bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DNA Damage–Induced Modulation of GLUT3 Expression Is Mediated through p53-Independent Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Signaling in HeLa Cells
Authors: Watanabe Masaru , Naraba Hiroaki , Sakyo Tomoko , Kitagawa Takayuki
Published: September 2010

Many cancer cells exhibit increased rates of uptake and metabolism of glucose compared with normal cells. Glucose uptake in mammalian cells is mediated by the glucose transporter (GLUT) family. Here, we report that DNA-damaging anticancer agents such as Adriamycin and etoposide suppressed the expression of GLUT3, but not GLUT1, in HeLa cells and a tumorigenic HeLa cell hybrid. Suppression of GLUT3 expression determined by the real-time PCR was also evident with another DNA-damaging agent, camptothecin, which reduced the promoter's activity as determined with a luciferase-linked assay. The suppression by these agents seemed to be induced independently of p53, and it was evident when wild-type p53 was overproduced in these cells. In contrast, the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) kinase (MEK) inhibitor U0126 (but not the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002) prevented the drug-induced suppression as determined by reverse transcription-PCR and promoter assays. Furthermore, overexpression of GLUT3 in HeLa cell hybrids increased resistance to these drugs, whereas depletion of the gene by small interfering RNA rendered the cells more sensitive to the drugs, decreasing glucose consumption. The results suggest that DNA-damaging agents reduce GLUT3 expression in cancer cells through activation of the MEK–ERK pathway independently of p53, leading to cell death or apoptosis. The findings may contribute to the development of new chemotherapeutic drugs based on the GLUT3-dependent metabolism of glucose. Mol Cancer Res; 8(11); 1547–57. ©2010 AACR.
Cancer and the Complement Cascade
Authors: Rutkowski Martin J. , Sughrue Michael E. , Kane Ari J. , Mills Steven A. , Parsa Andrew T.
Published: September 2010

Despite significant research on the role of inflammation and immunosurveillance in the immunologic microenvironment of tumors, little attention has been given to the oncogenic capabilities of the complement cascade. The recent finding that complement may contribute to tumor growth suggests an insidious relationship between complement and cancer, especially in light of evidence that complement facilitates cellular proliferation and regeneration. We address the hypothesis that complement proteins promote carcinogenesis and suggest mechanisms by which complement can drive the fundamental features of cancer. Evidence shows that this diverse family of innate immune proteins facilitates dysregulation of mitogenic signaling pathways, sustained cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, insensitivity to apoptosis, invasion and migration, and escape from immunosurveillance. Given that the traditionally held functions for the complement system include innate immunity and cancer defense, our review suggests a new way of thinking about the role of complement proteins in neoplasia. Mol Cancer Res; 8(11); 1453–65. ©2010 AACR.
Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Patient and General Practitioner Intervention to Improve the Management of Multiple Risk Factors After Stroke
Authors: Wolfe Charles David Alexander , Redfern Judith , Rudd Anthony George , Grieve Andrew Peter , Heuschmann Peter Ulrich , McKevitt Christopher
Published: September 2010

Background and Purpose—

Stroke is a major public health concern worldwide and survivors remain at high risk of recurrence. Secondary prevention requires management of multiple risk factors but current management is suboptimal. Evidence of the effectiveness of interventions to improve poststroke risk factor management from well-designed trials is limited. We assessed the effectiveness of a patient and general practitioner systematic follow-up intervention to improve risk factor management after stroke.

Methods—

We undertook a pragmatic cluster trial involving 523 consecutive incident stroke survivors identified using the population South London Stroke Register and registered with general practices in inner-city London. Practices were randomized to receive the intervention or usual care. The intervention entailed systematically identifying stroke survivors’ risk factors for recurrence and providing tailored evidence-based management advice to general practitioners, patients, and caregivers at 10 weeks, 5 months, and 8 months poststroke. The primary outcome was management of key modifiable risk factors for stroke at 1 year with 3 end points: treatment with antihypertensive therapy, treatment with antiplatelet therapy, and smoking cessation. Hierarchical testing was used to adjust for multiple endpoints. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered as number ISRCTN10730637.

Results—

The absolute risk reduction (and 95% CI) for each outcome was −3.7% (−13.0% to 5.6%) for treatment with antihypertensives; −2.3% (−12.0% to 7.6%) for treatment with antiplatelets; and −0.6% (−14.5% to 13.5%) for smoking cessation. Treatment effects were confirmed in the generalized linear model adjusting for clustering and predefined confounders.

Conclusions—

No improvement in risk factor management was demonstrated as a result of this patient, caregiver, and healthcare professional systematic follow-up system. Further evidence of how to effectively alter behavior of patients/caregivers and professionals is required if tailored information on risk and its treatment is to be of any clinical benefit.
Chagas Disease Predicts 10-Year Stroke Mortality in Community-Dwelling Elderly
Authors: Lima-Costa Maria Fernanda , Matos Divane L. , Ribeiro Antônio Luiz P.
Published: September 2010

Background and Purpose—

Previous case–control studies have suggested a causal link between Chagas disease, which is caused by the protozoan
Trypanosoma cruzi
, and stroke. We investigated the relationship between Chagas disease and long-term stroke mortality in a large community-based cohort of older adults.

Methods—

Participants were 1398 (80.3% from total) residents aged ≥60 years in Bambuí City, Brazil. The end point was death from stroke. Potential confounding variables included age, sex, conventional stroke risk factors, and high sensitive C-reactive protein.

Results—

Participants of this study were followed from 1997 to 2007 leading to 9740 person-years of observation. The baseline prevalence of
T. cruzi
infection was 37.5% and the overall mortality rate from stroke was 4.62 per 1000 person-years. The risk of death from stroke among
T. cruzi-
infected participants was twice that of those noninfected (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.25 to 4.44). A B-type natriuretic peptide level in the top quartile was a strong and independent predictor of stroke mortality among those infected (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.25 to 5.91). The presence of both a high B-type natriuretic peptide level and electrocardiographic atrial fibrillation increased the risk of stroke mortality by 11.49 (95% CI, 3.19 to 41.38) in these individuals.

Conclusions—

This study provides new evidence supporting a causal link between Chagas disease and stroke. The results also showed that B-type natriuretic peptide alone or in association with atrial fibrillation has prognostic value for stroke mortality in
T. cruzi
chronically infected older adults.
Abandoning Objectives: Evolution Through the Search for Novelty Alone
Authors: Lehman Joel , