effect of MazF on translation could be separated from its effect on cell death: MazE overproduction could completely reverse the inhibitory effect of MazF on translation, while not affecting the bacteriocidic effect of MazF at all. Our results reported here support our view that the
mazEF
module mediates cell death and is part of a programmed cell death network.
TcpH Influences Virulence Gene Expression inVibrio choleraeby Inhibiting Degradation of the Transcription Activator TcpP
Authors: Beck Nancy A. , Krukonis Eric S. , DiRita Victor J.
Published: December 2004

Expression oftoxT, the transcription activator of cholera toxin and pilus production inVibrio cholerae, is the consequence of a complex cascade of regulatory events that culminates in activation of thetoxTpromoter by TcpP and ToxR, two membrane-localized transcription factors. Both are encoded in operons with genes whose products, TcpH and ToxS, which are also membrane localized, are hypothesized to control their activity. In this study we analyzed the role of TcpH in controlling TcpP function. We show that a mutant ofV. choleraelacking TcpH expressed virtually undetectable levels of TcpP, althoughtcpPmRNA levels remain unaffected. A time course experiment showed that levels of TcpP, expressed from a plasmid, are dramatically reduced over time without co-overexpression of TcpH. By contrast, deletion oftoxSdid not affect ToxR protein levels. A fusion protein in which the TcpP periplasmic domain is replaced with that of ToxR remains stable, suggesting that the periplasmic domain of TcpP is the target for degradation of the protein. Placement of the periplasmic domain of TcpP on ToxR, an otherwise stable protein, results in instability, providing further evidence for the hypothesis that the periplasmic domain of TcpP is a target for degradation. Consistent with this interpretation is our finding that derivatives of TcpP lacking a periplasmic domain are more stable inV. choleraethan are derivatives in which the periplasmic domain has been truncated. This work identifies at least one role for the periplasmic domain of TcpP, i.e., to act as a target for a protein degradation pathway that regulates TcpP levels. It also provides a rationale for why theV. cholerae tcpHmutant strain is avirulent. We hypothesize that regulator degradation may be an important mechanism for regulating virulence gene expression inV. cholerae.
Negative Regulation of DNA Repair Gene (ung) Expression by the CpxR/CpxA Two-Component System inEscherichia coliK-12 and Induction of Mutations by Increased Expression of CpxR
Authors: Ogasawara Hiroshi , Teramoto Jun , Hirao Kiyo , Yamamoto Kaneyoshi , Ishihama Akira , Utsumi Ryutaro
Published: December 2004

InEscherichia coliK-12 overexpressing CpxR, transcription of theunggene for uracil-DNA glycosylase was repressed, ultimately leading to the induction of mutation. Gel shift, DNase I footprinting, and in vitro transcription assays all indicated negative regulation ofungtranscription by phosphorylated CpxR. Based on the accumulated results, we conclude thatunggene expression is negatively regulated by the two-component system of CpxR/CpxA signal transduction.
Endopeptidase Penicillin-Binding Proteins 4 and 7 Play Auxiliary Roles in Determining Uniform Morphology ofEscherichia coli
Authors: Meberg Bernadette M. , Paulson Avery L. , Priyadarshini Richa , Young Kevin D.
Published: December 2004

