bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multidrug Resistance 1 (MDR1) Gene Polymorphisms in Childhood Drug-Resistant Epilepsy
Authors: Alpman Asude , Ozkinay Ferda , Tekgul Hasan , Gokben Sarenur , Pehlivan Sacide , Schalling Martin , Ozkinay Cihangir
Published: May 2010

Despite considerable progress in the pharmacotherapy of epilepsy, more than 30% of patients are reported to be resistant to antiepileptic drugs. Multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene could play a role in drug resistance in epilepsy. In this study, the authors investigated the association between the MDR1 gene polymorphisms, C3435T and G2677AT, and drug resistance epilepsy by using polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism and pyrosequencing methods in a group of 39 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and 92 controls. No associations were found between the polymorphisms of the MDR1 gene and drug-resistant epilepsy. Haplotype analysis showed no significant association. Compound genotype analysis showed that CC3435/GG2677 was significantly higher in the control group compared to the patient group. In conclusion, MDR1 polymorphisms investigated in this study are not associated with antiepileptic drug resistance, but the CC3435/GG2677 compound genotype might have an effect on antiepileptic drug response.
Impairment and Abuse of Elderly by Staff in Long-Term Care in Michigan: Evidence From Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Conner Tom , Prokhorov Artem , Page Connie , Yu Fang  , Yimin Xiao  , Post Lori A.
Published: May 2010

Elder abuse in long-term care has become a very important public health concern. Recent estimates of elder abuse prevalence are in the range of 2% to 10% (Lachs & Pillemer, 2004), and current changes in population structure indicate a potential for an upward trend in prevalence (Malley-Morrison, Nolido, & Chawla, 2006; Post et al., 2006). More than 20 years ago, Karl Pillemer called for sociological research on patient maltreatment in nursing homes and provided an overview model for the conduct of such research (Pillemer, 1988). The research literature since then has not provided the definitive model to account for patient maltreatment that Pillemer hoped for. Instead, it has produced a laundry list of risk factors that includes the patient’s functional disability, cognitive impairment, social isolation, age, race, income, family background, life events, dementia, and depression (Dyer, Pavlik, Murphy, & Hyman, 2000; Lachs & Pillemer, 2004; Lachs,Williams, Obrien, Hurst, & Horwitz, 1997; Pavlik, Hyman, Festa, & Dyer, 2001; Schofield & Mishra, 2003). However, no theory exists to place these factors in a causal structure that relates the factors to each other and to whether abuse occurs. This study is a first step in that direction. Nine hypotheses were generated focusing on the effects of two dimensions of impairment—(a) physical and cognitive and (b) age and behavior problems—on susceptibility to abuse among elderly in long-term care.The relationships between factors and from factors to susceptibility to abuse are specified in a structural equation model where “susceptibility to abuse,” “physical impairment,” and “cognitive impairment” are latent variables, and behavior problems and age are directly measured.
Drinking Motivations and Experiences of Unwanted Sexual Advances Among Undergraduate Students
Authors: Novik Melinda G. , Howard Donna E. , Boekeloo Bradley O.
Published: May 2010

This study examined the relationship between drinking motivations and college students’ experiences with unwanted sexual advances. Undergraduates, from a public university in the mid-Atlantic region, who reported recent (30 day) alcohol use ( n = 289) completed an online survey midway through the spring 2007 academic semester. Experiencing an unwanted sexual advance was the outcome of interest for the present study. The independent variables included sociodemographics and a three-factor (social ease, social image or reputation, emotional distress) drinking motivation measure. Prevalence estimates as well as unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (OR) were produced. A strong relationship was found between having an unwanted sexual advance and recent binge drinking as well as drinking to remove emotional distress (OR = 3.40 and 2.73, respectively, for the total sample; OR = 7.27 and 2.82 for females). Findings suggest that experiencing an unwanted sexual advance is associated with specific drinking motivations and more likely to occur among females. Further research is needed to fully understand pathways and implications.
Police Attitudes Toward Policing Partner Violence Against Women: Do They Correspond to Different Psychosocial Profiles?
Authors: Gracia Enrique , García Fernando , Lila Marisol
Published: May 2010

This study analyzed whether police attitudes toward policing partner violence against women corresponded with different psychosocial profiles. Two attitudes toward policing partner violence were considered—one reflecting a general preference for a conditional law enforcement (depending on the willingness of the victim to press charges against the offender) and the other reflecting a general preference for unconditional law enforcement (regardless of the victim’s willingness to press charges against the offender). Results from a sample of 378 police officers showed that those police officers who expressed a general preference for unconditional law enforcement scored higher in other-oriented empathy, were less sexist, tended to perceive the same incidents of partner violence as more serious, and felt more personally responsible, as compared to the group of police officers who expressed a preference for a conditional law enforcement approach. Implications for police education are considered.
The Prevalence of Extreme Middle Eastern Ideologies Around the World
Authors: Loza Wagdy , Abd-El-Fatah Youssef , Prinsloo Johan , Hesselink-Louw Anni , Seidler Katie
Published: May 2010

