bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adding Families to the Homework Equation: A Longitudinal Study of Mathematics Achievement
Authors: Van Voorhis Frances L.
Published: September 2010

Families, whether guided or instructed to, often become involved in their children’s homework. This study examined the effects of a weekly interactive mathematics program (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork - TIPS) on family involvement, emotions and attitudes, and student achievement. Students and families (N=153) from four urban elementary schools participated in this two-year quasi-experimental study, with teachers assigned randomly to TIPS or Control conditions. Seventeen percent of students used TIPS two years, forty percent completed TIPS one year, and forty-three percent never used TIPS. The majority of the sample (57%) represented African-American students, and the remaining students (43%) were Caucasian, with almost 70% of the sample qualifying for free- or reduced-price lunch. Overall, TIPS students and families reported significantly higher levels of family involvement, more positive feelings and attitudes about math homework, and significantly higher standardized mathematics scores than Control students. This coordinated homework process may be a useful tool for educators seeking more favorable and academically productive home learning experiences for students and their families.
Are We Supporting Teacher Success: Insights From an Alternative Route Mathematics Teacher Certification Program for Urban Public Schools
Authors: Foote Mary Q. , Brantlinger Andrew , Haydar Hanna N. , Smith Beverly , Gonzalez Lidia
Published: September 2010

In this article we examine induction policies and practices for new alternatively certified mathematics teachers in the country’s largest urban school district, New York City. Our focus is on the support system for such teachers as it is legislated and as it is enacted. This includes the induction and general supports (e.g., mentoring, coaching, networks) that are available to mathematics teachers in the New York City Teaching Fellows Program (NYCTF). Data sources include a survey of one entire cohort of Fellows (N=167), as well as more in depth interviews and written reflections from 12 case study Fellows. Results indicate that the supports, while as espoused seem adequate, as delivered are inconsistent and in many cases inadequate. A key finding is that many teachers found that informal relationships, usually within their local school settings, provided more effective support to help them through their first years of teaching mathematics. This research has implications for the induction of alternatively certified teachers and more generally of all new teachers particularly those in urban schools.
African American Male Achievement: Using a Tenet of Critical Theory to Explain the African American Male Achievement Disparity
Authors: Palmer Robert T. , Maramba Dina C.
Published: September 2010

Although African Americans continue to demonstrate a desire for education, Black male enrollment and completion rates in higher education are dismal when compared to other ethnic groups. Researchers and scholars have noted various theories and philosophies responsible for the academic disengagement of African American men in higher education. This article provides a new contextual lens for understanding the academic disengagement of Black men using a tenet of critical theory as a method to explain the African American male achievement disparity. Additionally, this research offers employable strategies and activities that may encourage Black male achievement.
Deficit Thinking and the Effective Teacher
Authors: Walker Kenya L. (Haynes)
Published: September 2010

This research was a qualitative study of 10 elementary school teachers working with predominantly African American students in a large urban school district. The primary focus of this study was to analyze the teachers’ perceptions of their African American students. The hope is that the data presented in this study will initiate trends that assist in effectively preparing teachers to attain successful outcomes with African American students.
Toward a More Nuanced Understanding of New Teacher Attrition
Authors: DeAngelis Karen J. , Presley Jennifer B.
Published: September 2010

Teacher attrition, especially among new teachers, has been an issue of major concern for policy makers and administrators for many years. Prior research has provided valuable information regarding the teacher and organizational factors associated with attrition from the profession and teacher mobility across schools. Less attention, however, has been placed on quantifying the problem and placing actual differences by teacher and organizational characteristics into perspective. Using more than 30 years of population data on new teacher cohorts from Illinois, the authors provide a more nuanced analysis of new teacher attrition from both the profession and schools. In contrast to conventional wisdom, the authors reveal a stronger attachment to the profession by recent cohorts of Illinois teachers compared to teachers who began during the 1970s. Moreover, the authors find that variation in school-level attrition is substantially greater within school type than across school type. Thus, rather than thinking of new teacher attrition from schools as primarily an urban or disadvantaged school problem, the study results suggest that policy makers and administrators need to be thinking of it as primarily an individual school problem, and thereby work to identify and provide more targeted assistance to schools of all types that are particularly burdened by high teacher turnover.
The Internet and the Church: An Introduction
Authors: Hutchings Timothy
Published: September 2010

The Internet is connecting people and organisations around the world in important new ways, changing the way we relate to one another, find resources, share information and form communities. These changes have very important implications for Christians and their churches. This article offers an overview of online activity, including websites, blogs, forums, social network sites, virtual worlds and online evangelism, and introduces theoretical work on the importance of online social networking, the role of the user in shaping technology, and the balance between control and participation in online activity.
Substance-related knowledge, attitude, and behaviour among college students
Authors: Heckman Carolyn J , Dykstra Jennifer L , Collins Bradley N
Published: September 2010

Objective: To examine substance-related attitudes and behaviours among college students across an academic semester.

