bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enzyme-sharing as a cause of multi-stationarity in signalling systems
Authors: Feliu Elisenda , Wiuf Carsten
Published: November 2011

Multi-stationarity in biological systems is a mechanism of cellular decision-making. In particular, signalling pathways regulated by protein phosphorylation display features that facilitate a variety of responses to different biological inputs. The features that lead to multi-stationarity are of particular interest to determine, as well as the stability, properties of the steady states. In this paper, we determine conditions for the emergence of multi-stationarity in small motifs without feedback that repeatedly occur in signalling pathways. We derive an explicit mathematical relationshipφbetween the concentration of a chemical species at steady state and a conserved quantity of the system such as the total amount of substrate available. We show thatφdetermines the number of steady states and provides a necessary condition for a steady state to be stable—that is, to be biologically attainable. Further, we identify characteristics of the motifs that lead to multi-stationarity, and extend the view that multi-stationarity in signalling pathways arises from multi-site phosphorylation. Our approach relies on mass-action kinetics, and the conclusions are drawn in full generality without resorting to simulations or random generation of parameters. The approach is extensible to other systems.
Arabidopsisα Aurora Kinases Function in Formative Cell Division Plane Orientation
Authors: Van Damme Daniël , De Rybel Bert , Gudesblat Gustavo , Demidov Dmitri , Grunewald Wim , De Smet Ive , Houben Andreas , Beeckman Tom , Russinova Eugenia
Published: November 2011

To establish three-dimensional structures/organs, plant cells continuously have to adapt the orientation of their division plane in a highly regulated manner. However, mechanisms underlying switches in division plane orientation remain elusive. Here, we characterize a viable double knockdown mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana group α Aurora (AUR) kinases, AUR1 and AUR2, (aur1-2 aur2-2), with a primary defect in lateral root formation and outgrowth. Mutant analysis revealed that aur1-2 aur2-2 lateral root primordia are built from randomly oriented cell divisions instead of distinct cell layers. This phenotype could be traced back to cytokinesis defects and misoriented cell plates during the initial anticlinal pericycle cell divisions that give rise to lateral root primordia. Complementation assays showed that the Arabidopsis α group Aurora kinases are functionally divergent from the single β group member AUR3 and that AUR1 functions in division plane orientation prior to cytokinesis. In addition to defective lateral root patterning, aur1-2 aur2-2 plants also show defects in orienting formative divisions during embryogenesis, divisions surrounding the main root stem cell niche, and divisions surrounding stomata formation. Taken together, our results put forward a central role for α Aurora kinases in regulating formative division plane orientation throughout development.
Changes in submersed aquatic vegetation affect predation risk of a common prey fish Lucania parva (Cyprinodontiformes: Fundulidae) in a spring‐fed coastal river
Authors: CAMP E. V. , GWINN D. C. , PINE III W. E. , FRAZER T. K.
Published: November 2011

Abstract  Predation risk can impact population dynamics and ecosystem structure. Changes in key habitats, such as shifts between types of submersed aquatic vegetation, may affect predation risks experienced by certain organisms that use vegetation as a predation refuge. Relative predation risks experienced by Lucania parva (Baird & Girard) were assessed among three habitats in a Florida coastal stream using tethering experiments. Relative predation risks were highest in bare substrate, intermediate in a rooted macrophyte, Vallisneria americana Michx, and lowest in filamentous macroalgae. These results suggest that L. parva predation risk may decline following shifts from macrophytes to filamentous macroalgae, potentially leading to increased L. parva population size. These findings counter a widely held perception that such habitat shifts yield exclusively negative faunal effects, and are useful for assessing implications of habitat change and guiding restoration activities.
Symptom burden and quality of life in patients with malignant fungating wounds
Authors: Lo Shu‐Fen , Hayter Mark , Hu Wen‐Yu , Tai Chiao‐Yun , Hsu Mei‐Yu , Li Yu‐Fen
Published: November 2011

lo s.‐f., hayter m., hu w.‐y., tai c.‐y., hsu m.‐y. & li y.‐f. (2012) Symptom burden and quality of life in patients with malignant fungating wounds. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(6), 1312–1321.

Aim.  This study describes the relationship between symptoms and quality of life in patients with malignant fungating wounds.

Background.  Malignant fungating wounds are complex wounds that can bleed, become malodorous due to infection and are painful causing physical and psychological distress. However, there is a lack of literature on the impact that such wounds can have on quality of life.

Methods.  This was a descriptive, cross‐sectional multi‐centre study of patients with malignant fungating wounds. Participants were recruited from the palliative care, hospice, outpatient clinic and oncology units of three medical centres in Taiwan. Data were collected from February 2008 to August 2009. A structured questionnaire obtained socio‐demographic information, medical details, wound assessment information and the Taiwanese version of the McGill quality of life questionnaire was administered by interview.

Results.  McGill quality of life scores indicated that the participants had the lowest quality of life. The participant’s age, dressing change frequency, pain, wound dressing comfort, wound symptom, bleeding and malodour had statistically significant negative correlations with quality of life. Multiple regression analysis showed that age, malodour, pain issues and psychological issues explained 87% of the total variance in quality of life.

