bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Multicenter Study of Cancer Incidence in CHEK2 1100delC Mutation Carriers
Authors: Thompson Deborah , Seal Sheila , Schutte Mieke , McGuffog Lesley , Barfoot Rita , Renwick Anthony , Eeles Rosalind , Sodha Nayanta , Houlston Richard , Shanley Susan , Klijn Jan , Wasielewski Marijke , Chang-Claude Jenny , Futreal P. Andrew , Weber Barbara L. , Nathanson Katherine L. , Stratton Michael , Meijers-Heijboer Hanne , Rahman Nazneen , Easton Douglas F.
Published: December 2006

The CHEK2 1100delC protein-truncating mutation has a carrier frequency of ∼0.7% in Northern and Western European populations and confers an ∼2-fold increased risk of breast cancer. It has also been suggested to increase risks of colorectal and prostate cancer, but its involvement with these or other types of cancer has not been confirmed. The incidence of cancer other than breast cancer in 11,116 individuals from 734 non-BRCA1/2 breast cancer families from the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, and the United States was compared with that predicted by population rates. Relative risks (RR) to carriers and noncarriers were estimated by maximum likelihood, via the expectation-maximization algorithm to allow for unknown genotypes. Sixty-seven families contained at least one tested CHEK2 1100delC mutation carrier. There was evidence of underreporting of cancers in male relatives (422 cancers observed, 860 expected) but not in females (322 observed, 335 expected); hence, we focused on cancer risks in female carriers. The risk of cancers other than breast cancer in female carriers was not significantly elevated, although a modest increase in risk could not be excluded (RR, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-2.17). The carrier risk was not significantly raised for any individual cancer site, including colorectal cancer (RR, 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.54-4.71). However, between ages 20 to 50 years, the risks of colorectal and lung cancer were both higher in female carriers than noncarriers (P = 0.041 and 0.0001, respectively). There was no evidence of a higher prostate cancer risk in carriers than noncarriers (P = 0.26), although underreporting of male cancers limited our power to detect such a difference. Our results suggest that the risk of cancer associated with CHEK2 1100delC mutations is restricted to breast cancer, although we cannot rule out a small increase in overall cancer risk. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(12):2542–5)
Effects of Simultaneous Hepatic Resection on Healing of Left-Sided Colonic Anastomoses: An Experimental Study in Rats
Authors: Sasanuma Hideki , Mortensen Frank Viborg , Hyodo Masanobu , Okada Masaki , Yasuda Yoshikazu , Funch-Jensen Peter , Nagai Hideo
Published: December 2006

Background: A combined colorectal and hepatic resection is considered too risky by many surgeons owing to the high risk of postoperative septic complications. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of hepatic resection on the healing of left-sided colonic anastomoses in rats on postoperative day 7. Material and Methods: Fifty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were block-randomized into three groups. In each group, 1 cm of the left side of the colon was resected and anastomosed. Additionally, 40 or 70% of the liver was resected in group 2 and 3, respectively. Rats were killed on postoperative day 7. The abdominal cavity was inspected for the presence of complications. The bursting pressure and hydroxyproline content of the anastomoses were measured. Results: The total number of complications was significantly higher in group 3 than in group 2. Anastomotic bursting pressure and hydroxyproline content did not differ significantly among the groups. Conclusions: Increasing the extent of simultaneous hepatic resection did not significantly affect the healing of left-sided colonic anastomoses in rats on postoperative day 7, although there was a tendency towards lower bursting pressure paralleling the extent of liver resection. Excessive hepatic resection with colectomy may increase postoperative complications.
Importance of Thymidine Phosphorylase Expression at the Invasive Front of T3 Rectal Cancer as a Prognostic Factor
Authors: Yoshimoto Kazuhisa , Kawahara Hidejiro , Kobayashi Susumu , Kashiwagi Hideyuki , Hirai Katsuya , Yanaga Katsuhiko
Published: December 2006

Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) are angiogenic factors. We evaluated the relationship between the degree of expression of binary angiogenic factors and the malignant potential of colorectal cancer. Methods: This study was conducted in 61 patients with T3 rectal cancer who underwent surgical curative resection between 1998 and 2002. Paraffin-embedded sections of their surgical specimens were immunostained for VEGF and TP. The relationship between the expression level of binary angiogenic factors and lymph node metastasis was evaluated. Results: Expression of VEGF was present only in the tumor cells of all patients, and expression was absent in the stromal cells around the invasive front of the tumor. Expression of TP was mainly present in the stromal cells around the cancer nests or around the invasive margin of the cancer. There was no relationship between expression of TP in the stromal cells around the invasive front of the tumor and lymph node metastasis. However, there was a significant relationship between expression of TP at the invasive front of the tumor and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.014). Moreover, TP expression in the tumor cells was the only independent factor that correlated with the postoperative recurrence (p = 0.024) with an odds ratio of 11.973 by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: Expression of TP at the invasive front of the tumor may be a useful indicator of the malignant potential of advanced rectal cancer.
Molecular Analysis of the CYP1B1 Gene: Identification of Novel Truncating Mutations in Patients with Primary Congenital Glaucoma
Authors: Messina-Baas O.M. , González-Huerta L.M. , Chima-Galán C. , Kofman-Alfaro S.H. , Rivera-Vega M.R. , Babayán-Mena I. , Cuevas-Covarrubias S.A.
Published: December 2006