Design: Pre–post quasi-experimental survey design.

Setting: A large University in the Midwestern United States.

Method: Surveys were completed by 299 undergraduates enrolled in three courses: drugs and behaviour, abnormal psychology, and normal personality theories.

Results: Although students that were enrolled in the drug course were not more knowledgeable about drugs than others at baseline, their knowledge increased by semester’s end, while the others’ did not. Perceived prevalence of alcohol use was more accurate and became increasingly accurate among drugs and behaviour students. Class enrolment, gender, and baseline substance use were associated with baseline attitudes and behaviours as well as changes over time.

Conclusion: This study offers implications for substance use education opportunities on college campuses.
Performance outcomes of an online first aid and CPR course for laypersons
Authors: Cason Carolyn L , Stiller Janeth
Published: September 2010

Objective: The study evaluated the effectiveness of an online first aid course by comparing it with the traditional instructor-led course. An effective online course increases course accessibility and mitigates the major deterrent to widespread layperson training.

Design: A comparison group design evaluated performances among 25 laypersons self-selecting the traditional course and 46 self-selecting the online course.

Setting: Online participants completed the course in a location and at a time convenient to them. Traditional participants completed the course at testing sites. All attended a testing site for skills testing.

Method: Eight instructors participated in traditional course delivery, skills review and practice, and skills testing. They assessed participants’ performance using standard checklists. Resuscitation mannequins captured objective performance data.

Results: Instructors assessed all participants as passing all skills tests. None passed using the objective data but online course participants outperformed traditional course participants.

Conclusions: The online course is effective. Its accessibility permits broader dissemination and use.
Cementing the Enemy Category: Arrest and Imprisonment of German Jews in Nazi Concentration Camps, 1933-8/9
Authors: Wünschmann Kim
Published: September 2010

Understandably, research has focused overwhelmingly on Jews in the camps of the Holocaust. But the nazis had been detaining Jews in concentration camps ever since 1933, at times in large numbers. Who were these prisoners? This article analyzes nazi policies that brought Jews into the concentration camps. It ventures into the inner structure and dynamics of one of the most heterogeneous groups of concentration camp inmates. By contrasting the perpetrators’ objectives with the victims’ experiences, this article will illuminate the role of the concentration camp as the ultimate means of pressure in the fatal process of turning a minority group into an outsider group: that is, the act of defining and marking the enemy which was the critical stage before the destruction of European Jewry. Furthermore, it will examine Jewish reactions to SS terror inside the camps.
‘And What Concentration Camps Those Were!’: Foreign Concentration Camps in Nazi Propaganda, 1933-9
Authors: Moore Paul
Published: September 2010

This article examines nazi propaganda on non-German ‘concentration camps’ in the years 1933—9. It shows how the regime publicized internment facilities in Austria, the Soviet Union and South Africa during the Boer War for rhetorical effect. This examination is placed within the context of extensive nazi propaganda concerning Germany’s own camps, demonstrating that the two propaganda strands worked not contrary to each other, but rather in a mutually reinforcing manner. In addition, the article will explore the legacy of this propaganda material in shaping popular attitudes with the onset of war and genocide.
Perceptions of the Long-Term Influence of Mindfulness Training on Counselors and Psychotherapists
Authors: Christopher John Chambers , Chrisman Jennifer A. , Trotter-Mathison Michelle J. , Schure Marc B. , Dahlen Penny , Christopher Suzanne B.
Published: September 2010

Although self-care is often touted as being important to counselors and psychotherapists, historically little has been done within graduate school to provide future therapists with self-care strategies. This article proposes that mindfulness training offers a promising approach to therapist self-care and introduces qualitative research on the long-term impact of mindfulness training to substantiate this claim. Sixteen former students who are now practicing counselors were interviewed. Thirteen of them reported continuing to practice mindfulness techniques. Participants indicated that mindfulness continued to influence both their personal lives and self-care practices leading to positive influences in physical, emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal well-being. In their professional lives, participants described ways of incorporating mindfulness into their way of being a therapist, their interventions, and how they conceptualize their clients’ issues.
Children Residing in Prison With Their Parents: An Example of Institutional Invisibility
Authors: Pösö Tarja , Enroos Rosi , Vierula Tarja
Published: September 2010

This article presents the results of a study carried out in Finland on the position of children who accompany their parent to prison. The study consists of document analyses and staff and inmate interviews in the two Finnish prisons with special units for children. The results highlight the lack of information on children residing in prisons as well as the lack of guidelines for practice illustrated by the term “institutional invisibility.” The term “institutional invisibility” informs about the vagueness of the prison practices in relation to children and their parents.
Analytical Characteristics of the Core-Periphery Model
Authors: Lange Andreas , Quaas Martin F.
Published: September 2010

