bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Rehabilitation of Psychiatric Patients At an Industrial Therapy Unit Outside the Hospital
Authors: Davies Martin H.
Published: August 2007

A prospective study of all patients first attending the Birmingham Industrial Therapy Association Factory during the last 16 weeks of 1967 showed that 33 per cent were able to obtain open employment and 22.5 per cent were still employed six months later. Neurotic patients were successful more often than psychotic patients. Patients who were continuing to attend after twelve months were significantly older than those who found jobs. Assessment by a member of staff at one, three and six months, appears to provide a satisfactory means of predicting which patients will be placed in employment. If employment has not been obtained within twelve months it is unlikely that it will be achieved as a result of continued attendance. The rate at which long term attenders are accumulating suggests that there is a pressing need for more sheltered workshops for the chronic psychiatrically disabled.
Family Life Centres for Rural and Semi-Rural Communities
Authors: Bartoletti Mario D.
Published: August 2007

This paper is the final summary and report of an eighteen-month project funded by the Research and Demon stration Branch of the Department of Social and Family Services, Province of Ontario. The project extended from October 1, 1970 to March 31, 1972 and was designed to study the feasibility of the community-initiated, Family Life Centre concept. All of us connected with the Family Life Centre are deeply grateful to the Department of Social and Family Services for this research opportunity.
Degree of Pathology as Related To Readiness To Accept Labels in Process and Reactive Schizophrenics
Authors: Johnson James E. , Petzel Thomas P. , Becker Paul A. , Rudinsky Mark F.
Published: August 2007

TWO experiments were performed in order to determine whether readiness to accept deviant labels, as measured by acquiescence set, interacts with type of schizophrenia (process vs. reactive) to influence level of pathology. It was found on both a behavioral measure and a psychometric measure of psychopathology that high acquiescent process schizophrenics manifested more pathology than did either low acquiescent process or reactive schizophrenics, both of whom showed more pathology than high acquiescent reactive schizophrenics. The results suggest that one's ac ceptance of deviant labels as well as one's past history of being assigned social and evaluative labels may influence the patient's level of pathology.

Scheff (1966), in viewing the mental patient from a sociological perspective, suggests that an important determinant of mental disorder is the acceptance by the deviant individual of the various labels which stigmatize him as mentally ill. If this is the case, then individual differences in readiness to accept or agree with labels about oneself may be related to the degree of pathology manifested in a psychiatric population. The present authors sought to determine if acquiescence set, as measured by the Agreement Response Scale (Couch & Keniston, 1960), is related to degree of pathology in schizophrenic patients. The Agreement Response Scale was used as a measure of the general tendency to acquiesce to or agree with personality statements or labels. The investigators performed two experiments, in Experiment 1 a behavioral measure of pathology was used and in Experiment 2 a psychometric measure of pathology was used. In addition, the schizophrenic Ss were grouped according to the process-reactive distinction as the reactive schizophrenic may be expected to have a more favorable history of labeling than would the process schizophrenic.
Sex Roles At the Indian-Majority Interface in Minnesota
Authors: Westermeyer Joseph
Published: August 2007

Recently Indian men have played a major role in the new activist—sometimes militant—organisations acting on behalf of Indian people. However, this major role contrasts markedly with the situation usually encountered in most social institutions. There one finds more Indian women in influential positions, with more Indian men relegated to custodial positions.

This paper addresses the patterns and distribution of this bias against Indian men. It contrasts this bias in the general society with the major social role played by men within Indian social forms. Hypotheses are included that may aid our under standing of both the psychological and social dimensions of this phenomenon. Remedial measures are suggested.
Factors Associated With Length of Treatment in a Barrio-Neighbourhood Mental Health Service
Authors: Kahn Marvin W. , Heiman Elliott
Published: August 2007

Factors which discriminae between lower socio-economic largely Mexican- Americans who continue in treatment for few interviews, from those who continue longer were investigated. Demographic and treatment data were obtained from 356 consecutive cases. The factors which significantly differentiate short from long treatment contact patients were : self-referral, age, marital instability, and complaints of anxiety, depression, social or family incompatibilities. Non-self referral and financial or situation problems characterise the short treatment patient. While there were few Anglos in the sample they were disproportionately high in the long treatment group.
Comment On Pandey's 'Factor Analytic Study of Attitudes Toward Death Among College Students'1
Authors: Skinner Nicholas F.
Published: August 2007

Pandey's diconfirmation of the hypothesis that attitudes toward death will vary according to sex and race is confounded by analytical and methodological inconsistencies.
Immersion and Distance: Two Varieties of Experience of Psychiatric Hospitalization
Authors: Sonn Miriam , Shersow John C.
Published: August 2007