The Belief Diversity Scale (BDS) was administered to Australian, Canadian, Egyptian, and South African participants of different religious backgrounds. The BDS is a 33-item, six subscale instrument that is designed to quantitatively measure Middle Eastern extremist ideologies on risk areas that are reported in the literature. Results demonstrated the reliability and validity of the BDS, thus suggesting that the BDS could be used as an objective tool to measure Middle Eastern extremist ideologies. Results also supported the hypothesis of prevalence of Middle Eastern extremist ideologies around different parts of the world.
Effects of Participation in a Sexual Assault Risk Reduction Program on Psychological Distress Following Revictimization
Authors: Mouilso Emily R. , Calhoun Karen S. , Gidycz Christine A.
Published: May 2010

The current study followed women who participated in a sexual assault risk reduction program and a wait-list control group for 4 months. Those women in both groups who reported being revictimized ( N = 147) were assessed to determine the effect of program participation on psychological distress. Intervention group participants reported a significant reduction in both psychological distress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms at follow-up relative to wait-list control participants, even after controlling for frequency of revictimization. Significantly fewer intervention participants met criteria for PTSD from Time 1 to Time 2. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated frequency and severity of victimization and behavioral and characterological self-blame, and use of avoidance coping explained a significant amount of the variance in distress following revictimization. Implications for future research and risk reduction programs are discussed.
On school educational technology leadership
Authors: Davies Patricia M.
Published: May 2010

This analysis of the literatures on school educational technology leadership addresses definitions of school technology leaders and leadership, their role in educational change, and why schools are now changing as a result of 21st century advancements in technology. The literatures disagree over the definition of educational technology leadership. Further examination revealed that technology leadership is about the reorganization of teaching rather than the process of teaching itself. Several gaps relating to who is doing research on technology leadership are identified, and an attempt is made to assemble a model showing how schools can organize technology leadership so that teaching and learning remain the central focus.
The business case method: an examination of a 2009 case competition
Authors: Menna Agostino
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this paper was to compare, contrast and analyze the business case formats of college students involved in a business case competition. The authors observed and documented teams of business students from 6 colleges in Ontario, Canada. The teams had 20 minutes to prepare a solution from a given business case using their own case format. Findings revealed that colleges used different formats, along with various headings, and in some cases in different sections of their presentations. The paper has contributed to management-education by helping business schools as well as case competition organizers be aware the case format is an important aspect to solving business cases. Further study is required to better understand whether a standardized format or a variety of formats is more effective at making management decisions.
Preparation and Characterization of Conducting Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Polypyrrole Composite Fibers
Authors: Aydin A. , Karakişla M. , Saçak M.
Published: May 2010

The conducting poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/polypyrrole (PPy) composite fibers were prepared by chemical polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of PET fibers using various oxidants. The most suitable medium from the points of the lowest electrical surface resistivity and the highest PPy content of composite fibers was observed to be aqueous hydrochloride acid solution with K2S2O8 and the pyrrole concentrations of 0.08 M and 0.04 M, respectively. Çharacterization of conducting composite fibers was performed by surface resistivity, density, and diameter measurements, FTIR, TGA, optical microscope, and SEM techniques.
Optical and Thermal Properties of Polycarbonate/Kaolinite Composites
Authors: Elimat Z.M. , Zihlif A.M. , Ragosta G.
Published: May 2010

The study deals with thermal and optical properties of polycarbonate kaolinite composite investigated under effects of UV-radiation and temperature. Optical properties were studied as a function of UV-wavelength and photon energy and the optical results obtained are analyzed in terms of the absorption formula for noncrystalline materials. It was found that the measured optical energy gap for the polycarbonate is greater than the polycarbonate kaolinite composite. The width of the energy tails of the localized states was calculated. Adding kaolinite into polycarbonate matrix may cause the localized states of different color centers to overlap and extend in the mobility gap. This overlap may give an evidence for decreasing energy gap when adding kaolinite in the polymer matrix. It was founded that the thermal conductivity increases with increasing temperature, due to thermal activation of the phonons in the polycarbonate kaolinite composite. It was observed that the thermal conductivity is affected by the addition of kaolinite into polycarbonate polymer. The enhancement in the thermal conduction is mainly attributed to the heat transferred by lattice vibrations and electrons during thermal activation.
Experimental Investigation on Buckling of Plastic Pipe Reinforced by Winding Steel Wires Under External Pressure
Authors: Li X. , Zheng J. , Shi J. , Li Y. , Xu P.
Published: May 2010