Conclusion.  This study contributes to our understanding of the impact of malignant fungating wounds and how correct assessment and management is necessary to improve quality of life. Educational intervention research is needed for patients and caregivers in countries where this has not yet been performed. Further research should also identify whether nursing competence has a direct impact on quality of life.
Work engagement in nursing: a concept analysis
Authors: Antoinette Bargagliotti L.
Published: November 2011

antoinette bargagliotti l. (2012) Work engagement in nursing: a concept analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(6), 1414–1428.

Aim.  This article is a report of an analysis of the concept of work engagement.

Background.  Work engagement is the central issue for 21st century professionals and specifically for registered nurses. Conceptual clarity about work engagement gives empirical direction for future research and a theoretical underpinning for the myriad studies about nurses and their work environment.

Method.  Walker and Avant’s method of concept analysis was used. Nursing, business, psychology and health sciences databases were searched using Science Direct, CINAHL, OVID, Academic One File, ABI INFORM and PsycINFO for publications that were: written in English, published between 1990 and 2010, and described or studied work engagement in any setting with any population.

Results.  Work engagement is a positive, fulfilling state of mind about work that is characterized by vigour, dedication and absorption. Trust (organizationally, managerially and collegially) and autonomy are the antecedents of work engagement. The outcomes of nurses’ work engagement are higher levels of personal initiative that are contagious, decreased hospital mortality rates and significantly higher financial profitability of organizations.

Conclusion.  When work engagement is conceptually removed from a transactional job demands‐resources model, the relational antecedents of trust and autonomy have greater explanatory power for work engagement in nurses. Untangling the antecedents, attributes and outcomes of work engagement is important to future research efforts.
Williams syndrome: a relationship between genetics, brain morphology and behaviour
Authors: Fahim C. , Yoon U. , Nashaat N. H. , Khalil A. K. , El‐Belbesy M. , Mancini‐Marie A. , Evans A. C. , Meguid N.
Published: November 2011

Background  Genetically Williams syndrome (WS) promises to provide essential insight into the pathophysiology of cortical development because its ∼28 deleted genes are crucial for cortical neuronal migration and maturation. Phenotypically, WS is one of the most puzzling childhood neurodevelopmental disorders affecting most intellectual deficiencies (i.e. low‐moderate intelligence quotient, visuospatial deficits) yet relatively preserving what is uniquely human (i.e. language and social‐emotional cognition). Therefore, WS provides a privileged setting for investigating the relationship between genes, brain and the consequent complex human behaviour.

Methods  We used in vivo anatomical magnetic resonance imaging analysing cortical surface‐based morphometry, (i.e. surface area , cortical volume , cortical thickness , gyrification index ) and cortical complexity , which is of particular relevance to the WS genotype–phenotype relationship in 22 children (2.27–14.6 years) to compare whole hemisphere and lobar surface‐based morphometry between WS (n = 10) and gender/age matched normal controls healthy controls (n = 12).

Results  Compared to healthy controls, WS children had a (1) relatively preserved Cth; (2) significantly reduced SA and CV; (3) significantly increased GI mostly in the parietal lobe; and (4) decreased CC specifically in the frontal and parietal lobes.

Conclusion  Our findings are then discussed with reference to the Rakic radial‐unit hypothesis of cortical development, arguing that WS gene deletions may spare Cth yet affecting the number of founder cells/columns/radial units, hence decreasing the SA and CV. In essence, cortical brain structure in WS may be shaped by gene‐dosage abnormalities.
A neuroimaging proof of principle study of Down's syndrome and dementia: ethical and methodological challenges in intrusive research
Authors: d'Abrera J. C. , Holland A. J. , Landt J. , Stocks‐Gee G. , Zaman S. H.
Published: November 2011

Background  Research into specific illnesses and the development of new treatments may only become possible as new technologies become available. When used for research, such technologies may best be described as ‘intrusive’, in that they require a considerable willingness and commitment on the part of the participants. This has increasingly been the case for brain disorders and illnesses where novel neuroimaging techniques, often combined with clinical and psychological assessments, have the potential to result in new understanding. People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have a history of under‐representation as participants in research using such technologies and are therefore at risk of not receiving equal access to state‐of‐the‐art treatments. We propose that ‘intrusive’ biomedical research is both possible and ethical in ID, and explore some of the methodological challenges by reference to a recent proof of principle study that used a relatively new ligand‐based brain scanning technique in a group of volunteers with Down's syndrome.

Methods  Five overlapping stages of the study methodology were identified and evaluated for their acceptability to volunteers with mild to moderate ID through discussion, reflection, and analysis of structured feedback in the context of key policy documents, ethical guidelines and relevant legislation.

