bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recipient of Robert A. Millikan Lecture Award 1973
Authors: Oppenheimer Frank
Published: September 2006

The Robert A. Millikan Lecture Award is given annually to a physicist chosen by the Committee on Awards of the American Association of Physics Teachers to be honored for notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics. The Lecture and award are presented at the Summer Meeting and are made possible by an annual gift from Prentice-Hall, Inc. This year (1973) the Committee on Awards honored Frank Oppenheimer, director of the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California. The following is the text of the presentation speech, delivered by Professor Kenneth W. Ford of the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a past president of AAPT.
Brief Chronologies which Illustrate the Historical Development of Measurement Techniques, Apparatus and Standards Part V: Measurement of Pressure
Authors: Bender Paul A.
Published: September 2006

Four earlier articles in this series gave the chronologies of the development of standards of length and length-measuring devices, of computing machines and the mathematics associated with computers, of the measurement of mass and weight, and of the measurement of time.
New Unified Scale for Atomic Masses and Weights
Authors: Nier Alfred O.
Published: September 2006

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) have agreed to abandon the chemists' scale of atomic weight, based on weight of oxygen = 16, and the physicists' scale of atomic mass, based on the oxygen isotope, O16 = 16. These are to be replaced by a single scale in which the reference standard is the carbon isotope, C12, to which is assigned the mass of exactly 12. The history of the development and the consequences are discussed.
International Agreements on the Measurement of Physical Quantities
Authors: Wichers Edward
Published: September 2006

Underlying all international agreements on standards for physical measurements and on the definition of physical constants is the Treaty of the Meter. By their adherence to this treaty, most of the countries of the world have identical systems of measurement for mass, length, time, and temperature. From this base, there has developed a superstructure of international agreement on many of the quantities that are of basic importance to the physical sciences. These agreements, which are almost universally accepted by scientists, are usually reached through the work of groups of experts operating within the framework of international scientific unions. Illustrations are given of a number of such operations.
Teaching the Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion
Authors: Struthers Joseph A.
Published: September 2006

A review of the various treatments of the terms centrifugal and centripetal force is given. Recommendations on how forces on bodies moving in circular paths should be presented are proposed in the hope that they may be debated if they are not immediately accepted. Eventually a satisfactory method of presentation of the dynamics of circular motion may be agreed upon by teachers of elementary physics.
Piezoelectricity
Authors: Valasek Joseph
Published: September 2006

Certain crystals of polar symmetry develop electrical surface charges when subjected to mechanical stresses and, conversely, deform when subjected to electric fields. These properties find applications in radio to stabilize frequencies of transmitters and in such acoustical devices as the crystal microphone, speaker and phonograph pick-up. Instructions are given for simple demonstrations.
The Argonne Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS)
Authors: Teng L. C.
Published: September 2006

A 12.5 billion electron volt (BeV) particle accelerator, the Zero Gradient Synchrotron, was constructed and put into operation at the Argonne National Laboratory in August 1963. The ZGS will form the center for high energy physics research in the Midwestern part of this country. In this paper, a brief description of the ZGS is given together with a discussion of the aims, methods, and equipment of experimental high energy physics research.
Changing the Weather
Authors: Battan Louis J.
Published: September 2006

Changing the weather, once thought to be an impossible task, now appears may be possible on a small scale. But many major problems are unsolved. The present efforts cluster around one or more of six objectives: (1) increasing rainfall or snowfall; (2) inhibiting the fall of hail; (3) dissipating fog; (4) curbing lightning; (5) controlling hurricanes and other violent storms; (6) changing the climate over large regions. These topics are discussed in this article. Rain can be increased in local areas and holes can be produced in clouds. But most of the other objectives are far from being accomplished and, if accomplished in one area, might lead to disaster in another.
The Discovery of the Omega Minus
Authors: Horwitz Nahmin
Published: September 2006

A new elementary particle, the Ω−, was reported in February 1964. Its existence was considered by many to be a crucial test of an important theory. This article will discuss the ideas which led to the prediction of the Ω−, the experimental techniques used in its discovery, and the experiment itself.
Atomic Standards of Frequency and Time
Authors: Richardson John M. , Brockman James F.
Published: September 2006

The National Bureau of Standards scale of time is provided by an atomic frequency standard. Thus, for the first time in our civilization, the basis of our measurement of time is atomic instead of astronomical. The major reasons for this change are that modern science can measure the resonance of an atom more accurately than it can measure the motions of stars and planets, all of the factors affecting atoms are better understood, and the atomic resonance appears to be more stable than planetary motions. This change has improved our accuracy of measurement by three orders of magnitude.

Presently, the best atomic clocks are based on atomic cesium beams such as the three at NBS. Further research, however, may reveal a better choice of atom or method. NBS is using four radio stations to distribute time (and its reciprocal, frequency) to the nation and over much of the globe, but again, research is being conducted on newer techniques that offer higher accuracies.