Background: Mutations and polymorphisms have been identified in the CYP1B1 gene; while mutations that affect the conserved core structures of cytochrome P4501B1 result in primary congenital glaucoma (PCG), mutations in other regions hold the potential to define differences in estrogen metabolism. In the present study, we analyzed the CYP1B1 gene in Mexican patients with PCG and described four novel mutations. Materials and Methods: The sample included 12 nonrelated cases with PCG. Analysis of coding regions of the CYP1B1 gene was performed through PCR and DNA sequencing analysis from genomic DNA. Results and Discussion: Molecular analysis of the CYP1B1 gene showed the following molecular defects: (1) a novel single-base pair deletion within codon 370 (1454delC) that produces a substitution of leucine instead of proline and a premature stop codon 57 amino acids after the last original amino acid; this family also harbored a novel polymorphic variant of the cytochrome P4501B1 with six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (142C→G; 355G→T; 729G→C; 4326C→G; 4360C→G and 4379C→T); (2) a novel single-base pair deletion within codon 277 (1176delT) that results in a premature stop codon; (3) a novel single-base pair deletion within codon 179 (880delG) that produces a substitution of arginine instead of alanine and a premature stop codon 17 amino acids downstream from the last original amino acid, and (4) a duplication (or insertion) of ten base pairs within codon 404 (1556dupATGCCACCAC) that results in a premature stop codon 26 amino acids after the last original amino acid. We also observed in 2 nonrelated patients a deletion of 13 bp (1410_1422delGAGTGCAGGCAGA) previously reported for other populations. Conclusion: We reported four novel mutations and a novel polymorphic variant in the CYP1B1 gene in PCG in the Mexican population; it has important implications in diagnosis and genetic counseling.
Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A, Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 and Extravascular Matrix Patterns in Iris and Ciliary Body Melanomas
Authors: Sahin Afsun , Kiratli Hayyam , Tezel Gaye Guler , Soylemezoglu Figen , Bilgic Sevgul
Published: December 2006

Purpose: It was the aim of this study to assess the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and extravascular matrix patterns (EMPs) in iris and ciliary body melanomas and their correlations with histopathologic parameters. Methods: The study was conducted on 3 iris and 15 ciliary body melanomas. All tumors were subjected to immunohistochemical techniques for VEGF-A and MMP-9 expressions, the presence of EMPs was assessed, and routine paraffin sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Cell type, tumor localization, degree of pigmentation, necrosis, mitotic index, lymphocytic infiltration and sclera invasion were analyzed using light microscopy. Results: The mean patient age at the time of treatment was 43 years (range 19–69, median 39.5); 10 (55.6%) patients were males and 8 (44.4%) females. Histopathological cell types were spindle cells in 55.6%, mixed cells in 16.7%, and epithelioid cell types in 27.8% of tumors. Positive reaction for VEGF-A and MMP-9 was present in 66.7 and 72.3% of the tumors, respectively. Microvascular loops and/or networks were seen in 33.4% of the tumors, with the remaining 66.7% of tumors displaying one or more of the other patterns. Metastatic disease developed in only 1 patient during follow-up. Tumor cell type, tumor size, mitotic rate, degree of pigmentation and EMPs were not correlated with metastasis. Conclusions: This study suggests that VEGF-A and MMP-9 were positive in the majority of iris and ciliary body melanomas. No correlation was found between VEGF-A and MMP-9 immunoreactivity and EMPs and occurrence of metastases in cases of anterior uveal melanoma.
Histological Characteristics of Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Eyelid
Authors: Paavilainen Ville , Aaltonen Markku , Tuominen Juhani , Saari K. Matti
Published: December 2006

Purpose: To evaluate the histological subtypes of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the eyelid and to determine their effect on the size, depth of invasion and need of retreatment of a nonselected patient material seen in south-western Finland. Methods: We studied the case records and the histological characteristics of BCC of the eyelid treated at the Turku University Eye Clinic during the years 1988 through 1997. The material consisted 103 patients (103 BCC tumors of the eyelid). All tumors were surgically excised. Histological slides were reviewed by a pathologist and the material was divided into histopathological subtypes. Results: In 78.3% of the cases, the diameter of the lesion was smaller than 10 mm. The most frequent histological subtype was nodular (84.5%) followed by sclerosing (5.8%), micronodular (4.9%), keratotic (2.9%) and superficial (1.9%) types of BCC of the eyelid. Only patients of the nodular subtype showed recurrences (11 cases). The size of the tumor and the depth of invasion correlated directly with each other. However, some nodular types of BCC tumors smaller than 10 mm in diameter extended to a depth of more than 4.0 mm. Conclusions: The nodular subtype of BCC should be regarded as a potentially invasive and recurrent tumor. Histopathological examination and subtyping of all BCC tumors is recommended.
Application Accuracy of an Electromagnetic Field-Based Image-Guided Navigation System
Authors: Rosenow Joshua M. , Sootsman W. Keith
Published: December 2006