The authors propose a novel approach to analyze core—periphery models. By expressing the model in terms of relative wages, the authors characterize market equilibria and full equilibria in which no migration incentives exist. The authors reconsider Krugman’s model and show that full equilibria are determined by a single function of relative nominal wage rates. This allows them to analytically derive the stability properties of all full equilibria. They further show that migration is more driven by differences in the price index than by differences in the nominal wage rate.
Nitric oxide modulates dopaminergic regulation of prepulse inhibition in the basolateral amygdala
Authors: Salum C , Issy AC , Brandão ML , Guimarães FS , Bel EA Del
Published: September 2010

Systemic injection of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (LNO) prevents the disruptive effect of amphetamine (Amph) on prepulse inhibition (PPI), a sensorimotor gating model in which the amplitude of the acoustic startle response (ASR) to a startling sound (pulse) is reduced when preceded immediately by a weaker stimulus (prepulse). Given that dopamine (DA) projections to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) are involved in the control of information processing, our aim was to investigate if intra-BLA administration of LNO would modify the disruption caused by the DA agonists, Amph, apomorphine (Apo) and quinpirole (QNP), on PPI. Male Wistar rats received bilateral intra-BLA microinjections (0.2 µL/min/side) of combined treatments (saline or LNO 11 µg followed by saline, QNP 3 µg, Apo 10 µg or Amph 30 µg). PPI was disrupted by intra-BLA Apo, QNP or Amph but not by LNO. Prior bilateral intra-BLA injection of LNO prevented the Apo- and QNP-induced disruption of PPI but did not affect that caused by Amph. APO- or QNP-induced increases in ASR to prepulse + pulse were also restored by LNO. Since local inhibition of NO formation affected the effects of direct, but not indirect, DA agonists, the results suggest that this modulation is not occurring at the level of DA release but may involve complex interactions with other neurotransmitter systems.
“Meds are a Real Tricky Area”
Authors: Kemp Candace L. , Luo Shanzhen , Ball Mary M.
Published: September 2010

Medication management is among the most commonly cited reasons for moving to assisted living and is closely associated with resident quality of care and life. Yet the issue has received little research attention. Using data from the statewide study, “Job Satisfaction and Retention of Direct Care Staff in Assisted Living,” this article examines medication management policies and practices across 45 facilities in Georgia. Guided by principles of Grounded Theory Method, we analyzed qualitative data from surveys with 370 direct care workers (DCWs) and in-depth interviews with 41 DCWs and 44 administrators. Our analysis showed that medication managers vary widely in their backgrounds, positions, and training, largely based on home size and resources. Despite identifying common dimensions of the medication management process, we found variation in procedures and regulatory compliance based on facility, staff, and resident factors. Our findings relate to and extend existing work and have practice and research implications.
Ethnographic Lessons: Researching Incest in Mexican Families
Authors: González-López Gloria
Published: September 2010

This article is a series of reflections on the methodological challenges and ethnographic complexities I have encountered while conducting research on the sexualized acts, interactions, and relationships (both voluntary and involuntary) within the family context in Mexican society. I examine how this journey has had a transformative effect on me as a researcher and a sociologist. In particular, I discuss the research surprises, methodological lessons, and epistemological insights that I experienced during this research process. I also comment on the paradigms and concepts that have helped me decipher and reconcile the tensions of occupying a position as both a researcher trying to maintain standards of conventional academic rigor and a witness to reports of sexualized pain.
Evaluation of a Condensed Training Program to Introduce the Process of Continuing Professional Development
Authors: Tofade Toyin S. , Foushee Leigh L. , Chou Sarah Y. , Eckel Stephen F. , Caiola Stephen M.
Published: September 2010

Objectives: Continuing professional development (CPD) is a novel approach to learning and developing as a professional. The purpose of this study is to administer, observe, and evaluate a condensed CPD training program to determine its effectiveness. Study method: The program consists of a 2-hour home study section with reflective components and a 3-hour live portion complete with active learning activities and group exercises. Pre- and post-surveys were administered to participants, with several questions being asked to determine their perception of the CPD process. Results: Of the 21 participants that attended the program, 99% indicated on the post-workshop evaluation that they were able to accomplish the pre-stated program objectives. Of the 19 participants who completed the pre- and post-surveys, 88% responded that the program time was just right for them. After the post-survey, 71% responded that they were very familiar with the concept of CPD as opposed to 11% on the pre-survey. Conclusion: A combined 2-hour self-study and 3-hour live interactive program is efficient and effective in training professionals on CPD.
Gene myths in public perceptions
Authors: Svalastog Anna Lydia
Published: September 2010