The change from astronomical to atomic time will have little effect on our daily living habits, but it will permit our technology to accomplish things we couldn't do before and to do the same things more economically.
Electrolysis of Water and Recombination of Oxygen and Hydrogen Lecture-Demonstration Equipment
Authors: Acosta V. , Nordling D. L. , Freed K. V. , Cowan C. L.
Published: September 2006

Electrolysis of water takes place in an ordinary Hoffman type apparatus. Hydrogen and oxygen are collected in an explosion chamber, where the mixture is detonated using a high-voltage spark coil. The whole equipment operates under the water contained in a large tank.
APPARATUS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS: A Comparative Evaluation of Electroscopes
Authors: Foster Jack D. , Long Charles M. , Miner Thomas D.
Published: September 2006

This is the first of a series of apparatus reviews sponsored by the AAPT apparatus committee as a service to physics teachers. To initiate this study, all of the known scientific supply companies that list electroscopes in their catalogs were invited to participate by sending fresh production samples to the evaluation committee. The physics teachers who volunteered to conduct the study, set up test criteria and prepared a comprehensive report based on their observations. Prior to publication, all of the participating companies were furnished with a copy of the complete report. The Welch Scientific Company advised us that they have already replaced the No. 1970 Braun electroscope with another of radically different design and, as a result of the observations, steps are being taken to improve the design of the No. 1957 pith-ball electroscope. The Stansi Company stated that they were taking immediate steps to correct the shortcomings of their product and would like an opportunity to resubmit their improved products for evaluation at a later date. Future tests of electroscopes are likely to include examination of the insulation, performance under adverse humidity conditions, and other tests suggested by the readers.
Which Way is "dn" or the 'Force of Gravity' in Some Simple Accelerated Systems
Authors: Bartlett Albert A.
Published: September 2006

Everyone uses the words "up" and "down." There is little ambiguity about their use when one thinks of experiments performed in a coordinate system that is at rest with respect to the surface of the earth. In a more complicated system, however, such as an accelerating car or elevator, a merry-go-round, or an orbiting satellite, an observer will have a perception of "up" that may be quite different from that of an observer at rest. Let us examine some of these perceptions.
RESIDUE CONSERVATION INFORMATION FOR GENERATING NEAR-NATIVE STRUCTURES IN PROTEIN–PROTEIN DOCKING
Authors: DUAN YUHUA , REDDY BOOJALA V. B. , KAZNESSIS YIANNIS N.
Published: September 2006

Motivation: Protein–protein docking algorithms typically generate large numbers of possible complex structures with only a few of them resembling the native structure. Recently (Duan et al., Protein Sci, 14:316–218, 2005), it was observed that the surface density of conserved residue positions is high at the interface regions of interacting protein surfaces, except for antibody–antigen complexes, where a lesser number of conserved positions than average is observed at the interface regions. Using this observation, we identified putative interacting regions on the surface of interacting partners and significantly improved docking results by assigning top ranks to near-native complex structures. In this paper, we combine the residue conservation information with a widely used shape complementarity algorithm to generate candidate complex structures with a higher percentage of near-native structures (hits). What is new in this work is that the conservation information is used early in the generation stage and not only in the ranking stage of the docking algorithm. This results in a significantly larger number of generated hits and an improved predictive ability in identifying the native structure of protein–protein complexes.

Results: We report on results from 48 well-characterized protein complexes, which have enough residue conservation information from the same 59 benchmark complexes used in our previous work. We compute conservation indices of residue positions on the surfaces of interacting proteins using available homologous sequences from UNIPROT and calculate the solvent accessible surface area. We combine this information with shape-complementarity scores to generate candidate protein–protein complex structures. When compared with pure shape-complementarity algorithms, performed by FTDock, our method results in significantly more hits, with the improvement being over 100% in many instances. We demonstrate that residue conservation information is useful not only in refinement and scoring of docking solutions, but also helpful in enrichment of near-native-structures during the generation of candidate geometries of complex structures.
Why Hasn't Eliminating Acute Rejection Improved Graft Survival?
Authors: Tantravahi JogiRaju , Womer Karl L. , Kaplan Bruce
Published: September 2006

Although patients with end-stage renal disease can be maintained with dialysis therapy, the superiority of patient survival with renal transplantation makes transplantation the preferred method of renal replacement. Potent immunosuppressive therapies, particularly calcineurin inhibitors, have greatly reduced the incidence of acute rejection. However, long-term allograft survival remains limited. We discuss the impact of acute rejection on long-term allograft survival and discuss other factors leading to late allograft loss, including calcineurin inhibitor toxicity, chronic allograft nephropathy, and BK virus nephropathy, as well as donor and recipient factors associated with long-term allograft loss.
Predictors of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor–Induced Reduction of Urinary Albumin Excretion in Nondiabetic Patients
Authors: van de Wal Ruud M.A. , Gansevoort Ron T. , van der Harst Pim , Boomsma Frans , Thijs Plokker H.W. , van Veldhuisen Dirk J. , de Jong Paul E. , van Gilst Wiek H. , Voors Adriaan A.
Published: September 2006