Objective: We tested the application accuracy of an electromagnetic field-based image guidance system to compare it to traditional optically tracked systems. Methods: A plastic skull phantom was fitted with fiducial markers rigidly attached via self-drilling bone screws. Volumetric CT scan was obtained to simulate the clinical condition. A metal disc marked in 1-mm increments was placed at the expected target point. Following registration and alignment of a trajectory guide, radial and depth localization errors were measured after both freehand and stabilized approaches on both the right and left sides. Statistical analyses of the localization errors were performed. Results: Total target localization error ranged from 0.71 to 3.51 mm with a mean ± SEM of 2.13 ± 0.11 mm. The radial error averaged 0.98 ± 0.11 mm, depth error 1.74 ± 0.13 mm. The freehand procedures produced a statistically greater radial, depth and total error than the fixed procedures. Conclusions: Accuracy of image-guided localization using an electromagnetic field guidance system is similar to that reported for optically guided systems.
Vascular Injuries in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: An Underestimated Problem
Authors: Tzovaras George , Dervenis Christos
Published: December 2006

Background: Bile duct injury is a severe complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and many reports focus on this topic, especially regarding the long-term success of repair of these injuries. There is some concern, however, as to whether concomitant vascular injuries can jeopardize reconstruction of a bile duct injury following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: A review of the current literature on the clinical significance and management of a concomitant vascular injury to the outcome of reconstruction of bile duct injuries following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Relevant articles were extracted through PubMed, with secondary references obtained from key articles. Results: Although the relevant literature is generally poor, there is a trend of appearance of relatively large series on the topic over the last five years, as opposed to case reports or small series during the previous decade. Conclusion: The disruption of the hepatic arterial flow during laparoscopic cholecystectomy is usually well tolerated in an otherwise healthy patient. There is strong evidence that concomitant vascular injuries do not have any impact on mortality after biliary reconstruction. There is also evidence that does increase overall morbidity, but when it comes specifically to long-term anastomotic stricture formation, there is no strong evidence to support a negative impact of a concomitant vascular injury; this is especially true for centers/surgeons with HPB interest.
Contested Regimes in the International Political Economy: Global Regulation of Genetic Resources and the Internationalization of the State
Authors: Görg Christoph , Brand Ulrich
Published: December 2006

This article analyses the complex interconnections between global environmental politics and trade politics against the background of biodiversity politics. Genetic resources are one of the most important inputs in post-Fordist economies: they are the raw materials of the new biotechnology companies. The system of global environmental governance that has emerged in recent years was established by a number of international institutions and organizations to serve as a political-institutional framework for emerging global markets. To date, this system has not proved to be an effective regulative framework. On the contrary, it is highly contradictory and contested. We develop theoretical and empirical arguments why and in which form the transforming national state remains crucial in global environmental politics. We call this transformation the “internationalization of the state.” It is argued that the emerging post-Fordist relationships with nature, as a highly contested process, are stabilized by a new kind of global political regulation and domination. This article is theoretically informed by the concept of “societal relationships with nature,” regulation and critical state theory as well as Gramsci's concept of hegemony.
Discounting the Discount Rate: Ecocentrism and Environmental Economics
Authors: Barkin J. Samuel
Published: December 2006

As a tool for making decisions about long-term environmental policy, environmental economics does not work on its own terms. It works well as a tool for analyzing environmental policy given clear, exogenously defined costs and benefits. As such, environmental economics can work well as a tool for analyzing policy in the short term. But many of the most salient issues in international environmental politics are salient specifically because they have a fundamental long-term component. Economic tools have trouble pricing environmental goods, and the farther the cost element of cost/benefit analysis is projected into the future, particularly through the analytical tool of the discount rate, the less reliable estimates are likely to be. At a certain point, the compounding of this decreasing reliability makes the cost estimates analytically counterproductive. As such, this paper concludes that fundamental decisions about the relationship between economic activity and the natural environment in the long term need to be informed by ecocentric rather than economic thinking.
Witchcraft and Rebellion in Late Seventeenth-Century Devon
Authors: Timmons Stephen
Published: December 2006

