bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Withholding Party Funding from a ‘Discriminating’ Political Party
Authors: Busstra Marjolein , Vrielink Jogchum
Published: October 2011

On 7 September 2005 the District Court in The Hague judged that it was unlawful for the Dutch State to continue providing party funding to the ‘Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij’. On the basis of religious considerations, this Calvinist political party excluded women from full membership and denied women the possibility of taking up political and administrative mandates on behalf of the party. This amounted to discrimination of women with regard to their right to political participation, according to the court. Public funding of the SGP was thus contrary to the obligations contained in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

This contribution analyses the court's decision and reasoning to conclude that it is premised on a number of untenable assumptions, regarding the nature and requirements of the principle of nondiscrimination — contained in CEDAW — vis-à-vis other rights and liberties.
Disability Standards and Inclusiveness in Education: A Review of the Australian Landscape
Authors: Guthrie Robert , Waldeck Elizabeth
Published: October 2011

This paper examines the potential effects of the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Education Standards) on Australian education providers by considering the growth of inclusiveness in Australian education and the effects of the High Court decision in Purvis v. State of New South Wales. The paper observes that the decision in Purvis was a setback for the process of inclusiveness, which has since been addressed to a large extent by the introduction of the Education Standards. In addition, the paper considers the United States experience in relation to inclusiveness in education. It notes that the legislative underpinning of the principle in that jurisdiction has lead to inconsistent approaches by the courts in applying the objectives of inclusiveness. The paper concludes with reflections on whether the Australian approach has converged with the United States experience.
Equal Treatment, Fault-Based Liability, and Disability-Related-Discrimination
Authors: Connolly Michael
Published: October 2011

This case concerns the meaning disability-related-discrimination. It centred on the housing or ‘premises’ provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995), but this House of Lords’ judgment, overruling the long-established Clark v. Novacold, is of great significance to the Act's coverage of employment and the provision of goods, facilities and services. Under the DDA 1995, the functional equivalent of indirect discrimination is disability-related-discrimination, which is defined as less favourable treatment for a reason related to a person's disability, which cannot be justified. The House of Lords undermined two major and established principles of disability-related-discrimination. First, for the challenged treatment to be ‘related’ to the claimant's disability, the defendant must have known, or ought to have known, of the disability at the time of the treatment. Second, (Baroness Hale dissenting) when identifying if the treatment was ‘less favourable’ the correct comparator is a person in the same circumstances save for the disability. Hence, where a restaurant has a ‘no dogs’ rule, the correct comparator is a sighted customer with a dog, or where an employer fires a worker who is long-term absent because of his disability, the comparator is a worker without a disability who was long-term absent.
Reasonable Accommodation for Faculty with Psychosocial Impairment: A Legal Analysis of the University's Duty in the US, the UK and Sweden
Authors: Sahlin Richard
Published: October 2011

This paper explores the university's duty to provide reasonable accommodation for faculty with psychosocial impairment in the US, the UK and Sweden. It argues that lawmakers and judges or decision-makers have not paid enough attention to particular needs of the psychosocially impaired. The problem is that when these psychosocially impaired are requesting a certain accommodation measure, this measure is often regarded as an unfair advantage (positive action), causes a disproportionate burden or is not in compliance with the university's academic standard. Despite the domestic anti-discrimination laws that prohibit the university from discriminating against the psychosocially impaired, they still encounter various barriers to pursue academic careers. Therefore, this article provides some suggestions on how to solve this problem.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Munchkins Restaurant Ltd and another v Karmazyn, liability of employers for long-term harassment
Authors: Middlemiss Sam
Published: October 2011

Harassment, even of a verbal nature, can pollute the working environment and can destroy the health, confidence and the self-esteem of the victim. Of course, it is up to the claimants in these verbal harassment cases to establish that the behaviour of the employer is unwelcome and unsolicited and that it is offensive to them personally. It is this latter requirement that has caused most difficulty for claimants in these cases. This aspect of obtaining protection against long-standing harassment will be discussed in this article in light of a new decision that considerably broadens the legal protection for victims of harassment.
Increasing the efficiency of the General Equal Treatment Act: an economic analysis
Authors: Frenzel Hartmut H
Published: October 2011

This paper examines the verdict in the case of Mrs Sule Eisele Gaffaroglu vR+V Lebensversicherungs AG, Wiesbaden Labour Court. The economic analysis of law focuses on the three main paragraphs of the General Equal Treatment Act 1 (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, abbreviated to AGG): §22 – Burden of proof for the plaintiff and reversing the onus of proof to the defendant; §15 Para. 1 – Compensation of material losses; and §15 Para. 2 – Monetary compensation for non-economic loss. The analysis of the verdict concludes that the AGG, in the version currently in force, is not efficient. However, this paper also suggests possible ways of increasing the efficiency of the AGG.
Justifying Indirect Discrimination in English and American Law: How Stringent Should the Test Be?
Authors: Townshend-Smith Richard
Published: October 2011