Plastic pipe reinforced by cross helically wound steel wires (PSP) is a new type of plastic-matrix steel composite pipes developed in China recently. PSPs may collapse when they are subjected to an external pressure load. To obtain the buckling behavior of PSPs and provide basic data for Chinese National Standard of PSPs, the testing devices of external hydraulic pressure and vacuum were designed for short-term buckling and creep buckling tests, and corresponding tests had been carried out. The critical buckling pressure, the methods to increase the critical buckling pressure, the relationship between creep deformation and time under different pressures, and the variation of the critical buckling time with critical creep buckling pressures of the PSP were obtained. The results show that the short-term critical buckling pressure of the PSP is higher than that of the HDPE with the same diameter and wall thickness. The critical buckling pressure of the PSP with the same pressure class decreases gradually with the increase of pipe diameter. The resistance to buckling can be increased by installing stiffening rings on the PSP. Furthermore, the PSP shows time-dependent buckling behavior, because of the time-dependent behavior of the matrix. Even if the external pressure load is lower than the short-term critical buckling pressure of the PSP, the buckling failure may still occur, and the time of buckling failure gradually shortens with the increase in the external pressure.
Preparation and Properties of Four-component Copolymers Applied in Negative-type Photoresists
Authors: Huang H.-Y. , Chen H , Hsu M.-Y.
Published: May 2010

A series of cyclic monomers were polymerized by free-radical polymerization and used as polymer binders in negative-type photoresists. Thermal properties of the polymer binders and mechanical properties of the pattern were studied. We used four-component polymer binders consisting of methacrylic acid, styrene, isobornyl methacrylate (IBMA), and phenylmaleimide (PMI). The glass transition temperature ( Tg) and thermal decomposition temperature ( Td) of polymer binders increased with PMI content because of the rigid characteristics of PMI’s molecular structure. Elastic recovery and compression of the patterns were measured using a nanoindenter. The patterns exhibited excellent mechanical properties, presumably due to the rigid characteristics of PMI and IBMA’s molecular structures. Patterns of a photo spacer were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Addition of carboxylic acid segments of a cross-linker improved the effectiveness of development in negative-type photoresists, and conical patterns were obtained due to decreased intensity of the inter-penetration network.
Parametric Analysis of Composite Cylinders with an Embedded Exponentially Graded Piezoelectric Layer
Authors: Wang H.M.
Published: May 2010

An exact solution is obtained for a sandwich cylinder composed of two homogeneous elastic layers and an embedded exponentially graded piezoelectric (EGP) layer under the radial deformation. Based on the displacement method, the governing equations for both the elastic and piezoelectric layers are derived. Frobenius series method is employed to solve the governing equation of EGP layer, which is a second-order nonhomogeneous ordinary differential equation with variable coefficients. With the aid of the obtained solution, the parametric analysis is extensively investigated for a sandwich cylinder subjected to radial mechanical loads at the internal and external surfaces coupled with the applied voltages on the piezoelectric layer. Numerical results show that the Young’s moduli of the elastic layers, the inhomogeneity parameter of the EGP layer, as well as the external applied voltages have significant effects on the mechanical and electric fields in a sandwich cylinder.
Influence of Coupling Agent on the Properties and Structures of Poly(Vinyl Chloride)/Clay Nanocomposites
Authors: Ge M. , Jia D.
Published: May 2010

The organoclay was prepared by alkylammonium ions and silane coupling agent modifying Na-Clay through Solid State Method and two kinds of silane coupling agents, KH-560 and KH-550, were comparatively studied. The X-ray diffraction patterns and the transmission electron microscopy photographs show that Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)/organoclay nanocomposites were prepared by melt intercalation. The PVC/Org-560 nanocomposites, which were modified by silane coupling agent KH-560, possess intercalated structure and the PVC/Org-550 nanocomposites, which were modified by silane coupling agent KH-550, are mainly exfoliated structure. The mechanical properties of the PVC/Org-550 nanocomposite are much better than those of PVC/Org-560 nanocomposite.
Exploring Innovation in Policy-making within Central Government
Authors: Butler Michael J.R. , Wilkinson Jacqui , Allen Peter M.
Published: May 2010

The first and main contribution of this article is its access to the decision-making processes which drive innovation in policy-making within central government. The article will present a detailed case history of how the innovation came about and conclude by highlighting analytic possibilities for future research. The policy in focus is the UK’s Traffic Management Act 2004, which passed responsibility for managing incidents on major roads from the police to the Highways Agency (HA), and has been interpreted as a world first in traffic management. The article tracks the Traffic Management Act 2004 from problem identification to a preliminary evaluation. It is then suggested that future research could explain organizational change more theoretically. By taking a longitudinal and multi-level approach, the research falls into a processual account of organizational change. The second contribution of the article is to highlight two novel ways in which this approach is being applied to policy-making, through an institutional processualist research programme on public management reform and empirical investigations using complex systems to explain policy change.
Brain Drain in Developed Countries
Authors: Forstenlechner Ingo
Published: May 2010