Urinary albumin excretion is a predictor for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. We investigated which parameters determine baseline urinary albumin excretion in nondiabetic subjects, without renal disease. In addition, we evaluated the parameters that predict the albuminuria-lowering efficacy of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. In this substudy of the Prevention of Renal and Vascular Endstage Disease Intervention Trial, 384 microalbuminuric patients were included. Patient and biochemical characteristics were obtained at baseline and after 3 months of double-blinded, randomized treatment (fosinopril 20 mg or placebo). Mean age was 51.1±11.5 years, and 65.6% were male. Median urinary albumin excretion was 22.2 mg per 24 hours. At baseline, mean arterial pressure (β
standardized
=0.161;
P
=0.006), urinary sodium excretion (β
standardized
=0.154;
P
=0.011), and estimated renal function were independently associated with albumin excretion. In these predominantly normotensive to prehypertensive subjects, fosinopril reduced albumin excretion by 18.5% versus a 6.1% increase on placebo after 3 months (
P
<0.001). Fosinopril use and blood pressure reduction independently predicted the change in urinary albumin excretion. Baseline urinary albumin excretion independently predicted the antialbuminuric effect of fosinopril (β
standardized
=−0.303;
P
<0.001). In conclusion, at baseline, sodium intake and blood pressure were positively associated with urinary albumin excretion. Fosinopril reduced albuminuria more than might be expected from its blood pressure–lowering effect alone, and this effect was more outspoken in subjects with higher baseline albumin excretion. Based on our data, we hypothesize that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition may result in superior cardiovascular protection when compared with other blood pressure–lowering agents in subjects with higher baseline levels of albuminuria.
Dimethyl Sulfoxide Inhibits Tissue Factor Expression, Thrombus Formation, and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Activation
Authors: Camici Giovanni G. , Steffel Jan , Akhmedov Alexander , Schafer Nicola , Baldinger Jeannette , Schulz Urs , Shojaati Kushiar , Matter Christian M. , Yang Zhihong , Lüscher Thomas F. , Tanner Felix C.
Published: September 2006

Background—

Subacute stent thrombosis is a major clinical concern, and the search for new molecules to cover stents remains important. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is used for preservation of hematopoietic progenitor cells and is infused into patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Despite its intravenous application, the impact of DMSO on vascular cells has not been assessed.

Methods and Results—

In human endothelial cells, monocytes, and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), DMSO inhibited tissue factor (TF) expression and activity in response to tumor necrosis factor-α or thrombin in a concentration-dependent manner. DMSO did not exert any toxic effects as assessed by phase-contrast microscopy, trypan blue exclusion, and lactate dehydrogenase release. Real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed that inhibition of TF expression occurred at the mRNA level. This effect was mediated by reduced activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases c-Jun terminal NH
2
kinase (51±6%;
P
=0.0005) and p38 (50±3%;
P
<0.0001) but not p44/42 (
P
=NS). In contrast to TF, DMSO did not affect expression of TF pathway inhibitor or plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. In vivo, DMSO treatment suppressed TF activity (41%;
P
<0.002) and prevented thrombotic occlusion in a mouse carotid artery photochemical injury model. DMSO also inhibited VSMC proliferation (70%;
P
=0.005) and migration (77%;
P
=0.0001) in a concentration-dependent manner; moreover, it prevented rapamycin and paclitaxel-induced upregulation of TF expression.

Conclusions—

DMSO suppresses TF expression and activity, as well as thrombus formation; in addition, it inhibits VSMC proliferation and migration. Given its routine use in modern clinical practice, we propose DMSO as a novel strategy for coating drug-eluting stents and treating acute coronary syndromes.
Interdecadal Variability of the Southern Ocean
Authors: Hogg Andrew Mc C. , Blundell Jeffrey R.
Published: September 2006

The intrinsic variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is investigated using an idealized wind-driven model. The model uses three quasigeostrophic layers, with steady wind stress forcing, and no diabatic effects. Despite the idealized nature of the model, the simulations display a robust mode of low-frequency variability in the flow. It is demonstrated that this variability is dependent upon the explicit simulation of the dynamics of mesoscale eddies. As such, the variability is sensitive to stratification, horizontal viscosity, bottom stress, and topography. The energetic balance of the variability is diagnosed, and a driving mechanism is proposed that involves positive feedback between the generation of eddies through baroclinic instability and the dynamics of the mean circulation.
Enlightened fundamentalism? Immigration, feminism and the Right
Authors: Fekete Liz
Published: September 2006

