bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acetylation of H2AZ Lys 14 is associated with genome-wide gene activity in yeast
Authors: Millar Catherine B. , Xu Feng , Zhang Kangling , Grunstein Michael
Published: March 2006

Histone variants and their post-translational modifications help regulate chromosomal functions. Htz1 is an evolutionarily conserved H2A variant found at several promoters in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, we undertook a genome-wide analysis of Htz1 and its modifications in yeast. Using mass spectrometric analysis, we determined that Htz1 is acetylated at Lys 3, Lys 8, Lys 10, and Lys 14 within its N-terminal tail, with K14 being the most abundant acetylated site. ChIP and microarray analysis were then used to compare the location of Htz1-K14 acetylation to that of Htz1 genome-wide. The data presented here demonstrate that while Htz1 is associated preferentially with the promoters of repressed genes, K14 acetylation is enriched at the promoters of active genes, and requires two known histone acetyltransferases, Gcn5 and Esa1. In support of our genome-wide analysis, we found that the acetylatable lysines of Htz1 are required for its full deposition during nucleosome reassembly upon repression of PHO5. Since the majority of Htz1 acetylation is seen at active promoters, where nucleosomes are known to be disassembled, our data argue for a dynamic process in which reassembly of Htz1 is regulated by its acetylation at promoters during transcription.
The Modern Girl around the World: A Research Agenda and Preliminary Findings
Authors:   Modern Girl Around the World Research Group, Barlow Tani E. , Yue Dong Madeleine , Poiger Uta G. , Ramamurthy Priti , Thomas Lynn M. , Eve Weinbaum Alys
Published: March 2006

Our research collaboration examines how the Modern Girl emerged as a global phenomenon in the first half of the twentieth century. By wearing provocative fashions and pursuing romantic love, Modern Girls everywhere appeared to disregard the roles of dutiful daughter, wife and mother. We develop the Modern Girl as a heuristic category that allows new insights into forces of globalisation and manifestations of gendered modernity. Through a case study of cosmetics advertising in China, India, South Africa, Germany and the United States, we show that the Modern Girl in each locale was shaped through multidirectional citations of elements from elsewhere, through transnational processes of racialisation and through distinct articulations of nationalism.
The ‘New Woman’ and the Politics of Love, Marriage and Divorce in Colonial Korea
Authors: Yoo Theodore Jun
Published: March 2006

This study seeks to explore the changing discursive forces that competed to define Korean women's identity and roles within the context of the new spaces created by colonialism and modernity. It argues that a small coterie of literate women seized the initiative to enhance their education, define the politics of physical aesthetics and con‐tribute to the debate about the changing gender roles and expectations in Korean society all under the guise of 'Westernisation' and progress. The emergence of these 'new women' challenged traditional notions of Korean womanhood and brought the 'woman question' to the forefront of public discourse.
American Girls and French Jeunes Filles: Negotiating National Identities in Interwar France
Authors: Walton Whitney
Published: March 2006

This essay is a transnational and comparative study of how gendered national stereotypes structured the experience of American women who studied in France in the 1920s and 1930s and how this cross‐cultural exchange contributed to cultural internationalism. In both the French and American popular imaginations, American girls and French jeunes filles connoted opposite modern and traditional notions of femininity. In the process of negotiating these two competing identities in popular consciousness and in daily life, some American women students came to appreciate the limitations of the stereotypes, as well as more complex underlying cultural differences, notably in their encounters with French youth's heterosocial practices and with French women students. I argue that the outcome of this process included women's construction of alternative identities for themselves and a new tolerance and appreciation for cultural difference that represents a distinctive development toward cultural internationalism. This study challenges the cultural asymmetry of United States and European relations between the wars and locates gender and women at their centre.
Dominion of the Spirit over the Flesh: Religion, Gender and Sexual Morality in the German Women's Movement before World War I
Authors: Dickinson Edward Ross
Published: March 2006

This article examines the place of religious values in the thinking of leading figures in the mainstream German women's movement in the period before World War I. Focusing on the debate of sexual morality and abortion within the German League of Women's Associations, it argues that the position taken by these women is best understood as a product of their religious commitments, rather than their political ideas. The article seeks to place these women in the historical context of a particular liberal, Protestant, social and intellectual milieu that flourished in the period before 1914.
Fatherhood and the British Fathercraft Movement, 1919–39
Authors: Fisher Tim
Published: March 2006

Fathercraft and Fathers' Councils ‐ male adjuncts to Maternity and Infant Welfare Centres ‐ reacted to the maternal dominance in infant welfare and parenting in interwar Britain by arguing that fathers should play a crucial role in the upbringing of children. This article outlines how rigid ideas about the 'public' and 'private' spheres meant that education schemes for fathers had to be explicitly and recognisably 'masculine' and were often focused on public functions that reinforced a man's traditional function as a breadwinner and provider. Yet, at the core of the fathercraft message was the idea that these traditional functions were insufficient. Fathers, it was argued, should have an active and involved role in their children's lives and men could no longer adequately fulfil their duties from the margins of the family. However, within a culture that placed great emphasis on motherhood and gender differences, the idea of instructing men in parenting was fraught with contradiction, confusion and resistance. Fathercraft was one version of fatherhood that attempted to reconcile these contradictions in a desire to involve fathers more fully with their children for the good of the Infant Welfare Movement, mothers and, indeed, for men themselves.
Redefining Men's Sexuality, Resignifying Male Bodies: The Argentine Law of Anti‐Venereal Prophylaxis, 1936
Authors: Milanesio Natalia
Published: March 2006