The low-molecular-weight (LMW) penicillin-binding protein, PBP 5, plays a dominant role in determining the uniform cell shape ofEscherichia coli. However, the physiological functions of six other LMW PBPs are unknown, even though the existence and enzymatic activities of four of these were established three decades ago. By applying fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to quantify the cellular dimensions of multiple PBP mutants, we found that the endopeptidases PBP 4 and PBP 7 also influence cell shape in concert with PBP 5. This is the first reported biological function for these two proteins. In addition, the combined loss of threedd-carboxypeptidases, PBPs 5 and 6 and DacD, also impaired cell shape. In contrast to previous reports based on visual inspection alone, FACS analysis revealed aberrant morphology in a mutant lacking only PBP 5, a phenotype not shared by any other strain lacking a single LMW PBP. PBP 5 removes the terminald-alanine from pentapeptide side chains of muropeptide subunits, and pentapeptides act as donors for cross-linking adjacent side chains. As endopeptidases, PBPs 4 and 7 cleave cross-links in the cell wall. Therefore, overall cell shape may be determined by the existence or location of a specific type of peptide cross-link, with PBP 5 activity influencing how many cross-links are made and PBPs 4 and 7 acting as editing enzymes to remove inappropriate cross-links.
Functional Analysis of the Cell Division Protein FtsW ofEscherichia coli
Authors: Pastoret Soumya , Fraipont Claudine , den Blaauwen Tanneke , Wolf Benoît , Aarsman Mirjam E. G. , Piette André , Thomas Annick , Brasseur Robert , Nguyen-Distèche Martine
Published: December 2004

Site-directed mutagenesis experiments combined with fluorescence microscopy shed light on the role ofEscherichia coliFtsW, a membrane protein belonging to the SEDS family that is involved in peptidoglycan assembly during cell elongation, division, and sporulation. This essential cell division protein has 10 transmembrane segments (TMSs). It is a late recruit to the division site and is required for subsequent recruitment of penicillin-binding protein 3 (PBP3) catalyzing peptide cross-linking. The results allow identification of several domains of the protein with distinct functions. The localization of PBP3 to the septum was found to be dependent on the periplasmic loop located between TMSs 9 and 10. The E240-A249 amphiphilic peptide in the periplasmic loop between TMSs 7 and 8 appears to be a key element in the functioning of FtsW in the septal peptidoglycan assembly machineries. The intracellular loop (containing the R166-F178 amphiphilic peptide) between TMSs 4 and 5 and Gly 311 in TMS 8 are important components of the amino acid sequence-folding information.
Characterization of Soluble Enzyme II Complexes of the
Escherichia coli
Phosphotransferase System
Authors: Aboulwafa Mohammad , Saier Milton H.
Published: December 2004

Plasmid-encoded His-tagged glucose permease of
Escherichia coli
, the enzyme IIBC
Glc
(II
Glc
), exists in two physical forms, a membrane-integrated oligomeric form and a soluble monomeric form, which separate from each other on a gel filtration column (peaks 1 and 2, respectively). Western blot analyses using anti-His tag monoclonal antibodies revealed that although II
Glc
from the two fractions migrated similarly in sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, the two fractions migrated differently on native gels both before and after Triton X-100 treatment. Peak 1 II
Glc
migrated much more slowly than peak 2 II
Glc
. Both preparations exhibited both phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphorylation activity and sugar phosphate-dependent sugar transphosphorylation activity. The kinetics of the transphosphorylation reaction catalyzed by the two II
Glc
fractions were different: peak 1 activity was subject to substrate inhibition, while peak 2 activity was not. Moreover, the pH optima for the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent activities differed for the two fractions. The results provide direct evidence that the two forms of II
Glc
differ with respect to their physical states and their catalytic activities. These general conclusions appear to be applicable to the His-tagged mannose permease of
E. coli
. Thus, both phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system enzymes exist in soluble and membrane-integrated forms that exhibit dissimilar physical and kinetic properties.
Large-Scale Identification of Genes Required for Full Virulence ofStaphylococcus aureus
Authors: Benton Bret M. , Zhang J. P. , Bond Skip , Pope Casey , Christian Todd , Lee Lawrence , Winterberg Kelly M. , Schmid Molly B. , Buysse Jerry M.
Published: December 2004