This article aims to add to knowledge on self-initiated expatriates and their rationale for leaving their host countries to repatriate to their countries of origin or permanent residency. Drawing on a sample of 42 repatriates, it reports on the role of government influence or assistance in the decision to repatriate and the repatriation process itself. Findings indicate governments only have limited influence in the decision process, however, they do appear to be able to somewhat incentivize the return or at least ease the repatriation process. Governments concerned about brain drain therefore have several options to incentivize repatriation, the practical implications of which are presented in this article, yet their influence remains limited as the key roles of career and family in the decision to repatriate remain crucial.
Lessons from Africa
Authors: Massey Andrew
Published: May 2010

The social and political context within which public administration is located determines the effectiveness of service delivery as well as the way in which policy is made and implemented. This article explores the issues of ‘modernization’ and New Public Management (NPM) advocated by the Bretton Woods Institutions as a process of strongly encouraging particular kinds of policy initiatives across the globe. The example of the privatization of Kenya Airways and its restructuring between 1992 and 2006 provides a case study and an Africa success story, but one that depends upon a fortuitous constellation of actors and events. It is a rare example of a successful privatization in Kenya specifically and Africa more generally. The article discusses the issues involved in the relationship between politics and civil society, and the ways in which a non-corrupt public administration provides the essential aid to good governance. The lack of such an institution can be crippling for an economy and the aim of good governance. It also examines practitioners’ need to appreciate the full context in which they are working.
New Public Management
Authors: Levy Roger
Published: May 2010

For the past 20 years, the New Public Management (NPM) has been the dominant paradigm in public administration theory and practice. Given its affinity with markets and private sector management, NPM is arguably as much a casualty of the global economic crisis as are the markets and market mechanisms which underpin it. In this context, this article explores the impact of the crisis on the current and future development of public administration practice. Starting from some stocktaking analyses written immediately prior to the downturn, four possible scenarios are suggested for public management practice in the UK and elsewhere.
Flexible employment, economic insecurity and social policy preferences in Europe
Authors: Burgoon Brian , Dekker Fabian
Published: May 2010

This paper examines how flexible employment, particularly temporary and part-time employment, affect political support for social policy protection. Although their implications are a priori uncertain, the paper lays out how flexible employment conditions can be expected to generate various kinds of economic insecurity for workers that ought in turn to spur support for social-welfare policies. The paper finds broad support for such expectations in individual-level survey data from 15 EU member states. In particular, part-time employment, temporary employment and their combination tend to increase several measures of an individual’s subjective economic insecurity. Further, partly due to such increases, the same measures of flexible employment tend to spur support for social policy assistance targeted at the unemployed.
Do attitudes toward gender equality really differ between Norway and Sweden?
Authors: Jakobsson Niklas , Kotsadam Andreas
Published: May 2010

Using survey data from Norway and Sweden, we assess people’s attitudes toward gender equality. Previous studies argue that these attitudes are more egalitarian in Sweden than in Norway. Similar to previous research, we find that Swedes are more positive towards gender equality in general. However, we find no differences regarding views on egalitarian sharing of household responsibilities, and Norwegians are actually more supportive of government intervention to increase gender equality. This suggests that the lower support for gender equality in Norway is not as clear-cut as previously thought and that active state intervention to improve gender equality may be even more feasible in Norway than in Sweden.
Help Seeking and Help Receiving for Emotional Distress Among Latino Men and Women
Authors: Ishikawa Rachel Zack , Cardemil Esteban V. , Falmagne Rachel Joffe
Published: May 2010

In this study, we examined help-seeking pathways and help-receiving experiences among Latinos, a population that has been shown to underutilize mental health services. We used the qualitative approach of dual mode of analysis to explore the experiences of 13 Latino men and women who utilized formal as well as informal treatment and support resources. We explored three specific themes: (a) individual and family help-seeking perspectives intersecting with Latino cultural norms; (b) referral source and style, needs identification, and prior help-seeking experiences as key motivational factors for help seeking; and (c) client—therapist match and client—therapist relational style as integral to mental health treatment satisfaction. We discuss clinical implications for efforts to improve the cultural sensitivity and accessibility of mental health services.
First Steps Toward Successful Communication About Sexual Health Between Adolescents and Parents in Mexico
Authors: Campero Lourdes , Walker Dilys , Rouvier Mariel , Atienzo Erika
Published: May 2010