By analysing governmental, legal and medical sources, this article examines Argentina's first national law of anti‐venereal prophylaxis enacted in 1936. It argues that two aspects of the law, the abolition of legalised prostitution and the mandatory prenuptial medical exam and certificate for men, especially signalled a shift in the state's concern for men's sexuality. The essay demonstrates that this shift was based on the legal and medical recognition of men's reproductive role, its impact on the health of the family and the biological destiny of the nation, and the consideration of the male body as a carrier of venereal diseases and an agent of contagion. This interest in men's sexuality was also the result of the limits the state confronted in its attempts to target women. The law imposed new controls over men because the medical surveillance of prostitutes had proved to be a sanitary failure, and the medical examination and certificate for single women was rejected since it went against beliefs regarding female purity and virginity. This article shows how, under the influence of eugenics, the state turned to the sanitary surveillance of men to prevent venereal contagion and to assure healthy procreation by assuming a new interventionist and paternalist role as the guarantor of public health, the promoter of the hygienic family, and the entity responsible for the protection of wives and children through the control of the male body.
Bovine lactoferrin for Helicobacter pylori eradication: an open, randomized, multicentre study
Authors: DI MARIO F. , ARAGONA G. , DAL BÓ N. , CAVALLARO L. , MARCON V. , OLIVIERI P. , BENEDETTI E. , ORZÈS N. , MARIN R. , TAFNER G. , CHILOVI F. , DE BASTIANI R. , FEDRIZZI F. , FRANCESCHI M. , SALVAT M. H. , MONICA F. , PIAZZI L. , VALIANTE F. , VECCHIATI U. , CAVESTRO G. M. , COMPARATO G. , IORI V. , MAINO M. , LEANDRO G. , PILOTTO A. , RUGGE M. , FRANZÈ A. ,   GASTROINTESTINAL STUDY UNIT (GISU)
Published: March 2006

Background  Cure rates for eradication of Helicobacter pylori appear to be decreasing, thus more effective therapies must be identified.

Aim  To evaluate the efficacy of bovine lactoferrin in the treatment of H. pylori infection.

Methods  In a multicentred prospective study, 402 (mean age 52.4, range 19–84 years) H. pylori‐positive patients were assigned to one of three regimens: group A – esomeprazole 20 mg b.d., clarithromycin 500 mg b.d. and tinidazole 500 mg b.d. for 7 days; group B – lactoferrin 200 mg b.d. for 7 days followed by the same schedule of group A; group C – esomeprazole 20 mg b.d., clarithromycin 500 mg b.d. and tinidazole 500 mg b.d. plus lactoferrin 200 mg b.d. for 7 days.

Results  Of the 402 patients, 389 completed the study. Six patients were discontinued due to side effects, one patient in group B died and six patients were lost to follow up. The eradication rate (intention‐to‐treat analysis) was 77% in group A (105/136), 73% in group B (97/132) and 90% in group C (120/134) (χ2‐test P < 0.01). The incidence of side effects was 9.5% in group A, 9% in group B and 8.2% in group C (χ2‐test P = 0.1).

Conclusion  This study demonstrates that bovine lactoferrin is an effective adjuvant to 7‐day triple therapy for eradication of H. pylori infection.
Effect of intravenous infusion of glyceryl trinitrate on gastric and small intestinal motor function in healthy humans
Authors: MADSEN J. L. , FUGLSANG S. , GRAFF J.
Published: March 2006

Background  Glyceryl trinitrate is a donor of nitric oxide that relaxes smooth muscle cells of the gastrointestinal tract. Little is known about the effect of glyceryl trinitrate on gastric emptying and no data exist on the possible effect of glyceryl trinitrate on small intestinal transit.

Aim  To examine the effect of intravenous infusion of glyceryl trinitrate on gastric and small intestinal motor function after a meal in healthy humans.

Methods  Nine healthy volunteers participated in a placebo‐controlled, double‐blind, crossover study. Each volunteer was examined during intravenous infusion of glyceryl trinitrate 1 μg/kg × min or saline. A gamma camera technique was used to measure gastric emptying and small intestinal transit after a 1600‐kJ mixed liquid and solid meal. Furthermore, duodenal motility was assessed by manometry.

Results  Glyceryl trinitrate did not change gastric mean emptying time, gastric half emptying time, gastric retention at 15 min or small intestinal mean transit time. Glyceryl trinitrate did not influence the frequency of duodenal contractions, the amplitude of duodenal contractions or the duodenal motility index.

