bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Change Processes in Couple Therapy: An Intensive Case Analysis of One Couple Using a Common Factors Lens
Authors: Blow Adrian J. , Morrison Nancy C. , Tamaren Karen , Wright Kristin , Schaafsma Melanie , Nadaud Alison
Published: May 2009

The article describes a research study that explored the process of how change occurred for one distressed couple and a specific therapist in a naturalistic setting. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected on the couple at multiple points in the therapy. A research team comprised of five members met regularly to analyze the data and collectively they arrived at a theory of change for the couple posttherapy. Conclusions are made related to how change occurred for the couple with an emphasis on the role of extratherapeutic events, client motivational factors, the therapeutic alliance, hope and expectancy factors, therapist factors, specific techniques and interventions, and other surprise factors that contributed to change.
Training the Person of the Therapist in an Academic Setting
Authors: Aponte Harry J. , Powell Frankie Denise , Brooks Stephanie , Watson Marlene F. , Litzke Cheryl , Lawless John , Johnson Eric
Published: May 2009

Drexel University’s Couple and Family Therapy Department recently introduced a formal course on training the person of a therapist. The course is based on Aponte’s Person‐of‐the‐Therapist Training Model that up until now has only been applied in private, nonacademic institutes with postgraduate therapists. The model attempts to put into practice a philosophy that views the full person of therapists, and their personal vulnerabilities in particular, as the central tool through which therapists do their work in the context of the client–therapist relationship. This article offers a description of how this model has been tested with a group of volunteer students, and subsequently what had to be considered to formally structure the training into the Drexel curriculum.
Reflections of Two Trainees: Person‐of‐the‐Therapist Training for Marriage and Family Therapists
Authors: Lutz Lauren , Spell Irizarry Sarah
Published: May 2009

In this article we share our personal and professional experiences, struggles, and growth, as former trainees of the Person‐of‐the‐Therapist Training pilot study, conducted during our master’s coursework in the Couple and Family Therapy Department at Drexel University. We include our perceptions of the training process in vivo, the challenges and benefits of doing this work in an academic setting, case examples to convey our journey of personal discovery, and the use of what we learned about ourselves in our development as therapists. This development includes a deepening of awareness of self in our relationship and work with our clients, a greater ability to work with both our personal assets and vulnerabilities, as well as the acquisition of skills to actively and purposefully use our entire person diagnostically and therapeutically in our work with clients.
An Instrument for Person‐of‐the‐Therapist Supervision
Authors: Aponte Harry J. , Carol Carlsen J.
Published: May 2009

This article introduces a tool that serves as a guide for building an effective bridge between the personal and technical aspects of therapy in supervision. The instrument is based on a model of clinical supervision that emphasizes the purposeful utilization of self—in the moment, with both flaws and strengths—in the therapeutic relationship in combination with the technical interventions with clients. The article also offers some aid to promote a personal integration of the philosophy underlying this supervisory model into a therapist’s clinical thinking and practice.
Heparin Anticoagulation Responsiveness in a Coronary Care Unit: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Alsayegh Faisal , Al‐Rasheed Mona , Al‐Muhaini Ali , Al‐Humoud Ekhlas , Al‐Ostaz Mona , Mousa Shaker A
Published: May 2009

The aim of this study is to assess the practice of heparin administration in real‐life situations. This study was conducted at the coronary care unit (CCU) in one of the busiest hospitals in Kuwait; with special attention to the rate of heparin resistance, potential factor that may predict resistance or responsiveness and heparin related complications. A prospective observational study was conducted in Farwania hospital over a 4‐month period; this study included 146 patients admitted to the CCU. Patients were treated with UFH according to a standard normogram. Several variables were collected and analyzed, including demographic data, initial diagnosis, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) on admission and at 6, 24, and 48 h after UFH administration, and any complications that occurred. A significant number of patients had subtherapeutic APTT at 6, 24, and 48 h (41.1%, 42.3%, and 46.7%, respectively). There were four factors that predicted heparin resistance, including race, gender, admitting diagnosis (unstable angina vs. acute myocardial infarction), and an APTT ratio of less than one on admission. There was no significant difference in the rate of development of complications among different groups. Heparin resistance is a common phenomenon especially in the first period of heparin therapy. Special attention should be given to some groups like females, patients admitted with unstable angina, and those with APTT below the normal range. Evidence based protocols for Heparin administration and monitoring must be adopted to prevent the risk of under or over anticoagulation.
Innate Immunity and Toll‐like Receptor Antagonists: A Potential Role in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Lin Elaine , Freedman Jane E. , Beaulieu Lea M.
Published: May 2009

Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) are germline‐encoded receptors that recognize various pathogen‐associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). They are key components of the innate immunity which are activated in response to pathogens as well as non‐pathogenic components of damaged tissues. TLR agonists have been developed to treat allergies, cancers, and chronic infections by upregulating the innate immune system. TLR antagonists may be used to treat a number of inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Recent research also has shown that TLRs are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, thrombosis, myocardial remodeling, ischemic/reperfusion injury, and valvular disease. This article reviews the current experimental and clinical evidence for the role of TLRs in the cardiovascular system, and examines the mechanisms by which TLR antagonists could potentially be used in targeted therapy.
Periplogenin‐3‐O‐ ‐D‐Glucopyranosyl ‐(1→6)‐ ‐D‐Glucopyaranosyl‐ ‐(1→4) ‐D‐Cymaropyranoside, Isolated from Aegle marmelos Protects Doxorubicin Induced Cardiovascular Problems and Hepatotoxicity in Rats
Authors: Panda Sunanda , Kar Anand
Published: May 2009

Doxorubicin is a common chemotherapeutic anticancer drug. Its use is associated with adverse effects including cardiotoxicity. Several therapeutics interventions have been attempted to reduce the toxicity and to improve the efficacy of the drug. However, on phytochemicals very few investigations have been made. In the present study we have evaluated the potential of a cardenolide, periplogenin, isolated from the leaves of Aegle marmelos in protecting the doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in rats.

