bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Risk Score Based on Get With the Guidelines–Stroke Program Data Works in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke in China
Authors: Zhang Ning , Liu Gaifen , Zhang Guohua , Fang Jiming , Wang Yilong , Zhao Xingquan , Guo Li , Wang Yongjun
Published: October 2012

Background and Purpose—

There are few validated models for prediction of in-hospital mortality after acute ischemic stroke. In 2010, Smith et al developed and internally validated models for predicting in-hospital mortality based on Get With the Guidelines–Stroke program data. We demonstrate the applicability of this Get With the Guidelines risk model in Chinese patients.

Methods—

The prognostic model was used to predict survival in 7015 patients with acute ischemic stroke from China National Stroke Registry data set. Model discrimination was quantified by calculating C statistic. To clarify the role of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), we also calculated the C statistics for NIHSS alone and for the model without NIHSS.

Results—

The C statistic was 0.867 (95% CI, 0.839–0.895) through the Get With the Guidelines risk model, suggesting good discrimination in the China National Stroke Registry. The model without NIHSS produced significantly lower C statistic (0.735; 95% CI, 0.701–0.770;
P
<0.001), indicating the important role of NIHSS in the prediction of survival. Furthermore, a model with NIHSS alone also provided significant discrimination (C statistic, 0.847; 95% CI, 0.816–0.879). A plot of observed versus predicted mortality showed excellent model calibration in the external validation sample from the China National Stroke Registry.

Conclusions—

The Get With the Guidelines risk model could correctly predict in-hospital mortality in Chinese patients with ischemic stroke. In addition, the NIHSS provides substantial incremental information on a patient’s short-term mortality risk and is the strongest predictor of mortality.
The Optimality of Potential Rescaling Approaches in Land Data Assimilation
Authors: Yilmaz M. Tugrul , Crow Wade T.
Published: October 2012

It is well known that systematic differences exist between modeled and observed realizations of hydrological variables like soil moisture. Prior to data assimilation, these differences must be removed in order to obtain an optimal analysis. A number of rescaling approaches have been proposed for this purpose. These methods include rescaling techniques based on matching sampled temporal statistics, minimizing the least squares distance between observations and models, and the application of triple collocation. Here, the authors evaluate the optimality and relative performances of these rescaling methods both analytically and numerically and find that a triple collocation–based rescaling method results in an optimal solution, whereas variance matching and linear least squares regression approaches result in only approximations to this optimal solution.
Cycles of Fear
Authors: deLeon Mary J. , Brunner C. Cryss
Published: October 2012

Purpose: The article’s purpose is to highlight a national qualitative study that generated a model for understanding how society’s actions and attitudes affect and inform the lived experiences of lesbian/gay (LG) educational leaders. Research Methods/Approach: Three bodies of literature informed the methods of the study: queer legal theory, critical phenomenology, and poststructural hermeneutics. Seventeen volunteer participants identified as out or closeted LG educational leaders and replied via e-mail (to a safe contact) to a national invitation to participate. To provide anonymity, a virtual laboratory allowed participants to interact anonymously through the use of focus groups, interviews, written responses, and private/public messaging tools. Data analysis was conducted after themes or categories emerged and data was coded and categorized. Findings: The findings culminated in conclusions illustrated in the Cycles of Fear model. First, study participants moved from silence to voice and back again, with varying intensity. Second, participants move beyond oppression was extremely difficult. Third, participants conquered fear and oppression, thereby creating gains. Fourth, experiences of fear were integrated into participants’ very being—their identity. Fifth, as leaders’ strength/visibility increased, society’s homophobic fears created increased intolerance and hostility. Finally, when a new fear cycle began, the leaders became stronger and more resilient. Implications for Research and Practice: The discussions, conclusions, and the model drawn from this study’s findings are instructive for (a) LG educational leaders who have had very little support in their professional and personal lives, (b) leadership preparation programs/professors that/who in the past have ignored this populations’ existence and oppression, (c) policy makers, and (d) further research—the model can serve as a data analysis tool for future studies, and the anonymous research design could be duplicated to lower the risk for LGBT participants.
Back to the ‘social’ of social work: Reviving the social work profession’s contribution to the promotion of social justice
Authors: Kam Ping Kwong
Published: October 2012

Social changes and professionalization have moved social work away from advancing social justice and into the domination of individual therapies. This article redirects social workers’ attention to the importance of the ‘social’ in social work by presenting a six-social dimensions framework, and suggests that this refocusing helps to revive the profession’s contribution to promoting social justice.
Inflammation, Pain, and Pressure—Purinergic Signaling in Oral Tissues
Authors: Lim J.C. , Mitchell C.H.
Published: October 2012

