bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carbon dioxide wedged arterial splenoportography: A new technique—a case report and an experimental study
Authors: Yu S. C. H. , Cho K. J.
Published: February 2009

Background: Patients with splenic vein occlusion may present a diagnostic problem when the location, morphology, and cause of the obstructive lesion and the associated collateral veins cannot be clearly defined by standard diagnostic imaging modalities such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance venography, or indirect splenoportography (arterial portography).

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of carbon dioxide (CO2) wedged arterial splenoportography for definitive investigation of splenic vein occlusion.

Material and Methods: Following unsuccessful diagnosis with computed tomography and standard contrast arterial portography in a patient with recurrent gastric variceal bleeding, CO2 was injected into a wedged splenic arterial catheter and successfully outlined splenic vein occlusion and gastric varices. Our experience with this patient prompted us to perform an experimental study in swine to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of CO2 wedged arterial splenoportography for visualization of the splenic and portal veins. A microcatheter was advanced coaxially and wedged into the splenic arteries of three pigs. After checking the wedged positioning with contrast medium injection, CO2 was injected manually and the splenic region imaged. The spleens were then removed for gross and microscopic examinations.

Results: In the patient, CO2 wedged arterial splenoportography demonstrated gastric varices associated with splenic vein occlusion. In all animals, CO2 wedged arterial splenoportography visualized the splenic and portal veins. No CO2 extravasations occurred in the spleen. Gross and microscopic examinations revealed no evidence of splenic rupture or intrasplenic hematoma.

Conclusion: CO2 wedged arterial splenoportography may be a useful method for visualizing gastric varices associated with splenic vein occlusion. This new technique has the potential to replace the standard splenic arterial portography for visualization of splenic and portal veins, thus eliminating the need for injection of a large volume of iodinated contrast material. Further clinical studies are justified to evaluate this technique.
Time‐Course and Mechanisms of Restored Vascular Relaxation by Reduced Salt Intake and Angiotensin II Infusion in Rats Fed a High‐Salt Diet
Authors: MCEWEN SCOTT T. , SCHMIDT JAMES R. , SOMBERG LEWIS , CRUZ LOURDES DE LA , LOMBARD JULIAN H.
Published: February 2009

Objective: This study determined the mechanisms and time‐course of recovery of vascular relaxation in middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) of salt‐fed Sprague‐Dawley rats returned to a low‐salt (LS) diet (0.4% NaCl) or infused with low‐dose angiotensin II (ANG II). Methods: Rats were fed a high‐salt (HS) diet (4% NaCl) for 3 days or 4 weeks before returning to an LS diet for various periods. Other rats fed a HS diet (HS+ANG II) received a chronic (3 days) intravenous (i.v.) infusion of a low dose of ANG II (5 ng kg−1 min−1) to prevent salt‐induced ANG II suppression. Results: The HS diet eliminated the increase in cerebral blood flow in response to acetylcholine (ACh) infusion and the relaxation of MCA in response to ACh, iloprost, cholera toxin, and reduced PO2. Recovery of vascular relaxation was slow, requiring at least 2 weeks of the LS diet, regardless of the duration of exposure to a HS diet. Hypoxic dilation was mediated by cyclo‐oxygenase metabolites and ACh‐induced dilation was mediated via nitric oxide in LS rats and in HS rats returned to the LS diet or receiving ANG II infusion. Conclusions: Returning to a LS diet for 2 weeks or chronic 3‐day ANG II infusion restores the mechanisms that normally mediate cerebral vascular relaxation.
Processing fluency as a predictor of salience asymmetries in the Implicit Association Test
Authors: Chang Betty P. I. , Mitchell Chris J.
Published: February 2009

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is the most popular indirect measure of attitudes in social psychology. Rothermund and Wentura (2001, 2004) suggested that artifacts such as salience asymmetries are a source of compatibility effects in the IAT, and, therefore, the IAT does not necessarily measure attitude. They claim that salience asymmetries correspond with visual search asymmetries, such that the stimulus categories that are more quickly detected in a visual search task are also compatible in the IAT. We propose that processing fluency is a more reliable indicator of salience asymmetries in the IAT than are visual search asymmetries. To test this hypothesis, we set processing fluency in opposition to visual search asymmetry to see which variable better predicted IAT effects. In one pair of categories, the category that was more quickly detected in visual search was also more fluently processed in a binary classification task. In a second pair of categories, the category that was more quickly detected in visual search was the less fluently processed category. Across four experiments, we demonstrated that compatibility effects in the IAT corresponded with differences in processing fluency between categories, rather than with visual search asymmetries.
Short article: Effects of interlimb practice on coding and learning of movement sequences
Authors: Panzer Stefan , Muehlbauer Thomas , Krueger Melanie , Buesch Dirk , Naundorf Falk , Shea Charles H.
Published: February 2009