Results  Identification of key ethical and methodological challenges from reflective practice and participant feedback facilitated the emergence of strategies that permitted continual refinement of the study design. Important areas considered included (1) being clear about the purpose and scientific justification for the study; (2) reconciling the potential risks and benefits with relevant ethical guidelines and legislation; (3) identifying and implementing effective recruitment strategies; (4) optimising and assessing capacity to consent; and (5) making the ‘intrusive’ procedures as acceptable as possible to people with ID.

Conclusion  We were able to demonstrate that a proof of principle study incorporating a novel brain scanning technique in a group of volunteers with ID was feasible, safe and well tolerated, despite the vulnerabilities of the study cohort and the intrusive nature of the research. We consider the study within an ethical and historical discourse about the principles that define current ‘best practice’ in ID research and propose a number of key recommendations for making intrusive research acceptable in people with ID.
What can virtual patient simulation offer mental health nursing education?
Authors: GUISE V. , CHAMBERS M. , VÄLIMÄKI M.
Published: November 2011

Accessible summary

Simulation has become a valuable educational tool with a variety of devices available for use.

Examples of simulation scenarios developed especially for use with psychiatric and mental health nursing students are scarce.

A simulation technique with considerable potential for the teaching and learning of essential mental health nursing skills is the narrative virtual patient.

Wider use of virtual patient tools would help establish if it is a viable educational device.

This paper discusses the use of simulation in nursing education and training, including potential benefits and barriers associated with its use. In particular, it addresses the hitherto scant application of diverse simulation devices and dedicated simulation scenarios in psychiatric and mental health nursing. It goes on to describe a low‐cost, narrative‐based virtual patient simulation technique which has the potential for wide application within health and social care education. An example of the implementation of this technology in a web‐based pilot course for acute mental health nurses is given. This particular virtual patient technique is a simulation type ideally suited to promoting essential mental health nursing skills such as critical thinking, communication and decision making. Furthermore, it is argued that it is particularly amenable to e‐learning and blended learning environments, as well as being an apt tool where multilingual simulations are required. The continued development, implementation and evaluation of narrative virtual patient simulations across a variety of health and social care programmes would help ascertain their success as an educational tool.
The process of change in psychotherapy for depression: helping clients to reformulate the problem
Authors: CROWE M. , WHITEHEAD L. , CARLYLE D. , MCINTOSH V. , JORDAN J. , JOYCE P. , CARTER J.
Published: November 2011

Accessible summary

Both cognitive behavioural therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy are effective in the treatment of mild to moderate depression.

Little is known about how engagement in different psychotherapies influences outcome.

This study examined how clients with depression improved during psychotherapy sessions.

There is increasing interest in mental health nurses delivering structured short‐term evidence‐based psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT); however, while there is evidence of the efficacy of psychotherapy for depression, there is limited understanding of the treatment processes. Data were drawn from audio tapes of CBT and IPT sessions for treatment of depression. The transcripts of the initial, middle and final psychotherapy sessions of 40 clients were analysed. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify what was occurring in the sessions, how the client was describing psychotherapy and how the client was describing improvement or lack of improvement in depressive symptoms. There were differences in descriptions of therapy and the experience of depression between clients who responded and those who did not respond to therapy that were related to improvement in symptoms but not to the specific therapy. These differences were in the client's engagement with the language of therapy, sense of optimism about the particular model of psychotherapy, ability to examine their own role in the problem and desire to engage with new ways of being in their lives. Clients who responded to CBT or IPT had flexibility to develop new ways of thinking and acting, the ability to accept responsibility for their role in the identified problem and were willing to risk change.
Galactolipid deficiency in the early pathogenesis of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis model Cln8mnd: implications to delayed myelination and oligodendrocyte maturation
Authors: Kuronen M. , Hermansson M. , Manninen O. , Zech I. , Talvitie M. , Laitinen T. , Gröhn O. , Somerharju P. , Eckhardt M. , Cooper J. D. , Lehesjoki A.‐E. , Lahtinen U. , Kopra O.
Published: November 2011

M. Kuronen, M. Hermansson, O. Manninen, I. Zech, M. Talvitie, T. Laitinen, O. Gröhn, P. Somerharju, M. Eckhardt, J. D. Cooper, A.‐E. Lehesjoki, U. Lahtinen and O. Kopra (2012) Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology38, 471–486

Galactolipid deficiency in the early pathogenesis of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis model Cln8mnd: implications to delayed myelination and oligodendrocyte maturation

Aims:
CLN8 deficiency underlies one of a group of devastating childhood neurodegenerative disorders, the neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses. The function of the CLN8 protein is currently unknown, but a role in lipid metabolism has been proposed. In human CLN8 diseased brains, alterations in lipid composition have been detected. To further investigate the connection of CLN8 to lipid metabolism, we characterized the lipid composition of early symptomatic Cln8‐deficient mouse (Cln8mnd) brains. Methods: For lipid profiling, Cln8mnd cerebral cortical tissue was analysed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Galactolipid synthesis was measured through enzyme activity and real‐time mRNA expression analyses. Based on the findings, myelination and white matter integrity were studied by immunohistochemistry, stereological methods, electron microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. The development of myelin‐forming oligodendrocytes was also studied in vitro. Results: Sphingolipid profiling showed a selective reduction in myelin‐enriched galactolipids. The mRNA expression and activity of UDP‐galactose:ceramide galactosyltransferase (CGT), the key enzyme in the galactolipid synthesis, was reduced in the Cln8mnd brain. Expression of oligodendrocyte markers suggests a maturation defect. The amount of myelin was reduced in 1‐month‐old Cln8mnd mice, but reached normal levels by 5 months of age. The level of Cln8 gene expression followed the developmental pattern of myelin formation and was high in primary oligodendrocytes. Conclusions: Taken together, these observations suggest that galactolipid deficiency and delayed myelin maturation characterize the early CLN8 disease pathogenesis through a maturation defect of oligodendrocytes.
Initial survival data of kidney transplant patients with pre‐transplant monoclonal gammopathy
Authors: Soltero Liliana , Carbajal Hector , Xu Jiaqiong , McCarthy John , Suki Wadi N. , Gaber A. Osama , Adrogué Horacio E.
Published: November 2011

Soltero L, Carbajal H, Xu J, McCarthy J, Suki WN, Gaber AO, Adrogué HE. Initial survival data of kidney transplant patients with pre‐transplant monoclonal gammopathy.  Clin Transplant 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399‐0012.2011.01539.x.  © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract:  Background:  Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is the presence of a serum monoclonal protein at a concentration of <3 g/dL without evidence of lymphoproliferative disease or organ damage. The prevalence of MGUS in kidney transplantation (KT) candidates is unknown. The present is a retrospective report of patients who underwent evaluation for a KT and were found to have MGUS at our center.

Methods:  All transplant candidates found to have MGUS between the years 2000 and 2007 were included. Variables were collected. Patients with MGUS that received a KT were compared with patients with MGUS that were not transplanted.

Results:  Of a total of 1215 KT candidates, 34 were found to have MGUS during the KT evaluation. Nine patients with MGUS were transplanted. Myeloma or lymphoproliferative disease was not observed. Following transplantation, the MGUS group had a lower survival than the non‐transplanted group. However, survival from the time of MGUS diagnosis was not different between the transplanted and non‐transplanted MGUS groups.

Conclusions:  In this group, transplantation did not confer a survival benefit. It is our hope that these initial data will serve as a platform for future studies. We suggest MGUS screening in all patients older than 50 yr of age undergoing evaluation for transplantation.
Infection of Alstroemeria Plants with Tomato yellow ring virus in Iran
Authors: Beikzadeh Nasser , Bayat Hossein , Jafarpour Behrooz , Rohani Hamid , Peters Dick , Hassani‐Mehraban Afshin
Published: November 2011

Alstroemeria cv. Ovation plants with virus‐like necrotic spots and streaks on leaves and petals were observed in greenhouses in Khorasan Razavi (Mashhad) and Markazi (Mahallat) provinces, Iran. Samples with virus‐like symptoms reacted positively in enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay with a polyclonal antibody raised against Tomato yellow ring virus (TYRV) nucleocapsid (N) protein. TYRV‐specific primers were used in a reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction to amplify the N gene. The deduced amino acid sequences of the obtained amplicon revealed 99% identity to the N protein of an isolate of TYRV isolated from tomato (TYRV‐t).
Characterization of hTERT‐Immortalized Caprine Mammary Epithelial Cells
Authors: Ke MW , Hsu JT , Jiang YN , Cheng WTK , Ju YT
Published: November 2011

Contents

The aim of this article is to demonstrate and characterize caprine mammary epithelial cells (CMC) immortalized with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene. Five immortalized CMCs were assigned to either myoepithelial or luminal epithelial groups based on their morphology and expression of cell lineage‐specific intermediate filaments. Telomeric repeat amplification protocol revealed various telomerase activities in CMCs associated with their distinct proliferation potential. Karyotypic analysis showed three CMCs retained their modalCapra hircuschromosome number (2n = 60), whereas the remaining two CMCs were abnormal at 2n = 19 and 2n = 36. CMCs with abnormal karyotypes lost p53 protein after chemical‐induced DNA damage and showed anchorage‐independent growth in soft agar assay. In terms of functional differentiation, luminal CMCs organized into alveolus‐like structures when grown in Matrigel. Furthermore,αs1‐andβ‐caseingene was induced in luminal CMCs in response to lacto‐hormones stimulation. Together these results showed that hTERT‐immortalized CMCs retained major characteristics of mammary epithelial cells, and stability of the genome is required for maintaining normal mammary epithelium function. Application of CMCs can provide valuable models to study alveologenesis and lactogenesis of mammary epithelium and test the feasibility of recombinant constructs designed for the generation of transgenic livestock.
Prevalence of uveitis in indigenous populations presenting to remote clinics of central Australia: The Central Australian Ocular Health Study
Authors: Chang John H , Landers John , Henderson Tim RM , Craig Jamie E
Published: November 2011

Abstract

Background:  To report the prevalence of current and previous uveitis within the indigenous population living within Central Australia.