In this paper we describe an inquiry into the experience of short-term hospitalization. Sixty- seven patients were interviewed shortly before discharge with the goal of obtaining a picture of their subjective impressions — satisfactions, criticisms, hopes for the future — growing out of their hospitalization. Two broad types of experiences were noted, which we label 'immersion' and 'distance'. We illustrate some of the clinical manifestations of these two divergent hospital experiences, discuss their relations to traditional diagnostic categories, and speculate on their implications for clinical management.
A Cross Cultural Study of Delinquency Among West Indian Boys
Authors: Burke A.W.
Published: August 2007

Social and psychiatric findings among boys at an approved school in Jamaica are described. Parental deviance and other evidence of family disorganization are less prevalent than elsewhere. A third of the boys are admitted for personal aggression and give a history of a previous offence. These factors are associated with a benign non-psychiatric (50 per cent) or malignant psychopathic (20 per cent) personality disorder and characterised by pre-morbid data of head injury, conduct disorder and intellectual deficit. Psychoneurosis (30 per cent) is associated with late separation experiences. It is of interest that paternal deprivation and other factors are similarly distributed among personality disordered and neurotic delinquents in Jamaica. Socio-cultural aspects of delinquency are discussed.
Is There a Relationship Between Illness and Creativity? an Analysis of the Life and Poetry of A. V. Koltsov
Authors: Lieber Zina
Published: August 2007

Considerable interest has been shown in the relationship between illness and creativity. A study of the life of A. V. Koltsov, a famous Russian poet of the nineteenth century, can make a valuable contribution to this subject because he was, to a most unusual extent, a self-made man. Unlike most "men of achievement", he did not come from an eminent family or a famous educational establishment. He was born in a small provincial town, on the fringe of the civilized world, and he spent less than eighteen months at school. If there is such a thing as "natural genius", Koltsov has a strong claim to be considered in this category. His life was also profoundly influenced by mental and physical disorders, and it is interesting to speculate on whether there may have been a connection between these and his great achievements.
Buddhist Constructs and Psychotherapy
Authors: Ponce Danilo E.
Published: August 2007

Seen as a conceptual model of psychotherapy, and stripped of surface rites, rituals and icons, which tend to confound and repel the unitiated, Buddhism - an outstanding representative of 'Eastern traditions/consciousness disciplines' may have much to offer the serious student of psychotherapeutic theory and practice. Key Buddhist constructs are presented and their potential relevance to psychotherapy, explored
Epidemiological Aspects of the Repatriate Syndrome
Authors: Burke A.W.
Published: August 2007

A careful analysis of the mental hospital case notes of 55 Jamaicans who had become ill in Britain and were successfully traced in Jamaica show that most had suffered from recurrent episodes of schizophrenia but that few were predisposed develop this illness. After an average period of 42 months follow-up it was found that there had been an excessive mortality and that others were living in the Bush.

The most important finding of the study is that the chronic symptoms of illness which have been previously described as characteristic of the repatriate syndrome, had taken place in a half of the sample. Nevertheless there was evidence of a good outcome in a third of those who were living and interviewed during the field survey. These findings have been discussed. It has been concluded that repatriation may be of therapeutic benefit but only following more careful selection of cases.
Teacher assessment and psychometric theory: a case of paradigm crossing?
Authors: Teasdale Alex , Leung Constant
Published: August 2007

Alternative assessment (as opposed to formal testing) is gaining a great deal of attention in current educational discussion. This article attempts to address some of the epistemic and practical issues facing alternative assessment, with particular reference to teacher assessment of spoken English as an additional language/second language (EAL/ESL) in the early years of primary (elementary) education in England and Wales. We first examine the claims made by advocates of alternative assessment in terms of validity and educational relevance. It is argued that such claims are founded on an uneasy articulation of different principles underpinning psychometric measurement and pedagogy. Next we look at some of the reasons why psychometric approaches may not provide an adequate response to pedagogic and policy developments. Then some of the theoretical and practical problems involved in teacher assessment of speaking, focusing on learners with EAL in primary education, are discussed. We focus on the importance of clarity about the epistemological bases of different types of assessment. Additionally, the article highlights the need to be alert to the ways in which political and ideological concerns - together with the influence of professional (teaching) culture - are influential in shaping the properties of assessment systems.
On ESL standards for school-age learners
Authors: McKay Penny
Published: August 2007

The recent introduction of literacy benchmarks and assessment regimes in schools which are designed for students with an English-speaking background but which are also used to assess the second language and literacy progress of ESL1 learners has repercussions for teaching and learning, on professional understandings and on ESL learner self-efficacy. Insights into how to map and monitor ESL language development within the mainstream context have been gained through the development of a number of ESL standards for schools. This article presents principles behind the construction of ESL standards for schools, drawing on examples of ESL standards developed in Australia, England and Wales, and the United States, and examines how differences in purpose in these standards - planning, professional understanding, and reporting - influence how ESL standards might best be constructed. It raises issues of consequential validity which arise in the construction and use of valid ESL standards. Arguments supporting the need for ESL standards in the current climate of English-speaking background-based assessment for all are put forward through a close analysis and understanding of the construction and impact of different types of ESL standards.
Testing verbal (language) and non-verbal abilities in language minorities: a socio-educational problem in historical perspective
Authors: Oller John W. , Kim Kunok , Choe Yongjae
Published: August 2007