An interlimb practice paradigm was designed to determine the role that visual–spatial (Cartesian) and motor (joint angles, activation patterns) coordinates play in the coding and learning of complex movement sequences. Participants practised a 16-element movement sequence by moving a lever to sequentially presented targets with one limb on Day 1 and the contralateral limb on Day 2. Practice involved the same sequence with either the same visual–spatial or motor coordinates on the two days. A unilateral practice condition (control) was also tested where both coordinate systems were changed but the same limb was used. Retention tests were conducted on Day 3. Regardless of the order in which the limbs were used during practice, results indicated that keeping the visual–spatial coordinates the same during acquisition resulted in superior retention. This provides strong evidence that the visual–spatial code plays a dominant role in complex movement sequences, and this code is represented in an effector-independent manner.
Entire functions mapping uncountable dense sets of reals onto each other monotonically
Authors: Burke Maxim
Published: February 2009

When

A
A

and

B
B

are countable dense subsets of

R

\mathbb {R}

, it is a well-known result of Cantor that

A
A

and

B
B

are order-isomorphic. A theorem of K.F. Barth and W.J. Schneider states that the order-isomorphism can be taken to be very smooth, in fact the restriction to

R

\mathbb {R}

of an entire function. J.E. Baumgartner showed that consistently

2

ℵ
0

>

ℵ
1

2^{\aleph _0}>\aleph _1

and any two subsets of

R

\mathbb {R}

having

ℵ
1

\aleph _1

points in every interval are order-isomorphic. However, U. Abraham, M. Rubin and S. Shelah produced a ZFC example of two such sets for which the order-isomorphism cannot be taken to be smooth. A useful variant of Baumgartner’s result for second category sets was established by S. Shelah. He showed that it is consistent that

2

ℵ
0

>

ℵ
1

2^{\aleph _0}>\aleph _1

and second category sets of cardinality

ℵ
1

\aleph _1

exist while any two sets of cardinality

ℵ
1

\aleph _1

which have second category intersection with every interval are order-isomorphic. In this paper, we show that the order-isomorphism in Shelah’s theorem can be taken to be the restriction to

R

\mathbb {R}

of an entire function. Moreover, using an approximation theorem of L. Hoischen, we show that given a nonnegative integer

n
n

, a nondecreasing surjection

g
:

R

→

R

g\colon \mathbb {R}\to \mathbb {R}

of class

C
n

C^n

and a positive continuous function

ϵ
:

R

→

R

\epsilon \colon \mathbb {R}\to \mathbb {R}

, we may choose the order-isomorphism

f
f

so that for all

i
=
0
,
1
,
…
,
n

i=0,1,\dots ,n

and for all

x
∈

R

x\in \mathbb {R}

,
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="StartAbsoluteValue upper D Superscript i Baseline f left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis minus upper D Superscript i Baseline g left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis EndAbsoluteValue greater-than epsilon left-parenthesis x right-parenthesis">

|

D
i

f
(
x
)
−

D
i

g
(
x
)

|

>
ϵ
(
x
)

|D^if(x)-D^ig(x)|>\epsilon (x)

.
Nuclear receptor-like transcription factors in fungi
Authors: Näär Anders M. , Thakur Jitendra K.
Published: February 2009

Members of the metazoan nuclear receptor superfamily regulate gene expression programs in response to binding of cognate lipophilic ligands. Evolutionary studies using bioinformatics tools have concluded that lower eukaryotes, such as fungi, lack nuclear receptor homologs. Here we review recent discoveries suggesting that members of the fungal zinc cluster family of transcription regulators represent functional analogs of metazoan nuclear receptors. These findings indicate that nuclear receptor-like ligand-dependent gene regulatory mechanisms emerged early during eukaryotic evolution, and provide the impetus for further detailed studies of the possible evolutionary and mechanistic relationships of fungal zinc cluster transcription factors and metazoan nuclear receptors. Clinical implications of the discovery of nuclear receptor-like transcription factors in pathogenic fungi will also be discussed.
The human CDK8 subcomplex is a molecular switch that controls Mediator coactivator function
Authors: Knuesel Matthew T. , Meyer Krista D. , Bernecky Carrie , Taatjes Dylan J.
Published: February 2009

The human CDK8 subcomplex (CDK8, cyclin C, Med12, and Med13) negatively regulates transcription in ways not completely defined; past studies suggested CDK8 kinase activity was required for its repressive function. Using a reconstituted transcription system together with recombinant or endogenous CDK8 subcomplexes, we demonstrate that, in fact, Med12 and Med13 are critical for subcomplex-dependent repression, whereas CDK8 kinase activity is not. A hallmark of activated transcription is efficient reinitiation from promoter-bound scaffold complexes that recruit a series of pol II enzymes to the gene. Notably, the CDK8 submodule strongly represses even reinitiation events, suggesting a means to fine tune transcript levels. Structural and biochemical studies confirm the CDK8 submodule binds the Mediator leg/tail domain via the Med13 subunit, and this submodule–Mediator association precludes pol II recruitment. Collectively, these results reveal the CDK8 subcomplex functions as a simple switch that controls the Mediator–pol II interaction to help regulate transcription initiation and reinitiation events. As Mediator is generally required for expression of protein-coding genes, this may reflect a common mechanism by which activated transcription is shut down in human cells.
Rictor/TORC2 regulates fat metabolism, feeding, growth, and life span in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Soukas Alexander A. , Kane Elizabeth A. , Carr Christopher E. , Melo Justine A. , Ruvkun Gary
Published: February 2009