Conclusions  Intravenous infusion of glyceryl trinitrate 1 μg/kg × min does not induce major changes in gastric or small intestinal motor function after a 1600‐kJ meal in healthy volunteers.
A multidisciplinary approach to understanding the recent and historical occurrence of the freshwater plant, Littorella uniflora
Authors: PEDERSEN OLE , ANDERSEN TROELS , IKEJIMA KOU , ZAKIR HOSSAIN MD , ANDERSEN FREDE ØSTERGAARD
Published: March 2006

1. The vulnerability of softwater, oligotrophic lakes to eutrophication has caused the disappearance of many, if not most, of the unique isoetid plant communities. We tested whether the presence or disappearance of the isoetid Littorella uniflora (L.) could be predicted from environmental parameters, soil types and land use in the catchment area, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition.

2. We found that the topographic catchment area of a lake was an irrelevant unit to study effects of soil type and land use. Instead, using a GIS‐generated buffer zone around the lakes it proved feasible to classify 472 lakes into historical (if L. uniflora had disappeared) or recent (if L. uniflora was still present) Littorella lakes, based on soil type and land use. Our analysis showed that aeolian sand deposits and heath in the buffer zone favoured the presence of L. uniflora, whereas moraine clay and agriculture were strongly linked to the disappearance of L. uniflora.

3. However, in order to understand fully the presence or disappearance of L. uniflora, environmental data were needed in addition to soil types, land use and nitrogen deposition, and the use of discriminant analysis allowed us to classify 96% of the investigated lakes correctly into recent or historical sites. Alkalinity, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, aeolian sand deposits and heath were the most important parameters explaining the presence or disappearance of L. uniflora. Our analysis also indicated that eutrophication, rather than acidification, has likely caused the disappearance of L. uniflora from 218 of the 472 lakes investigated.

4. Our findings have widespread implications for the conservation or restoration of isoetid habitats and we recommend applying a wide buffer zone around lakes, with restrictions on farming and traditional forestry activities. In addition, our buffering concept may prove a useful tool for aquatic ecologists to investigate relationships between catchment features and organisms (plants, insects and amphibians) with aquatic as well as terrestrial life forms.
A comparison of phytoplankton community assemblages in artificially and naturally mixed subtropical water reservoirs
Authors: BURFORD MICHELE A. , O'DONOHUE MARK J.
Published: March 2006

1. The effect of mechanical and natural mixing of water on phytoplankton community assemblages was compared in one reservoir with a destratification unit operating during the wet summer months (North Pine Reservoir) with two adjacent reservoirs without artificial mixing (Wivenhoe and Somerset Reservoirs) over 6 years in subtropical Australia.

2. All three reservoirs were dominated by cyanobacteria, with the same three genera representing 75–80% of the abundance, i.e. Aphanocapsa/Merismopedia/Cyanodictyon group, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Wołoszyńska) Seenayya et Subba Raju and Planktolyngbya. Associations between the dominant genera were consistent across all three reservoirs although there were reduced seasonal differences in abundance in North Pine Reservoir compared with the other reservoirs.

3. Peaks in abundance of the solitary filamentous species C. raciborskii and Planktolyngbya occurred earlier and the densities of the colonial species Aphanocapsa/Merismopedia/Cyanodictyon were lower in the reservoir where the destratification unit was switched on in spring compared with the naturally mixed reservoirs, possibly reflecting the differential effect of artificial mixing on colonial versus solitary filamentous species.

4. Phosphate concentrations were positively correlated with algal densities in the two naturally mixed reservoirs but not the artificially mixed reservoir where phosphate concentrations at the surface were near the limit of detection (0.06 μm P). Artificial mixing may, therefore, promote the growth of species able to utilise and store low concentrations of phosphate, such as C. raciborskii.
Root exudation (net efflux of amino acids) may increase rhizodeposition under elevated CO2
Authors: PHILLIPS DONALD A. , FOX TAMA C. , SIX JOHAN
Published: March 2006

Increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]) can lead to global climate change and theoretically could enhance carbon (C) deposition in soil, but data on this complex issue are contradictory. One approach for clarifying the diverse forces influencing plant‐derived C in the rhizosphere involves defining how elevated [CO2] alters the fundamental process of C transfer from plant roots to the soil. We examine here how a step increase in [CO2] affects the innate influx and efflux components of root exudation in axenic plants, as one foundation for understanding how climate change may affect rhizodeposition. Increasing [CO2] from 425 to 850 μmol mol−1 during short‐term trials enhanced shoot and root dry weight (P<0.01) of annual rye grass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and medic (Medicago truncatula L.) but had no effect on growth of maize (Zea mays L.). Root amino‐acid flux in the same plants changed only in maize, which increased the efflux rate (nmol g root fresh weight−1 h−1) of six amino acids (arginine, alanine, proline, tyrosine, lysine and leucine) significantly (P<0.05) under elevated [CO2]. None of the three plant species altered the steady‐state concentration of 16 amino acids released into a hydroponic solution with changing [CO2], apparently because amino‐acid influx rates, measured at 2.5 μm, consistently exceeded efflux rates. Indeed, plants recovered amino acids at rates 94–374% higher than they were lost from roots regardless of [CO2]. These results indicate that, in theory, any effect of [CO2] doubling on amino‐acid efflux can be offset by innately higher rates of influx. In practice, however, higher rates of amino‐acid cycling (i.e., efflux+influx) for each root segment (in C4 maize) or from more root tissue (in the two C3 species) should increase root exudation by plants exposed to elevated [CO2] as additional amino acids would be adsorbed to soil particles or be taken up by soil microorganisms.
Evaluation of soil saturation, soil chemistry, and early spring soil and air temperatures as risk factors in yellow‐cedar decline
Authors: D'AMORE D. V. , HENNON P. E.
Published: March 2006