In this article I examine myths in the gene science debate, and their use as a tool in analysis of popular perceptions and public opinion of genetic science and gene technology. In daily language myth means something untrue, though theories of myth present them as carriers of knowledge and truth. I understand myth as a narrative, a cultural construct that aims to describe the world, its origin, and its constituent elements. I compare scholars’ usage of myths, considering their implications. I conclude that i) As an analytical tool the concept of myth is too loosely defined, or understood through theories which leave out context, social relations and interaction. This provides limited insight about myths and myth-making in present day society. ii) An updated understanding of myths, including location/context and interaction/process would enrich analysis.
Peace Education, ESD and the Earth Charter
Authors: Swee-Hin Toh , Cawagas Virginia Floresca
Published: September 2010

This article provides a review of how the values and principles of the Earth Charter initiative relate to two specific innovative movements of educational transformation, namely peace education and education for sustainable development (ESD). The interconnections and synergies between these movements and the Earth Charter are highlighted. Conceptual and pedagogical implications are drawn for implementing all three initiatives in ways that mutually strengthen and enhance their shared vision and mission to build a world infused with values of nonviolence, justice, respect, reconciliation and sustainability. However, they also share various commonalities of purpose, understanding of the root causes of conflicts and peacelessness and optimal strategies for building peace at all levels of life. Drawing on a holistic multidimensional framework of building a culture of peace, the article provides exemplars of how peace education, ESD and the Earth Charter empower members of all societies to overcome militarisation, direct violence, local/global injustices, human rights violations, ecological destruction and inner peacelessness.
The Why and What of ESD
Authors: Preston Noel
Published: September 2010

This article explores Earth Charter education as a form of values education that is integral to education for sustainable development. Initially, it outlines how Earth Charter education rests on an ecocentric worldview and a social analysis of ecojustice—terms that are defined and explained. Moving from this rationale, the article explores issues in implementing Earth Charter education in affluent societies and concludes that the contradiction between the values and vision of the Earth Charter and the culture of affluent societies must be confronted. Some pedagogical strategies for meeting this challenge are introduced.
Relationships Between Learning Disability, Executive Function, and Psychopathology in Children With ADHD
Authors: Mattison Richard E. , Mayes Susan Dickerson
Published: September 2010

Objective: Learning disabilities (LD), executive function (EF), and psychopathology were investigated to clarify their relationships in 595 children with ADHD. Method: Standard instruments for IQ, achievement, EF, and parent and teacher ratings of psychopathology were obtained at the time of outpatient evaluation. Results: Comparisons between the 437 children with LD (as defined by predicted achievement) and the 158 children without LD showed significantly worse EF in the LD group but no significant differences in verbal or performance IQ. Parent and teacher ratings of both ADHD and non-ADHD psychopathology also showed no significant differences between LD and No LD groups. Correlational analyses found that IQ, EF, and achievement measures were significantly related to each other; the same was also true for subscales of psychopathology as rated by parent and teachers. However, significant correlations between the cognitive/achievement measures and the psychopathology ratings were few. Conclusion: The addition of LD to ADHD appears to be associated with worse executive dysfunction, but it does not affect ADHD or non-ADHD psychopathology according to both parents and teachers.
School choice in an international context
Authors: MacKenzie Peter
Published: September 2010

International schools and schools offering curricula and qualifications that are not those designed and delivered by the state are increasingly common in many countries.They offer parents an alternative to national schools and the normative education they deliver. This article compares five research exercises conducted in Switzerland, Japan, Argentina, Israel and Singapore that attempted to understand what motivated parents to choose for their children schools that were outside the national mainstream. It concludes that common motives exist and it proposes eight factors that appear to have near universal appeal.
Exploring student identity in an intercultural web-assisted scientific inquiry project
Authors: Yingjie Liu  , Hannafin Robert D.
Published: September 2010

This qualitative study based on Gee’s (2001) identity theory examined and compared how American and Chinese middle school students develop identities towards science, culture and technology in an intercultural web-assisted scientific inquiry project. Through analysis of online discussions, videoconferences, interviews, surveys and fieldnotes, we explored how students shaped and reshaped their identities throughout scientific inquiry learning and intercultural collaborative activities. In examining identity development during scientific investigation, we offer insights into the intercultural learning context and suggest ways of facilitating identity formation, which can inform such collaborations in the future.
Hepcidin induction by transgenic overexpression of Hfe does not require the Hfe cytoplasmic tail, but does require hemojuvelin
Authors: Schmidt Paul J. , Andrews Nancy C. , Fleming Mark D.
Published: September 2010

Mutations in HFE cause the most common form of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). We previously showed that liver-specific, transgenic overexpression of murine Hfe stimulates production of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin. Here, we developed several additional transgenic mouse strains to further interrogate the structural basis of HFE function in the pathophysiology of HH. We hypothesized that the small, cytoplasmic domain of HFE might be necessary for HFE-mediated induction of hepcidin. We demonstrate that, like the full-length protein, overexpression of Hfe proteins lacking the cytoplasmic domain leads to hepcidin induction, iron deficiency and a hypochromic, microcytic anemia. However, high-level expression of a liver-specific Hfe transgene carrying the mouse equivalent of the common HFE C282Y human disease-causing mutation (murine C294Y) did not cause iron deficiency. Furthermore, hepcidin induction by transgenes encoding both WT Hfe and Hfe lacking its cytoplasmic domain is greatly attenuated in the absence of hemojuvelin (Hjv). Our observations indicate that the extracellular and transmembrane domains of Hfe are sufficient, and Hjv is essential, for Hfe-mediated induction of hepcidin expression.
Low-dose rituximab and alemtuzumab combination therapy for patients with steroid-refractory autoimmune cytopenias
Authors: Gómez-Almaguer David , Solano-Genesta Manuel , Tarín-Arzaga Luz , Herrera-Garza José Luis , Cantú-Rodríguez Olga Graciela , Gutiérrez-Aguirre César Homero , Jaime-Pérez José Carlos
Published: September 2010

Treatment of autoimmune cytopenias remains unsatisfactory for patients refractory to first-line management. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of low-dose rituximab plus alemtuzumab in patients with steroid-refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia and immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Nineteen of 21 included patients were assessable for response (11 with immune thrombocytopenic purpura, 8 with autoimmune hemolytic anemia). Treatment with 10 mg of alemtuzumab subcutaneously on days 1 to 3, plus 100 mg of rituximab intravenously weekly in 4 doses, was administered. The overall response rate was 100%, with complete response in 58%. The median response duration was 46 weeks (range, 16-89 weeks). Median follow-up was 70 weeks (range, 37-104 weeks). Most toxicity was grade 1 fever related to the first dose. Six patients developed infections. The combination of rituximab and alemtuzumab is feasible and has an acceptable safety profile and remarkable clinical activity in this group of patients. This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00749112.
Impaired adult olfactory bulb neurogenesis in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease
Authors: Kohl Zacharias , Regensburger Martin , Aigner Robert , Kandasamy Mahesh , Winner Beate , Aigner Ludwig , Winkler Jürgen
Published: September 2010

Background

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder linked to expanded CAG-triplet nucleotide repeats within the huntingtin gene. Intracellular huntingtin aggregates are present in neurons of distinct brain areas, among them regions of adult neurogenesis including the hippocampus and the subventricular zone/olfactory bulb system. Previously, reduced hippocampal neurogenesis has been detected in transgenic rodent models of HD. Therefore, we hypothesized that mutant huntingtin also affects newly generated neurons derived from the subventricular zone of adult R6/2 HD mice.

Results

We observed a redirection of immature neuroblasts towards the striatum, however failed to detect new mature neurons. We further analyzed adult neurogenesis in the granular cell layer and the glomerular layer of the olfactory bulb, the physiological target region of subventricular zone-derived neuroblasts. Using bromodeoxyuridine to label proliferating cells, we observed in both neurogenic regions of the olfactory bulb a reduction in newly generated neurons.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that the striatal environment, severely affected in R6/2 mice, is capable of attracting neuroblasts, however this region fails to provide sufficient signals for neuronal maturation. Moreover, in transgenic R6/2 animals, the hostile huntingtin-associated microenvironment in the olfactory bulb interferes with the survival and integration of new mature neurons. Taken together, endogenous cell repair strategies in HD may require additional factors for the differentiation and survival of newly generated neurons both in neurogenic and non-neurogenic regions.
OCP3 is an important modulator of NPR1-mediated jasmonic acid-dependent induced defenses in Arabidopsis
Authors: Ramírez Vicente , Van der Ent Sjoerd , García-Andrade Javier , Coego Alberto , Pieterse Corné MJ , Vera Pablo
Published: September 2010

Background

Upon appropriate stimulation, plants increase their level of resistance against future pathogen attack. This phenomenon, known as induced resistance, presents an adaptive advantage due to its reduced fitness costs and its systemic and broad-spectrum nature. InArabidopsis, different types of induced resistance have been defined based on the signaling pathways involved, particularly those dependent on salicylic acid (SA) and/or jasmonic acid (JA).

Results

Here, we have assessed the implication of the transcriptional regulator OCP3 in SA- and JA-dependent induced defenses. Through a series of double mutant analyses, we conclude that SA-dependent defense signaling does not require OCP3. However, we found thatocp3plants are impaired in aPseudomonas fluorescensWCS417r-triggered induced systemic resistance (ISR) against bothPseudomonas syrinagaeDC3000 andHyaloperonospora arabidopsidis, and we show that this impairment is not due to a defect in JA-perception. Likewise, exogenous application of JA failed to induce defenses inocp3plants. In addition, we provide evidence showing that the over-expression of an engineered cytosolic isoform of the disease resistance regulator NPR1 restores the impaired JA-induced disease resistance inocp3plants.