The case of three women from Bideford, Devon, tried and executed for witchcraft in 1682, provides a unique glimpse into the interaction between popular culture, print media, and political parties of the Exclusion Crisis era. The judicial records of the case are fairly limited, contained only in missives from the Calendar State Papers Domestic, and the memoirs of the trial judge. Publishers in London, however, provided a much greater range of source material to the reading public, including a heavily edited transcript of depositions that created the accepted version of the proceedings, and entirely fictitious accounts that bore little relation to the actual events. The needs of both the print media and the political parties distorted the actual incidents of the case, but provided the only memory of it for popular culture.
A New Visibility Parameterization for Warm-Fog Applications in Numerical Weather Prediction Models
Authors: Gultepe I. , Müller M. D. , Boybeyi Z.
Published: December 2006

The objective of this work is to suggest a new warm-fog visibility parameterization scheme for numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. In situ observations collected during the Radiation and Aerosol Cloud Experiment, representing boundary layer low-level clouds, were used to develop a parameterization scheme between visibility and a combined parameter as a function of both droplet number concentration Nd and liquid water content (LWC). The current NWP models usually use relationships between extinction coefficient and LWC. A newly developed parameterization scheme for visibility, Vis = f (LWC, Nd), is applied to the NOAA Nonhydrostatic Mesoscale Model. In this model, the microphysics of fog was adapted from the 1D Parameterized Fog (PAFOG) model and then was used in the lower 1.5 km of the atmosphere. Simulations for testing the new parameterization scheme are performed in a 50-km innermost-nested simulation domain using a horizontal grid spacing of 1 km centered on Zurich Unique Airport in Switzerland. The simulations over a 10-h time period showed that visibility differences between old and new parameterization schemes can be more than 50%. It is concluded that accurate visibility estimates require skillful LWC as well as Nd estimates from forecasts. Therefore, the current models can significantly over-/underestimate Vis (with more than 50% uncertainty) depending on environmental conditions. Inclusion of Nd as a prognostic (or parameterized) variable in parameterizations would significantly improve the operational forecast models.
Determination of 3D Cloud Ice Water Contents by Combining Multiple Data Sources from Satellite, Ground Radar, and a Numerical Model
Authors: Seo Eun-Kyoung , Liu Guosheng
Published: December 2006

This study aims at determining the three-dimensional distribution of ice water content over a broad area near the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Southern Great Plains site, where cloud radar and meteorological observations have been routinely conducted. Together with wind fields from other measurements, the ice water content retrievals can be used to derive the cloud ice water advective tendency terms needed for single-column model simulations. In this study, a Bayesian retrieval algorithm has been developed that combines multiple data sources from satellite high-frequency microwave radiometry, ground cloud radar observations, and mesoscale numerical model analysis. The cloud radar observations allow the characteristics of vertical ice water content structures to be inferred. The numerical model data are used to locate the cloud height. The satellite data provide information on the integrated ice water path, its horizontal distribution over a broad area, and, to a lesser extent, the vertical structure of ice water content. The approach herein is to retrieve the three-dimensional cloud ice water content in a 10° × 10° area surrounding the cloud radar site by combining all the information contained in the above datasets through a Bayesian framework. Validation of the algorithm has been done by comparing the retrievals with measurements from two ground radars. The comparison shows that the mean ice water content profiles and the two-dimensional (height–ice water content) probability density functions retrieved for 19 coincident cases agree fairly well with the validation data. However, the retrieved ice water contents generally lack detailed vertical structures because of the low sensitivity of satellite data to the vertical variation of cloud ice.
Designing Anti-Corruption Strategies for Developing Countries
Authors: Desta Yemane
Published: December 2006

This article identifies the anti–corruption strategies used in developing countries and assesses their relevance to the newly independent country of Eritrea. The anti-corruption strategies considered in this article are divided into four broad categories: Economic/Market Reforms, Administrative/Bureaucratic Reforms, Accountability/Transparency Enhancing Reforms, and Political Accountability Enhancing Reforms. The author administered a questionnaire survey to a sample of 62 Eritrean public officials from 13 ministries of the Eritrean government to ascertain their views of the extent, causes and remedies of corruption in Eritrea. The survey responses indicate that while on the whole Eritrean officials perceive that there are relatively low levels of corruption in the country they believe the top five leading causes of corruption are:the low salary of public officials, lack of accountable/transparent political process, lack of meritocratic personnel policy, lack of an effective corruption reporting system, and the self-serving attitudes of public officials.
A Training Program in Group Analysis in the Baltic States: Six Years' Experience
Authors: Lorentzen Steinar , Maar Vivi , Sørlie Tore
Published: December 2006

Representing the Institute of Group Analysis in Norway, the authors have for several years been engaged in group-analytic training of colleagues from the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). During the first six years, 63 candidates have entered the course, and 17 have completed five years of training. In 2003, the Lithuanian Group-Analytic Society took full responsibility for the program. This article evaluates the program and discusses the group dynamics in this transcultural encounter.
The Median Group: Training and Supervision
Authors: Pisani Rocco A. , Colangeli Giuseppina , Giordani Antonella , Popolla Paola
Published: December 2006