Yellow‐cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis(D. Don) Oerst.) is a valuable tree species that is experiencing a widespread decline and mortality in southeast Alaska. This study evaluated the relative importance of several potential risk factors associated with yellow‐cedar decline: soil saturation, soil aluminum (Al) toxicity or calcium (Ca) deficiency, and air and soil temperature. Data were collected from permanent vegetation plots established in two low‐elevation coastal forests exhibiting broad ranges of cedar mortality. Measurements of each risk factor were contrasted among classified forest zones to indicate if there were strong links with decline. Hydrology alone is weakly associated with yellow‐cedar decline, but could have a predisposing role in the decline by creating exposed conditions because of reduced forest productivity. Yellow‐cedar decline is not strongly associated with soil pH and extractable Al and Ca, but there appears to be Ca enrichment of surface soils by feedback from dead yellow‐cedar foliage. Air and soil temperature factors are strongly associated with decline. Based on these results, an hypothesis is presented to explain the mechanism of tree injury where exposure‐driven tree mortality is initiated in gaps created by soil saturation and then expands in gaps created by the tree‐mortality itself. The exposure allows soils to warm in early spring causing premature dehardening in yellow‐cedar trees and subsequent freezing injury during cold events. Yellow‐cedars growing in the protection of shade or snow are not preconditioned by this warming, and thus not as susceptible to cold injury. Yellow‐cedar decline appears to be associated with regional climate changes, but whether the cause of these changes is related to natural or human‐induced climate shifts remains uncertain. Management implications, the possible role of climate, and recommended research are discussed.
Contrasting population changes in sympatric penguin species in association with climate warming
Authors: FORCADA JAUME , TRATHAN P. N. , REID K. , MURPHY E. J. , CROXALL J. P.
Published: March 2006

Climate warming and associated sea ice reductions in Antarctica have modified habitat conditions for some species. These include the congeneric Adélie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins, which now demonstrate remarkable population responses to regional warming. However, inconsistencies in the direction of population changes between species at different study sites complicate the understanding of causal processes. Here, we show that at the South Orkney Islands where the three species breed sympatrically, the less ice‐adapted gentoo penguins increased significantly in numbers over the last 26 years, whereas chinstrap and Adélie penguins both declined. These trends occurred in parallel with regional long‐term warming and significant reduction in sea ice extent. Periodical warm events, with teleconnections to the tropical Pacific, caused cycles in sea ice leading to reduced prey biomass, and simultaneous interannual population decreases in the three penguin species. With the loss of sea ice, Adélie penguins were less buffered against the environment, their numbers fluctuated greatly and their population response was strong and linear. Chinstrap penguins, considered to be better adapted to ice‐free conditions, were affected by discrete events of locally increased ice cover, but showed less variable, nonlinear responses to sea ice loss. Gentoo penguins were temporarily affected by negative anomalies in regional sea ice, but persistent sea ice reductions were likely to increase their available niche, which is likely to be substantially segregated from that of their more abundant congeners. Thus, the regional consequences of global climate perturbations on the sea ice phenology affect the marine ecosystem, with repercussions for penguin food supply and competition for resources. Ultimately, variability in penguin populations with warming reflects the local balance between penguin adaptation to ice conditions and trophic‐mediated changes cascading from global climate forcing.
Canopy photosynthesis, evapotranspiration, leaf nitrogen, and transcription profiles of maize in response to CO2 enrichment
Authors: KIM SOO‐HYUNG , SICHER RICHARD C. , BAE HANHONG , GITZ DENNIS C. , BAKER JEFFREY T. , TIMLIN DENNIS J. , REDDY VANGIMALLA R.
Published: March 2006

The effects of CO2 enrichment on the growth and physiology of maize were investigated at the molecular, biochemical, leaf, and canopy levels. Maize plants were grown in sunlit soil–plant–atmosphere research (SPAR) chambers at ambient (370 μmol mol−1) or elevated (750 μmol mol−1) atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (Ca) under well‐watered and fertilized conditions. Canopy gas exchange rates and leaf temperatures were monitored continuously during the growing season. CO2 enrichment did not enhance the growth or canopy photosynthesis of maize plants. However, canopy evapotranspiration rates decreased by 22% and daytime leaf temperatures were increased about 1°C in response to CO2 enrichment. Leaf carboxylation efficiency and leaf nitrogen concentration also decreased at elevated Ca. Transcription profiling using maize cDNA microarrays revealed that approximately 5% of tested genes responded to CO2 enrichment. Of the altered transcripts, several were known to encode proteins involved in stomatal development or photosynthesis. For the majority of the altered transcripts, however, it was difficult to link their functions with specific physiological factors partly because many of these genes encoded unknown proteins. We conclude that maize did not exhibit enhanced growth or photosynthesis in response to CO2 enrichment but a number of molecular and physiological processes including those involved in stomatal relations were affected by growth in elevated Ca.
Elevated CO2increases the long‐term decomposition rate ofQuercus myrtifolialeaf litter
Authors: HALL MYRA C. , STILING PETER , MOON DANIEL C. , DRAKE BERT G. , HUNTER MARK D.
Published: March 2006