In this article reporting on our qualitative study, we describe changes in parent—adolescent sexual health communication following an intervention for parents of 10th graders in Mexico. The intervention was aimed to sensitize and develop skills for appropriate parent—child communication about the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unplanned pregnancy, and birth control, and focused on encouraging condom use with emergency contraception backup. We conducted 66 in-depth interviews with adolescents and parents after the intervention. Following the principals of grounded theory, we carried out inductive analysis to create codes and organize central themes. Our findings identify previously undefined critical steps or movements important for parent—child communication about sex. When parents are sensitized to the risks their adolescent children face, it is easier to initiate communication about prevention. These initial movements are essential to achieve substantive conversation, and must be considered in future strategies that aim to promote parent—adolescent communication about sexuality and the prevention of STIs and unplanned pregnancy.
Making Online Learning Accessible
Authors: Brunvand Stein , Abadeh Heidi
Published: May 2010

The proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies has made it possible for teachers to create a variety of engaging online learning activities for students of all ages. However, for students with learning disabilities, the prospect of having to search, read, and analyze information online can be overwhelming. This article reviews a variety of tools and techniques that teachers can use to help make online learning more manageable for students with disabilities. These free tools focus on removing the clutter and distractions often found online and helping direct student attention towards the relevant content.
“Bring Your Textbook!”
Authors: King-Sears Margaret E. , Duke Jodi M.
Published: May 2010

It is important for special educators to have a strong repertoire of diagnostic methods to determine how well students with high-incidence disabilities are accessing, reading, and remembering content from textbooks used in their middle and high school classes. Suggestions for using the diagnostic information to guide specialized instruction responsive to the students’ needs are identified.
Review: Medical Homes: “Where You Stand on Definitions Depends on Where You Sit”
Authors: Vest Joshua R. , Bolin Jane N. , Miller Thomas R. , Gamm Larry D. , Siegrist Thomas E. , Martinez Luis E.
Published: May 2010

The medical home is a potentially transformative strategy to address issues of access, quality, and efficiency in the delivery of health care in the United States. While numerous organizations support a physician-driven definition, it is by no means the universally accepted definition. Several professional groups, payers, and researchers have offered differing, or nuanced, definitions of medical homes. This lack of consensus has contributed to uncertainty among providers about the medical home. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the medical home and identified 29 professional, government, and academic sources offering definitions. While consensus appears to exist around a core of selected features, the medical home means different things to different people. The variation in definitions can be partly explained by the obligation of organizations to their members and whether the focus is on the patient or provider. Differences in definitions have implications at both the policy and practice levels.
Medical Home Infrastructure: Effect of the Environment and Practice Characteristics on Adoption in Virginia
Authors: Goetz Goldberg Debora , Mick Stephen S.
Published: May 2010

This study examined whether environmental factors and practice characteristics influence the existence of patient-centered medical home elements in family practices in Virginia. The study used multiple secondary data sets to measure the external environment and a survey of family practices to enumerate and describe medical home elements and practice environment. Results show a positive association between organizational slack, organizational relationships, and stakeholder expectations on the existence of medical home elements. A negative association was found between competition and medical home elements. Medicare and managed care penetration were not associated with medical home elements. The ability or willingness, or both, of family practices to innovate along the patient-centered medical home model is constrained by important institutional and resource dependencies, and policy makers should take these constraints into account if there is to be widespread adoption of a medical home approach to fee-for-service practices.
Through the practice lens: Where is the bandwagon of practice-based studies heading?
Authors: Corradi Gessica , Gherardi Silvia , Verzelloni Luca
Published: May 2010

In the last 20 years we have witnessed a return of the practice concept in studies of organizing, learning and knowing. Practice has been used as a lens for the reinterpretation of many organizational phenomena, and it seems that a bandwagon of practice-based studies has been set in motion by the coining of labels, which comprise the term ‘practice’. A bandwagon can serve to institutionalize a field of studies by progressive labelling and a collective appropriation of the general label.We wonder if this has been the case for practice-based studies? The article presents seven labels and discusses their similarities and differences in order to demonstrate that, while the institutionalization of practice-based studies may be considered an achieved goal, the collective appropriation of the label has not been achieved, and therefore, the bandwagon is heading for a partition.
Making sense of mediated learning: Cases from small firms
Authors: Macpherson Allan , Kofinas Alexander , Jones Oswald , Thorpe Richard
Published: May 2010