There is a wide-spread socio-educational problem with language testing at its heart: Speakers of minority languages are over-represented in classes for the learning disabled, disordered and educable mentally retarded and under-represented in classes for the gifted. This imbalance is owed to mental measurement practices that involve language tests both directly and indirectly. The source of the problem is a general failure to appreciate the role of language proficiencies in psychological and educational testing. Also the relation between acquired (socially dependent) language proficiencies and so-called non-verbal abilities may be closer than commonly supposed. Among the questions addressed are the following: To what extent is it possible to measure non-verbal abilities without invoking acquired language/dialect proficiencies? Is it possible to get the instructions to non-verbal tasks across to test takers without recourse to one or more particular languages or dialects? Is it possible to make linguistically and culturally unbiased judgements about intellectual abilities (including abnormalities, disorders and giftedness) on the basis of ‘non-verbal’ tasks?
Examining the Yes/No vocabulary test: some methodological issues in theory and practice
Authors: Beeckmans Renaud , Eyckmans June , Janssens Vera , Dufranne Michel , Van de Velde Hans
Published: August 2007

This article evaluates the characteristics of the Yes/No test as a measure for receptive vocabulary size in second language (L2). This evaluation was conducted both on theoretical grounds as well as on the basis of a large corpus of data collected with French learners of Dutch. The study focuses on the internal qualities of the format in comparison with other more classical test formats. The central issue of determining a meaningful test score is addressed by providing a theoretical framework distinguishing discrete from continuous models. Correction formulae based on the discrete approach are shown to differ when applied to the Yes/No test in comparison with Multiple Choice (MC) or True/False formats. Correction formulae based on the continuous approach take the response bias into account but certain underlying assumptions need to be validated. It is shown that both correction schemes display several shortcomings and that most of the data relative to the reliability of the Yes/No test presented in the literature are overestimated. Finally, several future research options are proposed in order to attain a straightforward but reliable and valid instrument for measuring receptive vocabulary size.
The African origins of Carolina rice culture
Authors: Carney Judith
Published: August 2007

This paper examines the cultural origins of rice cultivation in the United States, arguing that its appearance in South Carolina with settlement of the colony from 1670 is an African knowledge system that transferred across the Middle Passage of slavery. The origins of this wetland farming system are explored in relationship to other ethnic groups found in the colony at the time, the English, French Huguenots and native Americans. Also discussed is the development of scholarship on rice origins in West Africa and why scientific knowledge of this issue remained unexplored until this century. The final section addresses the significance of gendered practices in African rice cultivation and processing, and the role of female knowledge systems in the crop’s diffusion across the Atlantic basin to South Carolina.
The Reluctant March on Paris: A Reply to Terence Zuber's `The Schlieffen Plan Reconsidered'
Authors: Holmes Terence M.
Published: August 2007

This article takes issue with Zuber's thesis ( War in History VI (1999), pp. 262-305) that the Schlieffen plan was an `isolated aberration', a careless and exaggerated concept unrelated to Schlieffen's previous plans and exercises, and without influence on the younger Moltke's preparations for war. The main object of this reply is to demonstrate that the plan was in fact an earnest and coherent project, representing both a response to the circumstances of the moment and a logical development of the operational ideas that preoccupied Schlieffen over the two years prior to its composition. An attempt is also made to show that Moltke's attitude to the plan evolved from initial scepticism to eventual acceptance of its broad outline as the basis for his pursuit operation of August 1914.
Work Ethic as School‐Based Behaviors of Adolescent Students
Authors: Fox Wanda S. , Grams Catherine L.
Published: August 2007

A positive work ethic is central to individual and career success. Yet, it can be difficult to instruct and assess work ethic with adolescents, especially those in middle and early high school who typically are not employed. This research developed an operational framework, learning experiences, and assessment of work ethic as it relates to school‐based behaviors of adolescents. The framework was based on established conceptualizations of work ethic focusing on initiative, dependability, and interpersonal skills. It was used as a basis for the Work Ethic Trait Behavior Indicators Inventory, a 30‐item performance‐based assessment instrument, and a series of work ethic lessons. Development processes for the assessment tool and procedures for schoolwide data collection are described. Recommendations and discussion are based on pilot implementation of the learning experiences and pre/post assessments of students in a ninth‐grade career exploration class taught in a large metropolitan high school.
Regulated Fox-2 isoform expression mediates protein 4.1R splicing during erythroid differentiation
Authors: Yang Guang , Huang Shu-Ching , Wu Jane Y. , Benz Edward J.
Published: August 2007