Gene products required for in vivo growth and survival of microbial pathogens comprise a unique functional class and may represent new targets for antimicrobial chemotherapy, vaccine construction, or diagnostics. Although some factors governingStaphylococcus aureuspathogenicity have been identified and studied, a comprehensive genomic analysis of virulence functions will be a prerequisite for developing a global understanding of interactions between this pathogen and its human host. In this study, we describe a genetic screening strategy and demonstrate its use in screening a collection of 6,300S. aureusinsertion mutants for virulence attenuation in a murine model of systemic infection. Ninety-five attenuated mutants were identified, reassembled into new pools, and rescreened using the same murine model. This effort identified 24 highly attenuated mutants, each of which was further characterized for virulence attenuation in vivo and for growth phenotypes in vitro. Mutants were recovered in numbers up to 1,200-fold less than wild type in the spleens of systemically infected animals and up to 4,000-fold less than wild type in localized abscess infections. Genetic analysis of the mutants identified insertions in 23 unique genes. The largest gene classes represented by these mutants encoded enzymes involved in small-molecule biosynthesis and cell surface transmembrane proteins involved in small-molecule binding and transport. Additionally, three insertions defined two histidine kinase sensor-response regulator gene pairs important forS. aureusin vivo survival. Our findings extend the understanding of pathogenic mechanisms employed byS. aureusto ensure its successful growth and survival in vivo. Many of the gene products we have identified represent attractive new targets for antibacterial chemotherapy.
Hot Spot for a Large Deletion in the 18- to 19-Centisome Region Confers a Multiple Phenotype in
Salmonella enterica
Serovar Typhimurium Strain ATCC 14028
Authors: Murray Sean R. , de Felipe Karim Suwwan , Obuchowski Pamela L. , Pike Jeremy , Bermudes David , Low K. Brooks
Published: December 2004

Loss of the
Salmonella
MsbB enzyme, which catalyzes the incorporation of myristate destined for lipopolysaccharide in the outer membrane, results in a strong phenotype of sensitivity to salt and chelators such as EGTA and greatly diminished endotoxic activity. MsbB
−
salmonellae mutate extragenically to EGTA-tolerant derivatives at a frequency of 10
−4
per division. One of these derivatives arose from inactivation of
somA
, which suppresses sensitivity to salt and EGTA. Here we show that a second mode of MsbB
−
suppression is a RecA-dependent deletion between two IS
200
insertion elements present in
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium strain ATCC 14028 but not in two other wild-type strains, LT2 and SL1344, which lack one of the IS
200
elements. This deletion occurs spontaneously in wild-type and MsbB
−
strain 14028 salmonellae and accounts for about one-third of all of the spontaneous suppressors of MsbB
−
in strain 14028. It spans the region corresponding to 17.7 to 19.9 centisomes, which includes
somA
, on the sequenced map of
Salmonella
LT2 (136 ORFs in that strain; ATCC 14028 and other strains showed variability in this region). In addition to conferring EGTA resistance correlated with
somA
, the deletion confers a MacConkey galactose resistance phenotype on MsbB
−
Salmonella
, indicating that at least one additional gene (distinct from
somA
) within the deletion is responsible for this phenotype. In the wild type, the deletion mutant grows with normal exponential growth rate in Luria broth but is chlorate resistant and does not grow on citrate agar. The deletion strains have lost hydrogen sulfide production, nitrate reductase activity, and gas production from glucose fermentation.
Roles of M2 and M4 Muscarinic Receptors in Regulating Acetylcholine Release From Myenteric Neurons of Mouse Ileum
Authors: Takeuchi Tadayoshi , Fujinami Kaori , Goto Hiroto , Fujita Akikazu , Taketo Makoto M. , Manabe Toshiya , Matsui Minoru , Hata Fumiaki
Published: December 2004