Doxorubicin induced cardiac and hepatotoxicity were characterized by marked biochemical changes including an increase in serum creatine kinase–MB (CK–MB), glutamate‐pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), and tissue LPO, with a decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH). It also increased the levels of different serum lipids, but decreased the amount of high‐density lipoprotein (HDL). Cotherapy of the test cardenolide and doxorubicin for 4 weeks reversed all these adverse effects. However, out of three different concentrations (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg p.o.) of the test periplogenin, 25 mg/kg appeared to be most effective. When its efficacy was compared with that of vitamin E (α‐tocopherol) the isolated compound exhibited a better therapeutic potential.

The isolated periplogenin from the leaves of A. marmelos could potentially inhibit doxorubicin‐induced cardiovascular problems in rats. However, its moderate dose was found to be most effective.
Performing Repeated Noninvasive Bedside Measures of Volume Response to Intravenous Furosemide in Acute Pulmonary Edema: A Feasibility Assessment
Authors: Ng Kam Chuen Marie J. , Lip Gregory Y.H. , MacFadyen Robert J.
Published: May 2009

Optimizing responses to intravenous furosemide (ivF) in acute pulmonary edema is limited by current insensitive noninvasive means of volume assessment. We conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility of performing repeated measures of echocardiographic and bioimpedance analysis (BIA) parameters and test their response as noninvasive markers of volume response to ivF. We also aimed to identify the most potentially sensitive markers of this response. Patients receiving ivF for a clinical diagnosis of acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema were studied. Echocardiographic and BIA parameters were measured at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 h after ivF. Intraobserver variability for each parameter was determined. Thirty‐one patients were enrolled who were receiving 40–100 mg of ivF. Transmitral (MV) early peak velocity following Valsalva maneuver and transtricuspid (TV) early peak velocity reduced significantly (P= 0.012 and 0.010, respectively), whereas MV deceleration time increased significantly (P= 0.006) in response to ivF. Short‐axis inferior vena cava diameter (SIVC) in expiration and inspiration and SIVC corrected for body surface area in expiration and inspiration reduced significantly following ivF (P= 0.039, 0.020, 0.032, and 0.016, respectively). BIA estimates of extracellular water decreased significantly (P= 0.001), whereas impedance (Z) at currents of 5, 50, 100, and 200 kHz increased following ivF; the changes were significant with all but the last parameter (P < 0.0001, 0.006, 0.010, and 0.051, respectively). Maximal change from baseline for each parameter was greater than its respective intraobserver variability. Performing repeated measures of echocardiographic and BIA parameters is feasible in this unstable group of patients. The above panel of parameters could potentially be used to track volume response to ivF and, thus, to optimize treatment in acute pulmonary edema.
Compliance to Recommended Liver Function Monitoring in Patients on Statin Therapy
Authors: Leaver Heather , Keng Lim Tiong , Thomson Philip , Leaver Joanne , Choy Anna M. J. , Lang Chim C.
Published: May 2009

Product information and national guidelines consistently recommend the estimation of serum alanine aminotranferase (ALT) before and after approximately 3 months as part of risk management following initiation of statin therapy. The aim of this study was to determine compliance to the recommendations for monitoring ALT in patients initiated on statin therapy. The prevalence of abnormal serum ALT levels was also evaluated and compared with current data. We performed a retrospective observational audit of the Medicine's Monitoring Unit (MEMO) prescribing record‐linkage database, which includes evidence of prescribing and biochemistry results of all patients in Tayside, Scotland. We examined patients with first‐time statin prescriptions and evaluated all laboratory liver function tests recorded before and after prescriptions from 1st January 2002 to 31st December 2002. Of the 5717 patients identified, 54% were male and the subjects had a mean age of 62 ± 14 standard deviation (SD) years. The prescriptions yielded five types of statin and included the start date, dose, and number of tablets. In total, 1455 (25%) patients had no biochemistry data at all from the year 2002, and despite the 75% of patients who had an ALT measurement, over 90% of patients did not follow the current recommendations. The prevalence of elevated transaminases was consistent with published data in that significant elevation occurred in 1.9% of subjects. Adherence to the recommended laboratory monitoring for patients first prescribed with statin therapy is low in Tayside. Adverse drug reactions need to be more closely monitored by all healthcare professionals involved in prescribing. Monitoring can highlight abnormalities and therefore reduce potentially damaging effects.
Long‐Term Antiproteinuric Effect of Dual Renin–Angiotensin System Blockade
Authors: Robles N.R. , Fernandez Carbonero E. , Romero B. , Sánchez Casado E. , Cubero J.J.
Published: May 2009