Signaling by extracellular purines such as ATP and adenosine has implications for dental research on multiple levels, with the association of purinergic signaling with inflammation, mechanical strain, and pain making the system particularly relevant for the specific challenges in the oral cavity. Oral tissues express a variety of G-protein-coupled P2Y receptors for ATP and P1 receptors for adenosine in addition to ionotropic P2X receptors for ATP. When these receptors are combined with the plethora of extracellular enzymes capable of manipulating extracellular agonist levels, a complex system for regulating oral health emerges, and recent findings have begun to identify a key role for purinergic signaling in oral pathophysiology. For example, the manipulation of extracellular ATP levels by P. gingivalis reduces inflammasome activation and apoptosis linked to P2X7 receptor activation. Release of ATP by periodontal ligaments may link mechanical strain to bone remodeling. Activation of P2X receptors is implicated in dental pain, and receptor antagonists represent important targets for new analgesics. Altered levels of adenosine receptors in periodontal disease also suggest a role for nucleosides in dental signaling. The intricacies of the purinergic signaling system make it well-suited for the unique concerns of dental research, and future findings will doubtless confirm this importance.
Cohorts and Emerging Health Disparities
Authors: Schafer Markus H. , Kwon Soyoung
Published: October 2012

Despite the recent and rapid worldwide rise in body mass index (BMI), little empirical research outside the developed world has systematically considered the role of cohorts in inaugurating emergent biomorphic disparities. This study integrates aspects of the life course perspective (attention to age- and cohort-level influences) with fundamental cause theory to investigate how BMI differences have unfurled in the Chinese population. We analyze growth-curve models of adults in the China Health and Nutrition Survey. The results indicate that more recent cohorts have higher levels of BMI and, among women, experience a steeper rate of age-related BMI growth. Moreover, biomorphic change has unfolded in complex ways related to social conditions across successive cohorts. The most pronounced changes are observed among women, who demonstrate an emerging disparity in BMI levels on the basis of education and urban versus rural residence.
Modeling the International Tourism Expenditures of Individual Travelers
Authors: Belenkiy Maksim , Riker David
Published: October 2012

This study presents a set of econometric models that measure the response of international tourism expenditures to consumer prices and other country-level factors, while controlling for the demographic characteristics of the individual travelers. We find that the price elasticity of the demand for international tourism services, conditional on traveling overseas, is approximately −0.8. We also find that the level of economic development of the country, its distance from the United States, and the age and income of the individual travelers all had significant positive effects on tourism expenditures.
Development and Evaluation of the DECIDE to Move! Physical Activity Educational Video
Authors: Majid Haseeb M. , Schumann Kristina P. , Doswell Angela , Sutherland June , Hill Golden Sherita , Stewart Kerry J. , Hill-Briggs Felicia
Published: October 2012

Purpose

To develop a video that provides accessible and usable information about the importance of physical activity to type 2 diabetes self-management and ways of incorporating physical activity into everyday life.

Conclusion

A 15-minute physical activity educational video narrated by US Surgeon General Dr Regina Benjamin was developed and evaluated. The video addresses the following topics: the effects of exercise on diabetes, preparations for beginning physical activity, types of physical activity, safety considerations (eg, awareness of symptoms of hypoglycemia during activity), and goal setting. Two patient screening groups were held for evaluation and revision of the video. Patient satisfaction ratings ranged 4.6 to 4.9 out of a possible 5.0 on dimensions of overall satisfaction, how informative they found the video to be, how well the video held their interest and attention, how easy the video was to understand, and how easy the video was to see and hear. Patients reported the educational video effective in empowering them to take strides toward increasing and maintaining physical activity in their lives. The tool is currently used in a clinical research trial, Project DECIDE, as one component of a diabetes and cardiovascular disease self-management program.
More Than a Lack of Control
Authors: Gill Michael J. , Andreychik Michael R. , Getty Phillip D.
Published: October 2012

People’s explanations for social events powerfully affect their socioemotional responses. We examine why explanations affect emotions, with a specific focus on how external explanations for negative aspects of an outgroup can create compassion for the outgroup. The dominant model of these processes suggests that external explanations can reduce perceived control and that compassion is evoked when negative aspects of an outgroup are perceived as beyond their control. We agree that perceived control is important, but we propose a model in which explanations also affect perceived suffering of an outgroup, and that perceived suffering is an additional mechanism connecting external explanations to compassion. Studies are presented that support our integrative dual-mediation model and that pinpoint factors—depth of cognitive processing, expansive sense of identity—that modulate the extent to which the external explanation/perceived suffering mechanism evokes compassion.
A Multilevel Investigation of Leadership and Turnover Behavior
Authors: Waldman David A. , Carter Min Z. , Hom Peter W.
Published: October 2012