A regulated splicing event in protein 4.1R pre-mRNA—the inclusion of exon 16–encoding peptides for spectrin-actin binding—occurs in late erythroid differentiation. We defined the functional significance of an intronic splicing enhancer, UGCAUG, and its cognate splicing factor, mFox2A, on exon 16 splicing during differentiation. UGCAUG displays cell-type–specific splicing regulation in a test neutral reporter and has a dose-dependent enhancing effect. Erythroid cells express 2 UGCAUG-binding mFox-2 isoforms, an erythroid differentiation–inducible mFox-2A and a commonly expressed mFox-2F. When overexpressed, both enhanced internal exon splicing in an UGCAUG-dependent manner, with mFox-2A exerting a much stronger effect than mFox-2F. A significant reciprocal increase in mFox-2A and decrease in mFox-2F occurred during erythroid differentiation and correlated with exon 16 inclusion. Furthermore, isoform-specific expression reduction reversed mFox-2A–enhancing activity, but not that of mFox-2F on exon 16 inclusion. Our results suggest that an erythroid differentiation–inducible mFox-2A isoform is a critical regulator of the differentiation-specific exon 16 splicing switch, and that its up-regulation in late erythroid differentiation is vital for exon 16 splicing.
MLN3897, a novel CCR1 inhibitor, impairs osteoclastogenesis and inhibits the interaction of multiple myeloma cells and osteoclasts
Authors: Vallet Sonia , Raje Noopur , Ishitsuka Kenji , Hideshima Teru , Podar Klaus , Chhetri Shweta , Pozzi Samantha , Breitkreutz Iris , Kiziltepe Tanyel , Yasui Hiroshi , Ocio Enrique M. , Shiraishi Norihiko , Jin Janice , Okawa Yutaka , Ikeda Hiroshi , Mukherjee Siddhartha , Vaghela Nileshwari , Cirstea Diana , Ladetto Marco , Boccadoro Mario , Anderson Kenneth C.
Published: August 2007

The interaction between osteoclasts (OCs) and multiple myeloma (MM) cells plays a key role in the pathogenesis of MM-related osteolytic bone disease (OBD). MM cells promote OC formation and, in turn, OCs enhance MM cell proliferation. Chemokines are mediators of MM effects on bone and vice versa; in particular, CCL3 enhances OC formation and promotes MM cell migration and survival. Here, we characterize the effects of MLN3897, a novel specific antagonist of the chemokine receptor CCR1, on both OC formation and OC-MM cell interactions. MLN3897 demonstrates significant impairment of OC formation (by 40%) and function (by 70%), associated with decreased precursor cell multinucleation and down-regulation of c-fos signaling. OCs secrete high levels of CCL3, which triggers MM cell migration; conversely, MLN3897 abrogates its effects by inhibiting Akt signaling. Moreover, MM cell-to-OC adhesion was abrogated by MLN3897, thereby inhibiting MM cell survival and proliferation. Our results therefore show novel biologic sequelae of CCL3 and its inhibition in both osteoclastogenesis and MM cell growth, providing the preclinical rationale for clinical trials of MLN3897 to treat OBD in MM.
Clinical determinants of exacerbations in severe, early-onset COPD
Authors: Foreman M. G. , DeMeo D. L. , Hersh C. P. , Reilly J. J. , Silverman E. K.
Published: August 2007

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations impair health. The present authors analysed participants in the Boston Early-Onset COPD Study for familial aggregation and propensity for COPD exacerbations.

In the present study, two exacerbation outcomes, episodes of cough and phlegm, and frequent exacerbations were analysed with multivariable modelling and generalised estimating equations.

In early-onset COPD probands, passive tobacco smoke exposure within the home was strongly associated with episodes of cough and phlegm. Chronic phlegm production was associated with both exacerbation phenotypes in probands. In first-degree relatives of early-onset COPD probands, chronic bronchitis, episodic wheezing, pneumonia and active smoking were associated with the episodes of cough and phlegm phenotype. In relatives, identical characteristics plus exertional dyspnoea were associated with frequent exacerbations. Exacerbation risk increased with declining lung function. Familial aggregation for episodes of cough and phlegm was observed in relatives with severe obstruction.

In conclusion, passive smoke exposure increases morbidity in severe early-onset chronic obstructive pulmonary disease probands, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations correlate with chronic sputum production in probands and relatives. The familial aggregation of exacerbations suggests a genetic basis for susceptibility to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations.
Protein structural similarity search by Ramachandran codes
Authors: Lo Wei-Cheng , Huang Po-Jung , Chang Chih-Hung , Lyu Ping-Chiang
Published: August 2007

Background

Protein structural data has increased exponentially, such that fast and accurate tools are necessary to access structure similarity search. To improve the search speed, several methods have been designed to reduce three-dimensional protein structures to one-dimensional text strings that are then analyzed by traditional sequence alignment methods; however, the accuracy is usually sacrificed and the speed is still unable to match sequence similarity search tools. Here, we aimed to improve the linear encoding methodology and develop efficient search tools that can rapidly retrieve structural homologs from large protein databases.

