bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emanuel Edward Klein—The Father of British Microbiology and the Case of the Animal Vivisection Controversy of 1875
Authors: Atalić Bruno , Fatović-Ferenčić Stella
Published: August 2009

The new Appendix A of the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes, which gives guidelines for accommodation and care of animals and was approved on June 15, 2006, was the main reason the authors decided to investigate the origins of the regulations of animal experiments. Although one might assume that the regulation had its origin in the United Nations conventions, the truth is that its origins are a hundred years old. The authors present a case of the nineteenth-century vivisection controversy brought about by the publication of the Handbook for the Physiological Laboratory in 1873, in which John Burdon-Sanderson, Emanuel Edward Klein, Michael Foster, and Thomas Lauder Brunton described a series of vivisection experiments they performed on animals for research purposes. It was the first case of vivisection to be examined, processed, and condemned for inhuman behavior toward animals before an official body, leading to enactment of the Cruelty to Animals Act in 1876. The case reveals a specific ethos of science in the second half of the nineteenth century, which was characterized by a deep commitment of scientists to the scientific enterprise and their strong belief that science could solve social problems, combined with an overt insensitivity to the suffering of experimental animals. The central figure in the case was Emanuel Edward Klein, a disciple of the Central European medical tradition (Vienna Medical School) and a direct follower of the experimental school of Brücke, Stricker, Magendie, and Bernard. Because of his undisguised attitudes and opinions on the use of vivisection, Klein became a paradigm of the new scientific identity, strongly influencing the stereotypic image of a scientist, and polarizing the public opinion on vivisection in England in the nineteenth century and for some considerable time afterward.
Dimensions of Literacy Coaching With Head Start Teachers
Authors: Powell Douglas R. , Steed Elizabeth A. , Diamond Karen E.
Published: August 2009

Plans to improve literacy instruction ( N = 1,504) developed by teachers and early literacy experts in coaching sessions ( N = 280) conducted in 31 Head Start classrooms were examined to describe a general trajectory of coaching with regard to content coverage, pedagogical emphasis (instructional material, teaching behavior), and progression (new, repeated, expanded plan). A secondary aim was to determine whether pedagogical emphasis and progression in improvement plans differed across four major literacy content areas (reading, writing, letter-word knowledge, phonological awareness). Overall, improvement plans (a) most frequently addressed children’s letter-word knowledge and least frequently addressed phonological awareness, (b) pertained to teaching behaviors to a greater extent than instructional materials, and (c) mostly focused on large group instruction. A majority of plans were new versus expansions or repeats of improvement plans developed in prior coaching sessions. There were significant differences in pedagogical emphasis and progression across four literacy content areas. Effect sizes were small to medium.
Childhood Sexual Abuse: Trauma and Healing in Groups through the Symbolic Presence of the Mother and the Phallus
Authors: Doran Monica , Punter Jale
Published: August 2009

This article examines the theory and research from psychotherapy, neuroscience and outcome studies that help to understand the impact of childhood sexual abuse and its treatment in groups. When treating trauma in groups, attention needs to be paid to containment, and as such there is an analysis of the relationship between containment and structure in group analytic groups. The concept of the cultural mother, related to the mature matrix is outlined. The journey in an analytic group from being stuck, and repeating traumatic relationships, to freedom in being ‘reborn’, is mediated through the significance of the maternal and phallic symbols as they are active and experienced within the group analytic group.
Zinc Stannates as Alternative Synergists in Selected Flame Retardant Systems
Authors: Horrocks A.R. , Smart G. , Price D. , Kandola B.
Published: August 2009

Zinc stannates, including zinc hydroxystannate, are used components within synergistic fire retardant systems usually in conjunction with halogenated species in a number of polymers. Their behavior is similar to antimony III oxide (ATO) in that they enhance the effectiveness of the halogenated and, principally brominated retardant (Br-FR), present. Unlike antimony III oxide, they are non-toxic but are specific in their synergistic activity. Furthermore, they are effective smoke suppressants. This article reviews the published literature with regard to this synergistic specificity as well as the role of zinc stannates as synergists and smoke suppressants in halogenated polymers exemplified by poly(vinyl chloride), polyolefins exemplified by polypropylene, polyamides, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and polyester and epoxy resins.
Functional Consequences of Subcortical White Matter Lesions and MRI-Defined Brain Infarct in an Elderly General Population
Authors: Baune Bernhard T. , Schmidt Wolf P. , Roesler Andreas , Berger Klaus
Published: August 2009