Anti-immigration, Islamophobic and extreme-Right parties have long been a feature of European politics. But, increasingly, the views and policies promulgated by such parties are being absorbed into a process of governmental policy and decision-making dictated by the ‘war on terror’. National security agendas overlap with the immigration control programmes of the far Right and integration measures imposed by governments reinforce Islamophobia. ‘Multiculturalism’ is seen as a threat to European values and even some feminists are being recruited to an anti-immigrant politics via aggressively promoted stereotypes of Islam.
‘Aqui estamos y no nos vamos!’ Global capital and immigrant rights
Authors: Robinson William I.
Published: September 2006

The recent mass demonstrations by millions of Latino immigrant workers in the US, against planned legislation that could lead to the criminalisation and deportation of, literally, millions of workers shook the Bush administration and took commentators by surprise. The upsurge has been dubbed the new civil rights movement. It marks a new stage in globalisation and the phenomenon of mass, trans-national migration that such globalisation has engendered. Unprecedented in size and scope, the movement challenges the structural changes bound up with capitalist globalisation and points to the necessity of transnational popular and democratic struggles against it.
Manufacturer and Industry Responses to the Counterfeiting Challenge
Authors: Kontnik Lewis T.
Published: September 2006

The appearance of counterfeit products in the drug supply chain has created challenges for the health care industry, law enforcement, and especially pharmaceutical and biotech therapeutic drug manufacturers, many of whom did not fully appreciate this threat just 10 years ago. This article summarizes a number of issues faced by manufacturers of branded medicines today and suggests some approaches from a broad biopharmaceuticals point of view that can be used to manage this new threat.
Technological Roles in Combating Drug Diversion and Counterfeiting
Authors: Deus Lucia
Published: September 2006

Reports of life-threatening consequences of counterfeit drugs appear in the US media more and more frequently. Technological protections are seen by many as the best way to keep illegitimate drugs off pharmacy shelves. The supply chain for pharmaceutical products is already extensively developed with technology to improve efficiency; building on those systems to protect patients leads to enhanced customer trust and delivers business value on several other levels. Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer Inc have taken steps to stop counterfeit drugs from reaching patients. Pharmacies can now determine whether individual units of its Viagra (sildenafil citrate) product are authentic using an Internet-based service. As electronic pedigree laws go into effect in a number of states, pharmaceutical distributors such as H. D. Smith are using the pedigrees to stop drugs that are from an unknown source or a source that is not trusted.
Effect of Dopamine on Vascular Reactivity in Near-Term Lamb Carotids: Role of the Endothelium
Authors: Angeles Danilyn M. , Pearce William J.
Published: September 2006

Many neonates are diagnosed with hypotension in the first 24 hr of life. Those with severe hypotension are often given high doses of dopamine at 10 to 20[.mu]g/kg/min. This study examined the hypothesis that dopamine, a vasoactive drug commonly used in the neonatal intensive care unit, alters vascular reactivity. Vascular reactivity was measured by comparing 5HT dose-response characteristics in untreated near-term lamb common carotid arteries and arteries treated with 15 [.mu]g/kg/min of dopamine. The authors found that dopamine pretreatment for 60 min significantly potentiated 5HT-induced contractile tone by approximately 100% ( p< .05). This observed increase in tone was accompanied by a significant decrease in the affinity of 5HT to its receptor ( p< .05), suggesting an activation of a separate contractile pathway, or a mechanism downstream from agonist-receptor binding. Interestingly, an increase in contractility was observed only in endothelium-intact arteries. In arteries with denuded endothelium, dopamine pretreatment resulted in a small but significant decrease in tone compared to control arteries ( p< .05), suggesting a vasodilatory mechanism unmasked by endothelium removal. Although multiple mechanisms can increase vascular resistance, these data described the in vitro effects of high doses of dopamine on vascular tone as well as the role of the endothelium in dopaminemediated vasoconstriction.
Thermal Thresholds and Catastrophizing in Individuals with Chronic Pain after Whiplash Injury
Authors: Raak Ragnhild , Wallin Mia
Published: September 2006

Thermal sensitivity, thermal pain thresholds, and catastrophizing were examined in individuals with whiplash associated disorders (WAD) and in healthy pain-free participants. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was used to measure skin sensitivity to cold and warmth and cold and heat pain thresholds over both the thenar eminence and the trapezius muscle (TrM) in 17 participants with WAD (age 50.8± 11.3 years) and 18 healthy participants (age 44.8± 10.2 years). The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) was used to determine pain coping strategies, and visual analogue scales were used for self-assessment of current background pain in individuals in the WAD group as well as experienced pain intensity and unpleasantness after QST and sleep quality in all participants. There were significant differences in warmth threshold and cold and heat pain thresholds of the TrM site between the WAD and pain-free groups. Significant differences between the two groups were also found for the catastrophizing dimension of helplessness in the PCS and in self-assessed quality of sleep. A correlational analysis showed that current background pain is significantly correlated with both cold discrimination and cold pain threshold in the skin over the TrM in individuals with WAD. These findings imply that thermal sensitivity is an important factor to consider in providing nursing care to individuals with WAD. Because biopsychosocial factors also influence the experience of pain in individuals with WAD, the role of nurses includes not only the description of the pain phenomenon but also the identification of relieving and aggravating factors.
Sexing Up the Subject: Methodological Nuances in Researching the Female Sex Industry
Authors: Sanders Teela
Published: September 2006

