bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Additional communication channels in Dutch television genres
Authors: Van Selm Martine , Peeters Allerd
Published: August 2007

This study examined the way in which television genres in the Netherlands make use of additional communication channels in terms of interactivity and genre modification and whether the availability of additional communication channels in genres corresponds to audience age. Expert interviews were held with representatives of Dutch broadcasting organizations and a secondary analysis of Audience Research data was conducted. It was found that compared to other genres, short message service (SMS) is added most frequently to reality programmes, email and websites to the information genre, teletext to sports programmes and merchandizing to children's programmes. In addition, it was found that only SMS is added more often to programmes attracting a younger audience. The extent to which the additional communication channels represented real innovation varied from maintenance to the elaboration and modification of genres.
Towards Embracing Clinical Uncertainty
Authors: Spafford Marlee M. , Schryer Catherine F. , Campbell Sandra L. , Lingard Lorelei
Published: August 2007

• Summary: The oral transmission and transformation of client information in an apprenticeship setting provides a rich environment in which to observe students and their expert supervisors managing uncertainty. In this Canadian-based study, we examined the communicative features of 12 social work supervisions involving social work students and their supervisors and enriched our observations with subsequent interviews of the participants.

• Findings: Social work students viewed the acknowledgement and examination of uncertainty as a touchstone of competent social work. This observation contrasted with our past study of medical and optometry students who focused on personal deficit and a distrust of acknowledging uncertainty. Our observations and interviews revealed a unique professional signature to the novice rhetoric of uncertainty (seeking guidance, deflecting criticism, owning limits, showing competence) that suggests differing professional identities and contextual settings.

• Applications : An attitudinal shift toward accepting and trusting uncertainty in medicine and optometry may facilitate an enriched educational environment for students and a more open dialogue with patients about uncertainty. The unique professional signatures of this rhetoric offer insights into how professional identity shapes attitudes and behaviors toward uncertainty and suggest a source of tension within interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
Doing sensitive research: what challenges do qualitative researchers face?
Authors: Dickson-Swift Virginia , James Erica L. , Kippen Sandra , Liamputtong Pranee
Published: August 2007

As health researchers we need to investigate a wide range of topics to enhance our understanding of the many issues that affect health and well-being in today's society. Much of the health research undertaken today involves face-to-face encounters with participants using qualitative methodologies. There is a growing recognition that undertaking qualitative research can pose many difficulties for researchers. However, very little research has focused directly on the experiences of researchers while undertaking qualitative research and the issues that their involvement in the research raises for them.

To explore these issues, one-to-one interviews were conducted with 30 qualitative health researchers. A grounded theory analysis revealed that researchers can face a number of challenges while undertaking qualitative research. These include issues relating to rapport development, use of researcher self-disclosure, listening to untold stories, feelings of guilt and vulnerability, leaving the research relationship and researcher exhaustion. These results are discussed and recommendations for researchers involved in qualitative research are made.
Focal points: framing material culture and visual data
Authors: Hurdley Rachel
Published: August 2007

This article reflects upon the collection and presentation of photographic data. The problem of representing the visual as more than illustrative of written research findings is the methodological focus. An empirical study in Cardiff explored practices of cultural display in the home, focusing on the living room mantelpiece. First, I discuss the methodological debate concerning the `crisis of representation' of visual data in social research. Following a brief discussion of a year-long autophotographic project by informants, the debate centres on photographs taken at the time of the interview. I show how the `crisis of representation' in social enquiry can be illuminated by recognizing both domestic display and presentation of data as cultural practices/methods of researching and remembering. Finally, I argue that multi-modal representations of these mediated frames of experience can illuminate complexities of `doing' home cultures and enquiry into the domestic interior.
journal of visual culture
Authors: Limbrick Peter
Published: August 2007

This essay addresses the film Hei Tiki (Alexander Markey, 1935) within the context of colonial transactions and postcolonial rearticulations. The film itself and the leftovers of its production are considered as colonial `flotsam and jetsam' that have been picked up and refashioned in new ways.
journal of visual culture
Authors: Hastie Amelie
Published: August 2007

This article draws on a range of approaches in Film and Media Studies — including phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and reception studies — as well as autobiographical experience, in order to ruminate on the functions and effects of eating at the movies. Looking at the connections between viewing and eating, the author argues that the materiality of the food we eat acts as a mediating or transitional object between our viewing bodies and the fleeting images projected on screen. In fact, eating at the movies, as a lived experience of the scholar—viewer, is also a means of connecting often divergent critical practices.
Projecting the prison: The depiction of the uncanny in The Shawshank Redemption
Authors: Fiddler Michael
Published: August 2007