Conclusions

Our findings point to a model in which OCP3 may modulate the nucleocytosolic function of NPR1 in the regulation of JA-dependent induced defense responses.
Transfer RNA modifications and genes for modifying enzymes in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Chen Peng , Jäger Gunilla , Zheng Bo
Published: September 2010

Background

In all domains of life, transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules contain modified nucleosides. Modifications to tRNAs affect their coding capacity and influence codon-anticodon interactions. Nucleoside modification deficiencies have a diverse range of effects, from decreased virulence in bacteria, neural system disease in human, and gene expression and stress response changes in plants. The purpose of this study was to identify genes involved in tRNA modification in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, to understand the function of nucleoside modifications in plant growth and development.

Results

In this study, we established a method for analyzing modified nucleosides in tRNAs from the model plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana and hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × tremuloides). 21 modified nucleosides in tRNAs were identified in both species. To identify the genes responsible for the plant tRNA modifications, we performed global analysis of the Arabidopsis genome for candidate genes. Based on the conserved domains of homologs in Sacccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli, more than 90 genes were predicted to encode tRNA modifying enzymes in the Arabidopsis genome. Transcript accumulation patterns for the genes in Arabidopsis and the phylogenetic distribution of the genes among different plant species were investigated. Transcripts for the majority of the Arabidopsis candidate genes were found to be most abundant in rosette leaves and shoot apices. Whereas most of the tRNA modifying gene families identified in the Arabidopsis genome was found to be present in other plant species, there was a big variation in the number of genes present for each family.

Through a loss of function mutagenesis study, we identified five tRNA modification genes (AtTRM10, AtTRM11, AtTRM82, AtKTI12 and AtELP1) responsible for four specific modified nucleosides (m1G, m2G, m7G and ncm5U), respectively (two genes: AtKTI12 and AtELP1 identified for ncm5U modification). The AtTRM11 mutant exhibited an early-flowering phenotype, and the AtELP1 mutant had narrow leaves, reduced root growth, an aberrant silique shape and defects in the generation of secondary shoots.

Conclusions

Using a reverse genetics approach, we successfully isolated and identified five tRNA modification genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. We conclude that the method established in this study will facilitate the identification of tRNA modification genes in a wide variety of plant species.
Developing criteria for Cesarean Section using the RAND appropriateness method
Authors: Ostovar Rahim , Rashidian Arash , Pourreza Abolghasem , Rashidi Batool Hossein , Hantooshzadeh Sedigheh , Ardebili Hassan Eftekhar , Mahmoudi Mahmood ,   The members of the panel of the Cesarean Section RAM Study
Published: September 2010

Background

Cesarean section rates are increasing worldwide, and a rapid increase has been observed in Iran. Disagreement exists between clinicians about when to use cesarean section. We aimed to identify the appropriateness criteria for the use of cesarean section in Iran.

Method

A consensus development study using a modified version of the RAND Appropriateness Method (RAM). We generated scenarios from valid clinical guidelines and expert opinions. A panel of experts participated in consensus development: first round via mail (12 members), second round face-to-face (9 members). We followed the RAM recommendations for the development of the scenario lists, rating scales, and statistical analyses.

Results

294 scenarios relevant to cesarean section were identified. 191 scenarios were considered appropriate, of which 125 scenarios were agreed upon. The panel found cesarean inappropriate for 21% of scenarios, and 'equivocal' for 14% of scenarios.

Conclusion

RAM is useful for identifying stakeholder views in settings with limited resources. The participants' views on appropriateness of certain indications differed with available evidence. A large number of scenarios without agreement may partly explain why it has been difficult to curb the growth in cesarean section rate.
Dose escalation improves therapeutic outcome: post hoc analysis of data from a 12-week, multicentre, double-blind, parallel-group trial of trospium chloride in patients with urinary urge incontinence
Authors: Bödeker Rolf-Hasso , Madersbacher Helmut , Neumeister Claudia , Zellner Michael
Published: September 2010

Background

Flexible dosing of anticholinergics used for overactive bladder (OAB) treatment is a useful strategy in clinical practice for achieving a maximum effective and maximum tolerated level of therapeutic benefit. In this post hoc analysis we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of trospium chloride treatment for urinary urge incontinence (UUI) with focus on flexible dosing.

Methods

The data came from a 12-week, randomised, double-blind, phase IIIb study in which 1658 patients with urinary frequency plus urge incontinence received trospium chloride 15 mg TID (n = 828) or 2.5 mg oxybutynin hydrochloride TID (n = 830). After four weeks, daily doses were doubled and not readjusted in 29.2% (242/828) of patients in the trospium group, and in 23.3% (193/830) in the oxybuytnin group, until the end of treatment. We assessed the absolute reduction in weekly UUI episodes and the change in intensity of dry mouth, recorded in patients' micturition diaries. Adverse events were also evaluated. Statistics were descriptive.