Decomposition ofQuercus myrtifolialeaf litter in a Florida scrub oak community was followed for 3 years in two separate experiments. In the first experiment, we examined the effects CO2and herbivore damage on litter quality and subsequent decomposition. Undamaged, chewed and mined litter generated under ambient and elevated (ambient+350 ppm V) CO2was allowed to decompose under ambient conditions for 3 years. Initial litter chemistry indicated that CO2levels had minor effects on litter quality. Litter damaged by leaf miners had higher initial concentrations of condensed tannins and nitrogen (N) and lower concentrations of hemicellulose and C : N ratios compared with undamaged and chewed litter. Despite variation in litter quality associated with CO2, herbivory, and their interaction, there was no subsequent effect on rates of decomposition under ambient atmospheric conditions. In the second experiment, we examined the effects of source (ambient and elevated) of litter and decomposition site (ambient and elevated) on litter decomposition and N dynamics. Litter was not separated by damage type. The litter from both elevated and ambient CO2was then decomposed in both elevated and ambient CO2chambers. Initial litter chemistry indicated that concentrations of carbon (C), hemicellulose, and lignin were higher in litter from elevated than ambient CO2chambers. Despite differences in C and fiber concentrations, litter from ambient and elevated CO2decomposed at comparable rates. However, the atmosphere in which the decomposition took place resulted in significant differences in rates of decomposition. Litter decomposing under elevated CO2decomposed more rapidly than litter under ambient CO2, and exhibited higher rates of mineral N accumulation. The results suggest that the atmospheric conditions during the decomposition process have a greater impact on rates of decomposition and N cycling than do the atmospheric conditions under which the foliage was produced.
A qualitative analysis of the ‘management of schizophrenia’ within a medium‐secure service for men with learning disabilities
Authors: ISHERWOOD T. , BURNS M. , RIGBY G.
Published: March 2006

Within secure psychiatric services, nurses trained to work with people with learning disabilities are often called upon to deal with those experiencing psychosis; a role that they are not routinely prepared for in generic learning disability nurse training. Psycho‐social interventions (PSI) are recommended as an adjunct to routine pharmacological treatment for people experiencing psychosis. There is a small literature that suggests that PSI has utility with people with learning disabilities. As part of a wider evaluation of the introduction of a PSI framework to a 10‐bedded medium‐secure unit for men with learning disabilities and mental health problems, 13 members of nursing staff completed the ‘Management of Schizophrenic Patients Checklist’. The responses were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Principle themes identified are described. The therapy vs. security quandary frequently reported in forensic psychiatry was evident in responses. The findings are guiding a programme of training and ongoing supervision within the service and are discussed in the context of wider therapeutic issues and institutional environment.
Preliminary outcomes of a trial to reduce conflict and containment on acute psychiatric wards: City Nurses
Authors: BOWERS L. , BRENNAN G. , FLOOD C. , LIPANG M. , OLADAPO P.
Published: March 2006

Acute psychiatric wards experience high levels of conflict behaviours (violence, absconding, self‐harm, rule breaking and medication refusal) by patients. These events cause stress and injury to staff and patients. Their management through containment methods (e.g. sedation, restraint, seclusion) is contentious, and nurses are ambivalent about their use. The aim of this study was to reduce conflict and containment on two acute psychiatric wards through changes in nurses’ beliefs, attitudes and practices. Two ‘City Nurses’ were employed to work with two acute wards for 1 year, assisting with the implementation of changes according to a working model of conflict and containment generation, itself based on previous research. Evaluation was via before‐and‐after measures. Statistically and clinically significant decreases in conflict occurred, with falls in aggression, absconding and self‐harm. Ward atmosphere improved and nurse–patient interaction rates increased. There was no significant change in containment method use. Significant reductions in aggression, absconding and self‐harm can be achieved on acute psychiatric wards. However, it does not appear that containment can be reduced, even through large reductions in conflict.
Sisyphus happy: the experience of depression
Authors: BURNARD P.
Published: March 2006

Depression has been well documented, in the academic sense. This paper offers one person's experience of periods of depression. It describes symptoms and personal ideas about this commonly experienced condition. It raises questions about the legitimacy of psychiatric and psychological theorizing, and draws from various existential positions to support the text. The author suggests that depression is not, particularly a ‘learning experience’ and, far less, a form of personal growth.
Becoming one person: living with dissociative identity disorder
Authors: STICKLEY T. , NICKEAS R.
Published: March 2006

Dissociative identity disorder is a rare diagnosis, although people currently with a diagnosis of psychosis may in fact be experiencing what is associated with the disorder. This article is co‐authored by a nurse and a person who has lived with alters (multiple personalities) for nearly all of her life. Because of the rarity of the diagnosis, there is much misunderstanding and ignorance among lay people and mental health professionals. This article therefore clarifies historical and contemporary issues surrounding this particular mental health problem both through examining the literature and through narrative of the person's experience. Special attention is given to the reality of coping with the difficulties that dissociative identity disorder create.
The effects of a non‐smoking policy on nursing staff smoking behaviour and attitudes in a psychiatric hospital
Authors: BLOOR R. N. , MEESON L. , CROME I. B.
Published: March 2006