The space of the prison is no longer on the margins in relation to societal `centres', but instead acts as an adjunct to the urban environment. With the disappearance of the Gothic prison from the archi-texture of contemporary cities, the meaning conveyed by its façade has lost much of its potency. It is now contemporary prison drama, as opposed to the physical façade, that represents the interface between the public and the prison. This article explores a dramatic representation of the prison ( The Shawshank Redemption) through the lens of Freud's (1919/1955) notion of the uncanny and Bachelard's (1958/1994) poetics of domestic space. Incarceration, as depicted in film and television, reinforces the `place myths' of the prison (Shields, 1991). Contemporary prison drama portrays the prison as a marginal space in much the way that the Gothic façades of the 19th-century prison projected a particular message. The prison, as depicted on screen, is a simulacrum. It is a facsimile of an architectural idea that only ever existed as a façade — a façade that occluded as much as it projected.
The Organizational Story as Leadership
Authors: Parry Ken W. , Hansen Hans
Published: August 2007

Leaders are often noted for providing a compelling vision that inspires followers to act to fulfill the vision, often by telling stories. Here, we begin a separation of the notion of `leader as person' from the notion of leadership as the discourse that represents such a vision. We transcend the notion that leaders tell stories, to the proposition that stories themselves operate like leaders. We suggest that people follow the story as much as they follow the storyteller or author, hence the story becomes the leader. In discussing the characteristics that stories share with leadership, we generate two propositions. First, within the context of organizational development, leadership development can move from `people' development to the development of the narratives that resonate within organizations. Second, we decouple leader as person or position, from leadership as process in order to illustrate stories as leaders. We conclude with specific messages that individuals can take away.
Leadership and Succession: The Challenge to Succeed and the Vortex of Failure
Authors: Poulin Bryan J. , Hackman Michael Z. , Barbarasa-Mihai Carmen
Published: August 2007

Despite a large number of studies concerned with leadership and leadership succession — of which more than 200 have addressed the latter — results have been inconsistent and inconclusive. One suggestion from the literature was to conduct more qualitative case research as a supplement to the many empirical survey studies which have been published. The present study explored, at first hand, eight firms that opinion leaders had identified as successful (six in New Zealand, one in Canada, one in the United States) and another seven US firms studied by others that had once been touted as successful. Two patterns emerged: (1) socialized leadership relationships succeeded in transforming the firm by applying leadership and management principles to serve the needs of others, and enlisting support throughout and beyond the firm; and (2) personalized leadership relationships promised much and either achieved success, narrowly defined, or failed completely. The conclusion: socialized leadership relations matter critically. Recommendations are offered for leadership succession and future research.
On the Divine Institution of the Three-fold Ministry
Authors: Ormerod Neil
Published: August 2007

Working within a largely Roman Catholic framework this paper explores the possible meanings of the notion of divine institution of the three-fold order of ministry. By locating that meaning within the realm of practical intelligence, viewing institutions as efficient and effective means for meeting recurrent needs, it argues for a position on divine institution which both recognises some normativity in relation to the three-fold structure of bishop—priest—deacon and allows some flexibility in relation to that structure, a flexibility evident within the Roman Catholic tradition itself. It is hoped that this approach creates an ecumenical space for consideration of the validity of other forms of church order.
Local Churches, Universal Church and Other Churches in Lumen Gentium
Authors: Famerée Joseph
Published: August 2007

The teaching of Vatican II's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, about local Churches in relation to the universal Church, and about other Churches in relation to the Roman Catholic Church, has yet to be fully received. This teaching is best understood with reference to other conciliar documents, especially those on liturgy, ecumenism and the pastoral office of bishops. The Council did not identify the Church of Christ with the Roman Catholic Church, but recognised that many elements of the Church exist outside the visible bounds of the latter. These make for impressive, albeit imperfect, bonds of communion across Christian divisions already. The Roman Catholic Church itself was described as a corporate body of (local) Churches, the local Churches being not subdivided `parts' but qualitatively full `portions' of the universal Church. There is a mutual interiority between these diocesan Churches and the universal Church and a perichoresis among the local Churches themselves, deriving from the Trinity (Ecclesia de Trinitate).
The Divine—Human Tension in the Ecclesiology of Yves Congar
Authors: Koskela Douglas
Published: August 2007

This article examines the significant ecclesiological contribution of the French Dominican theologian Yves Congar. In particular, it is argued that the attempt to account for both the divine and human dimensions of the Church was central to Congar's ecclesiological program. Beginning with his early work Chrétiens désunis , Congar recognised the Church both as an extension of the divine communion (Ecclesia de Trinitate) and as a human society (Ecclesia ex Hominibus ), united through the mediating work of Christ (Ecclesia in Christo ). This divine—human tension pervaded his theology of the laity, his treatment of appropriate reform in the church, and his understanding of the appropriate role of Church hierarchy. As he turned his attention increasingly toward pneumatology later in his career, this basic orientation was deepened and enriched. Throughout his career, Congar aimed to maintain fidelity to his tradition while engaging the challenges of the contemporary world.
Microstructure and Thermal Conductivity of Hydrated Calcium Silicate Board Materials
Authors: Do Chi T. , Bentz Dale P. , Stutzman Paul E.
Published: August 2007