We evaluated the long‐term changes on overt proteinuria induced by dual blockade of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS). Dual blockade was produced by adding an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) to treatment with maximal recommended doses of an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor in proteinuric patients. A total of 28 patients (19 men and 9 women) with proteinuria higher than 1 g/24 h were enrolled in this trial of treatment with the ARB candesartan (from 4 up to 32 mg daily) added to existing treatment with an ACE inhibitor. At 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, we evaluated proteinuria in 24‐h urinary collections, office blood pressure (BP), plasmatic creatinine (Cr), serum potassium (K), and 24 h urine collection creatinine clearance (CrC). During monoblockade of the RAS by ACE inhibitor treatment, albuminuria was 2.94 ± 1.92 mg/24 h; BP was 137/76 mmHg; K+ was 4.8 ± 0.5 mmol/l, Cr was 1.76 ± 0.67 mg/dL, and CrC was 62 ± 31.9 mL/min. After 6 months, dual blockade of the RAS albuminuria was 2.18 ± 2.29 mg/24 h (P < 0.01 vs. baseline) and BP was 133/75 mmHg (not significant). At 36 months, albuminuria was 2.21 ± 2.20 mg/24 h (P < 0.05 vs. baseline); BP was 133/73 mmHg (not significant). CrC was not changed along the follow up. A small increment of Cr was detected at 24 months (2.11 ± 1.06 mg/mL, P < 0.05). The antiproteinuric effect of dual renin–angiotensin system blockade combining candesartan and ACE inhibitors remain after 36 months without losing its initial effect. Blood pressure changes seem not to explain this long‐term antiproteinuric effect.
The Socio‐Political Dynamics of the October Events1
Authors: Breton Raymond
Published: May 2009

L'analyse consiste à situer les événements d'octobre dans le contexte du changement qui s'est déroulé dans l'ensemble de la société, surtout en autant que ce changement comportait une nouvelle repartition du pouvoir et de l'influence dans divers secteurs institutionnels ou des tentatives dans ce sens. Le FLQ était un des groupes engagés dans ce processus et s'est distingué par les tactiques et les moyens utilisés. L'étude propose quelques explications du recours à la violence par le FLQ. Les enlèvements de M. Cross et de M. Laporte sont devenus un événement politique important pour des raisons qui vont au‐delà du fait qu'ils etaient des personnages politiques. Il s'agissait d'une situation non définie que divers groupes engagés dans le changement du partage du pouvoir ont tenté de structurer à leur avantage. L'étude se termine par un examen de quelques questions ayant trait à la fonction d'autorité dans de telles circonstances.

The events of October 1970 are examined in the light of the change taking place in the society at large, particularly as this change involves the redistribution and attempts at the redistribution of power and influence in various institutional domains. The FLQ is seen as one of the various groups involved in this process, although through the use of unconventional tactics and means. Some of the reasons for the use of violent means by the FLQ are suggested. The reasons why the kidnapping of Mr Cross and of Mr Laporte became a major political event, other than the fact that these men were political figures, are explored using the notion that the events brought about an undefined situation that a number of groups involved in the redistribution of power attempted to structure to their advantage. Finally, a number of questions concerning the exercise of authority in such circumstances are discussed.
Some Effects of the Introduction of a Policy of Bilingualism in the Polyglot Community of Sudbury*
Authors: Havel J. E.
Published: May 2009

Un sondage parmi les élèves de 4e et de 9e des écoles de Sudbury montre que la politique de bilinguisme des gouvernements du Canada et de l'Ontario a donné confiance aux Franco‐Ontariens quant à l'avenir de leur langue au pays: des parents qui, dix ans plus tôt, auraient envoye leurs enfants dans des écoles anglaises, les envoient aujourd'hui dans des écoles françaises; le français se parle d'avantage à la maison. L'anglais cependant continue à prévaloir, mais son rôle se modifie. Pour les uns, il devient l'une des deux langues officielles; pour tous, il demeure la lingua franca. Les gens de troisième langue ont de nouveaux espoirs pour la survie de leurs cultures. L'idée du creuset recule.

A survey of grades 4 and 9 school children in Sudbury shows that the bilingual policy of the governments of Canada and Ontario has inspired optimism among French‐Ontarians concerning the future of their language in this country. Parents, who ten years ago would have sent their children to English schools, now send them to French schools; French is spoken more often in the home. English remains predominant, but its role is changing. For some, it remains one of the two official languages; for everyone, it remains the lingua franca. Third language people have new hopes for the maintenance of their cultures. The idea of a melting pot is fading away.
Besoins individuels et collectifs: Nanacatlan, Mexico
Authors: Durand Pierre
Published: May 2009

The author intends both to describe a native credit institution in a peasant community and to analyse its overt and covert functions. The community fund, managed by the local authority (presidencia auxiliar) is theoretically available to all household heads who can show solvency (e.g., by pawning a piece of property, usually land). Apart from assisting peasants who face a shortage of cash, another overt function of the system is to finance, with the interests which are paid back on the loans, the functioning of the local administration. Because of the great economic discrepancies between peasants (50 per cent of them own no land, while 2.5 per cent own 30 per cent of the land) one real, although covert, function of the credit institution is to channel a substantial amount of cash to the local upper class (which has little access to banking facilities). Therefore it actually enhances their economic domination over the majority of villagers, which fact allows us to understand the strict control they have exerted over the management of the fund since its foundation, some 40 years ago.
Analyse diachronique d'un conseil traditionnel (Colombie)*
Authors: Escobar Maria Elvira
Published: May 2009

This paper is concerned with the role of the traditional council of authorities (cabildo) in a Columbian community of Indian origin. It is shown that its evolution reflects that of the community, since the cabildo has always been essentially an interaction mechanism between the community and the external society, more than the head of an autonomous body. Moreover, this mechanism has mostly been a tool, in the hands of the colonial and, later, national upper class, for manipulating the Indians.