The authors summarize the main theoretical concepts concerning group analysis. With regard to the median group an experience of training and supervision is reported. The trainees participated for three years as group members in a median analytical group. Further they participated as cotherapists in a median group for two years performing weekly group-analytical supervision. The authors take into consideration mirroring as a basic phenomenon in the supervision process in a median group. Some very meaningful sessions of the supervision group are reported.
Opinion, Dialogue, Review
Authors: Muponde Robert
Published: December 2006

The Zimbabwean writer Dambudzo Marechera mobilizes recollections of childhood not only as an event in his adult life, but as a way of articulating a longing for new forms of social consciousness. Childhood itself is recalled both as narrative and source of narrative. As such it is a place and time of memory. It is not just a construct of writing, but a way of coming to terms with an enormous social experience. This article discusses the nature of childhood and its uses in Marechera's dystopian fiction. It demonstrates the ways in which Marechera's fiction revises sets of concepts that constitute ‘the child’ by portraying childhoods that point to the dissolution and reinvention of a symbolic order in a post-national African space.
'Beyond Anti-Smacking'
Authors: Brownlie Julie , Anderson Simon
Published: December 2006

Recently, it has been argued that ‘anti-smacking’ campaigns have been so successful that ‘explicit pro-smackers’ are now thin on the ground. Yet the use of physical chastisement remains widespread. One response to this contradiction is to focus less on parents and more on children's rights. In this article, however, the authors draw on data from a recent Scottish study of parents’ views of physical chastisement to answer the following question: If the starting point for parents in thinking about physical chastisement is not children's rights, why is this the case and what are the implications for moving the debate forward? Drawing on a more dialogical understanding of parent–child relations and recent sociological work on childhood, we conclude that while future campaigns against physical chastisement need to be shaped by a children's rights perspective, they also need to be informed by understandings of the parent–child relationship and the meaning(s) disciplining has for parents within that relationship.
Establishing Children's Wishes and Feelings for Family Court Reports
Authors: Mantle Greg , Leslie Jane , Parsons Sarah , Plenty Jackie , Shaffer Ray
Published: December 2006

Current UK government policy is to promote mediation as a way of avoiding family court proceedings and there is a risk, therefore, that welfare report-writing practice may receive less critical attention than it merits. A largely unstudied aspect of this practice is the significance given by practitioners to the child's age. More widely, across a broad academic and policy canvas, preoccupying concerns with children's rights, their ability to participate and their individuality have shifted attention away from questions about the age relatedness of competence. Two sets of findings from recent research are presented in this article: first, statistical data relating to the age of children involved in welfare report enquiries; and, second, data drawn from a qualitative study of how private lawpractitioners establish the wishes and feelings of children of different ages.
Ideology and Utopia
Authors: Langdridge Darren
Published: December 2006

In recent years we have witnessed a number of new developments in social psychology that set out to offer an alternative to the dominant social cognitive paradigm. Whilst there is undoubtedly growing interest in these alternatives, they have not had the impact that many might have hoped. In this paper, I outline Paul Ricoeur’s work on the social imaginary, ideology and utopia, and use this as a critical hermeneutic to understand the failure of ‘new movements’ within social psychology to move the discipline forward. The social imaginary is the ensemble of stories possessed by all societies that serve to mediate human reality. Ricoeur uses this concept to understand and conceptualize the distinction between ideology and utopia. Ideology and utopia are reconceptualized by Ricoeur as integration/identity and rupture/critique, respectively. I argue that social psychology vacillates between these two positions and, as yet, has not been able to engage dialectically with both.
A Theatre Acting Perspective on the Dramaturgical Metaphor and the Postmodern Self
Authors: Walsh-Bowers Richard
Published: December 2006

Based on the premise that a psychology of theatre acting can teach psychologists about social acting, I evaluate Goffman’s influential dramaturgical metaphor and discuss what theatre acting reveals about conceptions of the self. Within Goffman’s model, differences between the quotidian and theatre worlds are accidental and daily life is like theatre actors’ life on stage. First, I assess how well this version of the drama-turgical metaphor accounts for both theatre acting and social interaction. The complexly layered, psychological aspects of theatre acting reveal the limitations of Goffman’s model. The second critical issue pertains to the implications of a psychology of theatre acting for conceptions of the self. The flexible, relational nature of theatre actors’ multiple ‘selves’ challenges psychologists’ literalist applications of dramaturgy to social actors as well as essentialist conceptions of a core self, while complementing postmodern notions of relational selves.
Reconciling Rules with Context
Authors: James Susan , Foster Gary
Published: December 2006