Results

We propose a new linear encoding method, SARST (Structural similarity searchAided byRamachandranSequentialTransformation). SARST transforms protein structures into text strings through a Ramachandran map organized by nearest-neighbor clustering and uses a regenerative approach to produce substitution matrices. Then, classical sequence similarity search methods can be applied to the structural similarity search. Its accuracy is similar to Combinatorial Extension (CE) and works over 243,000 times faster, searching 34,000 proteins in 0.34 sec with a 3.2-GHz CPU. SARST provides statistically meaningful expectation values to assess the retrieved information. It has been implemented into a web service and a stand-alone Java program that is able to run on many different platforms.

Conclusion

As a database search method, SARST can rapidly distinguish high from low similarities and efficiently retrieve homologous structures. It demonstrates that the easily accessible linear encoding methodology has the potential to serve as a foundation for efficient protein structural similarity search tools. These search tools are supposed applicable to automated and high-throughput functional annotations or predictions for the ever increasing number of published protein structures in this post-genomic era.
Involvement of Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase in ventilation-induced neutrophil infiltration: a prospective, controlled animal experiment
Authors: Li Li-Fu , Liao Shuen-Kuei , Lee Cheng-Huei , Huang Chung-Chi , Quinn Deborah A
Published: August 2007

Introduction

Positive pressure ventilation with large tidal volumes has been shown to cause release of cytokines, including macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), a functional equivalent of human IL-8, and neutrophil infiltration. Hyperoxia has been shown to increase ventilator-induced lung injury, but the mechanisms regulating interaction between a large tidal volume and hyperoxia are unclear. We hypothesized that large tidal volume ventilation using hyperoxia would increase MIP-2 production and neutrophil infiltration via the serine/threonine kinase/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway and the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) pathway.

Methods

C57BL/6 mice were exposed to large tidal volume (30 ml/kg) mechanical ventilation with room air or hyperoxia for 1–5 hours.

Results

Large tidal volume ventilation using hyperoxia induced neutrophil migration into the lung, MIP-2 production, and Akt and eNOS activation in a time-dependent manner. Both the large tidal volume ventilation of Akt mutant mice and the pharmacological inhibition of Akt with LY294002 attenuated neutrophil sequestration, MIP-2 protein production, and Akt and eNOS activation.

Conclusion

We conclude that hyperoxia increased large tidal volume-induced MIP-2 production and neutrophil influx through activation of the Akt and eNOS pathways.
Burn size determines the inflammatory and hypermetabolic response
Authors: Jeschke Marc G , Mlcak Ronald P , Finnerty Celeste C , Norbury William B , Gauglitz Gerd G , Kulp Gabriela A , Herndon David N
Published: August 2007

Background

Increased burn size leads to increased mortality of burned patients. Whether mortality is due to inflammation, hypermetabolism or other pathophysiologic contributing factors is not entirely determined. The purpose of the present study was to determine in a large prospective clinical trial whether different burn sizes are associated with differences in inflammation, body composition, protein synthesis, or organ function.

Methods

Pediatric burned patients were divided into four burn size groups: <40% total body surface area (TBSA) burn, 40–59% TBSA burn, 60–79% TBSA burn, and >80% TBSA burn. Demographic and clinical data, hypermetabolism, the inflammatory response, body composition, the muscle protein net balance, serum and urine hormones and proteins, and cardiac function and changes in liver size were determined.

Results

One hundred and eighty-nine pediatric patients of similar age and gender distribution were included in the study (<40% TBSA burn, n = 43; 40–59% TBSA burn, n = 79; 60–79% TBSA burn, n = 46; >80% TBSA burn, n = 21). Patients with larger burns had more operations, a greater incidence of infections and sepsis, and higher mortality rates compared with the other groups (P < 0.05). The percentage predicted resting energy expenditure was highest in the >80% TBSA group, followed by the 60–79% TBSA burn group (P < 0.05). Children with >80% burns lost the most body weight, lean body mass, muscle protein and bone mineral content (P < 0.05). The urine cortisol concentration was highest in the 80–99% and 60–79% TBSA burn groups, associated with significant myocardial depression and increased change in liver size (P < 0.05). The cytokine profile showed distinct differences in expression of IL-8, TNF, IL-6, IL-12p70, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Morbidity and mortality in burned patients is burn size dependent, starts at a 60% TBSA burn and is due to an increased hypermetabolic and inflammatory reaction, along with impaired cardiac function.
Annexin A2 is a soluble mediator of macrophage activation
Authors: Swisher Jennifer F A , Khatri Utsha , Feldman Gerald M
Published: August 2007