The impact of single and combined effects of subcortical white matter lesions (WMLs) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—defined brain infarct on activities of daily living (ADL), depression, and health status perception was analyzed in community-dwelling elderly individuals. The study included 268 participants from the Memory and Morbidity in Augsburg Elderly (MEMO) project, a population-based study on individuals aged 65 to 83 years, conducted in Augsburg, Germany. Cerebral MRI was performed, and 2 geriatric performance tests, scales to assess ADL, depressive symptoms, and self-perceived health status were assessed. The prevalence of large (>10 mm) subcortical WML was 37.7% and of MRI-defined infarct-like lesions was 15.3%. Both vascular lesion types combined were found in 9% of the participants. Large WMLs were associated with significantly more impairments in basic ADL, inferior results in the performance tests, and a worse self-perceived health status compared to those without large WML. Magnetic resonance imaging—defined brain infarct was associated with impairments in performance tests. Participants with both lesion types were limited in all domains and were 2 to 3 times more likely to have impairments in all examined functions. Their risk of impairment in a specific function was considerably higher than the sum of the single risks associated with each lesion type alone. This study suggests that the single and especially the combined occurrence of common vascular brain lesions are associated with functional impairment. Identifying individuals with severe WML combined with MRI-defined brain infarct can help better understand the development of marked impairments in old age.
Semantic Provisioning of Children’s Food
Authors: Cook Daniel Thomas
Published: August 2009

Drawing upon in-depth interviews with mothers in the US about feeding their young children, this article examines how consumer culture — broadly construed — constitutes part of the indispensable context of mothering practices. The argument put forward is that mothers not only provide food and sustenance for their children, but necessarily encounter, engage with and make use of commercial meanings of foodstuffs as part and parcel of the caring work they accomplish while providing food and meals. The concept of ‘semantic provisioning’ is meant to capture the meaning-making labor of mothers as it arises in sometimes contentious negotiations with children over ‘proper’ and ‘appropriate’ foodstuffs and meals. The approach offered seeks to demonstrate how commerce, sentiment, caring and children’s subjectivities interweave at the level of practice.
Hearing Out Children’s Narrative Pathways To Adulthood
Authors: Cross Beth
Published: August 2009

Participatory research with children in the main focuses on short-term interactions. As this practice develops, questions about longer-term consequences for participants have arisen, examining the empowering claims for this research approach. This article reports the findings from continued contact with participants of an ethnographic participatory research project. Longitudinal interviews emphasize the lasting influence of their experience of adults in primary school and the resulting constructions of learning relationships. Their perceptions of authority, discipline, violence and justice are portrayed as pivotal in these young people’s transitions to more mature identities. In the cluster of narratives the research discussion elicits, these themes interweave. The article demonstrates that understanding the significance and meaning of children’s perspectives is a process that unfolds over time, and requires, as Christensen and Prout advocate, continuing dialogues with children and with social science colleagues. This process leads this researcher to a reassessment of what constitutes ‘participation’. The power constraints of which children are keenly aware shape the extent to which they engage in participatory research and the ways in which they may find it empowering.
Modest witnessing and managing the boundaries between science and the media: A case study of breakthrough and scandal
Authors: Haran Joan , Kitzinger Jenny
Published: August 2009

This article works with the figure of the “modest witness” and the concept of “virtual witnessing” to explore the case of the South Korean scientist, Hwang, whose stem cell breakthroughs are now regarded as hoaxes. We analyze the rhetorical techniques used by the scientific establishment and news media to first endorse, and then disavow, Hwang’s work. In particular, we focus on how the rhetoric of disavowal operates to maintain a dominant understanding of the normal relationship between science and the media. We highlight how journalists and scientists framed the original breakthroughs in ways which obscured the mediation of these events, but, once the scandals emerged, began to foreground the media as a problem. This retrospective acknowledgement of mediation also subtly (re)assigned the problem to the world of celebrity scientists and fictional genres and narratives. This lets news reporting, and routine science—journalist relations off the hook.
Analysing the dialogic turn in the communication of research-based knowledge: An exploration of the tensions in collaborative research
Authors: Phillips Louise J.
Published: August 2009

Tensions have been identified in the shift to dialogue whereby researchers produce and communicate research-based knowledge in interaction with different social actors. This paper draws on three perspectives on those tensions— science and technology studies analyses of public engagement, action research and dialogic communication theory—in order to explore how the tensions are articulated in the communication processes that are integral to the co-production of knowledge in a case study of collaborative research about virtual worlds. The data analysed are based on the workshops where the collaborating actors (university researchers and practitioners) co-produce knowledge through communication processes in which different expert-identities and knowledge forms are negotiated. The analysis explores the balancing-act between imposing control on the research process and opening up for a plurality of voices. The paper concludes with a discussion of the value of a reflexive approach for the analysis and design of dialogic research communication.
Antinociceptive and Antiedematogenic Activities of Andrographolide Isolated From Andrographis paniculata in Animal Models
Authors: Sulaiman M.R. , Zakaria Z.A. , Abdul Rahman A. , Mohamad A.S. , Desa M.N. , Stanslas J. , Moin S. , Israf D.A.
Published: August 2009