There has been a recent expansion in research into various markets and aspects of the sex industry. With investigation on the increase, this article takes a step back to consider the trials and tribulations of researching female sex work. First the article reviews the difficulties that can be posed by ethics committees and offers solutions to convince officials of the feasibility of the setting and method. Second, concentrating on the access phase, I explore the methodological nuances of researching the sensitive, sometimes hidden and often illicit world of commercial sex. Third, I analyse how inquiry into commercial sexual behaviour and the sexual fieldsite presents particular issues in terms of managing ethical dilemmas in the field; negotiating the researcher role; and both the pleasures and dangers of researching this aspect of social life where the main topics are sex and money. In the conclusion I draw links between the methods used to investigate the sex industry and the development of theoretical debates. These points will be made with reference to the literature and my own work over the past five years in the UK sex industry, including a 10-month ethnography of the indoor prostitution markets.
‘Lesbian Appetites’: Food, Sexuality and Community in Feminist Autobiography
Authors: Lindenmeyer Antje
Published: September 2006

Food and its emotional and political significance pervades autobiographical writing by lesbians. This article traces the connections between food, sexuality and identity through four exemplary texts - Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Audre Lorde’s Zami, Dorothy Allison’s ‘A Lesbian Appetite’ and Anna Livia’s ‘Tongues or Fingers’ - where food is crucial in both defining and contesting lesbian identity, sexuality and community. Food memories and histories are portrayed as constitutive of the self, reaching back to childhood and images of ‘home’. On the other hand, they are also related to the social context of class inequalities and gendered hierarchies. Within these autobiographical narratives, food both constitutes and expresses a sense of self, playing a crucial part in the construction of the writers’ complex, multi-layered narratives of identity.
The making of neo-Confucian cyberkids: representations of young mobile phone users in South Korea
Authors: Yoon Kyongwon
Published: September 2006

This article addresses how young people are represented in popular discourses of mobile phone technology and what this representation implies for the local positioning of youth. After reviewing the ways in which representations of youth and technology have been discussed in previous studies, the research reported in this article analyzes different discursive constructions of young mobile phone users in South Korea between 1997 and 2002. The study finds that the different streams of discourse in government documents, the mass media and consumer culture appear to reflect widespread anxieties in Korea about becoming involved in ‘global’ material culture and seek to counter this tendency through rearticulating hegemonic social relations.
A method for computing the overall statistical significance of a treatment effect among a group of genes
Authors: Delongchamp Robert , Lee Taewon , Velasco Cruz
Published: September 2006

Background

In studies that use DNA arrays to assess changes in gene expression, our goal is to evaluate the statistical significance of treatments on sets of genes. Genes can be grouped by a molecular function, a biological process, or a cellular component, e.g., gene ontology (GO) terms. The meaning of an affected GO group is often clearer than interpretations arising from a list of the statistically significant genes.

Results

Computer simulations demonstrated that correlations among genes invalidate many statistical methods that are commonly used to assign significance to GO terms. Ignoring these correlations overstates the statistical significance. Meta-analysis methods for combining p-values were modified to adjust for correlation. One of these methods is elaborated in the context of a comparison between two treatments. The form of the correlation adjustment depends upon the alternative hypothesis.

Conclusion

Reliable corrections for the effect of correlations among genes on the significance level of a GO term can be constructed for an alternative hypothesis where all transcripts in the GO term increase (decrease) in response to treatment. For general alternatives, which allow some transcripts to increase and others to decrease, the bias of naïve significance calculations can be greatly decreased although not eliminated.
Microarray analysis distinguishes differential gene expression patterns from large and small colony Thymidine kinase mutants of L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells
Authors: Han Tao , Wang Jianyong , Tong Weida , Moore Martha M , Fuscoe James C , Chen Tao
Published: September 2006

Background

The Thymidine kinase (Tk) mutants generated from the widely used L5178Y mouse lymphoma assay fall into two categories, small colony and large colony. Cells from the large colonies grow at a normal rate while cells from the small colonies grow slower than normal. The relative proportion of large and small colonies after mutagen treatment is associated with a mutagen's ability to induce point mutations and/or chromosomal mutations. The molecular distinction between large and small colony mutants, however, is not clear.