The UK Department of Health required that by April 2001, all NHS bodies would have implemented a smoking policy. It has been suggested that the best demonstration a hospital can make of its commitment to health is to ban smoking on its premises. This paper reports on an evaluation of the effectiveness of a non‐smoking policy in a newly opened NHS psychiatric hospital. Questionnaires were sent to all 156 nursing staff in a psychiatric hospital to assess the effectiveness of the policy in terms of staff smoking behaviour, attitudes to the restriction and compliance with the policy. Of the 156 questionnaires distributed, 92 (58%) were returned; smokers, former smokers and those who have never smoked were quite evenly represented at 34.78%, 34.78% and 30.43%, respectively. Of eight critical success factors for the policy, only one, staff not smoking in Trust public areas, had been achieved. A non‐smoking policy was generally accepted as necessary by nursing staff working in a mental health setting. Staff felt that the policy was not effective in motivating smoking nurses to stop and that insufficient support was given to these nurses. The study highlights the importance of introducing staff support systems as an integral part of smoking policies and the role of counterintuitive behaviour in the effectiveness of smoking policy introduction in healthcare settings.
Functional status and quality of life in patients with first‐episode major depression
Authors: SKÄRSÄTER I. , BAIGI A. , HAGLUND L.
Published: March 2006

The aim of this study was to analyse the level of severity of major depression and its relation to functioning and health‐related quality of life over time in patients treated for their first episode of major depression. Thirty‐three adult patients who fulfilled the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐IV) criteria for major depression were included in the study. Semi‐structured interviews and self‐assessment questionnaires were used at baseline and at 6‐monthly intervals in a 2‐year follow‐up, in order to measure the level of severity of depression, functioning and quality of life. The results showed that the first episode of major depression was rated as severe in 43% of cases. Multiple domains of functioning as well as quality of life were strongly affected in patients at baseline, although the level of functioning increased significantly over the study period, as did quality of life, but not concurrently with the decrease in the level of severity of the depression. Psychosocial functioning is an important outcome measure related to major depression, which underlines the importance of separate evaluations initiated and conducted by mental health nurses in order to determine whether or not patients have actually achieved a state of health.
Informal care as relationship: the case of the Magnificent Seven
Authors: JONES K.
Published: March 2006

Continual and/or repetitive informal caring and the part childhood, developmental and socially constructed identity play roles in adult informal care, form the background to the questions of why individuals gravitate toward such relationships and why they often continue to care in the face of overwhelming obstacles. A synthesis of the literature is presented, leading to personal histories as a method of discovery. The Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method’s minimalist interview technique is put forth as the key data‐gathering event. Reflecting teams, underpinned by hermeneutics or interpretive phenomenology, are used for the analyses. Data from in‐depth, biographic interviews with two informal carers (a mother and her adult son) from a seven‐member, three‐generational family are presented. The study reveals that this family defines disability as a status that they share in common: disability demonstrates relationships and keeps the family together, but discourages mobility. It is suggested that often‐unmet childhood needs propelled these particular individuals into demonstrating those needs as adults by assuming informal care relationships. The case is made that their biographies impact upon their management of health and enduring illnesses within caring roles. Further biographic research within the caring profession is recommended.
The Self‐Injury Questionnaire: evaluation of the psychometric properties in a clinical population
Authors: SANTA MINA E. E. , GALLOP R. , LINKS P. , HESLEGRAVE R. , PRINGLE D. , WEKERLE C. , GREWAL P.
Published: March 2006

This paper presents the findings, from a clinical study, on the reliability and validity of a new measure for intentions in self‐harm behaviour, the Self‐Injury Questionnaire (SIQ). Eighty‐three patients, who had presented to an emergency department with an episode of self‐harm/suicidal behaviour, were given the SIQ as part of a battery of measures to evaluate differentiation in self‐harm intentions based upon a history of childhood physical and/or sexual abuse. The internal consistency for the total scale was strong (α = 0.83). Construct validity demonstrated significant correlations with standardized measures. A principle component analysis of responses yielded a five‐factor solution with ‘affect regulation’ items loading on the first factor. Cronbach's alphas were adequate for each subscale (α = 0.72–0.77). These preliminary findings indicate that the SIQ is a valid and reliable measure for research in an acute self‐harming population.
Viral kinetics and early prediction of nonresponse to peg‐IFN‐α‐2b plus ribavirin in HCV genotypes 1/4 according to HIV serostatus*
Authors: Moreno A. , Bárcena R. , García‐Garzón S. , Moreno L. , Quereda C. , Muriel A. , Zamora J. , Mateos M. L. , Pérez‐Elías M. J. , Antela A. , Diz S. , Moreno A. , Moreno S.
Published: March 2006