In psychotherapy practice, a complex relationship exists between clients, culture and values. By drawing on psychology, philosophy and anthropology, we developed an interdisciplinary ethical framework for cultural psychotherapy. The framework, which reflects a hermeneutic approach, avoids the excesses of both an ‘objective’ view of ethics (and its relation to selfhood) and the social constructionist view, which tends towards relativism. To take this middle path, therapists need to do more than familiarize themselves with the professional codes of ethics set out for this practice. These ethical codes and the rules that constitute them are important, but they should not replace the difficult work of ethical thinking and judgment. These processes require psychotherapists to engage in the (often) difficult task of gaining a better understanding of a client’s culture or context, including their conceptions of good, and critiquing or correcting instances where the therapists’ own moral or cultural prejudices distort or compromise the therapist-client relationship. We also present a case example in which we illustrate the strength and relevance of our approach.
Performance Capacity and Performance Style
Authors: Moghaddam Fathali M.
Published: December 2006

My point of departure is Mills’ proposal that we should break with existing research paradigms in psychology. Traditional psychology is deterministic and assumes (efficient) causation; a second, ‘normative’, psychology is evolving with an emphasis on meaning and context. Narrative is a shared focus of normative psychology and literature. Normative psychology facilitates the achievement of predictability, as well as universals, in accounts of thought and action.
Middle-to late-Holocene moisture changes in the desert of northwest Namibia derived from fossil hyrax dung pollen
Authors: Gil-Romera Graciela , Scott Louis , Marais Eugène , Brook George A.
Published: December 2006

New pollen results and radiocarbon dating from fossil hyrax middens derived from the edge of the northern Namib Desert address the shortage of continental palaeobotanical evidence in arid Namibia by providing evidence for the environmental conditions during the mid to late Holocene in the region. The results obtained reflect long-term stability in the area throughout most of the sequence. Higher than modern moisture availability is suggested between c. 6 and 1 ka BP by the increased abundance of Poaceae, Cyperaceae or Chenopodiaceae, which respond rapidly by flowering after modest quantities of rainfall. Around 1 ka and recently arid conditions seem to have prevailed, with a decrease in Poaceae and an increase in Acanthaceae. Other palaeoecological evidence from the local and regional surroundings that focused on fluvial deposits, marine palynology and mineralogy confirms this mid-Holocene increase in more effective rainfall.
Tsunami and palaeotsunami depositional signatures and their potential value in understanding the late-Holocene tsunami record
Authors: Dominey-Howes Dale T.M. , Humphreys Geoff S. , Hesse Paul P.
Published: December 2006

In recent years, much research on modern and palaeotsunami deposits has been published. From these studies, a range of signature types has been identified. Identifying and dating such deposits is an important element in understanding late-Holocene tsunami hazard and risk. However, important questions such as, ‘do modern and palaeotsunami leave similar or dissimilar traces?’ ‘do tsunami leave the same signatures all around the world or are there significant variations?’ and ‘what is the actual record of tsunami in different parts of the world?’ still remain. Answering these questions is not an easy task but examining megatsunami flood deposits should shed some light on these questions because such high-magnitude events should leave very clear and detailed traces within the coastal landscape. The coast of SE Australia is reported to have been affected by numerous palaeomegatsunami in the late Holocene. As such, the coast of New South Wales offers an important natural laboratory to examine in detail deposits associated with such events. Here, we summarize the published characteristics of modern and palaeotsunami deposits globally and within Australia. We briefly outline the tsunami risk to Australia before examining a site called Minnamurra Point on the coastline of SE Australia (south of Sydney) that has previously been described as containing evidence for a palaeomegatsunami of an unknown age. We describe the results of a detailed coastal survey, field stratigraphic investigation and various standard laboratory analyses. Surprisingly, we are unable to replicate the previously reported findings of tsunami deposits. Whilst we prefer the interpretation that the sequence is an in situ soil (the sediment sequence examined contains none of the usually reported lines of evidence to demonstrate tsunami provenance), we recognize and discuss the significance and difficulty of identifying tsunami deposits in the field and consider the implications of our findings to the wider debate about the preservation of tsunami-deposited sediments.
The Impact of War: Matching Expectation with Reality in the Royal Navy in the First Months of the Great War at Sea
Authors: Goldrick James
Published: December 2006

The Royal Navy experienced many unpleasant surprises in the opening months of the First World War. Too many preconceptions were based upon the expectation of a short war, an outlook encouraged by the relative brevity of pre-war manoeuvres and a desire to avoid risk. The absence of a fleet-onfleet encounter in the opening days of the conflict soon created significant pressures on ships and people. The navy was not used to continuous high-speed steaming and the unremitting demands placed upon seagoing personnel, including the heavy labour of repeated coaling. For a fleet poorly provided with bases and repair facilities in the North Sea, the reality of the submarine threat was also very different to what had been expected. This paper analyses both the situation in which the British found themselves and the reasons behind it.
Lighting controls in areas with innovative daylighting systems: a study of sensor type
Authors: Littlefair Paul J , Motin Abdul
Published: December 2006