Results

To gain insights into the underlying mechanisms responsible for the mutant colony phenotype, microarray gene expression analysis was carried out on 4 small and 4 large colony Tk mutant samples. NCTR-fabricated long-oligonucleotide microarrays of 20,000 mouse genes were used in a two-color reference design experiment. The data were analyzed within ArrayTrack software that was developed at the NCTR. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering of the gene expression profiles showed that the samples were clearly separated into two groups based on their colony size phenotypes. The Welch T-test was used for determining significant changes in gene expression between the large and small colony groups and 90 genes whose expression was significantly altered were identified (p < 0.01; fold change > 1.5). Using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA), 50 out of the 90 significant genes were found in the IPA database and mapped to four networks associated with cell growth. Eleven percent of the 90 significant genes were located on chromosome 11 where the Tk gene resides while only 5.6% of the genes on the microarrays mapped to chromosome 11. All of the chromosome 11 significant genes were expressed at a higher level in the small colony mutants compared to the large colony mutants. Also, most of the significant genes located on chromosome 11 were disproportionally concentrated on the distal end of chromosome 11 where the Tk mutations occurred.

Conclusion

The results indicate that microarray analysis can define cellular phenotypes and identify genes that are related to the colony size phenotypes. The findings suggest that genes in the DNA segment altered by the Tk mutations were significantly up-regulated in the small colony mutants, but not in the large colony mutants, leading to differential expression of a set of growth regulation genes that are related to cell apoptosis and other cellular functions related to the restriction of cell growth.
Gene identification and analysis of transcripts differentially regulated in fracture healing by EST sequencing in the domestic sheep
Authors: Hecht Jochen , Kuhl Heiner , Haas Stefan A , Bauer Sebastian , Poustka Albert J , Lienau Jasmin , Schell Hanna , Stiege Asita C , Seitz Volkhard , Reinhardt Richard , Duda Georg N , Mundlos Stefan , Robinson Peter N
Published: September 2006

Background

The sheep is an important model animal for testing novel fracture treatments and other medical applications. Despite these medical uses and the well known economic and cultural importance of the sheep, relatively little research has been performed into sheep genetics, and DNA sequences are available for only a small number of sheep genes.

Results

In this work we have sequenced over 47 thousand expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from libraries developed from healing bone in a sheep model of fracture healing. These ESTs were clustered with the previously available 10 thousand sheep ESTs to a total of 19087 contigs with an average length of 603 nucleotides. We used the newly identified sequences to develop RT-PCR assays for 78 sheep genes and measured differential expression during the course of fracture healing between days 7 and 42 postfracture. All genes showed significant shifts at one or more time points. 23 of the genes were differentially expressed between postfracture days 7 and 10, which could reflect an important role for these genes for the initiation of osteogenesis.

Conclusion

The sequences we have identified in this work are a valuable resource for future studies on musculoskeletal healing and regeneration using sheep and represent an important head-start for genomic sequencing projects forOvis aries, with partial or complete sequences being made available for over 5,800 previously unsequenced sheep genes.
A knowledge, attitudes, and practice survey among obstetrician-gynaecologists on intimate partner violence in Flanders, Belgium
Authors: Roelens Kristien , Verstraelen Hans , Van Egmond Kathia , Temmerman Marleen
Published: September 2006

Background

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has consistently been found to afflict one in twenty pregnant women and is therefore considered a leading cause of physical injury, mental illness and adverse pregnancy outcome. A general antenatal screening policy has been advocated, though compliance with such guidelines tends to be low. We therefore attempted to identify potential barriers to IPV screening in a context where no guidelines have been instigated yet.

Methods

Questionnaire-based Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice survey among obstetrician-gynaecologists in Flanders, Belgium (n = 478).

Results

The response rate was 52.1% (249/478). Gynaecologists prove rather unfamiliar with IPV and therefore largely underestimate the extent of the problem. Merely 6.8% (17/249) of the respondents ever received or pursued any kind of education on IPV. Accordingly they do feel insufficiently skilled to deal with IPV, yet sufficiently capable of recognizing IPV among their patients. Survey participants largely refute the incentive of universal screening in favour of opportunistic screening and do not consider pregnancy as a window of opportunity for routine screening. They do consider screening for IPV as an issue of medical liability and therefore do not suffer from a lack of motivation to screen. In addition, obstetrician-gynaecologists do believe that screening for IPV may be an effective means to counteract abusive behaviours. Yet, their outcome expectancy is weighed down by their perceived lack of self-efficacy in dealing with IPV, by lack of familiarity with referral procedures and by their perceived lack of available referral services. Major external or patient-related barriers to IPV screening included a perceived lack of time and fear of offending or insulting patients. Overall, merely 8.4 % (21/245) of gynaecologists in this survey performed some kind of IPV questioning on a regular basis. Finally, physician education was found to be the strongest predictor of a positive attitude towards screening and of current screening practices.

Conclusion

Endorsement of physician training on IPV is an important first step towards successful implementation of screening guidelines for IPV. Additional introduction of enabling and reinforcement strategies such as screening tools, patient leaflets, formal referral pathways, and physician feedback may further enhance compliance with screening recommendations and guidelines.
Pelvic floor muscle training and adjunctive therapies for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women: a systematic review
Authors: Neumann Patricia B , Grimmer Karen A , Deenadayalan Yamini
Published: September 2006

Background

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a prevalent and costly condition which may be treated surgically or by physical therapy. The aim of this review was to systematically assess the literature and present the best available evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) performed alone and together with adjunctive therapies (eg biofeedback, electrical stimulation, vaginal cones) for the treatment of female SUI.