Results

Dose escalation of either trospium or oxybutynin increased reduction in UUI episodes in the population studied. At study end, there were no relevant differences between the "dose adjustment" subgroups and the respective "no dose adjustment" subgroups (trospium:P= 0.249; oxybutynin:P= 0.349). After dose escalation, worsening of dry mouth was higher in both dose adjusted subgroups compared to the respective "no dose adjustment" subgroups (P< 0.001). Worsening of dry mouth was lower in the trospium groups than in the oxybutynin groups (P< 0.001). Adverse events were increased in the dose adjusted subgroups.

Conclusions

Flexible dosing of trospium was proven to be as effective, but better tolerated as the officially approved adjusted dose of oxybutynin.

Trial registration (parent study)

The study was registered with the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM, Berlin, Germany), registration number 4022383, as required at the time point of planning this study.
Chicken model of steroid-induced bone marrow adipogenesis using proteome analysis: a preliminary study
Authors: Li Sing Chung , Lin Ching Yu , Kuo Tzong Fu , Lin Yun Ho , Chen Chia Chun , Lin Way Neng , Chan Wing P
Published: September 2010

Background

Steroid-induced adipogenesis increases fat-cell volume and pressure in bone marrow. This may be a contributing factor in some forms of osteonecrosis. In this observational study, we aimed to determine the protein expression relating to steroid-induced adipogenesis of femoral bone marrow with use of a chicken model. We compared the histologic features of the femoral marrow of eight methylprednisolone (MP)-treated chickens with those of three control chickens and assessed differential proteins with 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and differential proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF MS.

Results

One MP-induced chicken died of overdose anesthesia. Methylprednisolone-induced proliferation of adipose tissue and new bone formation were found on histologic examination. In our study, 13 proteins in the control and MP-induced groups were differently expressed and nine protein spots showed marked threefold downregulation after 19 weeks of MP treatment. These were serum amyloid P-component precursor, zinc finger protein 28, endothelial zinc finger protein 71, T-box transcription factor 3, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1, myosin 1D, dimethylaniline monooxygenase, and two uncharacterized proteins.

Conclusions

Proteomic profiling can be a useful dynamic approach for detecting protein expression in MP-induced adipogenesis of the femur in chickens.
Pathological axes of wound repair: Gastrulation revisited
Authors: Aller Maria-Angeles , Arias Jose-Ignacio , Arias Jaime
Published: September 2010

Post-traumatic inflammation is formed by molecular and cellular complex mechanisms whose final goal seems to be injured tissue regeneration.

In the skin -an exterior organ of the body- mechanical or thermal injury induces the expression of different inflammatory phenotypes that resemble similar phenotypes expressed during embryo development. Particularly, molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in gastrulation return. This is a developmental phase that delineates the three embryonic germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm. Consequently, in the post-natal wounded skin, primitive functions related with the embryonic mesoderm, i.e. amniotic and yolk sac-derived, are expressed. Neurogenesis and hematogenesis stand out among the primitive function mechanisms involved.

Interestingly, in these phases of the inflammatory response, whose molecular and cellular mechanisms are considered as traces of the early phases of the embryonic development, the mast cell, a cell that is supposedly inflammatory, plays a key role.

The correlation that can be established between the embryonic and the inflammatory events suggests that the results obtained from the research regarding both great fields of knowledge must be interchangeable to obtain the maximum advantage.
Amino acid substitutions in the E2 glycoprotein of Sindbis-like virus XJ-160 confer the ability to undergo heparan sulfate-dependent infection of mouse embryonic fibroblasts
Authors: Zhu Wuyang , Fu Shihong , He Ying , Li Jinping , Liang Guodong
Published: September 2010

We have recently demonstrated an essential role of the domain of 145-150 amino acid in the E2 glycoprotein of Sindbis virus in the interaction with cellular heparan sulfate (HS) and in the infection of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) cells. In this study, we constructed and characterized the mutants of Sindbis-like virus XJ-160 in which Tyr-146 and/or Asn-149 in the E2 glycoprotein had been substituted with His and Arg, respectively. Unlike parental virus XJ-160, mutants with either or both substitutions were able to infect wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF-wt) or MEF-Epi

-/-
cells which produce mutant HS. Significantly more infectious particles were released from MEF-wt than from MEF-Epi

-/-
cells. The mutant virus with both substitutions release was inhibited by pre-incubation of virus with heparin or pre-treatment of BHK-21 cells with HS-degrading enzyme. Both XJ-160 and the mutant viruses retained substantial neurovirulence in suckling mice. Our findings provide further support to the importance of positively charged residues in the HS-binding site of E2 in mediating Sindbis virus infection of MEF cells.
Long-Term Efficacy of Methylphenidate in Enhancing Attention Regulation, Social Skills, and Academic Abilities of Childhood Cancer Survivors
Authors: Conklin Heather M. , Reddick Wilburn E. , Ashford Jason , Ogg Susan , Howard Scott C. , Morris E. Brannon , Brown Ronald , Bonner Melanie , Christensen Robbin , Wu Shengjie , Xiong Xiaoping , Khan Raja B.
Published: September 2010

Purpose

Methylphenidate (MPH) ameliorates attention problems experienced by some cancer survivors in the short term, but its long-term efficacy is unproven.