This article explores how artefacts invoke practices that encourage, support and sustain trajectories of collective learning. Analysis is drawn from three longitudinal case studies of small firms. Illustrations are offered of how learning activities are mediated by symbolic and material artefacts that are present in day-to-day work activities. Artefacts are shown to have a mediating effect on discourse, identity formation, learning routines, politics and conflict, and to create space and time for reflection and learning. The theoretical contribution lies in the explication of the pliable and multifaceted role that artefacts play in supporting learning processes. We also argue for a nuanced understanding of how artefacts might be used to shape learning trajectories. Our conclusions indicate that understanding the role of artefacts can enable more effective policy making and facilitate the development of support mechanisms for small firms. The perspectives we offer also have implications for learning in larger organizations.
Why don’t (or do) organizations learn from projects?
Authors: Swan Jacky , Scarbrough Harry , Newell Sue
Published: May 2010

Many different types of organizations use projects to accomplish specific tasks, especially tasks that involve innovation and change. However, there are often problems associated with both learning within projects and learning transfer from projects to the wider organization. Previous research suggests that these problems vary according to the organizational context, in particular the extent to which the organization is centred on the delivery of projects. Also, the link between project-based learning and organizational learning may be far from seamless, and may require the deployment of a range of learning mechanisms to be effective. In this article we explore and explain these problems through an empirical study which examined project-based learning across different organizational contexts. This study highlights the limitations of learning mechanisms based on reflection and codification. It suggests that firms generally only learn from projects, if at all, via the accumulation of experience amongst groups and individuals. The study suggests, however, that the accumulation of experience is most pronounced in organizational contexts which are project centred and where project management capabilities are well developed. In contrast, in organizations where projects are more varied and occasional, the struggle to exploit the highly heterogeneous forms of learning created within projects is greater.
Do bilingual children exhibit a yes bias to yes-no questions? Relationship between children’s yes bias and verbal ability
Authors: Okanda Mako , Itakura Shoji
Published: May 2010

The present study investigated whether bilingual children show a yes bias to yes-no questions. Japanese—French bilingual children, aged 2 to 5 years, were asked yes-no questions pertaining to objects’ properties and functions. At the same time, their verbal ability was tested. The children showed a strong yes bias regardless of their chronological age. The children were then divided into two verbal ability groups (higher and lower), and we found that children in the higher verbal ability group showed weaker yes bias than the children in the lower verbal ability group. Not only chronological age but also verbal age were relevant factors on a yes bias. In addition, like Japanese monolingual children, Japanese—French bilingual children tended to avoid answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Children’s attitude toward adults’ questions might be affected by cultural backgrounds.
Soft-tissue ankle injuries
Authors: Matharu GS , Najran PS , Porter KM
Published: May 2010

Soft-tissue ankle injuries are extremely common and frequently present in the emergency department or to the general practitioner. The lateral ligament complex is most commonly affected, usually following an injury with the ankle in an inverted, plantar-flexed position. The diagnosis is usually clinical, and delayed examination and reassessment 3—5 days after injury is recommended as pain and swelling hinder accurate assessment immediately following injury. Applying the Ottawa ankle rules can reduce the number of unnecessary radiographs. Treatment is usually non-operative with the focus on controlling ankle swelling and pain, and early restoration of ankle movements. Surgical repair of ligaments may be indicated in certain cases, though the role of surgery in the acute setting remains unclear. In the present review, we discuss the anatomy, mechanism of injury, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of soft-tissue ankle injuries as well as consider how such injuries may be prevented.
Sternoclavicular joint injuries
Authors: Smith JE , Kennedy J. , Brinsden M.
Published: May 2010

Sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) injuries are uncommon, but delay in diagnosis and treatment can result in significant morbidity. This review outlines the relevant clinical anatomy and biomechanics of the joint, and examines the evidence supporting specific investigation and management of such injuries.
MicroRNA expression in Sézary syndrome: identification, function, and diagnostic potential
Authors: Ballabio Erica , Mitchell Tracey , van Kester Marloes S. , Taylor Stephen , Dunlop Heather M. , Chi Jianxiang , Tosi Isabella , Vermeer Maarten H. , Tramonti Daniela , Saunders Nigel J. , Boultwood Jacqueline , Wainscoat James S. , Pezzella Francesco , Whittaker Sean J. , Tensen Cornelius P. , Hatton Christian S. R. , Lawrie Charles H.
Published: May 2010