On the surface of the macrophage, annexin A2 tetramer (A2t) serves as a docking protein or recognition element for bacterial and viral pathogens. Plasma levels of free A2t have been reported to increase following infection, although the mechanistic significance of this observation is unclear. Although annexin A2 had generally been thought to play an anti-inflammatory role, soluble A2t stimulates MAP kinase activity in bone marrow stromal cells downstream of a recently cloned receptor. This raises the question of whether A2t activates human macrophages via MAP kinases and whether it might be capable of acting as an inflammatory mediator. To this end, human monocyte-derived macrophages were treated with soluble A2t and MAP kinase phosphorylation, p65 NF-κB activation, and inflammatory mRNA and protein levels were measured. It was found that A2t caused rapid phosphorylation of several MAP kinases, as well as translocation of p65 NF-κB to the nucleus. A2t stimulated the production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, as well as several members of the chemokine family within 24 h, which are capable of recruitment and/or activation of a broad range of leukocyte classes. Furthermore, A2t-activated macrophages demonstrated enhanced phagocytic ability for the ingestion of GFP-expressing Escherichia coli. These data are the first to suggest the participation of an annexin in microbial clearance, as well as the establishment of inflammation and the immune response, including the recruitment and activation of immune cells to the site of infection.
The variability of country map knowledge in normal and aphasic subjects: Evidence from two new category‐specific screening tests
Authors: Crutch Sebastian J. , Randlesome Katy , Warrington Elizabeth K.
Published: August 2007

Two new category‐specific screening tests are described, tapping naming to confrontation and word comprehension at two different levels of frequency. Level I consists of 10 very high‐frequency items from each of the categories of animals, man‐made artefacts, colours, body parts and countries. Level II probes knowledge of 10 marginally lower frequency items from the categories of animals, man‐made artefacts, fruits and vegetables, body parts and countries. A standardization study of 120 healthy older adult subjects is reported. Performance at both levels of frequency in all categories except for countries was at or close to ceiling. A retrospective validation study in the form of a review of 20 cases published during the last 20 years demonstrates the utility of the Level I test for screening for category‐specific deficits in severely aphasic patients who were not able to complete more demanding formal tests of naming and comprehension. The surprising variability of map knowledge observed in the standardization sample is considered in the light of one previous report and one newly presented case (IRQ) of apparent selective impairment of country map naming skills.
Decreased Serum Retinol Is Associated with Increased Mortality in Renal Transplant Recipients
Authors: Connolly Grainne M , Cunningham Ronan , Maxwell A Peter , Young Ian S
Published: August 2007

Background: Vitamin A plays a central role in epithelial integrity and immune function. Given the risk of infection after transplantation, adequate vitamin A concentrations may be important in patients with a transplant. We assessed whether there was an association between retinol concentration and all-cause mortality in renal transplant recipients.

Methods: We recruited 379 asymptomatic renal transplant recipients between June 2000 and December 2002. We measured serum retinol at baseline and collected prospective follow-up data at a median of 1739 days.

Results: Retinol was significantly decreased in those renal transplant recipients who had died at follow-up compared with those who were still alive at follow-up. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that retinol concentration was a significant predictor of mortality. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, decreased retinol concentration remained a statistically significant predictor of all-cause mortality after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and estimated glomerular filtration rate.

Conclusions: Serum retinol concentration is a significant independent predictor of all-cause mortality in renal transplantation patients. Higher retinol concentration might impart a survival advantage via an antiinflammatory or anti-infective mechanism.
Development of a Novel Immunoassay for the Assessment of Plasma Gas6 Concentrations and Their Variation with Hormonal Status
Authors: Clauser Sylvain , Peyrard Séverine , Gaussem Pascale , Crespin Malvina , Emmerich Joseph , Aiach Martine , Borgel Delphine
Published: August 2007

Background: Gas6 is a vitamin K–dependent antiapoptotic protein that has been implicated in cardiovascular pathophysiology. We report the development and validation of an ELISA for Gas6, and the variation of plasma Gas6 with hormonal status in a study designed to evaluate the effect of oral contraception on plasma markers.

Methods: After validation of the main stages of the ELISA assay, we measured plasma Gas6 concentrations in 94 male and 88 female healthy volunteers ages 18 to 38 years. Forty-five of the women then received an oral contraceptive, which contained ethinylestradiol and levonorgestrel, for 3 months before a new measurement was performed at the same time point in their menstrual cycles.

Results: Interassay imprecision was 5.8%–11.8%, and the detection limit was 5.9 μg/L. Mean Gas6 plasma concentrations were significantly lower in men (52.0 μg/L) than in women not receiving oral contraceptives (63.8 μg/L, P <0.001). In the women who received oral contraceptives, Gas6 concentrations decreased after 3 months of therapy from 63.6 μg/L to 51.9 μg/L (P <0.001).