Because British anti-discrimination legislation is significantly based on the American precedent contained in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964, it is instructive to compare judicial developments in the two countries. This article argues, first, that the standard of justification imposed in America in indirect discrimination cases is less strict than has often been asserted; and, secondly, that there are sound legal and policy reasons why a standard less than literal necessity is appropriate.
Seeking Asylum on Gender Grounds
Authors: Lambert Hélène
Published: October 2011

This article discusses whether the criteria and procedures which are currently being used in European states offer fair treatment and sufficient protection to women seeking asylum on the ground of a gender-related persecution. Under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee must show a well-founded fear of persecution on at least one of five grounds: race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Gender is not covered. There are essentially three ways in which states can address the problem of gender specific threat to the security of women. The first option, which is to do nothing or very little about it, was chosen by European states although most of them are now slowly moving towards the next option. This is to agree on a liberal interpretation of existing criteria, in particular, ‘social group’. This second option is already applied in Canada. No state or court has so far addressed the question of amending the 1951 Convention in order to add gender as a ground of persecution on its own. Yet this third option presents practical advantages and, more importantly, it has also become a necessity in principle.
Gay Rights in Israel: A New Era?
Authors: Harel Alon
Published: October 2011

A recent Israeli case in which a steward sued El-Al (the Israeli Airline) in order to extend benefits to his same-sex partner was the first case in which the Israeli Supreme Court confronted the rights of sexual minorities. This confrontation was inevitable given the rapid legal changes in the legal status of sexual minorities in Israel. These changes include the decriminalization of male homosexual intercourse in 1988, the 1992 amendment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act—a statute which, in its amended version, prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation as well as less visible but equally important legal changes.

This article explores the prospects of the legal protection of gays and lesbians in light of these developments. It describes the legal changes that have taken place in recent years—changes which strengthen the protection of sexual minorities. It analyzes the opinions in the Supreme Court's El-Al case and evaluates the potential for exploiting the decision to expand sexual minority rights. It also specifies the areas where further legal changes are needed and evaluates the prospects of whether such changes (both statutory and judicial) will indeed take place given the variety of constraints and pressures on Israeli judges as well as on the legislature.
Indirect Discrimination Law in the EC; Appearance Rather than Reality?
Authors: Hedemann-Robinson Martin
Published: October 2011

It would not be an overstatement to suggest that the principle of equality constitutes a cornerstone of European Community Law. The prohibition of discrimination on the basis of nationality, enshrined in Article 6 of the EC Treaty, is a theme that runs through Community Law. It has been central to the realization of SingleMarket dream, in eliminating inter-state barriers to develop greater free movement of the four key factors of production, namely goods, persons, services and capital within the Union. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has even developed a general unwritten principle of equality, binding on all Community legislative action. However, beneath this appearance of uniformity of approach there lies, paradoxically, a marked difference in relation to the prohibition of hidden forms of unequal treatment (or indirect discrimination) in EC Law. Here, the ECJ has been unable to sustain the unifying quality of the equality principle. It has singularly failed to establish a comprehensive legal test relating to the concept of indirect discrimination. Instead, the case law has diverged considerably, the ECJ apparently willing to develop principles on a sectoral as opposed to a generic basis. This paper aims to analyse and expose the inconsistency of treatment by the ECJ in its appraisal of indirect discrimination in relation to the following key economic sectors: free movement of goods, services and workers and gender equality in employment. Behind the presentation of uniformity of approach, the ECJ has established subtle but significant legal distinctions which have had profound economic consequences for litigants and markets alike. Such a state of affairs raises serious questions about the universality and impartiality of the application of the principle of equality in the European Community Law context, not least because hidden as opposed to more express forms of discrimination tend now to take on a more prevalent and signification role in the Single Market.
Implementing the Principle of Gender Equality through the Law: Some Lessons from Southern Africa
Authors: Maluwa Tiyanjana
Published: October 2011