Design:  Population‐based cross‐sectional study in Central Australia.

Participants:  One thousand eight hundred and eighty‐four subjects who identified themselves as indigenous Australians, presenting to the remote clinics during the 36‐month period between July 2005 and June 2008.

Methods:  Clinical assessments for active or previous uveitis were performed. Data were collected using a standardized form.

Main Outcome Measures:  Prevalence of various types of uveitis.

Results:  Four of 1881 subjects had evidence of previous or current anterior uveitis, giving a prevalence for anterior uveitis of 0.21% (95% confidence interval, 0.01–0.42%). Eleven of 1854 patients had signs of previous posterior uveitis, giving a prevalence for posterior uveitis of 0.59% (95% confidence inteval 0.24–0.94%). Nine of the 11 patients with posterior uveitis cases (82%) had presumed toxoplasma retinochoroiditis. There were no cases of intermediate uveitis or panuveitis observed in this study. There were no observed cases consistent with well‐recognized clinical uveitic syndromes, such as Behçet's disease or Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada syndrome.

Conclusions:  A distinct pattern of uveitis appears to be present among indigenous population of remote Central Australia. Posterior uveitis was commoner than anterior uveitis with a predominance of toxoplasma retinochoroiditis. Environmental factors appeared to be more important in this genetically distinct population, with infective causes and ocular trauma being the most common aetiologies of uveitis.
Enforcement and disclosure under regulation fair disclosure: an empirical analysis
Authors: Griffin Paul A. , Lont David H. , Segal Benjamin
Published: November 2011

While Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) was designed to benefit investors by curbing the selective disclosure of material non‐public information to ‘covered’ investors, such as analysts and institutional investors, it can also impose costs. This paper finds that FD levies three kinds of enforcement and disclosure costs. First, investors cannot recover as part of an SEC enforcement action the gains to covered investors from their alleged use of the non‐public information. Second, investors lose because the market responds negatively to an SEC enforcement announcement. Third, investors suffer because some companies post their FD filings well after the due date, without earlier public disclosure.
I’ll have what she’s having: the impact of model characteristics on children’s food choices
Authors: Frazier Brandy N. , Gelman Susan A. , Kaciroti Niko , Russell Joshua W. , Lumeng Julie C.
Published: November 2011

This research investigates children’s use of social categories in their food selection. Across three studies, we presented preschoolers with sets of photographs that contrasted food‐eating models with different characteristics, including model gender, race (Black, White), age (child or adult), and/or expression (acceptance or rejection of the food). Children were asked to pick between the photographs to choose which food they would like for snack. Results demonstrated that preschoolers prefer foods being eaten by models with positive over negative expressions, foods being eaten by child over adult models, and foods being eaten by child models of the same gender as themselves over models of the other gender. This work connects with previous research on children’s understanding of social categories and also has important practical implications for how characteristics of a food‐eating model can affect children’s willingness to try new foods.
Collaborative partner or social tool? New evidence for young children’s understanding of joint intentions in collaborative activities
Authors: Warneken Felix , Gräfenhain Maria , Tomasello Michael
Published: November 2011

Some children’s social activities are structured by joint goals. In previous research, the criterion used to determine this was relatively weak: if the partner stopped interacting, did the child attempt to re‐engage her? But re‐engagement attempts could easily result from the child simply realizing that she needs the partner to reach her own goal in the activity (social tool explanation). In two experiments, 21‐ and 27‐month‐old children interacted with an adult in games in which they either did or did not physically need the partner to reach a concrete goal. Moreover, when the partner stopped interacting, she did so because she was either unwilling to continue (breaking off from the joint goal) or unable to continue (presumably still maintaining the joint goal). Children of both age groups encouraged the recalcitrant partner equally often whether she was or was not physically needed for goal attainment. In addition, they did so more often when the partner was unable to continue than when she was unwilling to continue. These findings suggest that young children do not just view their collaborative partners as mindless social tools, but rather as intentional, cooperative agents with whom they must coordinate intentional states.
Genetically influenced change in sensation seeking drives the rise of delinquent behavior during adolescence
Authors: Harden K. Paige , Quinn Patrick D. , Tucker‐Drob Elliot M.
Published: November 2011