MicroRNAs are commonly aberrantly expressed in many cancers. Very little is known of their role in T-cell lymphoma, however. We therefore elucidated the complete miRNome of purified T cells from 21 patients diagnosed with Sézary Syndrome (SzS), a rare aggressive primary cutaneous T-cell (CD4+) lymphoma. Unsupervised cluster analysis of microarray data revealed that the microRNA expression profile was distinct from CD4+ T-cell controls and B-cell lymphomas. The majority (104 of 114) of SzS-associated microRNAs (P < .05) were down-regulated and their expression pattern was largely consistent with previously reported genomic copy number abnormalities and were found to be highly enriched (P < .001) for aberrantly expressed target genes. Levels of miR-223 distinguished SzS samples (n = 32) from healthy controls (n = 19) and patients with mycosis fungoides (n = 11) in more than 90% of samples. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the down-regulation of intronically encoded miR-342 plays a role in the pathogenesis of SzS by inhibiting apoptosis, and describe a novel mechanism of regulation for this microRNA via binding of miR-199a* to its host gene. We also provide the first in vivo evidence for down-regulation of the miR-17-92 cluster in malignancy and demonstrate that ectopic miR-17-5p expression increases apoptosis and decreases cell proliferation in SzS cells.
Odefy - From discrete to continuous models
Authors: Krumsiek Jan , Pölsterl Sebastian , Wittmann Dominik M , Theis Fabian J
Published: May 2010

Background

Phenomenological information about regulatory interactions is frequently available and can be readily converted to Boolean models. Fully quantitative models, on the other hand, provide detailed insights into the precise dynamics of the underlying system. In order to connect discrete and continuous modeling approaches, methods for the conversion of Boolean systems into systems of ordinary differential equations have been developed recently. As biological interaction networks have steadily grown in size and complexity, a fully automated framework for the conversion process is desirable.

Results

We present Odefy, a MATLAB- and Octave-compatible toolbox for the automated transformation of Boolean models into systems of ordinary differential equations. Models can be created from sets of Boolean equations or graph representations of Boolean networks. Alternatively, the user can import Boolean models from the CellNetAnalyzer toolbox, GINSim and the PBN toolbox. The Boolean models are transformed to systems of ordinary differential equations by multivariate polynomial interpolation and optional application of sigmoidal Hill functions. Our toolbox contains basic simulation and visualization functionalities for both, the Boolean as well as the continuous models. For further analyses, models can be exported to SQUAD, GNA, MATLAB script files, the SB toolbox, SBML and R script files. Odefy contains a user-friendly graphical user interface for convenient access to the simulation and exporting functionalities. We illustrate the validity of our transformation approach as well as the usage and benefit of the Odefy toolbox for two biological systems: a mutual inhibitory switch known from stem cell differentiation and a regulatory network giving rise to a specific spatial expression pattern at the mid-hindbrain boundary.

Conclusions

Odefy provides an easy-to-use toolbox for the automatic conversion of Boolean models to systems of ordinary differential equations. It can be efficiently connected to a variety of input and output formats for further analysis and investigations. The toolbox is open-source and can be downloaded at http://cmb.helmholtz-muenchen.de/odefy.
A semi-parametric Bayesian model for unsupervised differential co-expression analysis
Authors: Freudenberg Johannes M , Sivaganesan Siva , Wagner Michael , Medvedovic Mario
Published: May 2010

Background

Differential co-expression analysis is an emerging strategy for characterizing disease related dysregulation of gene expression regulatory networks. Given pre-defined sets of biological samples, such analysis aims at identifying genes that are co-expressed in one, but not in the other set of samples.

Results

We developed a novel probabilistic framework for jointly uncovering contexts (i.e. groups of samples) with specific co-expression patterns, and groups of genes with different co-expression patterns across such contexts. In contrast to current clustering and bi-clustering procedures, the implicit similarity measure in this model used for grouping biological samples is based on the clustering structure of genes within each sample and not on traditional measures of gene expression level similarities. Within this framework, biological samples with widely discordant expression patterns can be placed in the same context as long as the co-clustering structure of genes is concordant within these samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first method to date for unsupervised differential co-expression analysis in this generality. When applied to the problem of identifying molecular subtypes of breast cancer, our method identified reproducible patterns of differential co-expression across several independent expression datasets. Sample groupings induced by these patterns were highly informative of the disease outcome. Expression patterns of differentially co-expressed genes provided new insights into the complex nature of the ERα regulatory network.

Conclusions

We demonstrated that the use of the co-clustering structure as the similarity measure in the unsupervised analysis of sample gene expression profiles provides valuable information about expression regulatory networks.
Evaluating the transferability of Hapmap SNPs to a Singapore Chinese population
Authors: Andiappan Anand Kumar , Anantharaman Ramani , Nilkanth Pallavi Parate , Wang De Yun , Chew Fook Tim
Published: May 2010

Background

The International Hapmap project serves as a valuable resource for human genome variation data, however its applicability to other populations has yet to be exhaustively investigated. In this paper, we use high density genotyping chips and resequencing strategies to compare the Singapore Chinese population with the Hapmap populations. First we compared 1028 and 114 unrelated Singapore Chinese samples genotyped using the Illumina Human Hapmap 550 k chip and Affymetrix 500 k array respectively against the 270 samples from Hapmap. Secondly, data from 20 candidate genes on 5q31-33 resequenced for an asthma candidate gene based study was also used for the analysis.