Rictor is a component of the target of rapamycin complex 2 (TORC2). While TORC2 has been implicated in insulin and other growth factor signaling pathways, the key inputs and outputs of this kinase complex remain unknown. We identified mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of rictor in a forward genetic screen for increased body fat. Despite high body fat, rictor mutants are developmentally delayed, small in body size, lay an attenuated brood, and are short-lived, indicating that Rictor plays a critical role in appropriately partitioning calories between long-term energy stores and vital organismal processes. Rictor is also necessary to maintain normal feeding on nutrient-rich food sources. In contrast to wild-type animals, which grow more rapidly on nutrient-rich bacterial strains, rictor mutants display even slower growth, a further reduced body size, decreased energy expenditure, and a dramatically extended life span, apparently through inappropriate, decreased consumption of nutrient-rich food. Rictor acts directly in the intestine to regulate fat mass and whole-animal growth. Further, the high-fat phenotype of rictor mutants is genetically dependent on akt-1, akt-2, and serum and glucocorticoid-induced kinase-1 (sgk-1). Alternatively, the life span, growth, and reproductive phenotypes of rictor mutants are mediated predominantly by sgk-1. These data indicate that Rictor/TORC2 is a nutrient-sensitive complex with outputs to AKT and SGK to modulate the assessment of food quality and signal to fat metabolism, growth, feeding behavior, reproduction, and life span.
Maintaining a stochastic neuronal cell fate decision: Figure 1.
Authors: Vasiliauskas Daniel , Johnston Robert , Desplan Claude
Published: February 2009

Sensory systems generally contain a number of neuronal subtypes that express distinct sensory receptor proteins. This diversity is generated through deterministic and stochastic cell fate choices, while maintaining the subtype often requires a distinct mechanism. In a study published in the February 1, 2009, issue of Genes &Development, Lesch and colleagues (pp. 345–358) describe a new transcription factor, NSY-7, that acts to stabilize a stochastic subtype choice in AWC chemosensory neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Exploring the human genome with functional maps
Authors: Huttenhower Curtis , Haley Erin M. , Hibbs Matthew A. , Dumeaux Vanessa , Barrett Daniel R. , Coller Hilary A. , Troyanskaya Olga G.
Published: February 2009

Human genomic data of many types are readily available, but the complexity and scale of human molecular biology make it difficult to integrate this body of data, understand it from a systems level, and apply it to the study of specific pathways or genetic disorders. An investigator could best explore a particular protein, pathway, or disease if given a functional map summarizing the data and interactions most relevant to his or her area of interest. Using a regularized Bayesian integration system, we provide maps of functional activity and interaction networks in over 200 areas of human cellular biology, each including information from ∼30,000 genome-scale experiments pertaining to ∼25,000 human genes. Key to these analyses is the ability to efficiently summarize this large data collection from a variety of biologically informative perspectives: prediction of protein function and functional modules, cross-talk among biological processes, and association of novel genes and pathways with known genetic disorders. In addition to providing maps of each of these areas, we also identify biological processes active in each data set. Experimental investigation of five specific genes, AP3B1, ATP6AP1, BLOC1S1, LAMP2, and RAB11A, has confirmed novel roles for these proteins in the proper initiation of macroautophagy in amino acid-starved human fibroblasts. Our functional maps can be explored using HEFalMp (Human Experimental/Functional Mapper), a web interface allowing interactive visualization and investigation of this large body of information.
Different hydrogen-bonded structures in the isomeric solvates 2-amino-6-anilino-4-methoxy-5-[(E)-4-nitrobenzylideneamino]pyrimidine dimethyl sulfoxide solvate and 2-amino-6-[methyl(phenyl)amino]-5-[(E)-4-nitrobenzylideneamino]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one dimethyl sulfoxide solvate
Authors: Rodríguez Ricaurte , Nogueras Manuel , Cobo Justo , Glidewell Christopher
Published: February 2009

The title solvates, (I) and (II), both C18H16N6O3·C2H6OS, are isomeric. The conformations adopted by the 6-substituent are significantly different, with the 6-aminophenyl unit remote from the nitrophenyl ring in methoxypyrimidine (I) but adjacent to it in pyrimidinone (II). Pairs of pyrimidine molecules in (I) are linked by N—H...N hydrogen bonds to form cyclic centrosymmetric dimers from which the dimethyl sulfoxide molecules are pendent, while in (II) a combination of three independent N—H...O hydrogen bonds links the components into a chain containing bothR22(8) andR42(8) rings, in which the dimethyl sulfoxide component acts as a double acceptor of hydrogen bonds. The significance of this study lies in its observation of different conformations for the pyrimidine components in (I) and (II), and different hydrogen-bonded structures, apparently dominated by the different roles adopted by the dimethyl sulfoxide components.
A new on-axis multimode spectrometer for the macromolecular crystallography beamlines of the Swiss Light Source
Authors: Owen Robin L. , Pearson Arwen R. , Meents Alke , Boehler Pirmin , Thominet Vincent , Schulze-Briese Clemens
Published: February 2009