The thermal conductivity of a porous material is controlled by the thermal conductivities of its components and their spatial arrangement within the composite structure, e.g., the material's microstructure. In this study, the relationships between thermal conductivity and microstructural parameters, such as porosity and pore size are examined for two calcium silicate boards of different densities. Thermal conductivities are measured from room temperature to 400°C using a transient plane source technique, for both the as-received boards and for a corresponding set of boards that were first heated to and held at 1000°C for at least 4 h. Microstructure is characterized by the measurement of the boards' bulk and powder densities and an assessment of pore size based on scanning electron microscopy. The experimentally measured thermal conductivities are then compared to those predicted by three previously presented theories for porous materials. A better agreement is observed between the experimental values and two of the three theories. Aging the boards at 1000°C has a small but significant effect on thermal conductivity, decreasing the room temperature values but increasing the 400°C ones.
Effects of Psychrometrics Conditions on the Drying of a Porous Soil
Authors: Akinyemi Olukayode D. , Mendes N. , Jonsson M. , Meissner J. , De Linhares S.
Published: August 2007

Coupled heat and water movement investigation in porous media is becoming increasingly relevant in sciences and engineering such as geophysics, where geothermal flux is a key issue, and in building technology where mathematical models are developed to provide better energy efficiency. In the top layers of the earth for instance, the great annual and diurnal air temperature and humidity amplitudes under the influence of radiation and rain result in significant fluctuation in soil temperature and volumetric water contents. Column evaporation experiments have been carried out with sandy silt soil in a constant-temperature-relative humidity chamber, and also by the window side exposed to varying psychrometric conditions. Atmospheric temperature and relative humidity data have been measured and logged with the help of a dataloger while soil temperatures and moisture contents have been measured and logged using a data acquisition system. Soil column has been mounted on a digital weighing balance and programmed into a computer with the aid of an evaluation software for continuous weight data acquisition of the column. Comparing the observed experimental data with predicted numerical values shows substantial agreement suggesting that the developed model can be used to generate reliable moisture evolution and temperature data base, given the weather condition and necessary physical properties of the soil. Average overall moisture transport coefficient ranged from 1.25 E—06 to 2.01 E—06 and was largely representative of the pattern of evaporation from the soil. The evaporation rate was also strongly influenced by the initial moisture content at the surface and the ambient relative humidity.
The Sada Says `We Women Have Our Rights'
Authors: Sengupta Ami , Long Esther G. , Singhal Arvind , Shefner-Rogers Corinne L.
Published: August 2007

/ This study analyses Voice for Humanity's (VFH) Sada initiative to promote women's rights, citizen participation and civic education during the Afghan parliamentary elections in 2005. A qualitative assessment was conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of how Afghan women, in particular, utilized the Sada device. This research, positioned within current literature on information communication technology (ICT) and gender, views the Sada device — a solar-powered digital audio player (similar to an MP3 player) — as an ICT. Universally, women have unequal access to ICTs, yet the findings of this study suggest that projects such as this one in Afghanistan can play a powerful role in promoting women's rights. The findings reiterate that information dissemination, spurred by a suitable technology, can lead to family and community dialog. Such dialog, coupled with a more enabling environment for women's concerns, can contribute to women's empowerment and realization of women's human rights.
HIV/AIDS as News
Authors: Traquina Nelson
Published: August 2007

/ When is HIV/AIDS selected as news? This article is a case study analysis of the news coverage of HIV/AIDS in an African country, Angola, that has been ravaged by a civil war since independence from Portuguese rule in 1975 until a cease fire in 2002. The coverage by Angola's only daily newspaper, Jornal de Angola, is compared with coverage provided by two Portuguese dailies, Diário de Notícias and Correio da Manhã, at similar points in time, namely the years 1985, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1998 and 2000.
Managing poor surgical candidacy: communication problems for plastic surgeons
Authors: Mirivel Julien C.
Published: August 2007

When plastic surgeons meet with new cosmetic surgery clients, they routinely try to get patients to `sign up' for elective surgery without forcing or pressuring them to do it. On rare occasions, they face a prospective client who, in the course of interaction, signals possible legal or medical risks, thereby calling on the surgeon to screen the client more vigilantly to determine whether embarking on cosmetic surgery will be reasonable. Grounded against nine-month field work at a cosmetic surgery center, combined with 30+ hours of videotaped data of initial consultations, this article investigates a unique situation in which a 74-year-old woman seeking rhinoplasty and rhytidectomy is perceived as a difficult customer. Why this moment was interpreted and emerged as difficult is the analytic focus of the article. Using action-implicative discourse analysis (e.g. Tracy, 2001, 2005), the analysis describes five communication challenges the plastic surgeon faced in the course of the 60-minute encounter. In the article's conclusion, I reflect on what seems to be a central issue for plastic surgeons: to act as gatekeepers of a fully elective and pricy surgery in a service-oriented business.
The construction of the older worker: privilege, paradox and policy
Authors: Ainsworth Susan , Hardy Cynthia
Published: August 2007