Results

A total of 237 SNPs were identified through resequencing of which only 95 SNPs (40%) were in Hapmap; however an additional 56 SNPs (24%) were not genotyped directly but had a proxy SNP in the Hapmap. At the genome-wide level, Singapore Chinese were highly correlated with Hapmap Han Chinese with correlation of 0.954 and 0.947 for the Illumina and Affymetrix platforms respectively with deviant SNPs randomly distributed within and across all chromosomes.

Conclusions

The high correlation between our population and Hapmap Han Chinese reaffirms the applicability of Hapmap based genome-wide chips for GWA studies. There is a clear population signature for the Singapore Chinese samples and they predominantly resemble the southern Han Chinese population; however when new migrants particularly those with northern Han Chinese background were included, population stratification issues may arise. Future studies needs to address population stratification within the sample collection while designing and interpreting GWAS in the Chinese population.
Analysis of microRNA transcriptome by deep sequencing of small RNA libraries of peripheral blood
Authors: Vaz Candida , Ahmad Hafiz M , Sharma Pratibha , Gupta Rashi , Kumar Lalit , Kulshreshtha Ritu , Bhattacharya Alok
Published: May 2010

Background

MicroRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate mRNA expression at the post - transcriptional level and thereby many fundamental biological processes. A number of methods, such as multiplex polymerase chain reaction, microarrays have been developed for profiling levels of known miRNAs. These methods lack the ability to identify novel miRNAs and accurately determine expression at a range of concentrations. Deep or massively parallel sequencing methods are providing suitable platforms for genome wide transcriptome analysis and have the ability to identify novel transcripts.

Results

The results of analysis of small RNA sequences obtained by Solexa technology of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells, tumor cell lines K562 and HL60 are presented. In general K562 cells displayed overall low level of miRNA population and also low levels of DICER. Some of the highly expressed miRNAs in the leukocytes include several members of the let-7 family, miR-21, 103, 185, 191 and 320a. Comparison of the miRNA profiles of normal versus K562 or HL60 cells revealed a specific set of differentially expressed molecules. Correlation of the miRNA with that of mRNA expression profiles, obtained by microarray, revealed a set of target genes showing inverse correlation with miRNA levels. Relative expression levels of individual miRNAs belonging to a cluster were found to be highly variable. Our computational pipeline also predicted a number of novel miRNAs. Some of the predictions were validated by Real-time RT-PCR and or RNase protection assay. Organization of some of the novel miRNAs in human genome suggests that these may also be part of existing clusters or form new clusters.

Conclusions

We conclude that about 904 miRNAs are expressed in human leukocytes. Out of these 370 are novel miRNAs. We have identified miRNAs that are differentially regulated in normal PBMC with respect to cancer cells, K562 and HL60. Our results suggest that post - transcriptional processes may play a significant role in regulating levels of miRNAs in tumor cells. The study also provides a customized automated computation pipeline for miRNA profiling and identification of novel miRNAs; even those that are missed out by other existing pipelines. The Computational Pipeline is available at the website: http://mirna.jnu.ac.in/deep_sequencing/deep_sequencing.html
Sequence features involved in the mechanism of 3' splice junction wobbling
Authors: Tsai Kuo-Wang , Chan Wen-Ching , Hsu Chun-Nan , Lin Wen-chang
Published: May 2010

Background

Alternative splicing is an important mechanism mediating the diversified functions of genes in multicellular organisms, and such event occurs in around 40-60% of human genes. Recently, a new splice-junction wobbling mechanism was proposed that subtle modifications exist in mRNA maturation by alternatively choosing at 5'- GTNGT and 3'- NAGNAG, which created single amino acid insertion and deletion isoforms.

Results

By browsing the Alternative Splicing Database information, we observed that most 3' alternative splice site choices occur within six nucleotides of the dominant splice site and the incidence significantly decreases further away from the dominant acceptor site. Although a lower frequency of alternative splicing occurs within the intronic region (alternative splicing at the proximal AG) than in the exonic region (alternative splicing at the distal AG), alternative AG sites located within the intronic region show stronger potential as the acceptor. These observations revealed that the choice of 3' splice sites during 3' splicing junction wobbling could depend on the distance between the duplicated AG and the branch point site (BPS). Further mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that the distance of AG-to-AG and BPS-to-AG can greatly influence 3' splice site selection. Knocking down a known alternative splicing regulator, hSlu7, failed to affect wobble splicing choices.

Conclusion

Our results implied that nucleotide distance between proximal and distal AG sites has an important regulatory function. In this study, we showed that occurrence of 3' wobble splicing occurs in a distance-dependent manner and that most of this wobble splicing is probably caused by steric hindrance from a factor bound at the neighboring tandem motif sequence.