Sensation seeking is associated with an increased propensity for delinquency, and emerging research on personality change suggests that mean levels of sensation seeking increase substantially from childhood to adolescence. The current study tested whether individual differences in the rate of change of sensation seeking predicted within‐person change in delinquent behavior and whether genetically influenced differences in rate of personality change accounted for this association. Sensation seeking and delinquent behavior were assessed biennially between ages 10–11 and 16–17 in a nationally representative sample of 7675 youths from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth: Children and Young Adults (CNLSY). Analyses using latent growth curve modeling found that within‐person change in sensation seeking was significantly and positively correlated with within‐person change in delinquency from childhood to adolescence. Furthermore, behavioral genetic analyses of a subset of 2562 sibling pairs indicated that there were substantial genetic influences on both initial levels of sensation seeking and change in sensation seeking during early adolescence, with over 80% of individual differences in change due to genetic factors. Finally, these genetically driven increases in sensation seeking were most important for predicting increases in delinquency, whereas environmental paths between sensation seeking and delinquency were not significant. These results suggest that developmental changes in delinquent behaviors during adolescence are driven by a genetically governed process of personality change.
“We are Gauteng People”: Challenging the Politics of Xenophobia in Khutsong, South Africa
Authors: Kirshner Joshua D.
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  This article seeks to shed light on the May 2008 violence against foreign Africans living in South Africa, and the issue of xenophobia more broadly, by examining the case of Khutsong, a poor township on the edge of Johannesburg that did not experience xenophobic attacks. Arguing against prevailing explanations that link xenophobia with poverty and deprivation, this study examines the opposition to xenophobia that developed in Khutsong. It highlights the centrality of a community‐based organization, the Merafong Demarcation Forum (MDF), in halting the spread of violence. In its recent struggle against municipal demarcation, the MDF nurtured a collective sense of place that granted primacy to provincial boundaries while downplaying ethnic and national divisions. The article argues for the need to examine local social struggles and their intersections with broader political‐economic trends when accounting for the presence or absence of violent xenophobia.
IS MODAL FICTIONALISM ARTIFICIAL?
Authors: WOODWARD RICHARD
Published: November 2011

This article examines a popular complaint against the fictionalist account of possible objects bruited by Gideon Rosen. This is the complaint that modal fictionalism is, in some sense or other, hopelessly artificial. I shall separate two different strands to this worry and examine each in turn. As we shall see, neither strand to the objection is intractable.
Visceral and mucosal involvement in neonatal haemangiomatosis
Authors: Maruani A. , Piram M. , Sirinelli D. , Herbreteau D. , Saliba E. , Machet M.C. , Lorette G.
Published: November 2011

Background  Two types of neonatal haemangiomatosis (NH) are distinguished: diffuse which is associated with a high rate of mortality linked to mucosal/visceral involvement, and benign.

Objectives  First, this study aimed to examine the frequency of mucosal and visceral (especially hepatic) involvement in NH, according to skin extension, and second, it aimed to examine clinical, pathological (with glucose transporter 1 (GLUT‐1) immunostaining), and imaging features of NH, including follow‐up data.

Methods  This was a descriptive retrospective study carried out in the University Hospital Center of Tours, France.

Results  The study included 19 patients with cutaneous NH (number of skin haemangiomas ranging from 5 to >100). Mucosal involvement was observed in 32% of all cases (100% and 19% in diffuse and other cutaneous cases respectively) and hepatic involvement in 42% (67% and 38% respectively). The number of hepatic haemangiomas ranged from 1 to >10. Half of the hepatic haemangiomas cases exhibited increased hepatic arterial blood flow.

Conclusions  Mucosal and hepatic involvement was frequent in cases with a high number of cutaneous haemangiomas (>100), but only frequency of mucosal involvement was statistically significant (P = 0.021).
Individual differences in vulnerability to subjective time distortion1
Authors: ONO FUMINORI , HORII SACHIKO , WATANABE KATSUMI
Published: November 2011

Time duration is perceived to be longer when accompanied by dynamic sensory stimulation than when accompanied by static stimulation. This distortion of time perception is thought to be due to the acceleration of an internal pacemaker that has been assumed to be the main component of temporal judgments. In order to investigate whether the function of the internal pacemaker is modality dependent or independent, we examined the correlation of visual flicker and auditory flutter effects on a temporal production task. While seeing a 10‐Hz visual flicker or hearing a 10‐Hz auditory flutter, participants estimated a duration of 2500 ms as accurately as possible by pressing a button. The results showed a significant within‐individual correlation between the time distortion due to visual flicker and that due to auditory flutter. Additionally, we found that time distortion due to auditory flutter tended to be larger in female participants than in male participants. These results suggest that the mechanisms underlying subjective time dilation are similar between vision and audition within individuals, but that they vary across individuals.
Abrogation of cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity by emodin in rats
Authors: Ali Badreldin H. , Al‐Salam Suhail , Al Husseini Isehaq S. , Al‐Lawati Intisar , Waly Mostafa , Yasin Javed , Fahim Mohamed , Nemmar Abderrahim
Published: November 2011