The adoption, on 18 December, 1979, of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women marked a historic development in the struggle for gender equality. The Convention has subsequently been ratified by a record number of African states, forty-six in all. All these states are also parties to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which, in Article 18 (3), confirms their commitment to women’s rights and gender equality. Yet only a few of these states have taken the necessary measures to implement this commitment in their respective municipal legal systems. Arguably, the major obstacle in the efforts to implement the principle of gender equality is the institution of patriarchy, which underlies African customary legal systems. However, Southern African countries have taken the lead in. addressing the institutionalized inequality to which African women are still subjected. Thus, the fairly recent constitutions of Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa, for example, all contain bills of rights entrenching fundamental human rights, including the right to gender equality and nondiscrimination. In addition, the courts in some of these countries have also made pointed, though isolated, attempts to actualize the promise of gender equality through judicial interpretation by engaging and incorporating international human rights law into the interpretative process. In the process, these courts have had to address and resolve the vexed problem of reconciling the claims for gender equality, on the one hand, and the gender-discriminatory aspects of customary law and practices in these societies, on the other hand. This paper presents an account of the various efforts being made by some Southern African countries to implement the principle of gender equality. It is argued that the protection of gender equality in the constitutions or legislation of these countries will remain largely ineffective unless the constitutional and legislative intent is matched by real structural changes in power relations in these societies. This requires an interrogation of certain assumptions about power that the interests of patriarchy have presented and defended as time-honoured values. It also requires that where state action and legislation do not accord with the principle of equality, on which the human rights idea is predicated, such action and legislation must be reviewed or struck down.
Knowledge, attitude, and behaviour of public health doctors towards pandemic influenza compared to the general population in Italy
Authors: Torre Giuseppe LA , Semyonov Leda , Mannocci Alice , Boccia Antonio
Published: October 2011

Aim: To study differences between public health physicians’ and general population’s knowledge, attitude, and behaviours towards an influenza pandemic. Methods: During winter 2009, an anonymous questionnaire online ( www.ijph.it ) of 34 questions was available for participants, structured into three parts: socio-demographic information, people’s knowledge, and behaviours about influenza H1N1. Results: 836 persons were interviewed (335 physicians and 501 not physicians). Of these, 50.8% of physicians and 78.1% of not physicians were aged less than 50 years and 57.6% of physicians and 31.7% of not physicians were male. Physicians were more interested to be updated about the pandemic (90.6% versus 88.4% of not physicians; p = 0.003); not physicians were more inclined to avoid crowded places (29.7% versus 17.6% of physicians; p < 0.001); and physicians were more prone to get vaccinated (56.4% versus 23.6% of not physicians; p < 0.001). Broadly, physicians had a better ability to deal the pandemic, both for knowledge and behaviours. Particularly, a significant difference ( p < 0.001) was found concerning the principle source of information on the pandemic, for physicians being the internet (41.5%), followed by the health facilities’ internal communication (33.1%), while for not physicians being watching the national television news (34.1%) and surfing the internet (30.9%). Conclusions: During the spread of the pandemic flu, a lot of information was propagated chaotically. The information given were not always truthful and often they were interpreted incorrectly or sometimes only partially understood by the population, and this needs to be taken into account for future successful communication in cases of emergency.
Care challenges for informal caregivers of chronically ill lung patients: Results from a questionnaire survey
Authors: Gautun Heidi , Werner Anne , LurÅs Hilde
Published: October 2011

Aims: The article aims to answer who the informal caregivers of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are, what kind of help they provide, and how they experience providing help to the patient. Method: Data from a questionnaire survey to next of kin of COPD patients carried through in Norway in December 2009 and January 2010 is explored. Result: About 70% of the patients have one or more informal caregivers, and a majority of the caregivers is the patient’s spouse, most often a wife. The help provided is, to a large extent, practical help like housework, garden work, and shopping. Another important support is to accompany the patient to health care. About 45% of the caregivers are part of the work force. Rather few of the respondents experience the caregiving as so demanding that they have chosen to work part-time or quit working. The most demanding part of being an informal caregiver is an overall worrying for the patient. Conclusions: Paid sick leaves for caregivers that are employed, and hospital-at-home programmes that provide education and surveillance to the patient and his/her family through different phases of the illness, are policy means that both can help the informal caregivers to manage daily life and reduce the pressure on the formal healthcare and long-term care services in the future.
Early literacy: Towards a unified approach for childcare and school
Authors: Jensen Anders Skriver
Published: October 2011

This paper discusses findings from the Danish contribution to the EASE project, a European research project running from 2008 to 2010 on early literacy in relation to the transition from childcare to school. It explores a holistic inclusive approach to early literacy that resists a narrow accountability-oriented Danish policy (mirroring international trends). The paper draws on Broström's (2006a , 2006b , 2008 , 2009 ) re-conceptualization of early childhood education and care (ECEC), which perceives care, upbringing and teaching as a unified whole, challenging both childcare services and schools. The paper also draws on Gee's (2001 , 2003 , 2004 , 2008 ) sociocultural approach to literacy, and Honneth's (2003 , 2006 ) concept of recognition. Emphasizing participation and recognition as key elements, it claims that stakeholders in early literacy must pay attention to how diverse early literacy opportunities empower children, especially when these opportunities are employed in a project-based learning environment in which each child is able to contribute to shared literacy events.
Comparing day care at green care farms and at regular day care facilities with regard to their effects on functional performance of community-dwelling older people with dementia
Authors: de Bruin Simone , Oosting Simon , Tobi Hilde , Enders-Slegers Marie-José , van der Zijpp Akke , Schols Jos
Published: October 2011