Conclusions: We have developed a simple and reproducible ELISA assay for measuring plasma Gas6 concentrations, which vary with sex and are decreased by oral contraceptive use. These results suggest regulation of plasma Gas6 concentrations by sex hormones. Future clinical studies may require participants to be stratified by sex.
Detection and Typing of Human Pathogenic Hantaviruses by Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR and Pyrosequencing
Authors: Kramski Marit , Meisel Helga , Klempa Boris , Krüger Detlev H , Pauli Georg , Nitsche Andreas
Published: August 2007

Background: Because the clinical course of human infections with hantaviruses can vary from subclinical to fatal, rapid and reliable detection of hantaviruses is essential. To date, the diagnosis of hantavirus infection is based mainly on serologic assays, and the detection of hantaviral RNA by the commonly used reverse transcription (RT)-PCR is difficult because of high sequence diversity of hantaviruses and low viral loads in clinical specimens.

Methods: We developed 5 real-time RT-PCR assays, 3 of which are specific for the individual European hantaviruses Dobrava, Puumala, or Tula virus. Two additional assays detect the Asian species Hantaan virus together with Seoul virus and the American species Andes virus together with Sin Nombre virus. Pyrosequencing was established to provide characteristic sequence information of the amplified hantavirus for confirmation of the RT-PCR results or for a more detailed virus typing.

Results: The real-time RT-PCR assays were specific for the respective hantavirus species and optimized to run on 2 different platforms, the LightCycler and the ABI 7900/7500. Each assay showed a detection limit of 10 copies of a plasmid containing the RT-PCR target region, and pyrosequencing was possible with 10 to 100 copies per reaction. With this assay, viral genome could be detected in 16 of 552 (2.5%) specimens of suspected hantavirus infections of humans and mice.

Conclusions: The new assays detect, differentiate, and quantify hantaviruses in clinical specimens from humans and from their natural hosts and may be useful for in vitro studies of hantaviruses.
The Political Economy of the Ecological Native
Authors: DOANE MOLLY
Published: August 2007

In Chimalapas, Mexico, nongovernmental actors attempted to integrate campesinos into the discourse and practices of the Western environmental movement. The political economy school of anthropology assumes that cultural identity and practice flow from historical experiences grounded in relevant national and institutional contexts. In this article, I argue that although the movement in Chimalapas drew from the well‐developed symbolic toolkit of the environmental movement, it was not able to create a space for local concerns within a transnational agenda that was already fairly well established and inflexible. Political ecology was the hinge of this movement: a political‐economic analysis that validated traditional agrarian concerns in Chimalapas but included an environmentalist discourse legible to international funders. In this way, environmentalists in Chimalapas attempted both to create new practices and to link old practices to new expressions of culture and identity.
The Human–Macaque Interface: Conservation Implications of Current and Future Overlap and Conflict in Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: RILEY ERIN P.
Published: August 2007

Here, I examine overlapping resource use of forest and cultivated resources by villagers and tonkean macaques(Macaca tonkeana)in Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia. An integrative research design was employed, using methods from primatology and cultural anthropology, in conjunction with quantitative measurements of cacao crop loss. The results indicate that the current patterns of overlapping resource use may not be severely affecting the tonkean macaques or villagers in Lindu. The research does, however, point to possible future difficulty if cacao crop raiding by macaques increases, and as changing socioeconomic trends and loss of traditional folklore result in further modification of macaque habitat. Successful strategies to ameliorate human–macaque conflict may require efforts aimed at the adoption of alternative buffer zone crops that use shade‐management systems, the deliberate protection of important macaque food species, and increasing local tolerance to crop raiding by exploring the role of macaques in forest regeneration.
Intelligence, Coalitional Killing, and the Antecedents of War
Authors: ROSCOE PAUL
Published: August 2007

Advances in primatological research have recently led to a hypothesis that lethal coalitionary raiding in chimpanzees is the product of an evolutionarily adaptive “dominance drive” that disposes adult males to seek out low‐cost opportunities for conspecific killing. This conclusion has been extended into a claim that human warfare and other forms of coalitional killing are outcomes of a hardwired, “demonic male” complex. Reversing this evidential approach, I argue from data on conspecific killing in humans that humans and chimpanzees have an aversion to killing conspecifics. Their lethal violence, I propose, is more parsimoniously explained as the result of a developed intelligence capable of envisioning the future and, when necessary, of disabling this aversion to achieve desired goals.
Fishers' Knowledge of Marine Species Assemblages: Bridging between Scientific and Local Ecological Knowledge in Southeastern Puerto Rico
Authors: GARCÍA‐QUIJANO CARLOS G.
Published: August 2007