This study extends the sparse research on the connection between leadership and follower turnover by investigating the effects of group-level transformational leadership on the withdrawal process. Through an examination of 375 Chinese employees from 96 work groups, we used hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) analyses to test our proposed model. Findings reveal that, even when we control for the effects of leader–member exchange and contingent reward leadership, transformational leadership predicts turnover through quit intentions. In addition, our test of cross-level moderation reveals that transformational leadership can weaken the effect of quit intentions on turnover. Thus, employees are less likely to carry out quit intentions when they have transformational leaders.
Examining social tagging behaviour and the construction of an online folksonomy from the perspectives of cultural capital and social capital
Authors: Lin Chi-Shiou , Chen Yi-Fan
Published: October 2012

This study explores the relationships between cultural and social capital and online social tagging behaviour in Delicious.com , a social bookmarking web site that offers social tagging functionalities. Based on Bourdieu’s conception of cultural and social capital, an online questionnaire was developed to measure Delicious users’ capital possession and its influences on social tagging behavioural tendencies. The study findings showed that the offline/online cultural capital and offline social capital affected information organization-oriented tagging; offline/online social capital affected social oriented-tagging; offline/online cultural capital and offline/online social capital both affected strategic tagging; offline/online social capital affected tagging imitation. Based on the findings, we made inferences on the user roles and the power structure of a social tagging folksonomy community.
Propensity to trust and the influence of source and medium cues in credibility evaluation
Authors: Lucassen Teun , Schraagen Jan Maarten
Published: October 2012

Credibility evaluation has become a daily task in the current world of online information that varies in quality. The way this task is performed has been a topic of research for some time now. In this study, we aim to extend this research by proposing an integrated layer model of trust. According to this model, trust in information is influenced by trust in its source. Moreover, source trust is influenced by trust in the medium, which in turn is influenced by a more general propensity to trust. We provide an initial validation of the proposed model by means of an online quasi-experiment ( n = 152) in which participants rated the credibility of Wikipedia articles. Additionally, the results suggest that the participants were more likely to have too little trust in Wikipedia than too much trust.
Systematic Review of Effects of Adenotonsillectomy on Cardiovascular Parameters in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Teo Dawn T. , Mitchell Ron B.
Published: October 2012

Objective

To systematically review current studies on the effects of adenotonsillectomy (T&A) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on cardiovascular parameters in children.

Data Sources

PubMed database.

Review Methods

A comprehensive PubMed MeSH search was done between 1970 and 2012.

Results

Fourteen articles were included. The total number of children was 418. The mean sample size was 30 (range, 1‐62), and the mean age of the sample population was 6 years (range, 2‐10 years). Criteria used for the diagnosis of OSA ranged from full‐night polysomnography (PSG) to clinical parameters. Three studies had results from preoperative and postoperative PSG. Cardiovascular parameters studied included blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac morphology, and cardiac function. All studies reported an improvement in cardiovascular parameters and OSA symptoms after surgery. Three studies reported improvement in blood pressure, 6 reported improvement in mean pulmonary artery pressures, 7 reported improvement in echocardiographic findings, and 1 reported a decrease in pulse rate and pulse rate variability after T&A for OSA.

Conclusion

There is evidence that cardiovascular morbidities associated with OSA are potentially reversible. T&A may have a significant role in reversing the cardiovascular sequelae of OSA. However, there is a paucity of well‐designed and powered studies to address this issue.
Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment
Authors: Englund Amir , Morrison Paul D , Nottage Judith , Hague Dominic , Kane Fergus , Bonaccorso Stefania , Stone James M , Reichenberg Avi , Brenneisen Rudolf , Holt David , Feilding Amanda , Walker Lucy , Murray Robin M , Kapur Shitij
Published: October 2012

Community-based studies suggest that cannabis products that are high in Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but low in cannabidiol (CBD) are particularly hazardous for mental health. Laboratory-based studies are ideal for clarifying this issue because THC and CBD can be administered in pure form, under controlled conditions. In a between-subjects design, we tested the hypothesis that pre-treatment with CBD inhibited THC-elicited psychosis and cognitive impairment. Healthy participants were randomised to receive oral CBD 600mg ( n=22) or placebo ( n=26), 210 min ahead of intravenous (IV) THC (1.5 mg). Post-THC, there were lower PANSS positive scores in the CBD group, but this did not reach statistical significance. However, clinically significant positive psychotic symptoms (defined a priori as increases ≥3 points) were less likely in the CBD group compared with the placebo group, odds ratio (OR)=0.22 (χ2=4.74, p<0.05). In agreement, post-THC paranoia, as rated with the State Social Paranoia Scale (SSPS), was less in the CBD group compared with the placebo group ( t=2.28, p<0.05). Episodic memory, indexed by scores on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Task-revised (HVLT-R), was poorer, relative to baseline, in the placebo pre-treated group (-10.6±18.9%) compared with the CBD group (-0.4%±9.7 %) ( t=2.39, p<0.05). These findings support the idea that high-THC/low-CBD cannabis products are associated with increased risks for mental health.
You’re Fired!
Authors: Tekniepe Robert J. , Stream Christopher
Published: October 2012