The institution was first imposed upon the Indians to ensure their political submission to and economic integration into colonial capitalistic society. In Columbia, this leads to a relatively rapid acculturation of the Indians. During the Republic, a major change occurred when the national economy ceased to rest upon a tributary exploitation of the Indians: landlord/tenant relationships made local community structures useless. Many managed to survive, though, when they were able to keep a certain amount of land on which their members could lead an independent life. The community under study was among these, although its lands were drastically reduced (the better parts being grabbed by adjacent landowners). The local authorities, left without any power to stop these abuses, saw their roles confined to the solution of internal petty disputes. From 1920 on, the further integration of the community in the national economy, through intensive cash‐cropping, has gradually made even this reduced role redundant.

The author believes that in the study of peasant political systems, a diachronic study of the interrelationships between the economic and the political level is necessary if the understanding is to be complete.
Centaurea serpentinicasp. nov. (Asteraceae) from the central and south Anatolia transition zone, Turkey
Authors: Doğan Bekir , Duran Ahmet
Published: May 2009

A new species,Centaurea serpentinicaA. Duran & B. Doğan (Asteraceae) in sect.Acrolophus(Cass.) DC., is described and illustrated from Anatolia, Turkey. The species grows on eroded serpentine stony slopes and in openPinus brutiaTen. forest in the Yahyalı district (C5 Kayseri Province) in the central and south Anatolia transition zone. It is morphologically similar toCentaurea kilaeaBoiss. Diagnostic morphological characters from closely similar taxa are discussed and arranged in a key. Ecology, conservation status and biogeography of the species is also presented. In addition, the geographical distribution of the new species and other related species is mapped.
Elemental Composition of the Martian Crust
Authors: McSween Harry Y. , Taylor G. Jeffrey , Wyatt Michael B.
Published: May 2009

Mars Matters

Several decades of exploration by orbiting and in situ spacecraft, together with analysis of martian meteorites, have resulted in a wealth of data on the chemical composition of Mars' crust.

McSween
et al.

(p.
736
) review these data, which help infer the planet's geological history, discrediting previous ideas suggesting Mars had a wet mantle—similar to that of Earth—and cautioning that martian meteorites are not representative of the planet's crust.
Representation of Confidence Associated with a Decision by Neurons in the Parietal Cortex
Authors: Kiani Roozbeh , Shadlen Michael N.
Published: May 2009

Decisive Monkeys

Decision-making is a central theme in current research in cognitive neuroscience. Behavioral protocols have provided an entry into explorations of the neural processes that underlie decision-making. Empirical studies have provided support for a diffusion model in which information accumulates over time until a threshold is reached, with noisiness in the inputs related to decision errors.
Kiani and Shadlen
(p.
759
) developed a behavioral task to study choice certainty and identified the corresponding neuronal representations in monkeys. The monkeys were allowed to choose to opt out of an uncertain, higher reward choice in favor of a certain, lower payoff. The same neurons that encoded the information used to make a choice also encoded the extent of certainty, which in humans would be described as the degree of confidence in one's decision.
Host Inhibition of a Bacterial Virulence Effector Triggers Immunity to Infection
Authors: Ntoukakis Vardis , Mucyn Tatiana S. , Gimenez-Ibanez Selena , Chapman Helen C. , Gutierrez Jose R. , Balmuth Alexi L. , Jones Alexandra M. E. , Rathjen John P.
Published: May 2009

Infections and Defense

Bacteria secrete effectors to suppress immunity in plant and animal hosts resulting in an evolutionary arms race between bacteria and their eukaryotic hosts. One important aspect of plant immunity against bacteria is based on disease resistance protein complexes, which recognize specific bacterial effectors and activate signal transduction. A strain of the bacteria
Pseudomonas
that infects tomato and
Arabidopsis
plants injects its effector protein, AvrPtoB, into plant cells. Two plant protein kinases, Fen and Pto, then stimulate disease defense responses that may restrain or halt the infection.

Ntoukakis
et al.

(p.
784
) show that the balance between resistance and susceptibility triggered by AvrPtoB is determined by the kinase activity Pto within a disease resistance complex.
Movement Intention After Parietal Cortex Stimulation in Humans
Authors: Desmurget Michel , Reilly Karen T. , Richard Nathalie , Szathmari Alexandru , Mottolese Carmine , Sirigu Angela
Published: May 2009

Consciousness and Intention

Where in the brain are our intentions formed and how do we become aware of these intentions?

Desmurget
et al.