Increasingly, local ecological knowledge (LEK) held by groups of people engaging directly with their ecosystems for food production is recognized as a valuable tool for understanding environmental change, as well as for ecosystem management and conservation. However, the acceptance of LEK for resource management has been partly hindered by difficulties in translating local knowledge into a form that can be applied directly to Western scientific endeavors. Anthropology's focus on cultural meaning makes its practitioners uniquely qualified to find common ground between different systems of knowledge. Here, I report the use of ethnographic methods to represent Puerto Rican small‐scale fishers' knowledge about tropical coastal habitat connectivity and the composition of species assemblages by underwater habitats. These two topics are of current interest for tropical fishery science and their study can benefit from fishers' extensive experience with the coastal environments on which they depend.
Cultural Models and Cultural Consensus of Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab and Oyster Fisheries
Authors: Paolisso Michael
Published: August 2007

This article describes ongoing anthropological study of Chesapeake Bay fisheries. In particular, this article focuses on the blue crab and oyster fisheries. Two approaches to cultural analysis—cultural models and cultural consensus#8212;are described in terms of their application to these fisheries. The discussion summarizes each approach and provides brief examples of results each approach can produce. The article concludes with a few thoughts on the utility of this combined approach to cultural analysis for research on and management of Chesapeake Bay fisheries.
Sex-Ratio Evolution in Nuclear-Cytoplasmic Gynodioecy When Restoration Is a Threshold Trait
Authors: Bailey Maia F , Delph Lynda F
Published: August 2007

Gynodioecious plant species, which have populations consisting of female and hermaphrodite individuals, usually have complex sex determination involving cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) alleles interacting with nuclear restorers of fertility. In response to recent evidence, we present a model of sex-ratio evolution in which restoration of male fertility is a threshold trait. We find that females are maintained at low frequencies for all biologically relevant parameter values. Furthermore, this model predicts periodically high female frequencies (>50%) under conditions of lower female seed fecundity advantages (compensation, x = 5%) and pleiotropic fitness effects associated with restorers of fertility (costs of restoration, y = 20%) than in other models. This model explains the maintenance of females in species that have previously experienced invasions of CMS alleles and the evolution of multiple restorers. Sensitivity of the model to small changes in cost and compensation values and to initial conditions may explain why populations of the same species vary widely for sex ratio.
Season-Long Dose–Response of Potato to Sulfometuron
Authors: Hutchinson Pamela J. S. , Morishita Don W. , Price William J.
Published: August 2007

Field trials were conducted to determine potato response to parts per trillion (ppt) per weight concentrations of sulfometuron in soil. The herbicide was applied to achieve targeted, 0-d soil concentrations of 0, 7.5, 15, 30, 60, 120, 240, 480, and 960 ppt. Russet Burbank potatoes were planted immediately after application using standard agronomic practices. Based on midseason visual evaluations, root and tuber injury occurred with 0-d concentrations of only 7.5 ppt. Concentrations at or above 120 ppt caused a significant increase in number of tubers with deformities compared with the control. By the end of the growing season, 0-d concentrations between 120 and 240 ppt resulted in higher percentages of tubers with deformities, such as cracks, knobs, or folds. Using logistic models fit to U.S. No. 1 tuber yield and net return data, doses of 74, 156, and 324 ppt are predicted to result in 5, 10, and 20% U.S. No. 1 yield reductions, respectively. The model predicted a 20% net return loss, approximately $160/ha, occurring at 262 ppt, which is near the 240 ppt concentration determined by standard ANOVAs and means comparisons with single degree of freedom contrasts causing significant tuber quality and yield reductions in our study. Growers using the 240 ppt concentration as an indicator of a no-effect level would encounter actual losses too great to withstand. This modeling approach provides an initial attempt at giving growers the tools necessary for assessing potential losses.
Enhanced Growth and Seed Properties in Introduced vs. Native Populations of Yellow Starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis)
Authors: Widmer Timothy L. , Guermache Fatiha , Dolgovskaia Margarita Yu , Reznik Sergey Ya.
Published: August 2007

There is much discussion as to why a plant becomes invasive in a new location but is not problematic in its native range. One example is yellow starthistle, which originates in Eurasia and is considered a noxious weed in the United States. We grew yellow starthistle originating from native and introduced regions in a common environment to test whether differences in growth would be observed. In growth chamber studies, seedlings originating from the invasive range were larger than seedlings from the native range after 2 wk. Seed starch content is an important component of initial seedling growth. The starch content of seeds from introduced populations was higher than that of seeds from native populations. Regression analysis showed a relationship between the amount of starch in the seeds and the weight of yellow starthistle seedlings after 2 wk growth. There was no difference in chromosome number, except in accessions originating from Sicily and Sardinia. Field studies conducted in France and Russia revealed that rosettes and mature plants grown under natural conditions were larger when grown from seeds originating from the invasive range than from seeds originating from the native range. The number of capitula per plant and stem diameters were not significant among all populations, but differences were noted. The F1 progeny of plants originating from U.S. seed, but grown and pollinated in France, showed no differences in seedling growth, mature plant characteristics, and seed starch content from the plants grown from field-collected U.S. seed. The changes in seed starch resource allocation and its relation to plant growth is useful in understanding factors that contribute to yellow starthistle's invasibility.