American counties are emerging as leaders in local governance. As such, they are being called on to provide a wide array of new services to an ever-growing population. County managers acting as top-level administrators are known to play a critical role in the provision of these services. County managers, however, are affected by a multitude of factors that contribute to abridged tenures; a scenario that can have harmful effects on organizational performance. Identifying and understanding these factors, and the negative consequences they have on county managers, can benefit both practitioners and scholars. Past research on local government administrator turnover broadly categorizes factors that affect shortened tenures of administrators into two areas. The first, push-induced factors, generally consists of organizational or community characteristics that precipitate an elected board to dismiss the administrator, or encourage him to seek employment elsewhere. The second, pull-induced factors, refers to conditions that facilitate administrator’s departure due to career advancement. This study focuses on push-induced factors and their effect on county manager turnover. Data was collected from large American counties—populations greater than 500,000—functioning with a council-manager form of government over an 18-year period (1992-2009). The analysis reveals that measures of political conflict precipitate push-induced county manager turnover. Increases in measures of fiscal stress—although significant—provided somewhat conflicting results. Measures of jurisdictional adversity, that is, a county’s unemployment and poverty rate, were found to have no significant impact on involuntary county manager departures.
The Challenge of the Object – the CIHA Congress 2012 in Nuremberg
Authors: Grossmann G. Ulrich
Published: October 2012

For the first time since 1871, the International Art History Congress was held on invitation at a museum. From the 15th to the 20th of July, 2012 the “Object” has been the focus of 21 sections and up to 400 lectures. The aim of the Congress was to discuss and redefine the object’s role and meaning as a basis and subject matter of art history.

Today’s media not only facilitates worldwide communication, but also the “virtualisation” of art history. What consequences does this have for the object itself? What chance and what risks ensue in the virtualisation of our profession? In addition to the virtualisation, we are also experiencing the extraordinary effect of the object itself. Long queues of visitors form to view one piece of art. During war, artworks are protected by international conventions, in particular the amount of damage they are exposed to. Ruined world-heritage sites, and also artwork that is taken hostage, belong to daily politics (looted art).

Up until now, art history has, notably in Europe, had European artwork in focus. Non-European art was often measured with other criterion. Methodical comparative research of artwork from different lands is sensible. How can such research be conducted in the future? Is there a line between a “High Culture”, in which art history is interested, and “Folk Culture”, toward which ethnology strives?

The sections of the 33rd International Art History Congress are structured around the questions in the dealings and the roles of the object, not on categories, epochs or continents. The fundamental approach of art history research of an object is not dependent on category, age or land of origin. We want, therefore, to compare and correlate similar questions and developments in cooperation with the different cultures, and determine the role of the object in the future of art history.
Creating the film music in The Rapture of Fe: The poetics of the tambuleleng’s resonances
Authors: Pamintuan Jema M.
Published: October 2012

The process of conceptualization and creation of a film score heavily depends on the collaboration between the film director and composer. The harmony of the director’s and film composer’s ideas should provide an impetus for the synchronization of literature (the script and film narrative) and music (film score). This was mainly used as a guide in crafting the film score for the independent film Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe ( The Rapture of Fe, 2009) directed by Alvin Yapan. This article explores how the music is deployed to resonate with the mythic and folkloric sensibility of the film narrative. We chose to use the tambuleleng, a native lute instrument/chordophone from Bukidnon, Southern Philippines, that is a modern adaptation of three traditional instruments. In its invention, its crafting, and in the sounds it produces, the tambuleleng is an artful blending of tradition and modernity. The tambuleleng’s composition, its symbolism and function in native life and rituals, aside from the sound it creates, all became material in conveying the folkloric narrative, and articulating the issues presented in the film. Some concerns on Philippine film musical scoring are also tackled, mainly focusing on the constraints, as well as the liberties involved when operating within a limited budget for an independent movie production.
Sources of Professional Employees’ Job Involvement
Authors: Hassan Shahidul
Published: October 2012

The purpose of the current study was to investigate antecedents of job involvement of professional employees working in government work settings. In that effort, this study examined whether four key characteristics of professional employees’ jobs: variety, significance, autonomy, and feedback, as well as their perceptions regarding their agency’s mission, rewards system, and the extent of their participation in decision-making process determine the level of their job involvement. These linkages were examined with data collected through an organizational survey from 764 professional employees working in geographically distributed offices in a large state agency. The analysis indicated that more than half of the total variance in professional employees’ job involvement could be predicted reliably by perceptions regarding the characteristics of their jobs and agency’s reward system. The results also showed that perception of an attractive and worthwhile agency mission accentuated the positive effect of task significance on professional employees’ job involvement. Implications of these findings for managing professional employees in government agencies are discussed.
Impacts of elevation on pool fire behavior in a closed compartment: A study based upon a distinct stratification phenomenon
Authors: Zhang Jiaqing , Lu Shouxiang , Li Qiang , Yuen Richard , Yuan Man , Li Changhai
Published: October 2012