Our study of a public inquiry shows how particular constructions of the older worker — as male and lacking in self-esteem — were privileged as a result of discursive manoeuvres that established comparative disadvantage among different identities. Paradoxically, traditional gender stereotypes were subverted to construct female willingness to accept low status, low paid jobs as a reason why they did not need help in the form of policy initiatives; while men's intransigence meant they deserved greater support. A second paradox concerned the construction of the older worker as lacking self-esteem: it led to self-esteem based solutions that were the responsibility of the individual to remedy but, precisely because older male workers lacked self-esteem, they were unable to help themselves and needed the help of employment and welfare agencies. Thus we can see the link between particular identity constructions, discourse and the reproduction of particular institutional structures.
The mass media and terrorism
Authors: Altheide David L.
Published: August 2007

The mass media promotes terrorism by stressing fear and an uncertain future. Major changes in US foreign and domestic policy essentially went unreported and unchallenged by the dominant news organizations. Notwithstanding the long relationship in the United States between fear and crime, the role of the mass media in promoting fear has become more pronounced since the United States `discovered' international terrorism on 11 September 2001. Extensive qualitative media analysis shows that political decision-makers quickly adjusted propaganda passages, prepared as part of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), to emphasize domestic support for the new US role in leading the world. These messages were folded into the previous crime-related discourse of fear, which may be defined as the pervasive communication, symbolic awareness, and expectation that danger and risk are a central feature of everyday life. Politicians marshaled critical symbols and icons joining terrorism with Iraq, the Muslim faith, and a vast number of non-western nations to strategically promote fear and use of audience beliefs and assumptions about danger, risk and fear in order to achieve certain goals, including expanding domestic social control.
Mining, processing and applications of the Capim Basin kaolin, Brazil
Authors: Murray H. H. , Alves C. A. , Bastos C. H.
Published: August 2007

High-quality kaolins are produced from two sites in the Capim River area in Pará State, northern Brazil. One mine is operated by Rio Capim Caulim (RCC) owned by Imerys and the other by Pará Pigmentos S.A. (PPSA) owned by Caemi (CVRD Group). The kaolin deposits are located on low-relief plateaux with a lateritic cap. The kaolin strata are in the Ipixuna Formation of Upper Cretaceous Age. There are two distinct kaolin layers, a 4–5 m thick soft kaolin which is overlain in the southern portion of the basin by a 4–5 m thick hard kaolin. The soft and hard designations refer to particle size, with the soft kaolin being relatively coarse and the hard kaolin very fine. The kaolin is mined, partially beneficiated, and pumped through pipelines to the port at Barcarena on the Guama River, a large tributary of the Amazon River. The PPSA kaolin is fully processed at the plant near the mine site and pumped to Barcarena where it is spray dried. The RCC kaolin is only partially processed at the mine site. This partially processed kaolin is pumped to Barcarena where it is beneficiated. The finished kaolin is high quality and is shipped to North and South American, European, and Asian paper-coating markets. More than 1.6M tons were shipped from Barcarena in 2005.
MAS NMR investigation of kaolinite-smectite structure using 6Li and 29Si with Mn exchange
Authors: Cuadros J. , Wing-Dudek T.
Published: August 2007

Kaolinite-smectite mixed-layers have been found to have a complex structure with smectite and kaolinite domains within layers. Here we further investigate this structure in samples with 0–80% kaolinite layers, as determined by X-ray diffraction, by means of magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) of 29Si and 6Li. The 29Si NMR experiments were carried out on two samples (55 and 80% kaolinite layers), before and after their exchange with Mn2+, a paramagnetic ion that causes NMR signal loss from neighbouring nuclei, in order to investigate the distance between Mn ions and Si atoms in kaolinite sites. The 29Si NMR intensity from such sites (at ~–91 ppm) was reduced upon Mn exchange, indicating that some Mn ions are located near kaolinite Si sites. The position of the 6Li peak changes slightly (–1.3 to –1.8 ppm) but progressively with increasing kaolinite content (0–80% kaolinite layers) of four K-S specimens, suggesting two slightly different chemical environments for interlayer Li, one related to smectite and the other to kaolinite. The two sets of experiments are consistent with a complex structure of kaolinite-smectite, including smectite and kaolinite domains within layers and/or interlayers of varying smectitic and kaolinitic character.
Thermally induced mineral and chemical transformations in calcareous mudstones around a basaltic dyke (Perthus Pass, southern Massif Central, France). Possible implications as a natural analogue of nuclear waste disposal
Authors: Henry C. , Boisson J.-Y. , Bouchet A. , Meunier A.
Published: August 2007

A mixed-layer illite-smectite, illite-rich calcareous mudstone intruded by a basaltic dyke at the Perthus Pass (southern Massif Central, France) allows us to study the transformation of clays subjected to a brief thermal gradient. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe and atomic absorption spectroscopy analyses were performed on samples at variable distances from the mudstone-dyke contacts.

A roughly similar evolution is seen on both sides of the dyke: quartz, calcite, kaolinite and illite disappear; Ca-silicates, albite and saponite-beidellite form, late meteoric halloysite crystallizes in open fractures.

Chemical and mineralogical transformations are related to heat diffusion from the dyke. Theoretical calculations highlight the influence of the dyke orientation. The mineralogical reactions observed in rocks are similar to those observed in experimental conditions. The formation of new swelling phases with a high retention capacity linked to a short duration, large-temperature increase, should constitute a positive process for Repository Performance Assessment.
Evaluation of selected kaolins as raw materials for the Turkish cement and concrete industry
Authors: Aras A. , Albayrak M. , Arikan M. , Sobolev K.
Published: August 2007

Turkey has a long tradition (starting with prehistoric civilizations) and experience in exploring for raw clay materials and processing them into ceramic products. Many of these products, such as tiles and sanitary ware, are manufactured for domestic and export markets. Kaolin is one of the raw materials of major importance for the ceramic and paper industry, as well as for a number of auxiliary applications. There is ongoing interest in applying kaolin in the construction industry as a raw material in the production of white cement clinker and as an artificial pozzolanic additive for concrete (in the form of metakaolin). This report presents results related to search, assessment and evaluation of available resources for advanced cement and concrete additives.
Surface modification of bentonites. V. Sol-gel transitions of Ca-montmorillonite in the presence of cationic end-capped poly(ethylene oxides)
Authors: Lagaly G. , Ziesmer S.
Published: August 2007

The colloidal state of aqueous Ca2+-montmorillonite dispersions was modified with three types of cationic end-capped poly(ethylene oxides). The macromolecules were not only adsorbed at the external surfaces but were also intercalated into the dispersed montmorillonite particles. The amounts adsorbed and the basal spacings (~1.7 nm) were comparable to the corresponding Na+-montmorillonite dispersions. The poly(ethylene oxides) protruding out of the interlayer spaces or adsorbed at the external surface determined the colloidal behaviour of the dispersions. The phase diagrams (sol-gel diagrams) of the Ca2+-montmorillonite dispersions differed from those of the corresponding Na+-montmorillonite because of the different colloidal states of both dispersions (Ca2+-montmorillonite particlesvs.delaminated Na+-montmorillonite). The phase diagrams of the poly(ethylene oxide) containing Ca2+-montmorillonite dispersions showed fields of sol and flocs. Attractive gels were formed in a few cases only (TMA+-PEO 1500 and 4000, THA2+-PEO 1500, 4000 and 20,000) and with distinctly lower gel strength than in the presence of Na+ions. On the basis of the sol-gel diagrams, conditions (type and concentration of poly(ethylene oxides), montmorillonite content) can be selected which lead to peptization of the Ca2+-montmorillonite particles into stable colloidal dispersions (sols). Addition of cationic poly(ethylene oxides) can enhance the salt tolerance up to 1000 mmol/l NaCl.
CD38 expression labels an activated subset within chronic lymphocytic leukemia clones enriched in proliferating B cells
Authors: Damle Rajendra N. , Temburni Sonal , Calissano Carlo , Yancopoulos Sophia , Banapour Taraneh , Sison Cristina , Allen Steven L. , Rai Kanti R. , Chiorazzi Nicholas
Published: August 2007

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells are thought to have diminished cell-cycling capacity, a view challenged by their phenotypic resemblance to activated human B lymphocytes. The present study addresses the cell-cycling status of CLL cells, focusing on those leukemic cells expressing CD38, a molecule involved in signaling and activation that also serves as a prognostic marker in this disease. CD38+ and CD38− members of individual CLL clones were analyzed for coexpression of molecules associated with cellular activation (CD27, CD62L, and CD69), cell-cycle entry (Ki-67), signaling (ZAP-70), and protection from apoptosis (telomerase and Bcl-2). Regardless of the size of the CD38+ fraction within a CLL clone, CD38+ subclones are markedly enriched for expression of Ki-67, ZAP-70, human telomerase reverse transcriptase, and telomerase activity. Although the percentage of cells (approximately 2%) entering the cell cycle as defined by Ki-67 expression is small, the absolute number within a clone can be sizeable and is contained primarily within the CD38+ fraction. Despite these activation/proliferation differences, both CD38+ and CD38− fractions have similar telomere lengths, suggesting that CD38 expression is dynamic and transient. These findings may help explain why high percentages of CD38+ cells within clones are associated with poor clinical outcome.
Identification of putative regulatory upstream ORFs in the yeast genome using heuristics and evolutionary conservation
Authors: Cvijović Marija , Dalevi Daniel , Bilsland Elizabeth , Kemp Graham JL , Sunnerhagen Per
Published: August 2007

Background

The translational efficiency of an mRNA can be modulated by upstream open reading frames (uORFs) present in certain genes. A uORF can attenuate translation of the main ORF by interfering with translational reinitiation at the main start codon. uORFs also occur by chance in the genome, in which case they do not have a regulatory role. Since the sequence determinants for functional uORFs are not understood, it is difficult to discriminate functional from spurious uORFs by sequence analysis.