(p.
811
; see the Perspective by

Haggard

) investigated the effect of direct cortical stimulation of parietal and premotor regions in patients undergoing brain surgery for tumor removal. Stimulation of the parietal lobe provoked the conscious experience of wanting to move the upper limb, lips, or tongue without any concomitant motor activity. When stimulation intensity was increased, patients believed that they had actually moved or talked, but again no muscle activity was detected. When, however, the premotor region of the frontal lobes was stimulated, real complex multijoint movements were induced. However, patients did not experience these movements as produced by a conscious internal act of will. Indeed, they were not even aware that they had moved. Increasing stimulation intensity increased the amplitude or complexity of the movement but never made it reach consciousness.
An Experimental Design Method Leading to Chemical Turing Patterns
Authors: Horváth Judit , Szalai István , De Kepper Patrick
Published: May 2009

Adding a Turing Pattern Reaction

Two chemical-reaction systems can form sustained stationary patterns (Turing patterns) in solution as the result of the movement of a diffusible species and the formation of negative feedback loops—the chlorite-iodide–malonic acid reaction and the ferrocyanide-iodate-sulfite reaction.

Horváth
et al.

(p.
772
) set out to find other examples based on three criteria—that the reaction can develop spatial bistability, that independent control of the negative feedback reaction can be achieved, and the activating and inhibiting processes can be decoupled by slowing down the diffusing species with a complexing agent. The thiourea-iodate-sulfite (TuIS) reaction could be developed into a system that produced different stationary patterns, including stripes and hexagonal arrays of spots. Thus, such Turing pattern–generating reactions are not necessarily uncommon.
An Observation Linking the Origin of Plasmaspheric Hiss to Discrete Chorus Emissions
Authors: Bortnik J. , Li W. , Thorne R. M. , Angelopoulos V. , Cully C. , Bonnell J. , Le Contel O. , Roux A.
Published: May 2009

Chorus Hissing

Plasmaspheric hiss, a type of unstructured broadband, low-frequency radio emission, has long been known to exist in Earth's plasmasphere, but its origin has been uncertain. The source of hiss could be a different type of radio wave, called chorus, which originates outside the plasmasphere during geomagnetic storms. Both types of radio wave influence the behavior of energetic electrons in the near-Earth space environment, with implications for spacecraft and astronaut safety, but a correlation between the two has been difficult to establish experimentally. Recently, two of the five satellites of the THEMIS constellation were fortuitously able to record 4 minutes of electromagnetic wave data at high resolution during geomagnetically active conditions, detecting both chorus and hiss. An analysis of the data by

Bortnik
et al.

(p.
775
; see the Perspective by

Santolik and Chum

) revealed that the two sets of waves were well correlated, with hiss lagging behind chorus as expected, implying that one indeed evolved into the other.
UV Absorption Cross Sections of ClOOCl Are Consistent with Ozone Degradation Models
Authors: Chen Hsueh-Ying , Lien Chien-Yu , Lin Wei-Yen , Lee Yuan T. , Lin Jim J.
Published: May 2009

Cl in the Sunlight

A major assumption in the long-standing mechanistic model for halogen-induced degradation of stratospheric ozone is the steady generation of Cl atoms by photolysis of molecules such as ClOOCl by sunlight. Recently, however, laboratory data raised uncertainties in the ClOOCl absorption cross sections underlying this assumption.

Chen
et al.

(p.
781
) undertook precise mass-sensitive cross-section measurements to explore the discrepancy. Molecules were directly quantified before and after ultraviolet photolysis, avoiding interference from impurity or by-product absorptions that can plague more traditional detection schemes that measure attenuation of a light beam. The measured cross sections at two different ultraviolet wavelengths proved well within the margin necessary to support standard models of ozone degradation.
Reprogramming Plant Cells for Endosymbiosis
Authors: Oldroyd Giles E. D. , Harrison Maria J. , Paszkowski Uta
Published: May 2009

The establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbioses, formed by most flowering plants in association with glomeromycotan fungi, and the root-nodule (RN) symbiosis, formed by legume plants and rhizobial bacteria, requires an ongoing molecular dialogue that underpins the reprogramming of root cells for compatibility. In both endosymbioses, there are distinct phases to the interaction, including a presymbiotic anticipation phase and, subsequently, an intraradical accommodation of the microsymbiont. Maintenance of the endosymbiosis then depends on reciprocal nutrient exchange with the microsymbiont-obtaining plant photosynthates in exchange for mineral nutrients: enhanced phosphate and nitrogen uptake from AM fungi and fixed nitrogen from rhizobia. Despite the taxonomically distinct groups of symbionts, commonalities are observed in the signaling components and the modulation of host cell responses in both AM and RN symbioses, reflecting common mechanisms for plant cell reprogramming during endosymbiosis.
Innate Immunity in Plants: An Arms Race Between Pattern Recognition Receptors in Plants and Effectors in Microbial Pathogens
Authors: Boller Thomas , He Sheng Yang
Published: May 2009

For many years, research on a suite of plant defense responses that begin when plants are exposed to general microbial elicitors was underappreciated, for a good reason: There has been no critical experimental demonstration of their importance in mediating plant resistance during pathogen infection. Today, these microbial elicitors are named pathogen- or microbe-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs or MAMPs) and the plant responses are known as PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). Recent studies provide an elegant explanation for the difficulty of demonstrating the role of PTI in plant disease resistance. It turns out that the important contribution of PTI to disease resistance is masked by pathogen virulence effectors that have evolved to suppress it.
Terrific Protein Traffic: The Mystery of Effector Protein Delivery by Filamentous Plant Pathogens
Authors: Panstruga Ralph , Dodds Peter N.
Published: May 2009