The current study was performed to evaluate the antinociceptive and antiedematogenic properties of andrographolide isolated from the leaves of Andrographis paniculata using two animal models. Antinociceptive activity was evaluated using the acetic acid— induced writhing and the hot-plate tests, while antiedematogenic activity was measured using the carrageenan-induced paw edema test. Subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of andrographolide (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg) did not affect the motor coordination of the experimental animals but produced significant (p < .05) antinociceptive activity when assessed using both tests. However, 2 mg/kg naloxone failed to affect the 25 mg/kg andrographolide activity in both tests, indicating that the activity was modulated via nonopioid mechanisms. Furthermore, andrographolide showed significant (p < .05) antiedematogenic activity. In conclusion, the results obtained suggest that andrographolide has antinociceptive and antiedematogenic activities; it may be useful for treating pain and inflammation once human studies are conducted.
Multiple sclerosis and neurofibromatosis type 1: report of seven patients from Iran
Authors: Etemadifar M , Fatehi F , Sahraian MA , Borhanihaghighi A , Ardestani PM , Kaji-Esfahani M , Maghzi AH
Published: August 2009

Introduction

Co-occurrence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is rare.

Case reports

In this study, we describe the clinical and neuroimaging features of seven patients with NF1 and MS. In our patients, six patients with MS were women, in all of them history of NF1 existed. Three of our patients had primary progressive, one had secondary progressive MS, and three relapsing–remitting MS. Optic neuritis as presenting symptoms was seen in three patients, and motor manifestation as presenting symptom was observed in three patients. The risk of having both NF1 and MS seemed to be higher than would be expected based on the prevalence rates of the two diseases in the general population.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest a possible casual relationship between MS and NF1, indicating higher risk of MS among patients with NF1.
Sjögren’s syndrome myelopathy: spinal cord involvement in Sjögren’s syndrome might be a manifestation of neuromyelitis optica
Authors: Kim SM , Waters P , Vincent A , Kim SY , Kim HJ , Hong YH , Park KS , Min JH , Sung JJ , Lee KW
Published: August 2009

Objective

To evaluate clinical characteristics, aquaporin (AQP)-4 antibody results, and probability of developing symptoms of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome myelopathy (SSM).

Methods

We identified eight patients with spinal cord involvement from 112 patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) referred to the neurology department. The clinical characteristics and AQP-4 antibody status, based on immunoprecipitation of EGFP-tagged AQP-4, of the patients with SSM were assessed.

Results

All patients with SSM had extensive spinal cord lesions, high mean annual relapse rates, and poor response to steroid treatment. Of the eight patients with SSM, seven patients satisfied the revised diagnostic criteria for NMO or showed positive results from AQP-4 antibody testing; one patient had incomplete follow-up. The clinical manifestations and AQP-4 autoantibody status of patients with SSM did not differ significantly from those of NMO patients without SS.

Conclusion

All patients with SSM had poor prognosis with high mean annual relapse rates, and most seemed to have the clinical and immunological characteristics of NMO. Early aggressive immune therapies should be considered in patients with SSM irrespective of the presence or absence of optic neuritis.
Molecular and immunogenic features of myelin lipids: incitants or modulators of multiple sclerosis?
Authors: Podbielska M , Hogan EL
Published: August 2009

Myelin lipids have long been thought to play intriguing roles in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). This review summarizes current understanding of the molecular basis of MS with emphasis on the: (i.) physico-chemical properties, organization and accessibility of the lipids and their distribution within the myelin multilayer; (ii.) characterization of myelin lipid structures, and structure–function relationships relevant to MS mechanisms, and; (iii.) immunogenic and other features of lipids in MS including molecular mimicry, lipid enzyme genetic knockouts, glycolipid-reactive NKT cells, and monoclonal antibody-induced remyelination. New findings associate anti-lipid antibodies with pathophysiological biomarkers and suggest clinical utility. The structure of CD1d-lipid complexed with the lipophilic invariant T cell receptor (iTCR) may be crucial to understanding MS pathogenesis, and design of lipid antigen-specific therapeutics. Novel immuno-modulatory tools for treatment of autoimmune diseases including MS in which there is both constraint of inflammation and stimulation of remyelination are now emerging.
Review: Medical treatment of advanced colorectal cancer in 2009
Authors: Grothey Axel
Published: August 2009

The treatment options currently available in the medical therapy of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) appear to be an abundance of riches. The integration of oxaliplatin and irinotecan as conventional cytotoxic agents as well as bevacizumab and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies, cetuximab and panitumumab, as novel targeted agents into standard medical therapy have improved median overall survival in metastatic CRC beyond 2 years. It cannot be overemphasized that these significant improvements in outcome of patients with CRC are closely linked to the number of active drugs available to treat this disease. The abundance of treatment options, however, comes with specific challenges for the practical management of palliative medical therapy in advanced CRC, in particular with regard to the utilization of targeted agents. In this context, bevacizumab has established itself as the standard component of first-line chemotherapy. It is of interest for clinical practice that so far no predictive marker for the activity of bevacizumab in metastatic CRC has been identified. The key questions surrounding the use of bevacizumab in the palliative setting are whether its continuation beyond tumor progression provides clinical benefit, and which patient group is at higher risk for bevacizumab-related toxicities. Cetuximab and panitumumab have demonstrated efficacy both in combination with chemotherapy or — in contrast to bevacizumab — as single agent. In unselected patients, the effect of both EGFR antibodies on time-related parameters, progression free survival and overall survival, is moderate at best with emphasis more on the induction of tumor responses in a select group of patients. Therefore, until recently, EGFR antibodies were mainly regarded as salvage therapy options, in particular, since there did not appear to be a loss of activity when used in later lines of therapy. The finding that CRC harboring KRAS (and BRAF) mutations are resistant to EGFR antibodies, has allowed us to enrich the patient population with CRC that have a chance to benefit from cetuximab or panitumumab therapy. Biomarker-based treatment decisions are therefore now an integral part of clinical practice and trial design in CRC. In conclusion, targeted agents have become an integral part of medical therapy for advanced CRC. The challenge for current oncologic practice is to develop a rationale and biomarker-based treatment algorithm utilizing all potentially active agents as individualized therapy.
Overexpression of Rheb2 enhances mouse hematopoietic progenitor cell growth while impairing stem cell repopulation
Authors: Campbell Timothy B. , Basu Sunanda , Hangoc Giao , Tao Wen , Broxmeyer Hal E.
Published: August 2009

Molecular mechanisms preserving hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal by maintaining a balance between proliferation, differentiation, and other processes are not fully understood. Hyperactivation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, causing sustained proliferative signals, can lead to exhaustion of HSC repopulating ability. We examined the role of the novel ras gene Rheb2, an activator of the mTOR kinase, in colony-forming ability, survival, and repopulation of immature mouse hematopoietic cells. In a cell line model of mouse hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), we found enhanced proliferation and mTOR signaling in cells overexpressing Rheb2. In addition, overexpression of Rheb2 enhanced colony-forming ability and survival of primary mouse bone marrow HPCs. Expansion of phenotypic HSCs in vitro was enhanced by Rheb2 overexpression. Consistent with these findings, Rheb2 overexpression transiently expanded phenotypically defined immature hematopoietic cells after in vivo transplantation; however, these Rheb2-transduced cells were significantly impaired in overall repopulation of primary and secondary congenic transplantation recipients. Our findings suggest that HPCs and HSCs behave differently in response to growth-promoting signals stimulated by Rheb2. These results may have value in elucidating mechanisms controlling the balance between proliferation and repopulating ability, a finding of importance in clinical uses of HPCs/HSCs.
Characterization of structurally defined epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies produced by chronic lymphocytic leukemia B cells
Authors: Seiler Till , Woelfle Manuela , Yancopoulos Sophia , Catera Rosa , Li Wentian , Hatzi Katerina , Moreno Carol , Torres Marcela , Paul Santanu , Dohner Hartmut , Stilgenbauer Stephan , Kaufman Matthew S. , Kolitz Jonathan E. , Allen Steven L. , Rai Kanti R. , Chu Charles C. , Chiorazzi Nicholas
Published: August 2009

Despite a wealth of information about the structure of surface membrane immunoglobulin (smIg) on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells, little is known about epitopes reacting with their binding sites. Probing phage-displayed peptide libraries, we identified and characterized mimetopes for Igs of 4 patients with IGHV mutated CLL (M-CLL) and 4 with IGHV unmutated CLL (U-CLL). Six of these mAbs were representatives of stereotyped B-cell receptors characteristic of CLL. We found that mimetic epitopes for U- and M-CLL Igs differed significantly. M-CLL–derived peptides exhibited better amino acid motifs, were more similar to each other, aligned more easily, and formed tighter clusters than U-CLL–derived peptides. Mono-, oligo-, and polyreactivity of peptides correlated with structural changes within antigen-binding sites of selecting M-CLL mAbs. Although M-CLL–isolated peptides and certain U-CLL mAbs bound more effectively to the selecting mAb, others were not as specific, reacting with M-CLL and U-CLL mAbs; these data suggest that in vivo structurally diverse epitopes could bind smIgs of distinct CLL clones, thereby altering survival and growth. Finally, an M-CLL–derived peptide inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, binding of its homologous mAb to human B lymphocytes; therefore peptides that inhibit or alter the consequences of antigen-smIg interactions may represent therapeutic modalities in CLL.
Histone hyperacetylation within the β-globin locus is context-dependent and precedes high-level gene expression
Authors: Fromm George , de Vries Christina , Byron Rachel , Fields Jennifer , Fiering Steven , Groudine Mark , Bender M. A. , Palis James , Bulger Michael
Published: August 2009