Day care at green care farms (GCFs) is a new care modality for community-dwelling older people with dementia. In view of the more physical and normal daily life activities available at GCFs than at RDCFs, we investigated whether functional decline differed between subjects from both day care settings. In this observational cohort study, primary caregivers of 47 subjects from GCFs and 41 subjects from RDCFs rated the subjects’ functional performance three times during one year. They also provided information on the subjects’ diseases and medication use. Generally, no significant change over time in functional performance, the number of diseases and the number of medications was observed, and no differences in these rates of change were found between subjects from both day care settings. This study suggests that GCFs are not more effective in maintaining functional performance or slowing down its decline in community-dwelling older people with dementia than RDCFs.
Locating the acoustic source in an anisotropic plate
Authors: Koabaz M , Hajzargarbashi T , Kundu T , Deschamps M
Published: October 2011

By analyzing the arrival times of guided waves, the acoustic source in a plate is predicted. Solving this problem is important for continuous health monitoring of structures. Several techniques based on the triangulation principle have been proposed for this purpose but they do not work for anisotropic plates. The popular triangulation technique assumes that the wave velocity is the same in all directions, which is not true for anisotropic plates. An alternative method based on the optimization scheme was proposed by Kundu et al. (Kundu T, Das S and Jata KV. Point of impact prediction in isotropic and anisotropic plates from the acoustic emission data. J Acoust Soc Am 2007; 122(4): 2057–2066; Kundu T, Das S, Martin SA and Jata KV. Locating point of impact in anisotropic fiber reinforced composite plates. Ultrasonics 2008; 48(3): 193–201; Kundu T, Das S and Jata KV. Health monitoring of a thermal protection system using lamb waves. Struct Health Monit: Int J 2009; 8(1): 29–45; Kundu T, Das S and Jata KV. Detection of point of impact on a stiffened plate by the acoustic emission technique. Smart Mater Struct 2009; 18(3): 1–9) to locate the point of impact in anisotropic plates by analyzing the times of arrival of the ultrasonic signals received by the passive sensors attached to the plate. Recently, Hajzargarbashi et al. (Hajzargarbashi T, Kundu T and Bland S. An improved algorithm for detecting point of impact in anisotropic inhomogeneous plates. Ultrasonics 2010; 51(3): 317–324.) improved that technique. Following their modification, in this article, the acoustic source point in an anisotropic plate is predicted from the acoustic emission data with some additional modifications. Experiments are carried out with a carbon–epoxy plate. A parallel pre-stressed actuator is used as the acoustic source and the acoustic signals at different locations are received by adhesively bonded acoustic sensors. The source point is then predicted and compared with its actual location. Related theory and computed results of wave propagation in anisotropic plate are also presented and the theoretical predictions experimentally verified at frequencies higher than what is typically generated by the simple impact phenomenon.
Experiential Development and Mentoring Processes for Leaders for Innovation
Authors: Ligon Ginamarie Scott , Wallace James H. , Osburn Holly K.
Published: October 2011

Leading creative people is particularly challenging. Leaders of creative people must have the expertise and skill set required for creative endeavors to understand and communicate with this specific group of people. Yet, to lead, they must also have additional skills that often contradict the first set of skills. An integrative literature review was conducted to identify what responsibilities and skills are needed from these leaders, what types of experiential development could best develop them, and specific strategies that Human Resource Development (HRD) professionals might employ to develop leaders for sustained innovation in their organizations. HRD professionals are asked to perform a particularly challenging feat by developing these unique leaders of innovative efforts. HRD professionals, or scholars and practitioners engaged in training or leader development may find interest in this article.
Recruiting and Selecting Leaders for Innovation
Authors: McEntire Lauren E. , Greene-Shortridge Tiffany M.
Published: October 2011

The problem. As organizations strive to compete in their respective markets during this time of economic recovery, human resource (HR) professionals are progressively being tasked with recruiting and selecting innovative talent to help keep their organizations ahead. This is especially true when it comes to innovative organizational leaders as they are increasingly difficult to source and select into an organization. The solution. There are a variety of strategies HR professionals should consider to ensure that their organization is able to compete for innovative leaders. In this review, we discuss several approaches for identifying and selecting innovative candidates into an organization, including best practices for organizations of all sizes and budgets. Updated recruiting strategies, behavioral assessments, behaviorally based interviews and innovation-targeted succession planning are discussed. Stakeholders. This article is relevant to HR and HRD professionals who are engaged in defining or executing the recruitment and selection strategy in their organization. It will be especially important for those involved with recruiting mid- to high-level innovative leaders and professionals.
Closing Comments on ‘Leading for Innovation’
Authors: Waples Ethan P. , Friedrich Tamara L. , Shelton Paul M.
Published: October 2011