Results

We have used comparative genomics to identify novel uORFs in yeast with a high likelihood of having a translational regulatory role. We examined uORFs, previously shown to play a role in regulation of translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for evolutionary conservation within seven Saccharomyces species. Inspection of the set of conserved uORFs yielded the following three characteristics useful for discrimination of functional from spurious uORFs: a length between 4 and 6 codons, a distance from the start of the main ORF between 50 and 150 nucleotides, and finally a lack of overlap with, and clear separation from, neighbouring uORFs. These derived rules are inherently associated with uORFs with properties similar to the GCN4 locus, and may not detect most uORFs of other types. uORFs with high scores based on these rules showed a much higher evolutionary conservation than randomly selected uORFs. In a genome-wide scan in S. cerevisiae, we found 34 conserved uORFs from 32 genes that we predict to be functional; subsequent analysis showed the majority of these to be located within transcripts. A total of 252 genes were found containing conserved uORFs with properties indicative of a functional role; all but 7 are novel. Functional content analysis of this set identified an overrepresentation of genes involved in transcriptional control and development.

Conclusion

Evolutionary conservation of uORFs in yeasts can be traced up to 100 million years of separation. The conserved uORFs have certain characteristics with respect to length, distance from each other and from the main start codon, and folding energy of the sequence. These newly found characteristics can be used to facilitate detection of other conserved uORFs.
A novel DSPPmutation is associated with type II dentinogenesis Imperfecta in a chinese family
Authors: Zhang Xianqin , Chen Lanying , Liu Jingyu , Zhao Zhen , Qu Erjun , Wang Xiaotao , Chang Wei , Xu Chengqi , Wang Qing K , Liu Mugen
Published: August 2007

Background

Hereditary defects of tooth dentin are classified into two main groups: dentin dysplasia (DD) (types I and II) and dentinogenesis imperfecta (DGI) (types I, II, and III). Type II DGI is one of the most common tooth defects with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. One disease-causing gene, the dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) gene, has been reported for type II DGI.

Methods

In this study, we characterized a four-generation Chinese family with type II DGI that consists of 18 living family members, including 8 affected individuals. Linkage analysis with polymorphic markers D4S1534 and D4S414 that span the DSPP gene showed that the family is linked to DSPP. All five exons and exon-intron boundaries of DSPP were sequenced in members of type II DGI family.

Results

Direct DNA sequence analysis identified a novel mutation (c.49C→T, p.Pro17Ser) in exon 1 of the DSPP gene. The mutation spot, the Pro17 residue, is the second amino acid of the mature DSP protein, and highly conserved during evolution. The mutation was identified in all affected individuals, but not in normal family members and 100 controls.

Conclusion

These results suggest that mutation p.Pro17Ser causes type II DGI in the Chinese family. This study identifies a novel mutation in the DSPP gene, and expands the spectrum of mutations that cause DGI.
The implication of dihydrofolate reductase and dihydropteroate synthetase gene mutations in modification of Plasmodium falciparum characteristics
Authors: A-Elbasit Ishraga E , Alifrangis Michael , Khalil Insaf F , Bygbjerg Ib C , Masuadi Emad M , Elbashir Mustafa I , Giha Hayder A
Published: August 2007

Background

The Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and dihydropteroate synthetase (DHPS) are enzymes of central importance in parasite metabolism. The dhfr and dhps gene mutations are known to be associated with sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) resistance.

Objective

To investigate the effects of dhfr/dhps mutations on parasite characteristics other than SP resistance.

Method

Parasite infections obtained from 153 Sudanese patients with uncomplicated falciparum malaria treated with SP or SP + chloroquine, were successfully genotyped at nine codons in the dhfr/dhps genes by PCR-ELISA.

Results & conclusion

Mutations were detected in dhfr at N51I, S108N and C59R, and in at dhps at A/S436F, A437G, K540E and A581G, the maximum number of mutations per infection were five. Based on number of mutant codons per infection (multiplicity of mutation, MOM), the infections were organized into six grades: wild-types (grade 0; frequency, 0.03) and infections with MOM grades of 1 to 5, with the following cumulative frequency; 0.97, 0.931, 0.866, 0.719, 0.121, respectively. There was no significant association between the MOM and SP response. Importantly, immunity, using age as a surrogate marker, contributed significantly to the clearance of parasites with multiple dhfr/dhps mutations. However, these mutations have a survival advantage as they were associated with increased gametocytogenesis. The above implications of dhfr/dhps mutations were associated with MOM 2 to 5, regardless of the gene/codon locus.
Basal shuttle of NF-κB/IκBα in resting T lymphocytes regulates HIV-1 LTR dependent expression
Authors: Coiras Mayte , López-Huertas María Rosa , Rullas Joaquín , Mittelbrunn Maria , Alcamí José
Published: August 2007

Background

In HIV-infected T lymphocytes, NF-κB/Rel transcription factors are major elements involved in the activation of LTR-dependent transcription from latency. Most NF-κB heterodimer p65/p50 is sequestered as an inactive form in the cytoplasm of resting T lymphocytes via its interaction with IκB inhibitors. In these cells, both absolute HIV latency and low level ongoing HIV replication have been described. These situations could be related to differences in the balance between NF-κB and IκBα ratio. Actually, control of IκBα by cellular factors such as Murr-1 plays a critical role in maintaining HIV latency in unstimulated T lymphocytes. Formerly, our group demonstrated the presence of nuclear IκBα in T cells after PMA activation. Now we attempt to determine the dynamics of NF-κB/IκBα nucleocytosolic transport in absence of activation as a mechanism to explain both the maintenance of latency and the existence of low level ongoing HIV replication in resting CD4+T lymphocytes.