Active gene promoters are associated with covalent histone modifications, such as hyperacetylation, which can modulate chromatin structure and stabilize binding of transcription factors that recognize these modifications. At the β-globin locus and several other loci, however, histone hyperacetylation extends beyond the promoter, over tens of kilobases; we term such patterns of histone modifications “hyperacetylated domains.” Little is known of either the mechanism by which these domains form or their function. Here, we show that domain formation within the murine β-globin locus occurs before either high-level gene expression or erythroid commitment. Analysis of β-globin alleles harboring deletions of promoters or the locus control region demonstrates that these sequences are not required for domain formation, suggesting the existence of additional regulatory sequences within the locus. Deletion of embryonic globin gene promoters, however, resulted in the formation of a hyperacetylated domain over these genes in definitive erythroid cells, where they are otherwise inactive. Finally, sequences within β-globin domains exhibit hyperacetylation in a context-dependent manner, and domains are maintained when transcriptional elongation is inhibited. These data narrow the range of possible mechanisms by which hyperacetylated domains form.
Ultra-Structure database design methodology for managing systems biology data and analyses
Authors: Maier Christopher W , Long Jeffrey G , Hemminger Bradley M , Giddings Morgan C
Published: August 2009

Background

Modern, high-throughput biological experiments generate copious, heterogeneous, interconnected data sets. Research is dynamic, with frequently changing protocols, techniques, instruments, and file formats. Because of these factors, systems designed to manage and integrate modern biological data sets often end up as large, unwieldy databases that become difficult to maintain or evolve. The novel rule-based approach of the Ultra-Structure design methodology presents a potential solution to this problem. By representing both data and processes as formal rules within a database, an Ultra-Structure system constitutes a flexible framework that enables users to explicitly store domain knowledge in both a machine- and human-readable form. End users themselves can change the system's capabilities without programmer intervention, simply by altering database contents; no computer code or schemas need be modified. This provides flexibility in adapting to change, and allows integration of disparate, heterogenous data sets within a small core set of database tables, facilitating joint analysis and visualization without becoming unwieldy. Here, we examine the application of Ultra-Structure to our ongoing research program for the integration of large proteomic and genomic data sets (proteogenomic mapping).

Results

We transitioned our proteogenomic mapping information system from a traditional entity-relationship design to one based on Ultra-Structure. Our system integrates tandem mass spectrum data, genomic annotation sets, and spectrum/peptide mappings, all within a small, general framework implemented within a standard relational database system. General software procedures driven by user-modifiable rules can perform tasks such as logical deduction and location-based computations. The system is not tied specifically to proteogenomic research, but is rather designed to accommodate virtually any kind of biological research.

Conclusion

We find Ultra-Structure offers substantial benefits for biological information systems, the largest being the integration of diverse information sources into a common framework. This facilitates systems biology research by integrating data from disparate high-throughput techniques. It also enables us to readily incorporate new data types, sources, and domain knowledge with no change to the database structure or associated computer code. Ultra-Structure may be a significant step towards solving the hard problem of data management and integration in the systems biology era.
Limitations in SELDI-TOF MS whole serum proteomic profiling with IMAC surface to specifically detect colorectal cancer
Authors: Wang Qi , Shen Jing , Li Zhen-fu , Jie Jian-zheng , Wang Wen-yue , Wang Jin , Zhang Zhong-tao , Li Zhi-xia , Yan Li , Gu Jin
Published: August 2009

Background

Surface enhanced laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) analysis on serum samples was reported to be able to detect colorectal cancer (CRC) from normal or control patients. We carried out a validation study of a SELDI-TOF MS approach with IMAC surface sample processing to identify CRC.

Methods

A retrospective cohort of 338 serum samples including 154 CRCs, 67 control cancers and 117 non-cancerous conditions was profiled using SELDI-TOF-MS.

Results

No CRC "specific" classifier was found. However, a classifier consisting of two protein peaks separates cancer from non-cancerous conditions with high accuracy.

Conclusion

In this study, the SELDI-TOF-MS-based protein expression profiling approach did not perform to identify CRC. However, this technique is promising in distinguishing patients with cancer from a non-cancerous population; it may be useful for monitoring recurrence of CRC after treatment.
Prevalence and causes of visual impairment in a Brazilian population: The Botucatu Eye Study
Authors: Schellini Silvana Artioli , Durkin Shane R , Hoyama Erika , Hirai Flavio , Cordeiro Ricardo , Casson Robert J , Selva Dinesh , Padovani Carlos Roberto
Published: August 2009

Background

This paper reports population-based data on the prevalence and causes of visual impairment among children and adults in Botucatu, Brazil.