Patients and Methods

This study investigates the long-term effectiveness of maintenance doses of MPH in survivors of childhood brain tumors (n = 35) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 33) participating in a 12-month MPH trial. Measures of attention (Conners' Continuous Performance Test [CPT], Conners' Rating Scales [CRS]), academic abilities (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test [WIAT]), social skills (Social Skills Rating System [SSRS]), and behavioral problems (Child Behavior Checklist [CBCL]) were administered at premedication baseline and at the end of the MPH trial while on medication. A cancer control group composed of patients who were not administered MPH (brain tumor = 31 and acute lymphoblastic leukemia = 23) was assessed on the same measures 2 months apart.

Results

For the MPH group, repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant improvement in performance on a measure of sustained attention (CPT indices, P < .05); parent, teacher, and self-report ratings of attention (CRS indices, P < .05), and parent ratings of social skills or behavioral problems (SSRS and CBCL indices; P < .05). In contrast, the cancer control group only showed improvement on parent ratings of attention (Conners' Parent Rating Scale indices; P < .05) and social skills (SSRS and CBCL indices; P < .05). There was no significant improvement on the academic measure (WIAT) in either group.

Conclusion

Attention and behavioral benefits of MPH for childhood cancer survivors are maintained across settings over the course of a year. Although academic gains were not identified, MPH may offer benefits in academic areas not assessed.
Phase III Randomized Trial Assessing Rofecoxib in the Adjuvant Setting of Colorectal Cancer: Final Results of the VICTOR Trial
Authors: Midgley Rachel S. , McConkey Christopher C. , Johnstone Elaine C. , Dunn Janet A. , Smith Justine L. , Grumett Simon A. , Julier Patrick , Iveson Claire , Yanagisawa Yoko , Warren Bryan , Langman Michael J. , Kerr David J.
Published: September 2010

Purpose

Laboratory and case-control studies suggest a pivotal role for the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathway in colorectal carcinogenesis. The purpose of this study was to test whether the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib could reduce recurrence and improve survival when administered in the adjuvant setting of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Patients and Methods

Patients who had undergone potentially curative surgery and completion of adjuvant therapy for stage II and III CRC were randomly assigned to receive rofecoxib (20 mg daily) or placebo. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Where formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples were available, COX-2 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinical outcome.

Results

Two thousand four hundred thirty-four patients were entered onto the study. The trial was terminated early because of the worldwide withdrawal of rofecoxib. At this point, 1,167 patients had received rofecoxib and 1,160 patients had received placebo for median treatment durations of 7.4 and 8.2 months, respectively. For the rofecoxib and placebo arms, median follow-up times were 4.84 and 4.85 years, with 241 and 246 deaths and 297 and 329 recurrences, respectively. No difference was demonstrated in OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.81 to 1.16; P = .75) or recurrence (HR = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.04; P = .15) comparing the two groups. Tumor COX-2 expression by immunohistochemistry was assessed for 871 patients, but neither prognostic nor predictive effects were observed.

Conclusion

In this study of abbreviated therapy in the adjuvant setting of CRC, rofecoxib did not improve OS or protect from recurrence in unselected patients. In addition, COX-2 expression did not correlate with prognosis overall or predict effectiveness of COX-2 inhibitors.
Strain and Alcohol Use in Russia: A Gendered Analysis
Authors: Botchkovar Ekaterina V. , Hughes Lorine A.
Published: September 2010

Data from a random sample of 327 adults in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, are used to test hypotheses derived from general strain theory concerning the effect of strain on frequency of alcohol use among men and women. The findings lend mixed support to the theory. Although women reported relatively high levels of strain, strained females tended to use alcohol to cope only when in a close relationship with someone who abused alcohol regularly. At the same time, strain was associated with a significant increase in alcohol coping among men, regardless of peer relations. However, for both genders, alcohol-condoning beliefs consistently outperformed strain as a predictor of drinking behavior. No evidence was found of conditional relations involving legitimate coping strategies or deviant beliefs. Contextual and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Unequal Risk: Combat Occupations in the Volunteer Military
Authors: MacLean Alair , Parsons Nicholas L.
Published: September 2010

This study evaluates the characteristics of the men who served in the volunteer military in combat occupations. It examines whether these characteristics stem from supply-side or demand-side decisions, or reflect class bias. The findings suggest that, on the supply side, men who had greater academic abilities were more likely to go to college, thereby avoiding military service and the possibility of serving in a combat occupation. On the demand side, the armed forces were more likely to exclude men with lower academic abilities but were more likely to assign such men in the military to combat occupations. Net of the impacts of these supply-side and demand-side decisions, men who served in combat occupations still differed from those who did not in terms of their family background. The impact of family background was stronger on entering the military than on being assigned to combat occupations once in the military.