X-ray crystallography at third-generation synchrotron sources permits tremendous insight into the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules. Additional information is, however, often required to aid the transition from structure to function. In situ spectroscopic methods such as UV–Vis absorption and (resonance) Raman can provide this, and can also provide a means of detecting X-ray-induced changes. Here, preliminary results are introduced from an on-axis UV–Vis absorption and Raman multimode spectrometer currently being integrated into the beamline environment at X10SA of the Swiss Light Source. The continuing development of the spectrometer is also outlined.
Determination of X-ray flux using silicon pin diodes
Authors: Owen Robin L. , Holton James M. , Schulze-Briese Clemens , Garman Elspeth F.
Published: February 2009

Accurate measurement of photon flux from an X-ray source, a parameter required to calculate the dose absorbed by the sample, is not yet routinely available at macromolecular crystallography beamlines. The development of a model for determining the photon flux incident on pin diodes is described here, and has been tested on the macromolecular crystallography beamlines at both the Swiss Light Source, Villigen, Switzerland, and the Advanced Light Source, Berkeley, USA, at energies between 4 and 18 keV. These experiments have shown that a simple model based on energy deposition in silicon is sufficient for determining the flux incident on high-quality silicon pin diodes. The derivation and validation of this model is presented, and a web-based tool for the use of the macromolecular crystallography and wider synchrotron community is introduced.
A beginner's guide to radiation damage
Authors: Holton James M.
Published: February 2009

Many advances in the understanding of radiation damage to protein crystals, particularly at cryogenic temperatures, have been made in recent years, but with this comes an expanding literature, and, to the new breed of protein crystallographer who is not really interested in X-ray physics or radiation chemistry but just wants to solve a biologically relevant structure, the technical nature and breadth of this literature can be daunting. The purpose of this paper is to serve as a rough guide to radiation damage issues, and to provide references to the more exacting and detailed work. No attempt has been made to report precise numbers (a factor of two is considered satisfactory), and, since there are aspects of radiation damage that are demonstrably unpredictable, the `worst case scenario' as well as the `average crystal' are discussed in terms of the practicalities of data collection.
Quantitative biogeography in the South America highlands—recognizing the Altoandina, Puna and Prepuna through the study of Poaceae
Authors: Aagesen Lone , Szumik Claudia A. , Zuloaga Fernando O. , Morrone Osvaldo
Published: February 2009

The distribution data of 340 grass species sampled in a region of 53.219 km2 in the northwestern corner of Argentina (between ∼21°S and ∼24°S) were analyzed to search for concordance in species distributions by using the program NDM/VNDM. Here, the traditional biogeographic hypothesis proposed for the region is evaluated for the first time by using a quantitative method and an optimal criterion specifically developed within the context of areas of endemism. Three different grid sizes (0.5° × 0.5°, 0.35° × 0.35 ° and 0.2° × 0.2°) were used to analyze three nested data sets: species found in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia and/or Chile; Andean distributed species; and all grass species found in the study region. The main areas supported by the analyses correspond generally to the traditional biogeographic hypothesis proposed for the region. Local distribution patterns defined by species restricted to the study region were best supported under the small grid sizes, while the bigger grid sizes recovered areas defined by species with a broader distribution. The local distribution patterns emerged in all the analyses even when widespread species were added to the data set.

 © The Willi Hennig Society 2009.
Clinical course of laryngo‐respiratory symptoms in gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease during routine care ‐ a 5‐year follow‐up
Authors: JASPERSEN D. , NOCON M. , LABENZ J. , LEODOLTER A. , RICHTER K. , STOLTE M. , VIETH M. , LIND T. , WILLICH S. N. , MALFERTHEINER P.
Published: February 2009

Background  Gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can be associated with laryngo‐respiratory symptoms (LRS) such as chronic cough, asthma or laryngeal symptoms.

Aim  To analyse the long‐term clinical course of LRS in a large population with GERD and LRS.

Methods  ProGERD is a prospective multicentre cohort study of 6215 adult out‐patients with GERD. At baseline, the prevalence of LRS was assessed. Initial standardized treatment was esomeprazole for up to 8 weeks. After 5 years of follow‐up, patients were interviewed for LRS and a multivariate analysis was performed with resolved vs. persistent symptoms for chronic cough, asthma and laryngeal symptoms.

Results  In all, 2886 patients (46.4%) were available for analysis at baseline and at 5 years. The prevalence of chronic cough and laryngeal disorders had decreased while the prevalence of asthma had increased. Resolution of LRS was independent of clinical reflux characteristics or PPI medication.

Conclusions  In a large population with GERD, only few patients reported persistent LRS over 5 years. Resolution of LRS was independent of the stage of GERD and PPI treatment. Accordingly, data on the direction of causality between GERD and LRS are lacking and the strength of the association between the two must remain controversial.
Review article: dual delayed release formulation of dexlansoprazole MR, a novel approach to overcome the limitations of conventional single release proton pump inhibitor therapy
Authors: METZ D. C. , VAKILY M. , DIXIT T. , MULFORD D.
Published: February 2009

Background Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) provide the most effective pharmacotherapy for treating acid‐related disorders. However, PPIs do not completely control acid over 24 h with once‐daily dosing.

Aims To discuss limitations inherent in the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics of conventional PPI formulations, which provide a single drug release. Also, to consider approaches to extending the duration of acid suppression focusing on dexlansoprazole MR, a PPI with a novel Dual Delayed Release (DDR) formulation.