Methods

All major electronic sources of relevant information were systematically searched to identify peer-reviewed English language abstracts or papers published between 1995 and 2005. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and other study designs eg non-randomised trials, cohort studies, case series, were considered for this review in order to source all the available evidence relevant to clinical practice.

Studies of adult women with a urodynamic or clinical diagnosis of SUI were eligible for inclusion. Excluded were studies of women who were pregnant, immediately post-partum or with a diagnosis of mixed or urge incontinence. Studies with a PFMT protocol alone and in combination with adjunctive physical therapies were considered.

Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of each study, its level of evidence and the methodological quality. Due to the heterogeneity of study designs, the results are presented in narrative format.

Results

Twenty four studies, including 17 RCTs and seven non-RCTs, met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the studies varied but lower quality scores did not necessarily indicate studies from lower levels of evidence. This review found consistent evidence from a number of high quality RCTs that PFMT alone and in combination with adjunctive therapies is effective treatment for women with SUI with rates of 'cure' and 'cure/improvement' up to 73% and 97% respectively. The contribution of adjunctive therapies is unclear and there is limited evidence about treatment outcomes in primary care settings.

Conclusion

There is strong evidence for the efficacy of physical therapy for the treatment for SUI in women but further high quality studies are needed to evaluate the optimal treatment programs and training protocols in subgroups of women and their effectiveness in clinical practice.
Mode of delivery and cord blood cytokines: a birth cohort study
Authors: Ly Ngoc P , Ruiz-Pérez Begoña , Onderdonk Andrew B , Tzianabos Arthur O , Litonjua Augusto A , Liang Catherine , Laskey Daniel , Delaney Mary L , DuBois Andrea M , Levy Hara , Gold Diane R , Ryan Louise M , Weiss Scott T , Celedón Juan C
Published: September 2006

Background

The mechanisms for the association between birth by cesarean section and atopy and asthma are largely unknown.

Objective

To examine whether cesarean section results in neonatal secretion of cytokines that are associated with increased risk of atopy and/or asthma in childhood. To examine whether the association between mode of delivery and neonatal immune responses is explained by exposure to the maternal gut flora (a marker of the vaginal flora).

Methods

CBMCs were isolated from 37 neonates at delivery, and secretion of IL-13, IFN-γ, and IL-10 (at baseline and after stimulation with antigens [dust mite and cat dander allergens, phytohemagglutinin, and lipopolysaccharide]) was quantified by ELISA. Total and specific microbes were quantified in maternal stool. The relation between mode of delivery and cord blood cytokines was examined by linear regression. The relation between maternal stool microbes and cord blood cytokines was examined by Spearman's correlation coefficients.

Results

Cesarean section was associated with increased levels of IL-13 and IFN-γ. In multivariate analyses, cesarean section was associated with an increment of 79.4 pg/ml in secretion of IL-13 by CBMCs after stimulation with dust mite allergen (P < 0.001). Among children born by vaginal delivery, gram-positive anaerobes and total anaerobes in maternal stool were positively correlated with levels of IL-10, and gram-negative aerobic bacteria in maternal stool were negatively correlated with levels of IL-13 and IFN-γ.

Conclusion

Cesarean section is associated with increased levels of IL-13 and IFN-γ, perhaps because of lack of labor and/or reduced exposure to specific microbes (e.g., gram-positive anaerobes) at birth.
A comprehensive review of 46 exercise treatment studies in fibromyalgia (1988–2005)
Authors: Jones Kim Dupree , Adams Dianne , Winters-Stone Kerri , Burckhardt Carol S
Published: September 2006

The purpose of this review was to: (1) locate all exercise treatment studies of fibromyalgia (FM) patients from 1988 through 2005, (2) present in tabular format the key details of each study and (3) to provide a summary and evaluation of each study for exercise and health outcomes researchers.

Exercise intervention studies in FM were retrieved through Cochrane Collaboration Reviews and key word searches of the medical literature, conference proceedings and bibliographies. Studies were reviewed for inclusion using a standardized process. A table summarizing subject characteristics, exercise mode, timing, duration, frequency, intensity, attrition and outcome variables was developed. Results, conclusions and comments were made for each study. Forty-six exercise treatment studies were found with a total of 3035 subjects. The strongest evidence was in support of aerobic exercise a treatment prescription for fitness and symptom and improvement. In general, the greatest effect and lowest attrition occurred in exercise programs that were of lower intensity than those of higher intensity. Exercise is a crucial part of treatment for people with FM. Increased health and fitness, along with symptom reduction, can be expected with exercise that is of appropriate intensity, self-modified, and symptom-limited. Exercise and health outcomes researchers are encouraged to use the extant literature to develop effective health enhancing programs for people with FM and to target research to as yet understudied FM subpopulations, such as children, men, older adults, ethnic minorities and those with common comorbidities of osteoarthritis and obesity.
Partial protective effect of CCR5-Delta 32 heterozygosity in a cohort of heterosexual Italian HIV-1 exposed uninfected individuals
Authors: Trecarichi Enrico M , Tumbarello Mario , Donati Katleen de Gaetano , Tamburrini Enrica , Cauda Roberto , Brahe Christina , Tiziano Francesco D
Published: September 2006