The Problem: Insights and recommendations on developing leaders of creative efforts have been offered from various scholars and practitioners in this issue. However, we felt it would best serve the overall effort of this issue to provide several specific linkages between the overall themes presented. The Solution: In this closing piece, we briefly summarize the articles within this issue of Advances in Developing Human Resources. Stakeholders: This synthesis is intended to integrate key aspects of each article within the issue in order to stimulate further thought, and eventually action, for scholars and practitioners in Human Resource Development (HRD) and other related fields.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PL 111-148)
Authors: Thompson Denise K. , Clark Mary Jo , Howland Lois C. , Mueller Mary-Rose
Published: October 2011

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, setting in motion a historic and, for many, a long-awaited radical change to the current American health care system. Section 2951 of the PPACA addresses provision and funding of maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting programs. The purpose of this article is to acquaint the reader with the legislative odyssey of home visitation services to at-risk prenatal and postpartum women and children as delineated in the PPACA and to discuss the nursing practice and research implications of this landmark legislation. Few question the need for more rigorous methodology in all phases of home visitation research. Public health nursing may provide the comprehensive approach to evaluating effective home visitation programs.
Memorial functions: Intent, impact and the right to remember
Authors: Viejo-Rose Dacia
Published: October 2011

Studying memorial practice offers a revealing vantage point into changes in attitudes towards the past and with observers referring to ‘memorial mania’ it is an opportune moment to do so. Two main lines of questioning regarding contemporary memorial practices are addressed here. The first looks at memorial functions and intentions. The second examines some of their social and political impacts. The final part of the article analyses some of the consequences of these impacts for citizenship: notions of victimhood and silencing. The main case study is the evolution of memorial practice in Spain since the Civil War (1936–39) this is set off against examples from other places. The conclusion that emerges is that predominant memorial practices are far more despotic than democratic in their injunction to recall a specific narrative of events and trying to steer a paradigm shift towards democratic memorial practices raises questions about civic rights and duties towards the past.
A review of the efficacy and safety of denosumab in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis
Authors: Miller Paul D.
Published: October 2011

Denosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody to RANK ligand [RANK-L]) was approved for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in June 2010, and is highly effective in reducing the risk of vertebral, nonvertebral, and hip fracture risk. The registration of denosumab was the culmination of the discovery and clarification of the internal bone microenvironment regulation of bone remodeling: the osteoblast-produced competitors: RANK-L and osteoprotogerin; and the osteoclast receptor: RANK. When RANK-L is upregulated in the estrogen-deficient state and exceeds the amount of osteoprotogerin, there is an increase in osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption, and this is the major mechanism for bone mass loss and osteoporotic fractures in the postmenopausal state. The subsequent development of the human monoclonal antibody to RANK-L (denosumab) was the first product developed to reduce bone resorption by inhibiting RANK-L binding to RANK. Denosumab does not accumulate in bone, and has a unique pharmacokinetics so that its biological effect at the registered dose of 60 mg by subcutaneous injection every 6 months is no longer effective, at least as measured by an increase in the bone resorption marker collagen-cross-link C-telopeptide and a decline in bone mineral density as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. This unique pharmacokinetic profile thus suggests that in order to maintain the effectiveness of denosumab, continuous administration might be necessary. Extension of the registration trial (‘FREEDOM’) 5-year data indicates continued safety and efficacy, and will be extended to 10 years so that even longer-term data will be forthcoming. The profound but reversible suppression of bone turnover that is seen with denosumab partly explains the continuous increase in bone mineral density seen through 8 years of the phase II clinical trials. Denosumab offers a highly effective and safe parenteral therapy for osteoporosis and is being studied long term with the extension of the FREEDOM trial, and in other osteoporotic states – in men and glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.
Hospitality Managers’ Price-Ending Beliefs
Authors: Schindler Robert M. , Parsa H. G. , Naipaul Sandra
Published: October 2011