Methods

A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving a random start point and then systematic sampling of an urban Brazilian population in the city of Botucatu. There were approximately 3 300 individuals aged 1 to 91 years who were eligible to participate in the study. Of this sample, 2485 (75.3%) underwent ophthalmic examination. The ophthalmic examination included uncorrected (presenting) and best corrected distance visual acuity using standardized protocols. The primary cause of decreased visual acuity was identified for all patients with visual impairment.

Results

Presenting low vision and presenting blindness were found in 5.2% (95% CI: 4.3–6.1) and 2.2% (95% CI: 1.6–2.8) of the population, respectively. Unilateral presenting low vision and unilateral presenting blindness were found in 8.3% (95% CI: 7.2–9.5) and 3.7% (95% CI: 2.9–4.4) of the population respectively. Best corrected low vision was found in 1.3% of the population (95% CI: 0.9–1.7) and best corrected blindness was discovered in 0.4% of people (95% CI: 0.2–0.7). The main cause of presenting low vision was refractive error (72.3%) and cataract was the most prevalent cause of blindness (50%).

Conclusion

The main causes of low vision and blindness in this Brazilian city were uncorrected refractive errors, cataract, and retinal diseases. Programs to further reduce the burden of visual impairment need to be targeted toward the correction of refractive error and surgery for cataracts.
Psychometric analysis of the Self-Harm Inventory using Rasch modelling
Authors: Latimer Shane , Covic Tanya , Cumming Steven R , Tennant Alan
Published: August 2009

Background

Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) is the intentional destruction of healthy body tissue without suicidal intent. DSH behaviours in non-clinical populations vary, and instruments containing a range of behaviours may be more informative than ones with restricted content. The Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) is a widely used measure of DSH in clinical populations (mental and physical health) and covers a broad range of behaviours (self-injury, risk taking and self-defeating acts). The test authors recommend the SHI to screen for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) using a cut-off score of five or more. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the SHI in non-clinical samples.

Methods

The SHI was administered to a sample of 423 non-clinical participants (university students, age range 17 to 30). External validation was informed by the administration of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 (DASS-21) to a sub-sample (n = 221). Rasch analysis of the SHI was conducted to provide a stringent test of unidimensionality and to identify the DSH behaviours most likely to be endorsed at each total score.

Results

The SHI showed adequate fit to the Rasch model and no modifications were required following checks of local response dependency, differential item functioning and unidimensionality. The scale identified gender and age differences in scores, with females and older participants reporting higher levels of DSH. SHI scores and DASS-21 scores were related.

Conclusion

The recommended cut-off point of five is likely to comprise mild forms of DSH and may not be indicative of psychopathology in a non-clinical population. Rather it may be more indicative of developmentally related risk taking behaviours while a higher cut-off point may be more suggestive of psychopathology as indicated by higher levels of depression, stress and anxiety.
Human herpesvirus 6 envelope components enriched in lipid rafts: evidence for virion-associated lipid rafts
Authors: Kawabata Akiko , Tang Huamin , Huang Honglan , Yamanishi Koichi , Mori Yasuko
Published: August 2009

In general, enveloped viruses are highly dependent on their lipid envelope for entry into host cells. Here, we demonstrated that during the course of virus maturation, a significant proportion of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) envelope proteins were selectively concentrated in the detergent-resistant glycosphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich membranes (rafts) in HHV-6-infected cells. In addition, the ganglioside GM1, which is known to partition preferentially into lipid rafts, was detected in purified virions, along with viral envelope glycoproteins, gH, gL, gB, gQ1, gQ2 and gO indicating that at least one raft component was included in the viral particle during the assembly process.
Tibialis posterior in health and disease: a review of structure and function with specific reference to electromyographic studies
Authors: Semple Ruth , Murley George S , Woodburn James , Turner Deborah E
Published: August 2009

Tibialis posterior has a vital role during gait as the primary dynamic stabiliser of the medial longitudinal arch; however, the muscle and tendon are prone to dysfunction with several conditions. We present an overview of tibialis posterior muscle and tendon anatomy with images from cadaveric work on fresh frozen limbs and a review of current evidence that define normal and abnormal tibialis posterior muscle activation during gait. A video is available that demonstrates ultrasound guided intra‐muscular insertion techniques for tibialis posterior electromyography.