Summary.  To evaluate, among 70 hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐monoinfected and 36 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐coinfected naïve patients with genotypes 1/4 receiving weight‐adjusted pegylated interferon‐α‐2b/ribavirin, viral kinetics and the feasibility to predict treatment failure measuring early HCV‐RNA decreases. HCV‐RNA was assessed at baseline, weeks 4, 12 and 24. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated to determine the most sensitive cut‐off values of viral decrease at week 4 predicting treatment failure. Baseline predictors of failure were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Despite similar baseline HCV‐RNA (5·75 vs 5·72 log10IU/ml, P = 0·6), HCV monoinfection led to significantly lower HCV‐RNA values at weeks 4 (3·7 vs 4·3 log10IU/ml, P = 0·01), 12 (2·3 vs 3·5 log10IU/ml, P = 0·01) and 24 (1·4 vs 3·3 log10IU/ml, P = 0·001) and a higher rates of viral clearance at weeks 24 (60%vs 36%, P = 0·02), 48 (46%vs 25%, P = 0.03) and 72 (37%vs 17%). The lack of achieving an HCV‐RNA decrease of at least 1 log10 at week 4 was highly predictive of treatment failure for HCV‐monoinfected patients (Se 100%, Sp 50%, positive predictive value (PPV) 57%, negative predictive value (NPV) 100%, ROC curve area, 0·86 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·77–0·95], but not for HCV/HIV‐coinfected patients (cut‐off, 0 log10, Se 100%, Sp 27%, PPV 21%, NPV 100%, ROC curve area, 0·71 (95% CI 0·49–0·93). HIV coinfection was independently associated with failure (odds ratio 2.95, 95% CI 1·08–8.04, P = 0·01). Thus the magnitude of HCV‐RNA decreases at week 4 correlated with treatment response. Significant differences in viral kinetics and cut‐off values predicting nonresponse suggest a slower HCV clearance rate in HIV coinfection, which was independently associated with treatment failure.
Mutations affecting the replication capacity of the hepatitis B virus
Authors: Sheldon J. , Rodès B. , Zoulim F. , Bartholomeusz A. , Soriano V.
Published: March 2006

Summary.  The genetic variability of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) encounters two compounding forces: a high viral copy number produced during active replication and the lack of proofreading activity in the HBV polymerase, resulting in a high mutational rate. A large pool of quasispecies is generated in which the fittest virus, i.e. the virus that replicates best, becomes the dominant species. Immune and antiviral selection pressures result in vaccine/immunoglobulin escape mutants and antiviral resistant variants. Viruses encoding changes associated with antiviral resistance often have reduced replication in vitro, but the accumulation of additional mutations helps restore viral fitness. These compensatory mutations may occur not only in the polymerase gene but also in other genes such as the overlapping envelope gene, the precore gene, or in regulatory regions such as the basal core promoter. In this report we aim to review the new findings that have appeared in recent months.
Expression profiling and local adaptation of Boechera holboellii populations for water use efficiency across a naturally occurring water stress gradient
Authors: KNIGHT CHARLES A. , VOGEL HEIKO , KROYMANN JUERGEN , SHUMATE ALICE , WITSENBOER HANNEKE , MITCHELL‐OLDS THOMAS
Published: March 2006

We studied the physiological basis of local adaptation to drought in Boechera holboellii, a perennial relative of Arabidopsis thaliana, and used cDNA–AFLPs to identify candidate genes showing differential expression in these populations. We compared two populations of B. holboellii from contrasting water environments in a reciprocal transplant experiment, as well as in a laboratory dry‐down experiment. We continuously measured the water content of soils using time domain reflectometery (TDR). We compared populations for their water use efficiency (WUE), root/shoot ratios (R:S) and leaf mass per unit area (LMA) in the field and in the laboratory, and identified candidate genes that (i) responded plastically to water stress and (ii) were differentially expressed between the two populations. Genotypes from the drier site had higher WUE, which was attributable to a large reduction in transpirational water loss. The xeric‐adapted population also had increased investment in root biomass and greater leaf mass per unit area. Reciprocal transplants in the field had significantly greater survival in their native habitat. In total, 450 cDNA‐AFLP fragments showed significant changes between drought and control treatments. Furthermore, some genes showed genotype (population)‐specific patterns of up‐ or down‐regulation in response to drought. Three hundred cDNA‐AFLP bands were sequenced leading to the identification of cDNAs coding for proteins involved in signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, redox regulation, oxidative stress and pathways involved in stress adaptation. Some of these proteins could contribute a physiological advantage under drought, making them potential targets for natural selection.
Variation within and among species in gene expression: raw material for evolution
Authors: WHITEHEAD ANDREW , CRAWFORD DOUGLAS L.
Published: March 2006