Nephrotoxicity of the anticancer drug cisplatin (CP) involves the generation of reactive oxygen species in renal cortex, and emodin (a rhubarb anthraquinone) has strong antioxidant and anticancer actions. Therefore, we tested here the possible ameliorative effect of emodin on CP nephrotoxicity in rats. Emodin was given orally (10 mg/kg/day for nine consecutive days), and on day 4, some of the treated rats were also injected intraperitoneally with either saline or CP (6 mg/kg). Five days after CP treatment, rats were killed, and blood and urine samples, and kidneys were collected for the assessment of histopathological renal damage and apoptosis, and for biochemical estimation of creatinine and urea concentrations in plasma and urine, several cytosolic antioxidant enzyme activities in kidneys, and urinalyses. CP significantly increased the concentrations of urea and creatinine, and decreased creatinine clearance. It also significantly reduced cortical glutathione concentration and the activity of superoxide dismutase. CP treatment significantly increased urine volume and N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase activity and significantly decreased osmolarity and protein concentrations. Emodin treatment markedly and significantly mitigated all these effects. Sections from saline‐ and emodin‐treated rats showed apparently normal proximal tubules. However, kidneys of CP‐treated rats had a moderate degree of necrosis. This was markedly lessened when CP was given simultaneously with emodin. The concentration of CP in the cortical tissues was not significantly altered by emodin treatment. The results suggested that emodin had ameliorated CP nephrotoxicity in rats. Pending further pharmacological and toxicological studies emodin may be considered a potentially useful nephroprotective agent.
Targeting the aldosterone pathway in cardiovascular disease
Authors: Gustafsson Finn , Azizi Michel , Bauersachs Johann , Jaisser Frederic , Rossignol Patrick
Published: November 2011

Accumulated evidence has demonstrated that aldosterone is a key player in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular (CV) disease. Multiple clinical trials have documented that intervention in the aldosterone pathway can reduce blood pressure and lower albuminuria and improve outcome in patients with heart failure or myocardial infarction. Recent studies have unraveled details about the role of aldosterone at the cellular level in CV disease. The relative importance of glucocorticoids and aldosterone in terms of mineralocorticoid receptor activation is currently being debated. Also, studies are addressing which aldosterone modulator to use, which timing of treatment to aim for, and in which population to intervene. This review provides an overview of recent developments in the understanding of the role of aldosterone in CV disease, with particular reference to mechanisms and potential targets of intervention. Finally, ongoing or desirable clinical trials in the field are highlighted. The review is partly based on discussions between basic scientists and clinical trialists at the Cardiovascular Clinical Trials Forum 2009 and subsequently updated to encompass the most recent developments.
Extrapyramidal adverse drug reactions associated with trimetazidine: a series of 21 cases
Authors: Masmoudi Kamel , Masson Henri , Gras Valérie , Andréjak Michel
Published: November 2011

Over the last few years, a number of cases of extrapyramidal disorders associated with trimetazidine (TMZ) use has been reported. Here, we report on a series of 21 cases. All but one of the patients (mean age 74) had been taking TMZ for several years. The indication for prescription of TMZ could not be identified in seven cases. The TMZ‐associated adverse drug reactions were typical parkinsonism (akinesia and/or rigidity and/or rest tremor) in 17 cases, gait disorders in three cases (one with orthostatic tremor), and restless leg syndrome in one case. Discontinuation of TMZ led to complete disappearance of the symptoms in 16 cases and a significant reduction in the five other patients. TMZ has the same piperazine core as the dopamine antagonists flunarizine and cinnarizine (both of which have been reported to induce extrapyramidal symptoms). Hence, striatal D2 receptor blockade could result in the onset or the worsening of extrapyramidal disorders. Even though this adverse drug reaction is now listed in TMZ’s Summary of Product Characteristics (because of the initial reports), the risk remains poorly known by clinicians. There is a need to raise awareness of this phenomenon and to reassess TMZ ‘s risk‐benefit ration, especially in the elderly.
HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION AND CONTINUOUS TRAINING: EVIDENCE FOR EU COUNTRIES
Authors: O'MAHONY MARY
Published: November 2011

This paper links data on continuous training from the EU Labour Force Survey (LFS) to information on skill levels and earnings from the EU KLEMS growth and productivity accounts, to examine the relative magnitudes of continuous workforce training versus human capital formation through the general education system in the European Union. The measurement methodology draws from the literature on measuring intangible investments by firms and sources of growth in an accounting framework. The results suggest that in the EU15 group of countries, intangible investments in continuous training represent just under 2 percent of GDP or about 35 percent of expenditure on general education. The share of GDP accounted for by training is less than a third as large in the new member states. A growth accounting method is employed to show that failure to account for continuous training leads to an underestimate of the impact of human capital on output growth in the EU.
Role of α1‐ and α2‐GABAA receptors in mediating the respiratory changes associated with benzodiazepine sedation
Authors: Masneuf S , Buetler J , Koester C , Crestani F
Published: November 2011

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The molecular substrates underlying the respiratory changes associated with benzodiazepine sedation are unknown. We examined the effects of different doses of diazepam and alprazolam on resting breathing in wild‐type (WT) mice and clarified the contribution of α1‐ and α2‐GABAA receptors, which mediate the sedative and muscle relaxant action of diazepam, respectively, to these drug effects using point‐mutated mice possessing either α1H101R‐ or α2H101R‐GABAA receptors insensitive to benzodiazepine.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Room air breathing was monitored using whole‐body plethysmography. Different groups of WT mice were injected i.p. with diazepam (1–100 mg·kg−1), alprazolam (0.3, 1 or 3 mg·kg−1) or vehicle. α1H101R and α2H101R mice received 1 or 10 mg·kg−1 diazepam or 0.3 or 3 mg·kg−1 alprazolam. Respiratory frequency, tidal volume, time of expiration and time of inspiration before and 20 min after drug injection were analysed.