Current electromyography literature indicates tibialis posterior intensity and timing during walking is variable in healthy adults and has a disease‐specific activation profile among different pathologies. Flat‐arched foot posture and tibialis posterior tendon dysfunction are associated with greater tibialis posterior muscle activity during stance phase, compared to normal or healthy participants, respectively. Cerebral palsy is associated with four potentially abnormal profiles during the entire gait cycle; however it is unclear how these profiles are defined as these studies lack control groups that characterise electromyographic activity from developmentally normal children. Intervention studies show antipronation taping to significantly decrease tibialis posterior muscle activation during walking compared to barefoot, although this research is based on only four participants. However, other interventions such as foot orthoses and footwear do not appear to systematically effect muscle activation during walking or running, respectively. This review highlights deficits in current evidence and provides suggestions for the future research agenda.
Depression
Authors: Andersen Wayne
Published: August 2009

Like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the current international monetary crisis—bank failures and a collapse of markets worldwide—was not sufficiently predictable to preempt with defensive action. One would think that history's experiences with sudden breakdowns in global economics would have taught the modern world enough lessons to assure that economic intelligence would have tightened the reins of investors and speculators over the last decade of runaway optimism. But history has never been a good teacher—better said, people have rarely been good students of history's lessons in cause and effect. Still, it makes sense, as with this essay, that we look back on such financial follies of the past, as epitomized by Holland's tulipmania, and take comfort in finding that our follies are just enough different from historical ones to at least claim them as our very own.
GAY MARRIAGE AND PULP FICTION
Authors: Carter Julian
Published: August 2009

Currently, most explorations of homonormativity privilege political interpretations. In contrast, this essay brackets political analysis of homonormativity's effects in order to attend more closely to the affect that helps motivate homonormative choices. Though from an external, critical perspective, particular alliances with dominant power structures may often look like blatant and cynical attempts at self-advancement, there is abundant evidence that they are more often experienced as emotionally driven, personal choices that are different from political ones and superior to them as guides for intimate behavior. Attending to this dimension of homonormative experience not only shifts current queer conversations about norms but also extends the relevance of such conversations back into the past. Ann Bannon's midcentury lesbian paperback novels are rich sources of information about the socially produced emotional situations that helped push Cold War-era gay and lesbian people into alliances with heterosexist institutions and values such as marriage. In Bannon's novels, “gay marriage” appears as a kind of representational shorthand for a happy resolution to what I suspect was the common midcentury gay dilemma of how to be both erotically and emotionally deviant, and socially conventional. Bannon depicts that dilemma as a painful suspension between simultaneous disidentifications with heterosexuality and queer abrasiveness to dominant cultural norms. Thus exploring the fantasy of gay marriage in these pulp fictions not only sheds historical light on the affective dimensions of homonormativity but also raises theoretically significant questions about the definition and political ramifications of disidentification.
Matrix invasion by tumour cells: a focus on MT1-MMP trafficking to invadopodia
Authors: Poincloux Renaud , Lizárraga Floria , Chavrier Philippe
Published: August 2009

When migrating away from a primary tumour, cancer cells interact with and remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and in particular the transmembrane MT1-MMP (also known as MMP-14), are key enzymes in tumour-cell invasion. Results from recent in vitro studies highlight that MT1-MMP is implicated both in the breaching of basement membranes by tumour cells and in cell invasion through interstitial type-I collagen tissues. Remarkably, MT1-MMP accumulates at invadopodia, which are specialized ECM-degrading membrane protrusions of invasive cells. Here we review current knowledge about MT1-MMP trafficking and its importance for the regulation of protease activity at invadopodia. In invasive cells, endocytosis of MT1-MMP by clathrin- and caveolae-dependent pathways can be counteracted by several mechanisms, which leads to protease stabilization at the cell surface and increased pericellular degradation of the matrix. Furthermore, the recent identification of cellular components that control delivery of MT1-MMP to invadopodia brings new insight into mechanisms of cancer-cell invasion and reveals potential pharmacological targets.
Mimicking proteasomal release of polyglutamine peptides initiates aggregation and toxicity
Authors: Raspe Marcel , Gillis Judith , Krol Hilde , Krom Sabine , Bosch Klazien , van Veen Henk , Reits Eric
Published: August 2009

Several neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's disease, are caused by expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) tract over 40 glutamines in the disease-related protein. Fragments of these proteins containing the expanded polyQ tract are thought to initiate aggregation and represent the toxic species. Although it is not clear how these toxic fragments are generated, in vitro data suggest that proteasomes are unable to digest polyQ tracts. To examine whether the resulting polyQ peptides could initiate aggregation in living cells, we mimicked proteasomal release of monomeric polyQ peptides. These peptides lack the commonly used starting methionine residue or any additional tag. Only expanded polyQ peptides seem to be peptidase resistant, and their accumulation initiated the aggregation process. As observed in polyQ disorders, these aggregates subsequently sequestered proteasomes, ubiquitin and polyQ proteins, and recruited Hsp70. The generated expanded polyQ peptides were toxic to neuronal cells. Our approach mimics proteasomal release of pure polyQ peptides in living cells, and represents a valuable tool to screen for proteins and compounds that affect aggregation and toxicity.
Loss of anchorage in checkpoint-deficient cells increases genomic instability and promotes oncogenic transformation
Authors: Cremona Catherine A. , Lloyd Alison C.
Published: August 2009