Method We reviewed the available literature regarding marketed and investigational PPIs.

Results Non‐standard dosing of currently marketed PPIs has produced incremental advances in acid control. Multiple approaches are being evaluated to enhance acid suppression with PPIs. Dexlansoprazole MR is a DDR formulation of dexlansoprazole, an enantiomer of lansoprazole, with two distinct drug release periods to prolong the plasma dexlansoprazole concentration–time profile and extend duration of acid suppression. Clinical studies show that dexlansoprazole MR produces a dual‐peak PK profile that maintains therapeutic plasma drug concentrations longer than lansoprazole, with a single‐peak PK profile, and increases the percentage of time that intragastric pH >4.

Conclusions Novel drug delivery platforms, including the dexlansoprazole MR DDR formulation, may improve acid suppression and offer benefits over conventional single release PPI formulations.
Inhibition of cyclin‐dependent kinases by olomoucine and roscovitine reduces lipopolysaccharide‐induced inflammatory responses via down‐regulation of nuclear factor κB
Authors: Jhou R‐S. , Sun K‐H. , Sun G‐H. , Wang H‐H. , Chang C‐I. , Huang H‐C. , Lu S‐Y. , Tang S‐J.
Published: February 2009

Objectives:  Initiation and maintenance of pro‐inflammatory reactions elicited by bacterial lipopolysaccharide and/or cytokines in the macrophage lineage have been reported to play a crucial role in acute and chronic pathogenic effects. Whether pro‐inflammatory responses triggered by lipopolysaccharide in growth arrested cells differ from those in proliferating cells remains unanswered.

Materials and methods:  Olomoucine and roscovitine are cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors that prevent progression through the cell cycle. After treatment with CDK inhibitors, expression of pro‐inflammatory genes was analysed by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. Protein levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and nuclear factor kappaB (NF‐κB) were determined by Western blotting. Promoter activity of iNOS was measured by the luciferase activity assay.

Results:  In this study we have demonstrated that both olomoucine and roscovitine inhibit cell proliferation and diminish nitric oxide production and cytokine gene expression, in lipopolysaccharide‐stimulated murine RAW264.7 macrophages. In addition, olomoucine reduces iNOS promoter activity and alleviates NF‐κB transcription activation. After co‐transfection with E2F1 interference RNA, suppression of lipopolysaccharide‐mediated iNOS promoter activity and NF‐κB activation was observed. Furthermore, we demonstrated that olomoucine‐induced growth arrested cells reduce expression of the p65 subunit of NF‐κB.

Conclusions:  The findings of this study suggest that inhibition of cell‐cycle progression is capable of reducing pro‐inflammatory responses via down‐regulation of NF‐κB.
‘I don't trust you, you are going to tell’, adolescents with emotional and behavioural disorders participating in qualitative research
Authors: Laenen F. Vander
Published: February 2009

Background  Some groups of young people are considered difficult to reach and study. One such group consists of adolescents with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD), who have problems with verbal intelligence, thought focussing and paying attention. During a 2‐year research study into the preferences of adolescents with EBD regarding drug prevention policy, the author examined these young people's opinions and their experience of participation in research.

Methods  A qualitative, youth‐centred method was used, combining group techniques (focus groups, nominal group techniques and feedback sessions) and involving 160 adolescents, aged 12–21 years, with EBD, living in residential settings of the disability sector.

Results  It is possible to carry out qualitative research with young people with EBD. This population is very vulnerable, negatively influenced by their previous experiences and by the social group that they belong to. They have an aversion to ‘being studied’, and their self‐esteem and confidence are low. However, it is possible to build up trust.

Conclusions  It has become clear that there is no reason for excluding adolescents with EBD from participation in research. Research is possible and successful, providing sufficient effort is put into building up trust with these emotionally scarred young people.
Thinking about feelings: emotion focus in the parenting of children with early developmental risk
Authors: Baker J. K. , Crnic K. A.
Published: February 2009

Background  Children with developmental delays exhibit more difficulty with certain emotional processes than their typically developing peers, which seems to partially account for the increased risk for the development of social problems in this population. Despite considerable study with typically developing populations, research on parental emotion socialisation in families of children with delays is scarce. This study examined the degree to which parents of children with early delays prioritised emotion relative to other important areas of child development and the degree to which they focused on emotion during relevant interactions with their children.

Method  Families of 8‐year‐old children with (n = 42) and without (n = 89) early developmental delays completed questionnaires and interviews, and participated in a parent–child emotion discourse task.

Results  As predicted, parents of children with developmental delays reported lower prioritisation of emotion and focused less on emotion during discourse than did parents of typically developing children. A model was supported in which a pathway existed from developmental status through prioritisation to emotion focus. Emotion focus, in turn, predicted children's social skills as reported on by multiple informants.