KEY RESULTS Diazepam (10 mg·kg−1) decreased the time of expiration, thereby increasing the resting respiratory frequency, in WT and α2H101R mice, but not in α1H101R mice. The time of inspiration was shortened in WT and α1H101R mice, but not in α2H101R mice. Alprazolam (1–3 mg·kg−1) stimulated the respiratory frequency by shortening expiration and inspiration duration in WT mice. This tachypnoeic effect was partially conserved in α1H101R mice while absent in α2H101R mice.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These results identify a specific role for α1‐GABAA receptors and α2‐GABAA receptors in mediating the shortening by benzodiazepines of the expiratory and inspiratory phase of resting breathing respectively.
Histories of Everyday Violence In British India
Authors: Saha Jonathan
Published: November 2011

Historians of British India and colonial rule more generally have inevitably had to approach the difficult subject of colonial violence. Often, however, historians have explored colonial violence by focusing on exceptional and spectacular moments. Recently two books have been published that shift the terms of the historiography by examining colonial violence as an aspect of everyday life in British India: Taylor Sherman’s State Violence and Punishment in India and Elizabeth Kolsky’s Colonial Justice in British India. This article examines the limitations of the established literature’s characterisation of colonial violence, before comparing the work of Kolsky and Sherman. Both of their studies demonstrate that physical violence was an intrinsic and everyday aspect of the colonial encounter in India, and they lay the groundwork for further studies of everyday colonial violence.
Refractory Symptoms Successfully Treated with Leukotriene Inhibition in a Child with Systemic Mastocytosis
Authors: TURNER PAUL J. , KEMP ANDREW S. , ROGERS MAUREEN , MEHR SAM
Published: November 2011

Abstract:  Montelukast was effective in treating refractory abdominal and urinary symptoms in a child with systemic mastocytosis.
Marginal and Internal Discrepancies Related to Margin Design of Ceramic Crowns Fabricated by a CAD/CAM System
Authors: Souza Rodrigo Othávio Assunção , Özcan Mutlu , Pavanelli Carlos Augusto , Buso Leonardo , Lombardo Geraldo Henrique Leão , Michida Silvia Masae Araújo , Mesquita Alfredo Mikail Melo , Bottino Marco Antonio
Published: November 2011

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the marginal discrepancy (MD) and internal discrepancy (ID) of ceramic crowns manufactured by a CAD/CAM system, having different finish lines. The hypotheses tested were that the finish line type would not influence the MD or ID of the crowns, and ID would not change in different regions.

Materials and Methods: Three aluminum master dies (height: 5.5 mm, Ø: 7.5 mm, conicity: 6°) with different finish lines (TC: tilted chamfer; LC: large chamfer; RS: rounded shoulder) were manufactured. Ten impressions were made from each master die using a modified parallelometer. Impressions were poured in type IV dental stone, and 30 ceramic crowns (IPS Empress CAD, Ivoclar) were subsequently milled. The crowns were fixed on their respective metallic die using a metallic fixation device. The distance between the external edges of the crown to the edge of the cervical preparation was performed at 50 points on the respective metallic die (MD analysis). With the replica technique, the ID values of each crown were further evaluated at 12 points equidistant to each other in three regions: radius (R), axial (A), and occlusal (Occl). The measurements were performed using an optical microscope (250×). The data (μm) were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey′s test (5%).

Results: The RS group (28.24 ± 11.42 μm) showed significantly lower MD values (p= 0.001) than those of TC (99.92 ± 18.32 μm) and LC (64.71 ± 25.64 μm) groups, both of which also differed statistically from one another. The ID results demonstrated significantly lower values in the LC group (183.01 ± 62.82 μm) (p= 0.0014) than those of TC (216.26 ± 83.23 μm) and RS (219.12 ± 87.24 μm) groups. ID results of TC and RS were not significantly different. Additionally, the ID results showed significant differences among the regions (p= 0.0001). The null hypotheses were rejected.

Conclusion: The RS finish line produced MD values significantly lower than tilted and large chamfer, but large chamfer presented the lowest internal discrepancy values. Independent of the finish line type, internal discrepancy was the lowest in the axial region followed by radius and occlusal regions.
Extended GTST‐MLD for Aerospace System Safety Analysis
Authors: Guo Chiming , Gong Shiyu , Tan Lin , Guo Bo
Published: November 2011

The hazards caused by complex interactions in the aerospace system have become a problem that urgently needs to be settled. This article introduces a method for aerospace system hazard interaction identification based on extended GTST‐MLD (goal tree‐success tree‐master logic diagram) during the design stage. GTST‐MLD is a functional modeling framework with a simple architecture. Ontology is used to extend the ability of system interaction description in GTST‐MLD by adding the system design knowledge and the past accident experience. From the level of functionality and equipment, respectively, this approach can help the technician detect potential hazard interactions. Finally, a case is used to show the method.