We investigated the subtype of presynaptic muscarinic receptors associated with inhibition of acetylcholine (ACh) release in the mouse small intestine. We measured endogenous ACh released from longitudinal muscle with myenteric plexus (LMMP) preparations obtained from M1–M5 receptor knockout (KO) mice. Electrical field stimulation (EFS) increased ACh release in all LMMP preparations obtained from M1–M5 receptor single KO mice. The amounts of ACh released in all preparations were equal to that in the wild-type mice. Atropine further increased EFS-induced ACh release in the wild-type mice. Unexpectedly, atropine also increased, to a similar extent, EFS-induced ACh release to the wild-type mice in all M1–M5 receptor single KO mice. In M2 and M4 receptor double KO mice, the amount of EFS-induced ACh release was equivalent to an atropine-evoked level in the wild-type mouse, and further addition of atropine had no effect. M2 receptor immunoreactivity was located in both smooth muscle cells and enteric neurons. M4 receptor immunoreactivity was located in the enteric neurons, being in co-localization with M2 receptor immunoreactivity. These results indicate that both M2 and M4 receptors mediate the muscarinic autoinhibition in ACh release in the LMMP preparation of the mouse ileum, and loss of one of these subtypes can be compensated functionally by a receptor that remained. M1, M3, and M5 receptors do not seem to be involved in this mechanism.
Polyamines Modulate AMPA Receptor–Dependent Synaptic Responses in Immature Layer V Pyramidal Neurons
Authors: Shin Jieun , Shen Fran , Huguenard John R.
Published: December 2004

α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate receptors (AMPARs) mediate the majority of fast excitation in the CNS. Receptors lacking GluR2 exhibit inward rectification and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) due to polyamine (PA)-dependent block and unblock, respectively. In this study, we tested whether rectification and PPF in immature, but not mature, pyramidal neurons depend not only on the absence of functional GluR2 but also on the level of endogenous PAs. Whole cell recordings were obtained from layer V pyramidal neurons of P12–P14 or P16–P20 rats in the presence or absence of spermine in the pipette (50 μM). Isolated minimal excitatory synaptic responses were obtained, and paired (20 Hz) stimuli were used to investigate the rectification index (RI) and paired-pulse ratio (PPR). Spermine and its synthetic enzyme, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), expression was examined using immunostaining and Western blot, respectively. At the immature stage (<P15) inclusion of intracellular spermine increased rectification and PPF for evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) but had little or no effect on either measure in more mature (P16–P20) pyramidal neurons. Depletion of PAs reduced rectification suggesting that endogenous PAs play a critical role in functional regulation of AMPARs. Spermine immunoreactivity and ODC expression in immature rat neocortex (<P15) were greater than more mature tissue by ∼20 and 60%, respectively. These results provide further support for the idea that excitatory synapses on immature neocortical pyramidal neurons ubiquitously contain AMPA receptors lacking the GluR2 subunit and that the level of endogenous PAs plays an important role in modulating AMPAR-dependent neurotransmission.
Casuistry: Between Legal Concept and Social Praxis
Authors: Johansen Baber
Published: December 2004

Casuistry is generally regarded as an important method of reasoning employed by Muslim jurists; Western scholars emphasize its deficiencies and negative effects on the normative structure of Islamic Law, ascribing its preponderance in legal discourse to the quest for abstract thought and jurisprudential (uṢūlī) verbiage. Against this view, I argue that casuistry pertains to a process of social differentiation that renders the universal validity of norms socially implausible and that Muslim jurists often engaged in casuistry in an effort to answer practical problems that evolve from this process of social differentiation.
The New Saudi Representative Assembly
Authors: Aba-Namay Rashed
Published: December 2004

Since its founding, the Saudi government has never claimed the right to legislate; rather, it claims to “regulate” the sharīʿah by supplementing it without contradicting it. This understanding of lawmaking may help to explain the absence of a distinct legislative body in Saudi Arabia to the present day. For this reason, the Consultative Council that was introduced by the 1992 Saudi constitutional reform and established in late 1993 is of considerable interest because of its potential to transform Saudi law and politics. In this essay I analyze the new Consultative Council and consider its implications for the Saudi constitutional structure. My goals are (1) to analyze and assess the King's vision of the Consultative Council and its future role; (2) to explore the nature of the Consultative Council and the role that it may play in Saudi politics and society; and (3) to encourage scholars to pay greater attention to this important yet neglected institution.
The Use of Ottoman Sharīʿa Court Records As a Source for Middle Eastern Social History: A Reappraisal
Authors: Ze'Evi Dror
Published: December 2004