The impacts of elevation on pool fire behavior in a closed compartment were investigated based upon a distinctive stratification phenomenon. The parameters including the mass loss rate, the combustion efficiency, and the heat release rate were measured. The results indicated that the mass loss rate maintained a steady stage for fires whose flame did not impinge the ceiling. The boiling burning occurred soon after the ignition, the mass loss rate increased sharply and the value was much larger than that in the open space if the flame impinged the ceiling. The combustion efficiency and carbon conversion ratio tended to be smaller if the fire was elevated higher. The combustion efficiency of fires whose flame impinged the ceiling was much smaller than that of fires whose flame did not impinge the ceiling. From the perspective of the heat release rate, elevated fires whose flame impinged the ceiling were more hazardous at the early stage.
Influence in Times of Crisis
Authors: Rink Floor , Ryan Michelle K. , Stoker Janka I.
Published: October 2012

In two scenario-based studies, we found that women and men evaluate glass-cliff positions (i.e., precarious leadership positions at organizations in crisis) differently depending on the social and financial resources available. Female and male participants evaluated a hypothetical leadership position in which they would have both social and financial resources, financial resources but no social resources, or social resources but no financial resources. Women evaluated the position without social resources most negatively, whereas men evaluated the position without financial resources most negatively. In Study 2, we found that women and men considered different issues when evaluating these leadership positions. Women’s evaluations and expected levels of influence as leaders depended on the degree to which they expected to be accepted by subordinates. In contrast, men’s evaluations and expected levels of acceptance by subordinates depended on the degree to which they expected to be influential in the position. Our findings have implications for the understanding of the glass-cliff phenomenon and gendered leadership stereotypes.
Archaeological perspectives on the origins of azuki (Vigna angularis)
Authors: Lee Gyoung-Ah
Published: October 2012

Recent archaeological findings provide a hint on domestication of azuki ( Vigna angularis var. angularis) in East Asia. This preliminary study investigates archaeological collections from various regions in Korea, China, and Japan, representing the long-term evolution (5300–1450 BP) of azuki. Changes in seed shapes show that cultural manipulation of azuki began as early as 5300–4800 cal. BP. Azuki beans from Neolithic contexts in Korea and Japan show a possible sign of morphological response to human management, at least 2000 years prior to the appearance of fully domesticated forms. Yabutsuru-azuki ( V. angularis var. nipponensis), a conspecific progenitor of domesticated azuki, has been a supplementary diet and seed reserve for lean years in East Asia, and this tradition may have a long root to the mid Holocene. Archaeological evidence indicates the possibility of multiple origins of azuki, supporting recent phylogenetic data. A unique contribution of this research is its interdisciplinary attempt to examine both the biological and cultural processes of this staple legume domestication.
Procedural and Conceptual Print-Related Achievements in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Lanter Elizabeth , Freeman Daniel , Dove Stephanie
Published: October 2012

A comparative analysis between emergent procedural and conceptual print-related achievements was conducted for 32 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) aged 4 to 8 years. To minimize the influence of linguistic competence on the assessment, the ASD print-related profile was compared with that of a language-matched sample of typically developing peers. Two factors associated with young children’s print-related achievements, their print motivation and home-based experiences, were illustrated for the matched participants. We found that children with ASD earned significantly higher scores on a parentally reported composite measure of emergent procedural (e.g., letter name identification) than conceptual (e.g., pretend reading) print-related accomplishments. The children with ASD were more often reported by their parents as motivated by letters but less likely to request or enjoy shared reading than their language-matched peers. Findings provide a preliminary profile of emergent print-related accomplishments that may be considered in educational planning for children with ASD.
On Measuring Community Participation in Research
Authors: Khodyakov Dmitry , Stockdale Susan , Jones Andrea , Mango Joseph , Jones Felica , Lizaola Elizabeth
Published: October 2012

Active participation of community partners in research aspects of community–academic partnered projects is often assumed to have a positive impact on the outcomes of such projects. The value of community engagement in research, however, cannot be empirically determined without good measures of the level of community participation in research activities. Based on our recent evaluation of community–academic partnered projects centered around behavioral health issues, this article uses semistructured interview and survey data to outline two complementary approaches to measuring the level of community participation in research—a “three-model” approach that differentiates between the levels of community participation and a Community Engagement in Research Index (CERI) that offers a multidimensional view of community engagement in the research process. The primary goal of this article is to present and compare these approaches, discuss their strengths and limitations, summarize the lessons learned, and offer directions for future research. We find that whereas the three-model approach is a simple measure of the perception of community participation in research activities, CERI allows for a more nuanced understanding by capturing multiple aspects of such participation. Although additional research is needed to validate these measures, our study makes a significant contribution by illustrating the complexity of measuring community participation in research and the lack of reliability in simple scores offered by the three-model approach.
Promoting Energy-Balance Behaviors Among Ethnically Diverse Adolescents
Authors: Springer Andrew E. , Kelder Steven H. , Byrd-Williams Courtney E. , Pasch Keryn E. , Ranjit Nalini , Delk Joanne E. , Hoelscher Deanna M.
Published: October 2012