Many biotrophic fungal and oomycete plant pathogens deliver effector proteins directly into host cells during infection. Recent advances are revealing the extensive effector repertoires of these pathogens and are beginning to shed light on how they manipulate host cells to establish a parasitic relationship. Surprisingly, oomycete effectors seem to share a common uptake system with those from the human malaria pathogen. The current explosion of information is opening new research avenues in molecular plant pathology and is providing new opportunities to limit the impact of plant disease on food production.
Plant-Microbe Interactions: Chemical Diversity in Plant Defense
Authors: Bednarek Paweł , Osbourn Anne
Published: May 2009

The chemical diversity within the plant kingdom is likely to be a consequence of niche colonization and adaptive evolution. Plant-derived natural products have important functions in defense. They also have broader ecological roles and may in addition participate in plant growth and development. Recent data suggest that some antimicrobial phytochemicals may not serve simply as chemical barriers but could also have functions in defense-related signaling processes. It is important, therefore, that we should not to be too reductionist in our thinking when endeavoring to understand the forces and mechanisms that drive chemical diversification in plants.
Coevolution of Plants and Their Pathogens in Natural Habitats
Authors: Burdon Jeremy J. , Thrall Peter H.
Published: May 2009

Understanding of plant-pathogen coevolution in natural systems continues to develop as new theories at the population and species level are increasingly informed by studies unraveling the molecular basis of interactions between individual plants and their pathogens. The next challenge lies in further integration of these approaches to develop a comprehensive picture of how life history traits of both players interact with the environment to shape evolutionary trajectories.
Origins of Agriculture in East Asia
Authors: Jones Martin K. , Liu Xinyi
Published: May 2009

During the initial phase of cereal cultivation in East Asia, domesticated traits emerged only slowly.
Characterization of Multipartite Entanglement for One Photon Shared Among Four Optical Modes
Authors: Papp Scott B. , Choi Kyung Soo , Deng Hui , Lougovski Pavel , van Enk S. J. , Kimble H. J.
Published: May 2009

Entanglement Sharing

Quantum information processing relies on the ability to generate quantum states,
to entangle them, and to send and receive those quantum states reliably across
networks. With quantum two-level systems, or qubits, if you want to have a large
system (and solve complex problems), there is a fear that the ancillary
equipment required to control the system will increase rapidly, perhaps too
quickly. The use of multipartite systems, where several quantum states can be
accessed in a single component, has been proposed as a solution.

Papp
et al.

(p.
764
) work with a multipartite system consisting of a
single photon shared between four optical modes and show that the degree of
entanglement can be controllably tuned. The ability to work with, and control,
such entangled multipartite systems should help the development of quantum
information processing.
The Origin of Plasmaspheric Hiss
Authors: Santolík Ondřej , Chum Jaroslav
Published: May 2009

Observations by the THEMIS spacecraft are providing a better picture of the electromagnetic environment surrounding Earth.
Hormone (Dis)harmony Moulds Plant Health and Disease
Authors: Grant Murray R. , Jones Jonathan D. G.
Published: May 2009

Diseased plants often display phenotypes consistent with hormone perturbations. We review recent data that have revealed roles in plant-microbe interactions for cellular components and signaling molecules that previously were associated only with hormone signaling. A better understanding of cross-talk between hormonal and defense signaling pathways should reveal new potential targets for microbial effectors that attenuate host resistance mechanisms.
The Sources of Human Volition
Authors: Haggard Patrick
Published: May 2009

Two regions of the brain contribute to the conscious experience of carrying out an action.
Some Like It Cold
Authors: Greene Charles H. , Monger Bruce C. , McGarry Louise P.
Published: May 2009

Northern shrimp stocks thrive when climatic conditions lead to cold bottom waters.
Out of Mexico? Scientists Ponder Swine Flu's Origins
Authors: Cohen Jon
Published: May 2009

The origin of the virus behind the current swine flu outbreak, its muscle power, and how much of a threat it presents remain mysteries. But the virus itself has helped clear up some matters.
What Role for Antiviral Drugs?
Authors: Couzin-Frankel Jennifer
Published: May 2009

There's good news and bad news about the new H1N1 swine flu strain circling the globe. Two antiviral drugs can squelch it. But stocks are too small to protect everyone in a worst-case scenario outbreak; health officials also worry that the virus could become resistant to the drugs.
Corey Goodman, Post-Pfizer, On the Allure of Enterprise
Authors: Couzin-Frankel Jennifer
Published: May 2009

Neuroscientist Corey Goodman's career has spanned academia, small biotechnology start-ups, and big pharma. He spoke with
Science
last week; the interview has been edited for brevity.
The Famine Fighter's Last Battle
Authors: Stokstad Erik
Published: May 2009

More than a half-century after the research that helped spark the green revolution, Norman Borlaug is again fighting a devastating fungus that threatens wheat around the world. (Also:
slideshow
.)
One Year After a Devastating Cyclone, a Bitter Harvest
Authors: Stone Richard
Published: May 2009

Myanmar weathered Cyclone Nargis better than expected, but the global financial crisis has jeopardized the country's fragile food security.
Shuttle Crew Set to Prepare Hubble For a Star-Studded Grand Finale
Authors: Bhattacharjee Yudhijit
Published: May 2009

New instruments and crucial repairs will make the Hubble Space Telescope's last years an astronomical feast, if a NASA mission this month goes as planned.
Major Species-Specific Antibody Epitopes of the
Ehrlichia chaffeensis
p120 and
E. canis
p140 Orthologs in Surface-Exposed Tandem Repeat Regions
Authors: Luo Tian , Zhang Xiaofeng , McBride Jere W.
Published: May 2009

Ehrlichia chaffeensis
and
E. canis
have a small subset of tandem repeat (TR)-containing protein orthologs, including p120/p140, which elicit strong antibody responses. The TR regions of these protein orthologs are immunoreactive, but the molecular characteristics of the p120/p140 epitopes have not been determined. In this study, the immunodeterminants of the
E. chaffeensis
p120 and
E. canis
p140 were identified and molecularly defined. Major antibody epitope-containing regions of both p120 and p140 were localized to the TR regions, which reacted strongly by Western immunoblotting with antibodies in sera from
E. chaffeensis
-infected dogs or patients and
E. canis-
infected dogs, respectively. Single continuous species-specific major epitopes within the
E. chaffeensis
p120 and
E. canis
p140 TRs were mapped to homologous surface-exposed glutamate/aspartate-rich regions (19 to 22 amino acids). In addition, minor cross-reactive epitopes were localized to homologous N- and C-terminal regions of p120 and p140. Furthermore, although the native and recombinant p120 and p140 proteins exhibited higher-than-predicted molecular masses, posttranslational modifications were not present on abnormally migrating p120 and p140 TR recombinant proteins as determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry.
Neutralization of Interleukin-10 from CD14+Monocytes Enhances Gamma Interferon Production in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells fromMycobacterium aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis-Infected Goats
Authors: Lybeck Kari R. , Storset Anne K. , Olsen Ingrid
Published: May 2009

The gamma interferon assay is used to identifyMycobacterium aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis-infected animals. It has been suggested that regulatory mechanisms could influence the sensitivity of the test when it is performed with cells from cattle and that the neutralization of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in vitro would increase the gamma interferon responses. To investigate the regulatory mechanisms affecting the gamma interferon assay with cells from goats, blood was collected fromM. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis-infected,M. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosis-exposed, and noninfected goats. Neutralization of IL-10 by a monoclonal antibody resulted in increased levels of gamma interferon production inM. aviumsubsp.paratuberculosispurified protein derivative (PPDj)-stimulated samples from both infected and exposed goats. However, the levels of gamma interferon release were also increased in unstimulated cells and in PPDj-stimulated cells from some noninfected animals following neutralization. Depletion of putative regulatory CD25highT cells had no clear effect on the number of gamma-interferon-producing cells. The IL-10-producing cells were identified to be mainly CD14+major histocompatibility complex class II-positive monocytes in both PPDj-stimulated and control cultures and not regulatory T cells. However, possible regulatory CD4+CD25+T cells produced IL-10 in response to concanavalin A stimulation. The numbers of CD4+, CD8+, and CD8+γδT-cell receptor-positive cells producing gamma interferon increased following IL-10 neutralization. These results provide insight into the source and the role of IL-10 in gamma interferon assays with cells from goats and suggest that IL-10 from monocytes can regulate both innate and adaptive gamma interferon production from several cell types. Although IL-10 neutralization increased the sensitivity of the gamma interferon assay, the specificity of the test could be compromised.
Recombinant Antigen Targets for Serodiagnosis of African Swine Fever
Authors: Gallardo Carmina , Reis Ana Luísa , Kalema-Zikusoka Gladys , Malta Joana , Soler Alejandro , Blanco Esther , Parkhouse R. M. E. , Leitão Alexandre
Published: May 2009

African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious and economically important disease of domestic pigs. There is no vaccine, and so reliable diagnosis is essential for control strategies. The performance of four recombinant ASF virus (ASFV) protein (pK205R, pB602L, p104R, and p54)-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) was evaluated with European porcine field sera that had been established by Office International des Epizooties (OIE)-approved tests to be ASFV negative (n= 119) and ASFV positive (n= 80). The κ values showed that there was almost perfect agreement between the results of the “gold standard” test (immunoblotting) and the results obtained by the p54-specific ELISA (κ = 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90 to 0.99) and the pK205R-specific ELISA or the pB602L-specific ELISA (κ = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86 to 0.97). For the pA104R-specific ELISA, there was substantial to almost perfect agreement (κ = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72 to 0.89). Similar results were observed by the OIE-approved ELISA (κ = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.95). Importantly, antibodies against these proteins were detectable early after infection of domestic pigs. Preliminary testing of 9 positive and 17 negative serum samples from pigs from West Africa showed identical results by the recombinant protein-based ELISA and the OIE-approved tests. In contrast, there was a high degree of specificity but a surprisingly a low level of sensitivity with 7 positive and 342 negative serum samples from pigs from East Africa. With poorly preserved sera, only the p104R-specific ELISA showed a significant reduction in sensitivity compared to that of the OIE-approved ELISA. Finally, these recombinant proteins also detected antibodies in the sera of the majority of infected warthogs. Thus, recombinant ASFV proteins p54, pB602L, and pK205R provide sensitive and specific targets for the detection of antibodies in European and West African domestic pigs and warthogs.
Accuracy of Commercial and Reference Susceptibility Testing Methods for Detecting Vancomycin-Intermediate
Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Swenson Jana M. , Anderson Karen F. , Lonsway David R. , Thompson Angela , McAllister Sigrid K. , Limbago Brandi M. , Carey Roberta B. , Tenover Fred C. , Patel Jean B.
Published: May 2009