The use of “just-below” pricing (such as pricing an item at $6.99 or $6.95, rather than $7.00) has been common in some segments of the hospitality industry (such as quick-service and mid-scale dining). The results of a detailed survey of the price-ending beliefs of hospitality managers show that many believe that just-below prices connote good value and round-number prices connote high quality. Furthermore, the majority of these managers believe that consumers tend to drop off or otherwise give insufficient consideration to a price’s rightmost digits. Although one might expect this drop-off belief among those managers who use just-below price endings, it is found also in a majority of those managers who do not use just-below price endings. The survey results suggest that managers who decline the benefits of a consumer drop-off tendency do so because they also believe in one or more possible negative consequences of using just-below price endings. These include the beliefs that just-below endings (1) impair perceptions of high quality, (2) work against an upscale image, (3) give an impression of not being fully honest or straightforward, and (4) involve inconvenience in calculating or communicating the price or in making change.
Predicting gene ontology from a global meta-analysis of 1-color microarray experiments
Authors: Dozmorov Mikhail G , Giles Cory B , Wren Jonathan D
Published: October 2011

Background

Global meta-analysis (GMA) of microarray data to identify genes with highly similar co-expression profiles is emerging as an accurate method to predict gene function and phenotype, even in the absence of published data on the gene(s) being analyzed. With a third of human genes still uncharacterized, this approach is a promising way to direct experiments and rapidly understand the biological roles of genes. To predict function for genes of interest, GMA relies on a guilt-by-association approach to identify sets of genes with known functions that are consistently co-expressed with it across different experimental conditions, suggesting coordinated regulation for a specific biological purpose. Our goal here is to define how sample, dataset size and ranking parameters affect prediction performance.

Results

13,000 human 1-color microarrays were downloaded from GEO for GMA analysis. Prediction performance was benchmarked by calculating the distance within the Gene Ontology (GO) tree between predicted function and annotated function for sets of 100 randomly selected genes. We find the number of new predicted functions rises as more datasets are added, but begins to saturate at a sample size of approximately 2,000 experiments. For the gene set used to predict function, we find precision to be higher with smaller set sizes, yet with correspondingly poor recall and, as set size is increased, recall and F-measure also tend to increase but at the cost of precision.

Conclusions

Of the 20,813 genes expressed in 50 or more experiments, at least one predicted GO category was found for 72.5% of them. Of the 5,720 genes without GO annotation, 4,189 had at least one predicted ontology using top 40 co-expressed genes for prediction analysis. For the remaining 1,531 genes without GO predictions or annotations, ~17% (257 genes) had sufficient co-expression data yet no statistically significantly overrepresented ontologies, suggesting their regulation may be more complex.
Cell dedifferentiation and epithelial to mesenchymal transitions during intestinal regeneration in H. glaberrima
Authors: García-Arrarás José E , Valentín-Tirado Griselle , Flores Jaime E , Rosa Rey J , Rivera-Cruz Angélica , San Miguel-Ruiz José E , Tossas Karen
Published: October 2011

Background

Determining the type and source of cells involved in regenerative processes has been one of the most important goals of researchers in the field of regeneration biology. We have previously used several cellular markers to characterize the cells involved in the regeneration of the intestine in the sea cucumber Holothuria glaberrima.

Results

We have now obtained a monoclonal antibody that labels the mesothelium; the outer layer of the gut wall composed of peritoneocytes and myocytes. Using this antibody we studied the role of this tissue layer in the early stages of intestinal regeneration. We have now shown that the mesothelial cells of the mesentery, specifically the muscle component, undergo dedifferentiation from very early on in the regeneration process. Cell proliferation, on the other hand, increases much later, and mainly takes place in the mesothelium or coelomic epithelium of the regenerating intestinal rudiment. Moreover, we have found that the formation of the intestinal rudiment involves a novel regenerative mechanism where epithelial cells ingress into the connective tissue and acquire mesenchymal phenotypes.

Conclusions

Our results strongly suggest that the dedifferentiating mesothelium provides the initial source of cells for the formation of the intestinal rudiment. At later stages, cell proliferation supplies additional cells necessary for the increase in size of the regenerate. Our data also shows that the mechanism of epithelial to mesenchymal transition provides many of the connective tissue cells found in the regenerating intestine. These results present some new and important information as to the cellular basis of organ regeneration and in particular to the process of regeneration of visceral organs.
The 'help' question doesn't help when screening for major depression: external validation of the three-question screening test for primary care patients managed for physical complaints
Authors: Lombardo Patrick , Vaucher Paul , Haftgoli Nader , Burnand Bernard , Favrat Bernard , Verdon François , Bischoff Thomas , Herzig Lilli
Published: October 2011

Background

Major depression, although frequent in primary care, is commonly hidden behind multiple physical complaints that are often the first and only reason for patient consultation. Major depression can be screened by two validated questions that are easier to use in primary care than the full Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria. A third question, called the 'help' question, improves the specificity without apparently decreasing the sensitivity of this screening procedure. We validated the abbreviated screening procedure for major depression with and without the 'help' question in primary care patients managed for a physical complaint.