Conclusions  Parents of children with early developmental delays may focus upon emotion less in their parenting than parents of typically developing children, and related behaviours show associations with children's social skill outcomes. Findings are discussed as an initial step in thinking about the role of emotion socialisation in the families of children with delays.
Staff variables associated with the challenging behaviour of clients with severe or profound intellectual disabilities
Authors: Lambrechts G. , Kuppens S. , Maes B.
Published: February 2009

Background  Previous research has identified that staff–client interactions play an important role in the origin and maintenance of challenging behaviour. Particularly, the reciprocity between staff behaviour and client behaviour has been considered a key issue. Furthermore, severe challenging behaviour has been found to elicit negative emotional reactions from staff which in turn may influence staff's behaviour. Another variable that has been associated with staff behaviour are staff's attributions regarding clients' challenging behaviour. The present study tested several hypotheses about associations between staff variables and challenging behaviour.

Method  Questionnaires were used to investigate associations between the attributions, emotional reactions and behavioural reactions of 51 staff members towards challenging behaviour of clients with severe or profound intellectual disabilities who displayed self‐injurious behaviour, stereotyped behaviour and/or aggressive/destructive behaviour.

Results  Staff members reported that reactions to challenging behaviour differed according to the type of challenging behaviour. Negative emotional reactions were positively associated with challenging behaviour. Associations between emotional reactions, staff beliefs and staff reactions were inconsistent.

Conclusions  The findings suggest that there is a need to look for a better conceptualisation and assessment of the variables under investigation.
Study of dynamic grain growth by electron microscopy and EBSD
Authors: ROFMAN O.V. , BATE P.S. , BROUGH I. , HUMPHREYS F.J.
Published: February 2009

The effect of hot deformation on fully recrystallized aluminium–copper alloys (Al‐4wt%Cu and Al‐33wt%Cu) with different volume fractions of CuAl2 has been studied. The alloys are Zener pinned systems with different superplastic properties. Strain‐induced grain growth, observed in both alloys, was quantitatively estimated by means of electron microscopy and EBSD and compared with the rate of static grain growth. Surface marker observations and in situ hot‐deformation experiments combined with EBSD were aimed at clarifying the mechanisms responsible for the changes in the deformed microstructures. A sequence of secondary and backscattered electron images and EBSD maps was obtained during in situ SEM deformation with different testing conditions. Overlaying EBSD maps for the Al‐4wt%Cu with channelling contrast images showed that grain boundary motion occurred during deformation, creating a layered structure and leading to an increase in size of some grains and shrinkage of others. Of a particular interest are results related to behaviour of CuAl2 in superplastic Al‐33wt%Cu during deformation, including several problems with the use of EBSD in this alloy.
Quantitative interpretation of binding reactions of rapidly diffusing species using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching
Authors: TSIBIDIS G.D.
Published: February 2009

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements offer an important tool for analyzing diffusion and binding processes. Confocal scanning laser microscopes that are used in FRAP experiments bleach regions with a radially Gaussian distributed profile. Previous attempts to derive analytical expressions in the case of processes governed by fast diffusion have overlooked the characteristics of the instruments used to perform FRAP measurements and therefore led to approximating solutions. In the present paper, bleaching laser beam characteristics are incorporated into an improved model to provide a more rigorous and accurate method. The proposed model simulates binding inside bounded regions, and it leads to FRAP curves that depend on the on and off rates that can be employed to determine the rate constants. It can be used in conjunction with experimental data acquired with confocal scanning laser microscopes to investigate the biophysical properties of proteins in living cells. The model aims to improve the accuracy when determining rate constants by taking into account a more realistic scenario of the light‐matter interaction.
Enhanced ovicidal activity of an oil formulation of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae on the mosquito Aedes aegypti
Authors: ALBERNAZ D. A. S. , TAI M. H. H. , LUZ C.
Published: February 2009

Abstract The effect of humidity on the activity of Metarhizium anisopliae IP 46 (Metsch.) Sorokin (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) formulated in sunflower oil against Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) eggs was examined. After exposure of eggs at 75% relative humidity (RH) for ≤ 25 days, ovicidal activity was not increased by oil‐in‐water formulated conidia, hyphal bodies or pure‐oil formulated conidia, compared with conidia or hyphal bodies prepared in water only. At optimal > 98% RH, eclosion was ≤ 13.7% after treatment with oil‐in‐water formulated propagules in ≤ 10% oil, and it was completely inhibited when conidia were applied in pure oil. At 86–100% RH, new conidia were found on eggs treated with oil‐formulated conidia and incubated down to 91% RH. Ovicidal activity was still detected at 93% RH and was augmented with increasing humidity and time of exposure of eggs. Eclosion of larvae was distinctly reduced by IP 46 pure‐oil formulated conidia after a minimal initial exposure of 3 days at > 98% RH, followed by: (a) a 12‐day exposure at 75% RH before submersion in water; (b) a minimal 5‐day exposure at > 98% RH and direct subsequent transfer of treated eggs to water, or (c) a minimal daily 20‐h exposure at > 98% RH alternating with 4 h at 75% RH for 10 days. We demonstrate that oil‐based formulations of conidia of M. anisopliae enhance ovicidal activity at high humidities and conclude that these formulations have potential in the integrated control of Ae. aegypti.
A population‐based study of repeat hospital admissions due to interpersonal violence for children aged 0–9 years
Authors: Meuleners Lynn B. , Lee Andy H. , Hendrie Delia
Published: February 2009

To assess the magnitude and nature of interpersonal violence resulting in hospitalisation of children and to identify subgroups at risk of repeat hospital admissions, a population‐based, retrospective study of all violence hospitalisations in Western Australia for children aged 9 years or less was undertaken, using the 1990–2004 linked data retrieved from the Western Australian Mortality Database and the Hospital Morbidity Data System.