Despite multiple sexual exposure to HIV-1 virus, some individuals remain HIV-1 seronegative (exposed seronegative, ESN). The mechanisms underlying this resistance remain still unclear, although a multifactorial pathogenesis can be hypothesised. Although several genetic factors have been related to HIV-1 resistance, the homozigosity for a mutation in CCR5 gene (the 32 bp deletion, i.e. CCR5-Delta32 allele) is presently considered the most relevant one. In the present study we analysed the genotype at CCR5 locus of 30 Italian ESN individuals (case group) who referred multiple unprotected heterosexual intercourse with HIV-1 seropositive partner(s), for at least two years. One hundred and twenty HIV-1 infected patients and 120 individuals representative of the general population were included as control groups. Twenty percent of ESN individuals had heterozygous CCR5-Delta 32 genotype, compared to 7.5% of HIV-1 seropositive and 10% of individuals from the general population, respectively. None of the analysed individuals had CCR5-Delta 32 homozygous genotype. Sequence analysis of the entire open reading frame of CCR5 was performed in all ESN subjects and no polymorphisms or mutations were identified. Moreover, we determined the distribution of C77G variant in CD45 gene, which has been previously related to HIV-1 infection susceptibility. The frequency of the C77G variant showed no significant difference between ESN subjects and the two control groups.

In conclusion, our data show a significantly higher frequency of CCR5-Delta 32 heterozygous genotype (p = 0.04) among the Italian heterosexual ESN individuals compared to HIV-1 seropositive patients, suggesting a partial protective role of CCR5-Delta 32 heterozygosity in this cohort.
Individual freedom versus collective responsibility: an ethicist's perspective
Authors: Ashcroft Richard E
Published: September 2006

Philosophical theories of collective action have produced a number of alternative accounts of the rationality and morality of self-interest and altruism. These have obvious applications to communicable disease control, the avoidance of antibiotic resistance, the responsibility of healthcare professionals to patients with serious communicable diseases, and the sharing of personal data in epidemiological research.
Individual freedom versus collective responsibility: an economic epidemiology perspective
Authors: Zia Sadique M
Published: September 2006

Individuals' free choices in vaccination do not guarantee social optimum since individuals' decision is based on imperfect information, and vaccination decision involves positive externality. Public policy of compulsory vaccination or subsidised vaccination aims to increase aggregate private demand closer to social optimum. However, there is controversy over the effectiveness of public intervention compared to the free choice outcome in vaccination, and this article provides a brief discussion on this issue. It can be summarised that individuals' incentives to vaccination and accordingly their behavioural responses can greatly influence public policy's pursuit to control disease transmission, and compulsory (or subsidised) vaccination policy without incorporating such behavioural responses will not be able to achieve the best social outcome.
HIV-1 designed to use different tRNAGln isoacceptors prefers to select tRNAThr for replication
Authors: Li Meng , Eipers Peter G , Ni Na , Morrow Casey D
Published: September 2006

Background

Previous studies have shown that infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) causes acceleration of the synthesis of glutamine tRNA (tRNAGln) in infected cells. To investigate whether this might influence HIV-1 to utilize tRNAGln as a primer for initiation of reverse transcription, we have constructed HIV-1 proviral genomes in which the PBS and the A-loop region upstream of the PBS have been made complementary to either the anticodon region of tRNAGln,1 or tRNAGln,3 and 3' terminal 18 nucleotides of each isoacceptor of tRNAGln.

Results

Viruses in which the PBS was altered to be complementary to tRNAGln,1 or tRNAGln,3 with or without the A-loop all exhibited a lower infectivity than the wild type virus. Viruses with only the PBS complementary to tRNAGln,1 or tRNAGln,3 reverted to wild type following culture in SupT1 cells. Surprisingly, viruses in which the PBS and A-loop were complementary to tRNAGln,1 did not grow in SupT1 cells, while viruses in which the PBS and A-loop were made complementary to tRNAGln,3 grew slowly in SupT1 cells. Analysis of the PBS of this virus revealed that it had reverted to select tRNAThr as the primer, which shares complementarity in 15 of 18 nucleotides with the PBS complementary to tRNAGln,3.

Conclusion

The results of these studies support the concept that the HIV-1 has preferred tRNAs that can be selected as primers for replication.