Methods

This diagnostic accuracy study used data from the SODA (for 'SOmatisation Depression Anxiety') cohort study conducted by 24 general practitioners (GPs) in western Switzerland that included patients over 18 years of age with at least a single physical complaint at index consultation. Major depression was identified with the full Patient Health Questionnaire. GPs were asked to screen patients for major depression with the three screening questions 1 year after inclusion.

Results

Of 937 patients with at least a single physical complaint, 751 were eligible 1 year after index consultation. Major depression was diagnosed in 69/724 (9.5%) patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the two-question method alone were 91.3% (95% CI 81.4 to 96.4) and 65.0% (95% CI 61.2 to 68.6), respectively. Adding the 'help' question decreased the sensitivity (59.4%; 95% CI 47.0 to 70.9) but improved the specificity (88.2%; 95% CI 85.4 to 90.5) of the three-question method.

Conclusions

The use of two screening questions for major depression was associated with high sensitivity and low specificity in primary care patients presenting a physical complaint. Adding the 'help' question improved the specificity but clearly decreased the sensitivity; when using the 'help' question, four out of ten patients with depression will be missed, compared to only one out of ten with the two-question method. Therefore, the 'help' question is not useful as a screening question, but may help discussing management strategies.
Four variants in transferrin and HFE genes as potential markers of iron deficiency anaemia risk: an association study in menstruating women
Authors: Blanco-Rojo Ruth , Baeza-Richer Carlos , López-Parra Ana M , Pérez-Granados Ana M , Brichs Anna , Bertoncini Stefania , Buil Alfonso , Arroyo-Pardo Eduardo , Soria Jose M , Vaquero M Pilar
Published: October 2011

Background

Iron deficiency anaemia is a worldwide health problem in which environmental, physiologic and genetic factors play important roles. The associations between iron status biomarkers and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) known to be related to iron metabolism were studied in menstruating women.

Methods

A group of 270 Caucasian menstruating women, a population group at risk of iron deficiency anaemia, participated in the study. Haematological and biochemical parameters were analysed and 10 selected SNPs were genotyped by minisequencing assay. The associations between genetic and biochemical data were analysed by Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) test and decision trees. Dietary intake of a representative subgroup of these volunteers (n = 141) was assessed, and the relationship between nutrients and iron biomarkers was also determined by linear regression.

Results

Four variants, two in the transferrin gene (rs3811647, rs1799852) and two in the HFE gene (C282Y, H63D), explain 35% of the genetic variation or heritability of serum transferrin in menstruating women. The minor allele of rs3811647 was associated with higher serum transferrin levels and lower transferrin saturation, while the minor alleles of rs1799852 and the C282Y and H63D mutations of HFE were associated with lower serum transferrin levels. No association between nutrient intake and iron biomarkers was found.

Conclusions

In contrast to dietary intake, these four SNPs are strongly associated with serum transferrin. Carriers of the minor allele of rs3811647 present a reduction in iron transport to tissues, which might indicate higher iron deficiency anaemia risk, although the simultaneous presence of the minor allele of rs1799852 and HFE mutations appear to have compensatory effects. Therefore, it is suggested that these genetic variants might potentially be used as markers of iron deficiency anaemia risk.
A tiling microarray for global analysis of chloroplast genome expression in cucumber and other plants
Authors: Żmieńko Agnieszka , Guzowska-Nowowiejska Magdalena , Urbaniak Radosław , Pląder Wojciech , Formanowicz Piotr , Figlerowicz Marek
Published: October 2011

Plastids are small organelles equipped with their own genomes (plastomes). Although these organelles are involved in numerous plant metabolic pathways, current knowledge about the transcriptional activity of plastomes is limited. To solve this problem, we constructed a plastid tiling microarray (PlasTi-microarray) consisting of 1629 oligonucleotide probes. The oligonucleotides were designed based on the cucumber chloroplast genomic sequence and targeted both strands of the plastome in a non-contiguous arrangement. Up to 4 specific probes were designed for each gene/exon, and the intergenic regions were covered regularly, with 70-nt intervals. We also developed a protocol for direct chemical labeling and hybridization of as little as 2 micrograms of chloroplast RNA. We used this protocol for profiling the expression of the cucumber chloroplast plastome on the PlasTi-microarray. Owing to the high sequence similarity of plant plastomes, the newly constructed microarray can be used to study plants other than cucumber. Comparative hybridization of chloroplast transcriptomes from cucumber, Arabidopsis, tomato and spinach showed that the PlasTi-microarray is highly versatile.
Allergic diseases in the elderly
Authors: Cardona Victoria , Guilarte Mar , Luengo Olga , Labrador‐Horrillo Moises , Sala‐Cunill Anna , Garriga Teresa
Published: October 2011