Of the 747 patients aged <10 years incurring 834 hospitalisations for the consequences of violence during the study period, 570 (76%) were less than 4 years of age. A total of 43 deaths from violence were recorded and 74 (9%) patients were admitted for more than one episode of violence. Victims aged 0–4 years from rural (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35, 5.43) and remote parts (HR = 2.79; 95% CI 1.25, 6.25) of the state were at increased risk of a subsequent admission for violence compared with those residing within the metropolitan area. Indigenous children aged 5–9 years were significantly more likely (HR = 3.57; 95% CI 1.14, 11.13) to incur a second hospitalisation for violence than their non‐Indigenous counterparts. The identification of young victim subgroups at high risk of repeat hospitalisations is important for developing intervention strategies to reduce the burden of interpersonal violence. Young children aged 0–4 years living in rural and remote locations and Indigenous children aged 5–9 years should be specifically targeted for attention.
Altered actin polymerization of Plutella xylostella (L.) in response to ovarian calyx components of an endoparasitoid Cotesia plutellae (Kurdjumov)
Authors: NALINI MADANAGOPAL , IBRAHIM AHMED M. A. , HWANG INCHEON , KIM YONGGYUN
Published: February 2009

Abstract Cotesia plutellae (Kurdjumov) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a solitary braconid endoparasitoid wasp, parasitizes the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) by suppressing the host defense response, thereby resulting in successful parasitization. During parasitization, ovarian calyx fluid is also delivered into the haemocoel of the host along with the wasp egg. The effect of calyx fluid constituents on haemocyte‐spreading behaviour of P. xylostella is analysed by measuring F‐actin development in the haemocytes. For this purpose, the calyx fluid of C. plutellae is separated into ovarian protein and C. plutellae bracovirus (CpBV). The ovarian protein consists of a wide range of molecular weight proteins, which are apparently different from those of CpBV. When nonparasitized P. xylostella haemocytes are incubated with either ovarian protein or CpBV for 1 or 2 h, haemocytes lose their responsiveness to a cytokine, plasmatocyte‐spreading peptide, in a dose‐dependent manner for each calyx component and fail to exhibit haemocyte‐spreading behaviour. Some CpBV genes are expressed within 1 h of parasitization. The inhibition of haemocyte‐spreading could be explained by measuring F‐actin contents, in which parasitization by C. plutellae inhibits F‐actin development in the haemocytes of P. xylostella. Either ovarian protein or CpBV could inhibit F‐actin development in the nonparasitized haemocytes. In addition, co‐incubation of ovarian protein and CpBV results in significant additive inhibition of both haemocyte‐spreading and F‐actin development in the haemocytes in response to cytokine. These results suggest that both components of C. plutellae calyx fluid function in a synergistic manner, leading to immunosuppression during the early stage of parasitization.
Ordinary and effective: the Catch‐22 in managing the public voice in health care?
Authors: Learmonth Mark , Martin Graham P. , Warwick Philip
Published: February 2009

Introduction  Joseph Heller’s Catch‐22 is regularly invoked to critique the irrationality inherent in supposedly rational bureaucracy. We explore a Catch‐22 for policy concerning public involvement in English health care: you have to be ordinary to represent the community effectively, but, if you are ordinary, you cannot effectively represent your community.

The nature of public participation groups  Starting with community health councils, we trace government policy about involving local people in health care, up to the current arrangements for local involvement networks and show how the above Catch‐22 works. We do this in two principal ways. First, by an analysis of some of the unrecognized paradoxes in current government policies designed to populate health‐care participation groups and second, by providing a series of narrative vignettes, drawn from our own experiences of working in such groups, which illustrate the nature of the dilemmas members face.

Conclusions  Our proposal to get out of the worst of the Catch‐22 for effective public involvement groups is (paradoxically) to suggest focusing less on effectiveness, or more precisely, focusing less on those conventional, managerially defined notions of effectiveness that are now pretty much taken for granted within public services. This is because, if bodies like LINks are to do more than provide unthreatening, homogenous and tokenistic public perspectives, they need to be given space and time to pursue their own agendas.
Patients’ priorities for ambulatory hospital care centres. A survey and discrete choice experiment among elderly and chronically ill patients of a Dutch hospital
Authors: Albada Akke , Triemstra Mattanja
Published: February 2009

Objective  This study established patients’ preferences regarding the facilities in an adjacent centre for ambulatory hospital care. It also identified determinants of patients’ choice to visit this centre instead of the regional hospital.

Methods  A questionnaire survey among 1477 elderly and chronically ill people (response 72%) assessed patients’ expectations regarding (a) quality of hospital care, (b) facilities in centres for ambulatory hospital care, and (c) future use of these centres. Additionally, 75 patients participated in discrete choice experiments about their decision to visit a centre for ambulatory hospital care or the regional hospital.