Sharīʿa court records are among the most important sources available for the social, economic and cultural history of the Ottoman empire and its provinces, especially from the sixteenth century onwards. These records contain invaluable material on diverse subjects such as economic consumption, agrarian relations, personal status, social stratification, crime and local politics. While covering a large geographical area and spanning several centuries, these records are often regarded by researchers as a single, homogeneous source and treated as a simple account of facts.In this essay, I argue that Sharīʿa court records are a complex source and that researchers should be cautious about accepting the information they contain at face-value. From their questionable statistical representation of society to their biased representation of Islamic law and order, these records defy categorization as simple reflections of reality. Comparisons between different geographical areas and time periods — and to fieldwork carried out in contemporary Sharīʿa courts, demonstrate the potential distance between the records and the reality they purportedly convey.
Recognition and Justice
Authors: Honneth Axel
Published: December 2004

In this article, Axel Honneth outlines a plural theory of justice. In developing his argument he takes his departure not in the classic elimination of ‘inequality’, but in the avoidance of ‘humiliation’ or ‘disrespect’. He is convinced that an appropriate point of departure for a recognition-theoretical conception of justice must show that the experience of social injustice is always measured in terms of the withholding of some recognition held to be legitimate. Throughout the article, Honneth makes strong reservations about Nancy Fraser’s approach, where ‘recognition’ and ‘redistribution’ are separated into two conceptual totalities with the single goal of ‘participatory equality’. On the contrary, he suggests having a more elaborate concept of identity formation, so that participating in the public realm means participating without shame, capable of unfurling his or her own personality’s potential in an unforced manner and of thus developing a personal identity. From this standpoint Honneth points to three differentiated spheres of recognition that must be obtained if the individual is to obtain a personal identity, namely love, equal treatment in law and social esteem.
Book Review: Recognition and Social Theory
Authors: Heidegren Carl-Göran
Published: December 2004

Recognition denotes a basic medium of social integration. It provides an answer to the question: What holds a society together? Recognition is also crucial to the process of socialization and identity formation. In order to develop a personal identity an individual is dependent upon recognition from different concrete and generalized others. This review essay focuses on the debate between Nancy Fraser and Axel Honneth, published recently under the title Redistribution or Recognition? A Political-Philosophical Exchange (2003). Then the theme of recognition is discussed in relation to the sociology of work, taking as a point of departure a collection of articles published under the title Anerkennung und Arbeit (2000). Finally, attention is drawn to some recent contributions from Nordic scholars, mainly within the disciplines of social philosophy and sociology, to the theme of recognition.
In Bed with the Enemy: Some Ideas on the Connections between Neoliberalism and the Welfare State
Authors: Hartman Yvonne
Published: December 2004

The UK, the US and Australia today embody a type of governmentality which includes a strong element of anti-welfare rhetoric. However, these rationalities have retained - though modified - many elements of a welfare state. What purpose is served by this apparent paradox? It is possible to argue that the welfare state is a necessary precondition for the continued health of the globalized capitalist economies in these nations. This article explores these connections on a general level and makes some tentative suggestions on the functional significance of the current arrangements. In particular it is argued that in Australia the dual labour market is upheld by income support payments. The discourse of anti-welfarism legitimizes an increased level of control over income support recipients’ lives while simultaneously ensuring that expectations regarding citizen entitlements will be dampened - in short, this configuration of discourse and practices facilitates the process of constructing ‘docile bodies’.
Transnationalism, Cosmopolitanism and Glocalization
Authors: Roudometof Victor
Published: December 2004