Mammalian cells generally require both mitogens and anchorage signals in order to proliferate. An important characteristic of many tumour cells is that they have lost this anchorage-dependent cell-cycle checkpoint, allowing them to proliferate without signals provided by their normal microenvironment. In the absence of anchorage signals from the extracellular matrix, many cell types arrest cell-cycle progression in G1 phase as a result of Rb-dependent checkpoints. However, despite inactivation of p53 and Rb proteins, SV40LT-expressing cells retain anchorage dependency, suggesting the presence of an uncharacterised cell-cycle checkpoint, which can be overridden by coexpression of oncogenic Ras. We report here that, although cyclin-CDK complexes persisted in suspension, proliferation was inhibited in LT-expressing cells by the CDK inhibitor p27Kip1 (p27). Interestingly, this did not induce a stable arrest, but aberrant cell-cycle progression associated with stalled DNA replication, rereplication and chromosomal instability, which was sufficient to increase the frequency of oncogenic transformation. These results firstly indicate loss of anchorage in Rb- and p53-deficient cells as a novel mechanism for promotion of genomic instability; secondly suggest that anchorage checkpoints that protect normal cells from inappropriate proliferation act deleteriously in Rb- and p53-deficient cells to promote tumourigenesis; and thirdly indicate caution in the use of CDK inhibitors for cancer treatment.
Animal cell hydraulics
Authors: Charras Guillaume T. , Mitchison Timothy J. , Mahadevan L.
Published: August 2009

Water is the dominant ingredient of cells and its dynamics are crucial to life. We and others have suggested a physical picture of the cell as a soft, fluid-infiltrated sponge, surrounded by a water-permeable barrier. To understand water movements in an animal cell, we imposed an external, inhomogeneous osmotic stress on cultured cancer cells. This forced water through the membrane on one side, and out on the other. Inside the cell, it created a gradient in hydration, that we visualized by tracking cellular responses using natural organelles and artificially introduced quantum dots. The dynamics of these markers at short times were the same for normal and metabolically poisoned cells, indicating that the cellular responses are primarily physical rather than chemical. Our finding of an internal gradient in hydration is inconsistent with a continuum model for cytoplasm, but consistent with the sponge model, and implies that the effective pore size of the sponge is small enough to retard water flow significantly on time scales (∼10–100 seconds) relevant to cell physiology. We interpret these data in terms of a theoretical framework that combines mechanics and hydraulics in a multiphase poroelastic description of the cytoplasm and explains the experimentally observed dynamics quantitatively in terms of a few coarse-grained parameters that are based on microscopically measurable structural, hydraulic and mechanical properties. Our fluid-filled sponge model could provide a unified framework to understand a number of disparate observations in cell morphology and motility.
Two-Step MIR Inequalities for Mixed Integer Programs
Authors: Dash Sanjeeb , Goycoolea Marcos , Günlük Oktay
Published: August 2009

Two-step mixed integer rounding (MIR) inequalities are valid inequalities derived from a facet of a simple mixed integer set with three variables and one constraint. In this paper we investigate how to effectively use these inequalities as cutting planes for general mixed integer problems. We study the separation problem for single-constraint sets and show that it can be solved in polynomial time when the resulting inequality is required to be sufficiently different from the associated MIR inequalities. We discuss computational issues and present numerical results based on a number of data sets.
A Heuristic for Nonlinear Global Optimization
Authors: Bierlaire M. , Thémans M. , Zufferey N.
Published: August 2009

We propose a new heuristic for nonlinear global optimization combining a variable neighborhood search framework with a modified trust-region algorithm as local search. The proposed method presents the capability to prematurely interrupt the local search if the iterates are converging to a local minimum that has already been visited or if they are reaching an area where no significant improvement can be expected. The neighborhoods, as well as the neighbors selection procedure, are exploiting the curvature of the objective function. Numerical tests are performed on a set of unconstrained nonlinear problems from the literature. Results illustrate that the new method significantly outperforms existing heuristics from the literature in terms of success rate, CPU time, and number of function evaluations.
The Multidimensional Knapsack Problem: Structure and Algorithms
Authors: Puchinger Jakob , Raidl Günther R. , Pferschy Ulrich
Published: August 2009

We study the multidimensional knapsack problem, present some theoretical and empirical results about its structure, and evaluate different integer linear programming (ILP)-based, metaheuristic, and collaborative approaches for it. We start by considering the distances between optimal solutions to the LP relaxation and the original problem and then introduce a new core concept for the multidimensional knapsack problem (MKP), which we study extensively. The empirical analysis is then used to develop new concepts for solving the MKP using ILP-based and memetic algorithms. Different collaborative combinations of the presented methods are discussed and evaluated. Further computational experiments with longer run times are also performed to compare the solutions of our approaches to the best-known solutions of another so-far leading approach for common MKP benchmark instances. The extensive computational experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed methods, which yield highly competitive results in significantly shorter run times than do previously described approaches.