Results  Respondents prioritized facilities for examination and medical consultations in the ambulatory care centres. Half of the respondents also valued paramedic care, information desks and pharmacies as centre facilities. Most patients living near a future centre for ambulatory care would rather visit this centre than the regional hospital. However, they favoured seeing their familiar physician, short waiting lists and appointments scheduled consecutively on 1 day. If these aspects were not guaranteed at the adjacent centres, more patients chose to visit the hospital.

Conclusions  Although patients value most facilities, they set clear priorities. Furthermore, this study showed three important conditions in the decision to visit an ambulatory care centre; (1) the possibility to see their familiar physician, (2) to have consecutive appointments, and (3) a short waiting list. These three factors were more important to patients than proximity. Thus, when choosing between a hospital and an adjacent centre for ambulatory care, quality aspects matter.
Are parental care trade‐offs in shorebirds driven by parental investment or sexual selection?
Authors: OLSON V. A. , WEBB T. J. , FRECKLETON R. P. , SZÉKELY T.
Published: February 2009

Sexual selection, mating systems and parental behaviour are closely linked, although the exact nature of their relationship is controversial. The parental investment hypothesis (PIH) states that parental care disparity drives sexual selection intensity, because the sex providing less care competes for the sex that provides more. In contrast, the sexual selection hypothesis (SSH) asserts that more intense sexual selection on males leads to reduced male parental investment. We tested these hypotheses using directional phylogenetic comparative methods in shorebirds, which have an unusually diverse array of breeding systems. Changes in parental care and sexual selection intensity were tightly correlated, and we carried out three sets of analyses focusing on changes in male behaviour, female behaviour and in either sex. The results from the analyses were consistent with both PIH and SSH, although the patterns in male transition were sensitive to model values. We propose two explanations for these results. First, phylogenetic transitions may be idiosyncratic so that they depend on the ecological circumstances of individual species. Second, transitions in social traits, such as breeding systems, may be rapid and take place in ecological time, so directional phylogenetic methods that work through longer time scales may not infer accurately the timing and direction of all changes.
Lifetime reproductive success and longevity of queens in an annual social insect
Authors: LOPEZ‐VAAMONDE C. , RAINE N. E. , KONING J. W. , BROWN R. M. , PEREBOOM J. J. M. , INGS T. C. , RAMOS‐RODRIGUEZ O. , JORDAN W. C. , BOURKE A. F. G.
Published: February 2009

Although central to understanding life‐history evolution, the relationship between lifetime reproductive success and longevity remains uncertain in many organisms. In social insects, no studies have reported estimates of queens’ lifetime reproductive success and longevity within populations, despite the importance of understanding how sociality and associated within‐group conflict affect life‐history traits. To address this issue, we studied two samples of colonies of the annual bumblebee, Bombus terrestris audax, reared from wild‐caught queens from a single population. In both samples, queens’ lifetime reproductive success, measured as either queens’ inclusive fitness or as total biomass of queen‐produced sexuals (new queens and males), was significantly positively associated with queen longevity, measured from the day the first worker was produced. We suggest that a positive relationship between reproductive success and longevity was inherited from nonsocial ancestors showing parental care and maintained, at least in part, because the presence of workers buffers queens against extrinsic mortality.
The cost of multiple drug resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: WARD H. , PERRON G. G. , MACLEAN R. C.
Published: February 2009

The spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance mutations is thought to be constrained by their pleiotropic fitness costs. Here we investigate the fitness costs of resistance in the context of the evolution of multiple drug resistance (MDR), by measuring the cost of acquiring streptomycin resistance mutations (StrepR) in independent strains of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa carrying different rifampicin resistance (RifR) mutations. In the absence of antibiotics, StrepR mutations are associated with similar fitness costs in different RifR genetic backgrounds. The cost of StrepR mutations is greater in a rifampicin‐sensitive (RifS) background, directly demonstrating antagonistic epistasis between resistance mutations. In the presence of rifampicin, StrepR mutations have contrasting effects in different RifR backgrounds: StrepR mutations have no detectable costs in some RifR backgrounds and massive fitness costs in others. Our results clearly demonstrate the importance of epistasis and genotype‐by‐environment interactions for the evolution of MDR.
Quality–quantity trade‐off of human offspring under adverse environmental conditions
Authors: MEIJ J. J. , VAN BODEGOM D. , ZIEM J. B. , AMANKWA J. , POLDERMAN A. M. , KIRKWOOD T. B. L. , DE CRAEN A. J. M. , ZWAAN B. J. , WESTENDORP R. G. J.
Published: February 2009

A central paradigm in life‐history theory is the trade‐off between offspring number and quality. Several studies have investigated this trade‐off in humans, but data are inconclusive, perhaps because prosperous socio‐cultural factors mask the trade‐off. Therefore, we studied 2461 offspring groups in an area under adverse conditions in northern Ghana with high fertility and mortality rates. In a linear mixed model controlling for differences in age and tribe of the mother and socioeconomic status, each additional child in the offspring group resulted in a 2.3% (95% CI 1.9–2.6%, P < 0.001) lower proportional survival of the offspring. Furthermore, we made use of the polygamous population structure and compared offspring of co‐wives in 388 households, thus controlling for variation in resources between compounds. Here, offspring survival decreased 2.8% (95% CI 2.3–4.0%, P < 0.001) for each increase in offspring number. We interpret these data as an apparent quality–quantity trade‐off in human offspring.