The Central Texas Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH) Middle School Project is a 3.5-year school-based project aimed at promoting physical activity (PA), healthy eating, and obesity prevention among public middle school students in Texas. This article describes the CATCH intervention model and presents baseline findings from spring 2009. CATCH comprises six core components: CATCH Team, CATCH PE, CATCH Classroom, CATCH Eat Smart Cafeteria, CATCH Family, and CATCH Social Marketing. A group randomized serial cross-sectional design is being employed to test the effect of three program support conditions ( n = 10 schools each) on energy-balance behaviors: Basic (training and curriculum only), Basic Plus (training and curriculum plus CATCH facilitator support), and Basic Plus Social Marketing (all inputs plus social marketing component). The study sample is composed of a cross-sectional sample of eighth-grade students (primary outcome evaluation sample) and sixth- and seventh-grade students (PE process evaluation sample) who are selected and measured each year. At baseline, 37.9% of eight-grade students ( n = 2,841; 13.9 years) were overweight/obese and 19.2% were obese. Eighth-grade students reported, on average, consuming sugar-sweetened beverages more than two times on the previous day and fruits and vegetables roughly three times on the previous day; only two of five school districts surpassed the recommended 50% cut-point for class time spent in moderate-and-vigorous PA as measured in classes of sixth- and seventh-grade students. Additional behavioral findings are reported. Body mass index and behaviors were comparable across conditions. Baseline findings underscore the need to promote student energy-balance behaviors.
Gender Ratio Imbalance Effects on HIV Risk Behaviors in African American Women
Authors: Newsome Valerie , Airhihenbuwa Collins O.
Published: October 2012

Although literature suggests that African American women are no more likely to engage in risky sex than their White counterparts, they are more likely to have sex partners with higher HIV risk. Thus, it is not solely an individual’s behavior that determines their risk, but also the behavior of their partner and their position within a sexual network. For this reason, it is important to consider the dynamics of heterosexual relationships in the African American community. An important area of concern regarding African American heterosexual relationships is that of partner availability. A shortage of available African American men for potential partnerships exists and is reportedly due to poorer health and higher mortality rates. Some have argued that gender-ratio imbalance may be responsible for increased HIV vulnerability for African American women. This article reviews the literature on gender ratio imbalance and HIV risk in the African American community, and presents implications and suggestions for future research and intervention.
The Regulation of Dietary Supplements in the United States
Authors: Vatistas Thomas J. , Samuels Joanne G.
Published: October 2012

Many Americans report using dietary supplements (DS) and there is evidence that the use of such products is increasing. Under the current regulatory system DS are not tested for safety or effectiveness, as with over the counter and prescription drugs, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has limited authority to protect Americans from potential harm. DS in the United States have become a major public health and patient safety issue with injuries, illnesses, and deaths attributed to their use. Efforts in congress to legislate safer regulations have been met with limited success, in part because of the lobbying efforts of the DS industry. Although there is near consensus in the literature and among stakeholder government agencies that a modified FDA role is needed, resolving the issue requires a multifaceted approach. Along with political and legislative action, effort must be made to increase the American public’s knowledge of DS.
Evolution of transcriptional regulation in closely related bacteria
Authors: Tsoy Olga V , Pyatnitskiy Mikhail A , Kazanov Marat D , Gelfand Mikhail S
Published: October 2012

Background

The exponential growth of the number of fully sequenced genomes at varying taxonomic closeness allows one to characterize transcriptional regulation using comparative-genomics analysis instead of time-consuming experimental methods. A transcriptional regulatory unit consists of a transcription factor, its binding site and a regulated gene. These units constitute a graph which contains so-called “network motifs”, subgraphs of a given structure. Here we consider genomes of closely related Enterobacteriales and estimate the fraction of conserved network motifs and sites as well as positions under selection in various types of non-coding regions.

Results

Using a newly developed technique, we found that the highest fraction of positions under selection, approximately 50%, was observed in synvergon spacers (between consecutive genes from the same strand), followed by ~45% in divergon spacers (common 5’-regions), and ~10% in convergon spacers (common 3’-regions). The fraction of selected positions in functional regions was higher, 60% in transcription factor-binding sites and ~45% in terminators and promoters. Small, but significant differences were observed between Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. This fraction is similar to the one observed in eukaryotes.

The conservation of binding sites demonstrated some differences between types of regulatory units. In E. coli, strains the interactions of the type “local transcriptional factor ➝ gene” turned out to be more conserved in feed-forward loops (FFLs) compared to non-motif interactions. The coherent FFLs tend to be less conserved than the incoherent FFLs. A natural explanation is that the former imply functional redundancy.