We compared the results obtained with six commercial MIC test systems (Etest, MicroScan, Phoenix, Sensititre, Vitek Legacy, and Vitek 2 systems) and three reference methods (agar dilution, disk diffusion, and vancomycin [VA] agar screen [VScr]) with the results obtained by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute broth microdilution (BMD) reference method for the detection of VA-intermediate
Staphylococcus aureus
(VISA). A total of 129
S. aureus
isolates (VA MICs by previous BMD tests, ≤1 μg/ml [
n
= 60 strains], 2 μg/ml [
n
= 24], 4 μg/ml [
n
= 36], or 8 μg/ml [
n
= 9]) were selected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strain collection. The results of BMD with Difco Mueller-Hinton broth were used as the standard for data analysis. Essential agreement (percent ±1 dilution) ranged from 98 to 100% for all methods except the method with the Vitek Legacy system, for which it was 90.6%. Of the six commercial MIC systems tested, the Sensititre, Vitek Legacy, and Vitek 2 systems tended to categorize VISA strains as susceptible (i.e., they undercalled resistance); the MicroScan and Phoenix systems and Etest tended to categorize susceptible strains as VISA; and the Vitek Legacy system tended to categorize VISA strains as resistant (i.e., it overcalled resistance). Disk diffusion categorized all VISA strains as susceptible. No susceptible strains (MICs ≤ 2 μg/ml) grew on the VScr, but all strains for which the VA MICs were 8 μg/ml grew on the VScr. Only 12 (33.3%) strains for which the VA MICs were 4 μg/ml grew on VScr. The differentiation of isolates for which the VA MICs were 2 or 4 μg/ml was difficult for most systems and methods, including the reference methods.
Evaluation of the Oxoid Xpect Legionella Test Kit for Detection of
Legionella pneumophila
Serogroup 1 Antigen in Urine
Authors: Diederen B. M. W. , Bruin J. P. , Scopes E. , Peeters M. F. , IJzerman E. P. F.
Published: May 2009

We evaluated a new immunochromatographic assay (Oxoid Xpect Legionella test kit) for the ability to detect
Legionella pneumophila
serogroup 1 antigen in urine. The results were compared with those obtained with the Binax NOW urinary antigen test by following the manufacturers’ instructions. The sensitivities and specificities were estimated to be 89 and 100%, respectively, for the Oxoid Xpect Legionella test kit and 86 and 100%, respectively, for the Binax NOW test.
Life-Threatening Infection Caused by Daptomycin-Resistant
Corynebacterium jeikeium
in a Neutropenic Patient
Authors: Schoen Christoph , Unzicker Christian , Stuhler Gernot , Elias Johannes , Einsele Hermann , Grigoleit Götz Ulrich , Abele-Horn Marianne , Mielke Stephan
Published: May 2009

Daptomycin is a novel lipopeptide antibiotic agent approved for the treatment of gram-positive life-threatening infections. Here we report, for the first time, the isolation of a highly daptomycin-resistant strain of
Corynebacterium jeikeium
causing a life-threatening infection in a neutropenic patient undergoing cord blood transplantation for secondary acute myeloid leukemia.
Overestimation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Load Caused by the Presence of Cells in Plasma from Plasma Preparation Tubes
Authors: Kran Anne-Marte Bakken , Jonassen Tom Øystein , Sannes Mette , Jakobsen Kirsti , Lind Andreas , Mæland Arild , Holberg-Petersen Mona
Published: May 2009

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) load is an important marker of disease progression and treatment efficacy in patients with HIV-1 infection. In recent years, an increase in the number of samples with detectable HIV-1 RNA has been reported among patients with previously suppressed viral loads, affecting clinical patient care and leading to repeat measurements of viral load and drug resistance. This rise seems to have coincided with the increased use of plasma preparation tubes (PPTs) for sample collection, and we have aimed to explain why PPTs might yield elevated HIV-1 RNA levels. The impacts of different sample-processing procedures on HIV-1 RNA levels were compared retrospectively. Prospectively, the presence of different cells and cell-associated HIV-1 nucleic acids in paired plasma samples from PPTs centrifuged before (PPT1) and after (PPT2) transportation to the laboratory was compared. A retrospective analysis of 4,049 patient samples with <1,000 HIV-1 RNA copies/ml showed elevated HIV-1 RNA levels in plasma from PPT1 compared with the levels from PPT2 and standard EDTA-containing tubes. Prospective data revealed cell-associated HIV-1 nucleic acids and abundant blood cells in plasma from PPT1 but not from the corresponding PPT2. The levels of HIV-1 RNA correlated with the lymphocyte counts in plasma in PPT1. Cells could be removed by the recentrifugation of PPT1 before analysis. In conclusion, the transportation of PPTs after centrifugation may render cells in the plasma fraction containing cell-associated HIV-1 nucleic acids that contribute significantly to the HIV-1 RNA copy numbers in patients with low viral loads.