Transnationalism was originally connected to recent immigrant cohorts, but the concept has been expanded to include other groups of people, as well as a whole array of activities across borders. Cosmopolitanism is invoked both as a moral and ethical ideal, as well as a lived experience, thereby facilitating confusion between a theorist’s prescriptive and descriptive statements. In contemporary scholarship, the presence of transnationalism is often used as an indication of cosmopolitanism, and a linear positive correlation between the two is often implied. To rectify this confusion, it is more salient to conceive of transnational social spaces, social fields and communities as the end result of internal globalization (or glocalization). Glocalization allows for a twofold conception of cosmopolitanism: first, as situational ‘openness’ within local contexts and, second, as detachment from local ties. The essay explores these two conceptualizations and argues in favour of the second interpretation. Accordingly, cosmopolitans and locals form a continuum where individuals’ attitudes might range in strength depending upon specific dimensions. The essay develops an operationalization of the cosmopolitan-local continuum and discusses the specific dimensions where it is expected that each group’s attitudes would diverge.
The interaction of materialist and postmaterialist values in predicting dimensions of personal and social identity
Authors: Giacalone Robert A. , Jurkiewicz Carole L.
Published: December 2004

The postmaterialist values paradigm has long argued whether materialist and postmaterialist values are opposite ends of a single continuum or two values on separate continua, ignoring the possibility that these values are interactive as well. In two studies, using a strong inference approach, we tested whether a previously unexplored interactive formulation of the materialism-postmaterialism relationship explained more variance than Inglehart’s unidimensional or a bidimensional conceptualization. Using a revised materialism-postmaterialism scale (R-MPMI), we assess the individual and interactive utility of these values in predicting dimensions of personal and social identity (DPSI), key correlates of Inglehart’s postmaterialist theory. Results indicate that the interactive conceptualization explains more variance of DPSI. The findings suggest that a restructuring of the conceptualization of postmaterialism is necessary, and a rubric toward that end is discussed.
Reversing a conspicuous absence: Mindful inclusion of emotion in structuration theory
Authors: Callahan Jamie L.
Published: December 2004

As the concept of emotion in organizations gains popularity in both research and practice, the danger of atheoretical application grows. Scholars of emotion in organizations have begun to refer to Giddens’ (1979) structuration theory as potentially relevant for the phenomenon of emotion. This article demonstrates how existing research on emotion can be framed in the context of emotion structuration that depicts how emotions both structure and are structured by social systems. Unlike Giddens’ structuration theory, which does not address the role of emotion in social systems and structures, emotion structuration explicitly focuses on emotion. Essentially, emotion structuration is an attempt to reframe Giddens’ work to describe the process of how emotions and social contexts interact and, as a result, modify each other.
Effect of a Soft Interleaf on Transverse Cracks in Thick Glass Fiber–Epoxy Cross-ply Laminates
Authors: Meijer Garret , Ellyin Fernand
Published: December 2004

An interleaf has an effect on delamination, fracture and fatigue crack growth, and impact damage. Here, it is shown that a soft interleaf placed between plies of similar orientation will delay transverse cracks and extend laminate fatigue life. Fatigue test results on symmetric cross-ply laminate coupon specimens with a thick 90 -layer show that the interleaf did stall the rapid crack growth for a significant period before proceeding to the interior of the specimen. It was observed that the crack path was not straight but tended to translate along the interleaf–90 ply interface for some distance. A numerical analysis was used to study the effects of interleaf stiffness, thickness, and position. For a soft interleaf the crack energy release rate increases rapidly as the crack approaches the interleaf but then drops to a minimum value well below that of the laminate without interleaf when the crack tip is in and just past the interleaf. An increase in the soft interleaf thickness only slightly decreased this minimum value. The minimum energy release rate is shown to decrease as the interleaf is placed closer to the original crack tip near the outside surface of the laminate.