Conclusions

A naïve hypothesis that FFL would be highly conserved turned out to be not entirely true: its conservation depends on its status in the transcriptional network and also from its usage. The fraction of positions under selection in intergenic regions of bacterial genomes is roughly similar to that of eukaryotes. Known regulatory sites explain 20±5% of selected positions.
Complete genome sequence and metabolic potential of the quinaldine-degrading bacterium Arthrobacter sp. Rue61a
Authors: Niewerth Heiko , Schuldes Jörg , Parschat Katja , Kiefer Patrick , Vorholt Julia A , Daniel Rolf , Fetzner Susanne
Published: October 2012

Background

Bacteria of the genus Arthrobacter are ubiquitous in soil environments and can be considered as true survivalists. Arthrobacter sp. strain Rue61a is an isolate from sewage sludge able to utilize quinaldine (2-methylquinoline) as sole carbon and energy source. The genome provides insight into the molecular basis of the versatility and robustness of this environmental Arthrobacter strain.

Results

The genome of Arthrobacter sp. Rue61a consists of a single circular chromosome of 4,736,495 bp with an average G + C content of 62.32%, the circular 231,551-bp plasmid pARUE232, and the linear 112,992-bp plasmid pARUE113 that was already published. Plasmid pARUE232 is proposed to contribute to the resistance of Arthrobacter sp. Rue61a to arsenate and Pb2+, whereas the linear plasmid confers the ability to convert quinaldine to anthranilate. Remarkably, degradation of anthranilate exclusively proceeds via a CoA-thioester pathway. Apart from quinaldine utilization, strain Rue61a has a limited set of aromatic degradation pathways, enabling the utilization of 4-hydroxy-substituted aromatic carboxylic acids, which are characteristic products of lignin depolymerization, via ortho cleavage of protocatechuate. However, 4-hydroxyphenylacetate degradation likely proceeds via meta cleavage of homoprotocatechuate. The genome of strain Rue61a contains numerous genes associated with osmoprotection, and a high number of genes coding for transporters. It encodes a broad spectrum of enzymes for the uptake and utilization of various sugars and organic nitrogen compounds. A. aurescens TC-1 is the closest sequenced relative of strain Rue61a.

Conclusions

The genome of Arthrobacter sp. Rue61a reflects the saprophytic lifestyle and nutritional versatility of the organism and a strong adaptive potential to environmental stress. The circular plasmid pARUE232 and the linear plasmid pARUE113 contribute to heavy metal resistance and to the ability to degrade quinaldine, respectively.
GeneFriends: An online co-expression analysis tool to identify novel gene targets for aging and complex diseases
Authors: van Dam Sipko , Cordeiro Rui , Craig Thomas , van Dam Jesse , Wood Shona H , de Magalhães João Pedro
Published: October 2012

Background

Although many diseases have been well characterized at the molecular level, the underlying mechanisms are often unknown. Nearly half of all human genes remain poorly studied, yet these genes may contribute to a number of disease processes. Genes involved in common biological processes and diseases are often co-expressed. Using known disease-associated genes in a co-expression analysis may help identify and prioritize novel candidate genes for further study.

Results

We have created an online tool, called GeneFriends, which identifies co-expressed genes in over 1,000 mouse microarray datasets. GeneFriends can be used to assign putative functions to poorly studied genes. Using a seed list of disease-associated genes and a guilt-by-association method, GeneFriends allows users to quickly identify novel genes and transcription factors associated with a disease or process. We tested GeneFriends using seed lists for aging, cancer, and mitochondrial complex I disease. We identified several candidate genes that have previously been predicted as relevant targets. Some of the genes identified are already being tested in clinical trials, indicating the effectiveness of this approach. Co-expressed transcription factors were investigated, identifying C/ebp genes as candidate regulators of aging. Furthermore, several novel candidate genes, that may be suitable for experimental or clinical follow-up, were identified. Two of the novel candidates of unknown function that were co-expressed with cancer-associated genes were selected for experimental validation. Knock-down of their human homologs (C1ORF112 and C12ORF48) in HeLa cells slowed growth, indicating that these genes of unknown function, identified by GeneFriends, may be involved in cancer.

Conclusions

GeneFriends is a resource for biologists to identify and prioritize novel candidate genes involved in biological processes and complex diseases. It is an intuitive online resource that will help drive experimentation. GeneFriends is available online at:http://genefriends.org/.
Effect of sample stratification on dairy GWAS results
Authors: Ma Li , Wiggans George R , Wang Shengwen , Sonstegard Tad S , Yang Jing , Crooker Brian A , Cole John B , Van Tassell Curtis P , Lawlor Thomas J , Da Yang
Published: October 2012

Background

Artificial insemination and genetic selection are major factors contributing to population stratification in dairy cattle. In this study, we analyzed the effect of sample stratification and the effect of stratification correction on results of a dairy genome-wide association study (GWAS). Three methods for stratification correction were used: the efficient mixed-model association expedited (EMMAX) method accounting for correlation among all individuals, a generalized least squares (GLS) method based on half-sib intraclass correlation, and a principal component analysis (PCA) approach.