Results and conclusion

We show that the inhibition of the nuclear export by leptomycin B in resting CD4+T cells resulted in nuclear accumulation of both IκBα and p65/RelA, as well as formation of NF-κB/IκBα complexes. This proves the existence of a rapid shuttling of IκBα between nucleus and cytosol even in absence of cellular activation. The nuclear accumulation of IκBα in resting CD4+T lymphocytes results in inhibition of HIV-LTR dependent transcription as well as restrains HIV replication in CD4+T lymphocytes. On the other hand, basal NF-κB activity detected in resting CD4+T lymphocytes was related to low level HIV replication in these cells.
Hypofractionated intensity modulated irradiation for localized prostate cancer, results from a phase I/II feasibility study
Authors: Junius Sara , Haustermans Karin , Bussels Barbara , Oyen Raymond , Vanstraelen Bianca , Depuydt Tom , Verstraete Jan , Joniau Steven , Van Poppel Hendrik
Published: August 2007

Background

To assess acute (primary endpoint) and late toxicity, quality of life (QOL), biochemical or clinical failure (secondary endpoints) of a hypofractionated IMRT schedule for prostate cancer (PC).

Methods

38 men with localized PC received 66 Gy (2.64 Gy) to prostate,2 Gy to seminal vesicles (50 Gy total) using IMRT.

Acute toxicity was evaluated weekly during radiotherapy (RT), at 1–3 months afterwards using RTOG acute scoring system. Late side effects were scored at 6, 9, 12, 16, 20, 24 and 36 months after RT using RTOG/EORTC criteria.

Quality of life was assessed by EORTC-C30 questionnaire and PR25 prostate module. Biochemical failure was defined using ASTRO consensus and nadir+2 definition, clinical failure as local, regional or distant relapse.

Results

None experienced grade III-IV toxicity. 10% had no acute genito-urinary (GU) toxicity, 63% grade I; 26% grade II. Maximum acute gastrointestinal (GI) scores 0, I, II were 37%, 47% and 16%. Maximal acute toxicity was reached weeks 4–5 and resolved within 4 weeks after RT in 82%.

Grade II rectal bleeding needing coagulation had a peak incidence of 18% at 16 months after RT but is 0% at 24–36 months. One developed a urethral stricture at 2 years (grade II late GU toxicity) successfully dilated until now. QOL urinary symptom scores reached a peak incidence 1 month after RT but normalized 6 months later. Bowel symptom scores before, at 1–6 months showed similar values but rose slowly 2–3 years after RT. Nadir of sexual symptom scores was reached 1–6 months after RT but improved 2–3 years later as well as physical, cognitive and role functional scales.

Emotional, social functional scales were lowest before RT when diagnosis was given but improved later. Two years after RT global health status normalized.

Conclusion

This hypofractionated IMRT schedule for PC using 25 fractions of 2.64 Gy did not result in severe acute side effects. Until now late urethral, rectal toxicities seemed acceptable as well as failure rates. Detailed analysis of QOL questionnaires resulted in the same conclusion.
Regulation of VASP serine 157 phosphorylation in human neutrophils after stimulation by a chemoattractant
Authors: Eckert Rachael E , Jones Samuel L
Published: August 2007

Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) is a cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) substrate, which links cellular signaling to cytoskeletal organization and cellular movement. VASP is phosphorylated by PKA on serine 157 (Ser 157), which is required for VASP function in platelet adhesion and fibroblast motility. Our hypothesis is that PKA regulates neutrophil migration through VASP Ser 157 phosphorylation. The objective of this study was to characterize VASP Ser 157 phosphorylation in chemoattractant-stimulated neutrophils. fMLF, IL-8, leukotriene B4, or platelet-activating factor stimulation resulted in an initial increase in VASP Ser 157 phosphorylation, which was maximal by 30 s and was followed by a return to baseline Ser 157 phosphorylation by 10 min. In contrast, stimulation with the nonchemoattractant, proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α did not affect Ser 157 phosphorylation. The kinetics of fMLF-induced VASP Ser 157 phosphorylation levels closely matched the kinetics of the fold-change in F-actin levels in fMLF-stimulated neutrophils. fMLF-induced Ser 157 phosphorylation was abolished by pretreatment with the PKA inhibitor H89 and the adenylyl cyclase inhibitor SQ22536. In contrast, fMLF-induced Ser 157 phosphorylation was unaffected by the PKC inhibitors calphostin and staurosporine, the PKG inhibitors Rp-8-pCPT-cGMP and KT5823, and the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibitor KN-62. Inhibition of adhesion with EDTA or the anti-β2-integrin antibody IB4 did not alter fMLF-induced VASP phosphorylation or dephosphorylation. These data show that chemoattractant stimulation of human neutrophils induces a rapid and transient PKA-dependent VASP Ser 157 phosphorylation. Adhesion does not appear to be an important regulator of the state of VASP Ser 157 phosphorylation in chemoattractant-stimulated neutrophils.
Store-operated calcium entry mediates intracellular alkalinization, ERK1/2, and Akt/PKB phosphorylation in bovine neutrophils
Authors: Sandoval Alvaro J , Riquelme Jeanette P , Carretta María D , Hancke Juan L , Hidalgo María A , Burgos Rafael A
Published: August 2007