Innovative daylighting systems often work by redirecting light from the sky and sun onto the ceiling from where it is diffused to light the space. This can cause problems for ceiling mounted photoelectric control sensors. The performances of three types of ceiling sensor were studied in the Building Research Establishment’s mock-up rooms. The window systems included venetian blinds, prismatic film and a light shelf as well as ordinary clear glass. A completely unshielded sensor gave surprisingly stable performance compared with horizontal working plane illuminance. The main exception to this was when direct sunlight reached the sensor itself. Unfortunately the ratio of sensor illuminance to horizontal illuminance was significantly greater under sunny skies than under overcast skies. This could lead to uneven control performance under different sky conditions. An alternative sensor shielded by a darkened tube was also tested. This proved to be very susceptible to the location of patches of sunlight in the space. In a real room it could also be affected by the positions and reflectances of furniture and even occupants. A possible compromise is the use of a partially shielded sensor. This can receive light from all directions except the window. Care is needed in aligning the shield correctly during installation.
The BRE-IDMP dataset: a new benchmark for the validation of illuminance prediction techniques
Authors: Mardaljevic J
Published: December 2006

Scale models are generally believed to be a reliable tool for illumination modelling and are often used to predict daylight factors. Recent work however has revealed that scale models generally over-predict illuminance by a significant margin for overcast skies. For nonovercast skies the divergence between model and real building performance is greater still. Advances in lighting simulation and physical modelling allow for the possibility of a daylighting evaluation that is based on a range of nonovercast sky luminance patterns including sun. Using either technique it is now a practical possibility to predict hourly internal illuminance levels for a full year under realistic sky and sun conditions. Illuminance predictions for these conditions need to be validated using the best possible data. The uncertainties associated with scale modelling suggest that the technique is insufficiently reliable for validation of predictions under non-overcast skies, and that a new benchmark is needed. The BRE-IDMP validation dataset contains simultaneous measurements of sky luminance patterns, solar illuminance and internal illuminance in two full-size mock offices. With this dataset it is possible to specify to an unprecedented degree of precision the conditions at the time of measurement. The dataset, believed to be the only one of its type in existence, is complex and does contain occurrences of potentially unreliable entries. These had to be identified so that a true assessment of the accuracy of the illuminance predictions can be made. This paper describes how this was achieved. Predictions from lighting simulation are validated using the dataset but the findings are also applicable to the validation of physical modelling approaches using the new generation of sky simulators.
A simplified daylighting design tool for high-density urban residential buildings
Authors: Ng E
Published: December 2006

The paper describes a simple design tool for architects to estimate daylight performance of high-rise residential buildings in high-density urban sites during the early design stage. The tool is based on a modified version of the original split flux formulae. The tool resolves the formulae to a set of tables relating vertical obstruction angles with horizontal obstruction angles. Given the geometrical properties and the required daylight performances, an architect could work out, at the early design and planning stage, the design configuration of the building block itself, the spacing between building blocks, and the sizes of windows required. Working examples demonstrate how the tool might be used in design.
Calculation of transfer factors in the European utilization factor method
Authors: Raynham P J , Bean A R
Published: December 2006

The new European Standard for utilization factors has recently been published and it provides a common way of calculating and presenting utilization factors within Europe. Unfortunately the standard only provides for the calculation of factors for the working plane. This paper gives a method of calculating the transfer factors necessary to evaluate the utilization factors on all the other room surfaces and a full set of transfer factors is given in tables.
Resveratrol inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis, and overcomes chemoresistance through down-regulation of STAT3 and nuclear factor-κB–regulated antiapoptotic and cell survival gene products in human multiple myeloma cells
Authors: Bhardwaj Anjana , Sethi Gautam , Vadhan-Raj, Saroj , Bueso-Ramos Carlos , Takada Yasunari , Gaur Upasna , Nair Asha S. , Shishodia Shishir , Aggarwal Bharat B.
Published: December 2006

Whether resveratrol, a component of red grapes, berries, and peanuts, could suppress the proliferation of multiple myeloma (MM) cells by interfering with NF-κB and STAT3 pathways, was investigated. Resveratrol inhibited the proliferation of human multiple myeloma cell lines regardless of whether they were sensitive or resistant to the conventional chemotherapy agents. This stilbene also potentiated the apoptotic effects of bortezomib and thalidomide. Resveratrol induced apoptosis as indicated by accumulation of sub-G1 population, increase in Bax release, and activation of caspase-3. This correlated with down-regulation of various proliferative and antiapoptotic gene products, including cyclin D1, cIAP-2, XIAP, survivin, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, Bfl-1/A1, and TRAF2. In addition, resveratrol down-regulated the constitutive activation of AKT. These effects of resveratrol are mediated through suppression of constitutively active NF-κB through inhibition of IκBα kinase and the phosphorylation of IκBα and of p65. Resveratrol inhibited both the constitutive and the interleukin 6–induced activation of STAT3. When we examined CD138+ plasma cells from patients with MM, resveratrol inhibited constitutive activation of both NF-κB and STAT3, leading to down-regulation of cell proliferation and potentiation of apoptosis induced by bortezomib and thalidomide. These mechanistic findings suggest that resveratrol may have a potential in the treatment of multiple myeloma.
Synaptotagmin (Syt) IX is an essential determinant for protein sorting to secretory granules in mast cells
Authors: Haberman Yael , Ziv Idit , Gorzalczany Yaara , Hirschberg Koret , Mittleman Leonide , Fukuda Mitsunori , Sagi-Eisenberg Ronit
Published: December 2006