Results

Historical pedigree data revealed that the 1,654 contemporary cows in the GWAS were all related when traced through approximately 10–15 generations of ancestors. Genome and phenotype stratifications had a striking overlap with the half-sib structure. A large elite half-sib family of cows contributed to the detection of favorable alleles that had low frequencies in the general population and high frequencies in the elite cows and contributed to the detection of X chromosome effects. All three methods for stratification correction reduced the number of significant effects. EMMAX method had the most severe reduction in the number of significant effects, and the PCA method using 20 principal components and GLS had similar significance levels. Removal of the elite cows from the analysis without using stratification correction removed many effects that were also removed by the three methods for stratification correction, indicating that stratification correction could have removed some true effects due to the elite cows. SNP effects with good consensus between different methods and effect size distributions from USDA’s Holstein genomic evaluation included the DGAT1-NIBP region of BTA14 for production traits, a SNP 45kb upstream from PIGY on BTA6 and two SNPs in NIBP on BTA14 for protein percentage. However, most of these consensus effects had similar frequencies in the elite and average cows.

Conclusions

Genetic selection and extensive use of artificial insemination contributed to overlapped genome, pedigree and phenotype stratifications. The presence of an elite cluster of cows was related to the detection of rare favorable alleles that had high frequencies in the elite cluster and low frequencies in the remaining cows. Methods for stratification correction could have removed some true effects associated with genetic selection.
Excessive daytime sleepiness assessed by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and its association with health related quality of life: a population-based study in China
Authors: Wu Shunquan , Wang Rui , Ma Xiuqiang , Zhao Yanfang , Yan Xiaoyan , He Jia
Published: October 2012

Background

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a common condition worldwide that has many negative effects on people who were afflicted with it, especially on their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a commonly used method for evaluating EDS in English-speaking countries. This paper reported the prevalence of subjective EDS in China as assessed by the Mandarin version of the ESS; tested the scale’s response rate, reliability and validity; and investigated the relationship between ESS scores and HRQOL.

Methods

A population-based sample of 3600 residents was selected randomly in five cities in China. The demographic information was collected, subjective EDS was assessed by the Mandarin version of the ESS (ESS scores >10), and HRQOL was evaluated by the Mandarin version of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).

Results

The Mandarin version of ESS had very few missing responses, and the average response rate of its eight items was 97.92%. The split-half reliability coefficient and Cronbach’s α coefficient were 0.81 and 0.80, respectively. One factor was identified by factor analysis with an eigenvalue of 2.78. The ESS scores showed positive skewness in the selected sample, with a median (Q1, Q3) of 6 (3, 0). 644 (22.16%) respondents reported subjective EDS, and all of the scores of the eight dimensions of the SF-36 were negatively correlated with ESS scores.

Conclusions

The Mandarin version of ESS is an acceptable, reliable, and valid tool for measuring EDS. In addition, subjective EDS is common in China, based on the ESS results, and impairs HRQOL.
Novel polyoxins generated by heterologously expressing polyoxin biosynthetic gene cluster in the sanN inactivated mutant of Streptomyces ansochromogenes
Authors: Li Jine , Li Lei , Feng Chi , Chen Yihua , Tan Huarong
Published: October 2012

Background

Polyoxins are potent inhibitors of chitin synthetases in fungi and insects. The gene cluster responsible for biosynthesis of polyoxins has been cloned and sequenced from Streptomyces cacaoi and tens of polyoxin analogs have been identified already.

Results

The polyoxin biosynthetic gene cluster from Streptomyces cacaoi was heterologously expressed in the sanN inactivated mutant of Streptomyces ansochromogenes as a nikkomycin producer. Besides hybrid antibiotics (polynik A and polyoxin N) and some known polyoxins, two novel polyoxin analogs were accumulated. One of them is polyoxin P that has 5-aminohexuronic acid with N-glycosidically bound thymine as the nucleoside moiety and dehydroxyl-carbamoylpolyoxic acid as the peptidyl moiety. The other analog is polyoxin O that contains 5-aminohexuronic acid bound thymine as the nucleoside moiety, but recruits polyoximic acid as the sole peptidyl moiety. Bioassay against phytopathogenic fungi showed that polyoxin P displayed comparatively strong inhibitory activity, whereas the inhibitory activity of polyoxin O was weak under the same testing conditions.

Conclusion

Two novel polyoxin analogs (polyoxin P and O) were generated by the heterologous expression of polyoxin biosynthetic gene cluster in the sanN inactivated mutant of Streptomyces ansochromogenes. Polyoxin P showed potent antifungal activity,while the activity of polyoxin O was weak. The strategy presented here may be available for other antibiotics producers.