Heritable variation in regulatory or coding regions is the raw material for evolutionary processes. The advent of microarrays has recently promoted examination of the extent of variation in gene expression within and among taxa and examination of the evolutionary processes affecting variation. This review examines these issues. We find: (i) microarray‐based measures of gene expression are precise given appropriate experimental design; (ii) there is large inter‐individual variation, which is composed of a minor nongenetic component and a large heritable component; (iii) variation among populations and species appears to be affected primarily by neutral drift and stabilizing selection, and to a lesser degree by directional selection; and (iv) neutral evolutionary divergence in gene expression becomes nonlinear with greater divergence times due to functional constraint. Evolutionary analyses of gene expression reviewed here provide unique insights into partitioning of regulatory variation in nature. However, common limitations of these studies include the tendency to assume a linear relationship between expression divergence and species divergence, and failure to test explicit hypotheses that involve the ecological context of evolutionary divergence.
Parentage analysis detects cryptic precapture dispersal in a philopatric rodent
Authors: WASER PETER M. , BUSCH JOSEPH D. , McCORMICK CORY R. , DEWOODY J. ANDREW
Published: March 2006

Locating birthplaces using genetic parentage determination can increase the precision and accuracy with which animal dispersal patterns are established. We re‐analyse patterns of movement away from the birthplace as a function of time, sex and population density for a sample of 303 banner‐tailed kangaroo rats,Dipodomys spectabilis.We located birth sites using a combination of likelihood‐based parentage analysis with live‐trapping of mothers during the breeding season. The results demonstrate that natal‐breeding site distances are density dependent in this species; in particular, both sexes emigrate earlier in the year, and females disperse farther than males, at low population densities. Banner‐tailed kangaroo rats were chosen as a study system because live‐trapping easily detects maternal and offspring locations; nevertheless, parentage analysis reveals that some offspring evade early detection and move substantial distances before their first capture. In a few cases, the approach even detects dispersal out of the natal ‘deme’ prior to first capture. Parentage analysis confirms the extreme philopatry of both sexes but indicates that prior estimates of median dispersal distance were too low. ForD. spectabilis, more accurate location of individual birthplaces clarifies patterns of sex bias and density dependence in dispersal, and may resolve apparent discrepancies between direct and indirect estimates of dispersal distance. For species in which mothers can be more reliably trapped than juveniles, using offspring genotypes to locate parents is a novel way that genetic techniques can contribute to the analysis of animal dispersal.
High genetic diversity and no inbreeding in the endangered copper redhorse,Moxostoma hubbsi(Catostomidae, Pisces): the positive sides of a long generation time
Authors: LIPPÉ CATHERINE , DUMONT PIERRE , BERNATCHEZ LOUIS
Published: March 2006

The evolutionary potential of a species is determined by its genetic diversity. Thus, management plans should integrate genetic concerns into active conservation efforts. The copper redhorse (Moxostoma hubbsi) is an endangered species, with an endemic distribution limited to the Richelieu River and a short section of the St Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. The population, gradually fragmented since 1849, is characterized by a decline in population size and a lack of recruitment. A total of 269 samples were collected between 1984 and 2004 and genotyped using 22 microsatellite loci, which indicated that these fish comprise a single population, with a globalFSTvalue of only 0.0038. Despite a small census size (∼500), a high degree of genetic diversity was observed compared to common values for freshwater fishes (average number of 12.5 alleles/locus and averageHOof 0.77 ± 0.08). No difference was observed between expected and observed pairwise values of relatedness (rxy: −0.00013 ± 0.11737), suggesting an outbred population. Long‐termNewas estimated at 4476 whereas contemporaryNevalues ranged from 107 to 568, suggesting a pronounced yet gradual demographic decline of the population, as no bottleneck could be detected for the recent past. By means of simulations, we estimatedNewould need to remain at more than ∼400 to retain 90% of the genetic diversity over 100 years. Overall, these observations corroborate other recent empirical studies confirming that long generation times may act as a buffering effect contributing to a reduction in the pace of genetic diversity erosion in threatened species.
Contrasting effects of heterozygosity on survival and hookworm resistance in California sea lion pups
Authors: ACEVEDO‐WHITEHOUSE KARINA , SPRAKER TERRY R. , LYONS EUGENE , MELIN SHARON R. , GULLAND FRANCES , DELONG ROBERT L. , AMOS WILLIAM
Published: March 2006

Low genetic heterozygosity is associated with loss of fitness in many natural populations. However, it remains unclear whether the mechanism is related to general (i.e. inbreeding) or local effects, in particular from a subset of loci lying close to genes under balancing selection. Here we analyse involving heterozygosity–fitness correlations on neonatal survival of California sea lions and on susceptibility to hookworm (Uncinaria spp.) infection, the single most important cause of pup mortality. We show that regardless of differences in hookworm burden, homozygosity is a key predictor of hookworm‐related lesions, with no single locus contributing disproportionately. Conversely, the subsequent occurrence of anaemia due to blood loss in infected pups is overwhelmingly associated with homozygosity at one particular locus, all other loci showing no pattern. Our results suggest contrasting genetic mechanisms underlying two pathologies related to the same pathogen. First, relatively inbred pups are less able to expel hookworms and prevent their attachment to the intestinal mucosa, possibly due to a weakened immune response. In contrast, infected pups that are homozygous for a gene near to microsatellite Hg4.2 are strongly predisposed to anaemia. As yet, this gene is unknown, but could plausibly be involved in the blood‐coagulation cascade. Taken together, these results suggest that pathogenic burden alone may not be the main factor regulating pathogen‐related mortality in natural populations. Our study could have important implications for the conservation of small, isolated or threatened populations, particularly when they are at a risk of facing pathogenic challenges.