The secretory granules (SGs) of secretory cells of the hematopoietic lineage, such as the mast cells, are lysosome-related organelles whose membrane proteins travel through the plasma membrane and the endocytic system. Therefore, a mechanism must exist to prevent proteins destined to recycling or to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) from reaching the SGs. We now show that synaptotagmin (Syt) IX, a Syt homologue that is required for recycling from the endocytic recycling compartment (ERC) in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cultured mast cells, is involved in segregating recycling proteins from the SGs. By using as a marker the recycling protein TGN38, which cycles between the TGN, plasma membrane, and the ERC, we show that knock-down of Syt IX results in mistargeting of HA-tagged TGN38 to the SGs. We further demonstrate that Syt IX binds directly the small GTPase ARF1 and associates with the clathrin adaptor complex AP-1. These results therefore implicate Syt IX as an essential factor for the correct sorting of SGs proteins. Moreover, they place Syt IX as part of the machinery that is involved in the formation of transport carriers that mediate SGs protein sorting.
T-cell function is partially maintained in the absence of class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling
Authors: Deane Jonathan A. , Kharas Michael G. , Oak Jean S. , Stiles Linda N. , Luo Ji , Moore Travis I. , Ji Hong , Rommel Christian , Cantley Lewis C. , Lane Thomas E. , Fruman David A.
Published: December 2006

The class IA subgroup of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is activated downstream of antigen receptors, costimulatory molecules, and cytokine receptors on lymphocytes. Targeted deletion of individual genes for class IA regulatory subunits severely impairs the development and function of B cells but not T cells. Here we analyze conditional mutant mice in which thymocytes and T cells lack the major class IA regulatory subunits p85α, p55α, p50α, and p85β. These cells exhibit nearly complete loss of PI3K signaling downstream of the T-cell receptor (TCR) and CD28. Nevertheless, T-cell development is largely unperturbed, and peripheral T cells show only partial impairments in proliferation and cytokine production in vitro. Both genetic and pharmacologic experiments suggest that class IA PI3K signaling plays a limited role in T-cell proliferation driven by TCR/CD28 clustering. In vivo, class IA–deficient T cells provide reduced help to B cells but show normal ability to mediate antiviral immunity. Together these findings provide definitive evidence that class IA PI3K regulatory subunits are essential for a subset of T-cell functions while challenging the notion that this signaling mechanism is a critical mediator of costimulatory signals downstream of CD28.
Evolution of secretin family GPCR members in the metazoa
Authors: Cardoso João CR , Pinto Vanda C , Vieira Florbela A , Clark Melody S , Power Deborah M
Published: December 2006

Background

Comparative approaches using protostome and deuterostome data have greatly contributed to understanding gene function and organismal complexity. The family 2 G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are one of the largest and best studied hormone and neuropeptide receptor families. They are suggested to have arisen from a single ancestral gene via duplication events. Despite the recent identification of receptor members in protostome and early deuterostome genomes, relatively little is known about their function or origin during metazoan divergence. In this study a comprehensive description of family 2 GPCR evolution is given based onin silicoand expression analyses of the invertebrate receptor genes.

Results

Family 2 GPCR members were identified in the invertebrate genomes of the nematodesC. elegansandC. briggsae, the arthropodsD. melanogasterandA. gambiae(mosquito) and in the tunicateC.intestinalis. This suggests that they are of ancient origin and have evolved through gene/genome duplication events. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses have demonstrated that the immediate gene environment, with regard to gene content, is conserved between the protostome and deuterostome receptor genomic regions. Also that the protostome genes are more like the deuterostome Corticotrophin Releasing Factor (CRF) and Calcitonin/Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CAL/CGRP) receptors members than the other family 2 GPCR members. The evolution of family 2 GPCRs in deuterostomes is characterised by acquisition of new family members, with SCT (Secretin) receptors only present in tetrapods. Gene structure is characterised by an increase in intron number with organismal complexity with the exception of the vertebrate CAL/CGRP receptors.

Conclusion

The family 2 GPCR members provide a good example of gene duplication events occurring in tandem with increasing organismal complexity during metazoan evolution. The putative ancestral receptors are proposed to be more like the deuterostome CAL/CGRP and CRF receptors and this may be associated with their fundamental role in calcium regulation and the stress response, both of which are essential for survival.