Neutrophil’s responses to G protein-coupled chemoattractants are highly dependent on store-operated calcium (Ca2+) entry (SOCE). Platelet-activating factor (PAF), a primary chemoattractant, simultaneously increases cytosolic-free Ca2+, intracellular pH (pHi), ERK1/2, and Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation. In this study, we looked at the efficacy of several putative SOCE inhibitors and whether SOCE mediates intracellular alkalinization, ERK1/2, and Akt/PKB phosphorylation in bovine neutrophils. We demonstrated that the absence of external Ca2+ and the presence of EGTA reduced the intracellular alkalinization and ERK1/2 phosphorylation induced by PAF, apparently via SOCE influx inhibition. Next, we tested the efficacy of several putative SOCE inhibitors such as 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB), capsaicin, flufenamic acid, 1-{β-[3-(4-methoxy-phenyl)propoxy]-4-methoxyphenethyl}-1H-imidazole hydrochloride (SK&F 96365), and N-(4-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]phenyl)-4-methyl-1,2,3-thiadiazole-5-carboxamide (BTP2) on Ca2+ entry induced by PAF or thapsigargin. 2-APB was the most potent SOCE inhibitor, followed by capsaicin and flufenamic acid. Conversely, SK&F 96365 reduced an intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) peak but SOCE partially. BTP2 did not show an inhibitory effect on [Ca2+]i following PAF stimuli. 2-APB strongly reduced the pHi recovery, whereas the effect of flufenamic acid and SK&F 96365 was partial. Capsaicin and BTP2 did not affect the pHi changes induced by PAF. Finally, we observed that 2-APB reduced the ERK1/2 and Akt phosphorylation completely, whereas the inhibition with flufenamic acid was partial. The results suggest that 2-APB is the most potent SOCE inhibitor and support a key role of SOCE in pH alkalinization and PI-3K–ERK1/2 pathway control. Finally, 2-APB could be an important tool to characterize Ca2+ signaling in neutrophils.
CD31 delays phagocyte membrane repolarization to promote efficient binding of apoptotic cells
Authors: Vernon-Wilson Elizabeth F , Auradé Frédéric , Tian Lijun , Rowe Iain C M , Shipston Michael J , Savill John , Brown Simon B
Published: August 2007

Homophilic ligation of CD31, a member of the Ig superfamily of adhesion receptors, promotes macrophage clearance of apoptotic leukocytes by a mechanism hitherto not described. In studying CD31-dependent regulation of β1-integrin binding of fibronectin-coated Latex™ beads, we discovered a role for the voltage-gated potassium channel ether-à-go-go-related gene (ERG) as a downstream effector of CD31 signaling. ERG was identified by tandem mass spectrometry as a 140-kDa protein, which was selectively modified with biotin following the targeted delivery of a biotin-transfer reagent to CD31 using Fab fragments of an anti-CD31 mAb. Similar results were obtained with macrophages but not K562 cells, expressing a truncated cytoplasmic tail of CD31, which failed to regulate bead binding. Colocalization of CD31 with ERG was confirmed by immunofluorescence for K562 cells and macrophages. We now demonstrate that the resting membrane potential of macrophages is depolarized on contact with apoptotic cells and that CD31 inhibits the ERG current, which would otherwise function to repolarize. Sustained depolarization favored the firm binding of phagocytic targets, a prerequisite for efficient engulfment. Our results identify ERG as a downstream effector of CD31 in the regulation of integrin-dependent binding of apoptotic cells by macrophages.
Who Should Be Sent for Genetic Testing in Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Syndromes?
Authors: Lynch Henry T. , Boland C. Richard , Rodriguez-Bigas Miguel A. , Amos Christopher , Lynch Jane F. , Lynch Patrick M.
Published: August 2007

Genetic testing is being adopted increasingly to identify individuals with germline mutations that predispose to hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes. Deciding who to test and for which syndrome is of concern to members of the GI oncology community, molecular geneticists, and genetic counselors. The purpose of this review is to help provide guidelines for testing, given that the results influence syndrome diagnosis and clinical management. Although family history may determine whether testing is appropriate and may direct testing to the most informative family member, evolving clinicopathologic features can identify individual patients who warrant testing. Thus, although the usual absence of clinical premonitory signs in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (or Lynch syndrome) adds difficulty to its diagnosis, use of the Amsterdam Criteria and Bethesda Guidelines can prove helpful. In contrast, premonitory stigmata such as pigmentations in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and the phenotypic features of familial adenomatous polyposis aid significantly in syndrome diagnosis. We conclude that the physician's role in advising DNA testing is no small matter, given that a hereditary cancer syndrome's sequelae may be far reaching. Genetic counselors may be extremely helpful to the practicing gastroenterologist, oncologist, or surgeon; when more specialized knowledge is called for, referral can be made to a medical geneticist and/or a medical genetics clinic.