Demographic distribution of the population is progressively changing with the proportion of elderly persons increasing in most societies. This entails that there is a need to evaluate the impact of common diseases, such as asthma and other allergic conditions, in this age segment. Frailty, comorbidities and polymedication are some of the factors that condition management in geriatric patients. The objective of this review is to highlight the characteristics of allergic diseases in older age groups, from the influence of immunosenescence, to particular clinical implications and management issues, such as drug interactions or age‐related side effects.
The need for an interpretation strategy
Authors: Linari Victor
Published: October 2011

This article analyzes some ideas about how the interpretation framework has changed in recent years and some requirements imposed by newly available technology to efficiently deal with geological uncertainties.
A piecewise linear stochastic differential equation driven by a Lévy process
Authors: Reed Josh , Zwart Bert
Published: October 2011

We consider a stochastic differential equation (SDE) with piecewise linear drift driven by a spectrally one-sided Lévy process. We show that this SDE has some connections with queueing and storage models, and we use this observation to obtain the invariant distribution.
Volatility determination in an ambit process setting
Authors: Barndorff-Nielsen Ole E. , Graversen Svend Erik
Published: October 2011

The limit behaviour in probability of realised quadratic variation is discussed under a relatively simple ambit process setting. The relation of this to the underlying volatility/intermittency field is in focus, especially as concerns the question of no volatility/intermittency memory.
Fisher information and statistical inference for phase-type distributions
Authors: Bladt Mogens , Esparza Luz Judith R. , Nielsen Bo Friis
Published: October 2011

This paper is concerned with statistical inference for both continuous and discrete phase-type distributions. We consider maximum likelihood estimation, where traditionally the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm has been employed. Certain numerical aspects of this method are revised and we provide an alternative method for dealing with the E-step. We also compare the EM algorithm to a direct Newton–Raphson optimization of the likelihood function. As one of the main contributions of the paper, we provide formulae for calculating the Fisher information matrix both for the EM algorithm and Newton–Raphson approach. The inverse of the Fisher information matrix provides the variances and covariances of the estimated parameters.
On exponential limit laws for hitting times of rare sets for Harris chains and processes
Authors: Glynn Peter W.
Published: October 2011

This paper provides a simple proof for the fact that the hitting time to an infrequently visited subset for a one-dependent regenerative process converges weakly to an exponential distribution. Special cases are positive recurrent Harris chains and Harris processes. The paper further extends this class of limit theorems to ‘rewards’ that are cumulated to the hitting time of such a rare set.
What is typical?
Authors: Last Günter , Thorisson Hermann
Published: October 2011

Let ξ be a random measure on a locally compact second countable topological group, and let X be a random element in a measurable space on which the group acts. In the compact case we give a natural definition of the concept that the origin is a typical location for X in the mass of ξ, and prove that when this holds, the same is true on sets placed uniformly at random around the origin. This new result motivates an extension of the concept of typicality to the locally compact case where it coincides with the concept of mass-stationarity. We describe recent developments in Palm theory where these ideas play a central role.
Protein kinase A acts at the basal body of the primary cilium to prevent Gli2 activation and ventralization of the mouse neural tube
Authors: Tuson Miquel , He Mu , Anderson Kathryn V.
Published: October 2011

Protein kinase A (PKA) is an evolutionarily conserved negative regulator of the hedgehog (Hh) signal transduction pathway. PKA is known to be required for the proteolytic processing event that generates the repressor forms of the Ci and Gli transcription factors that keep target genes off in the absence of Hh. Here, we show that complete loss of PKA activity in the mouse leads to midgestation lethality and a completely ventralized neural tube, demonstrating that PKA is as strong a negative regulator of the sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway as patched 1 (Ptch1) or suppressor of fused (Sufu). Genetic analysis shows that although PKA is important for production of the repressor form of Gli3, the principal function of PKA in the Shh pathway in neural development is to restrain activation of Gli2. Activation of the Hh pathway in PKA mutants depends on cilia, and the catalytic and regulatory subunits of PKA are localized to a compartment at the base of the primary cilia, just proximal to the basal body. The data show that PKA does not affect cilia length or trafficking of smoothened (Smo) in the cilium. Instead, we find that there is a significant increase in the level of Gli2 at the tips of cilia of PKA-null cells. The data suggest a model in which PKA acts at the base of the cilium after Gli proteins have transited the primary cilium; in this model the sequential movement of Gli proteins between compartments in the cilium and at its base controls accessibility of Gli proteins to PKA, which determines the fates of Gli proteins and the activity of the Shh pathway.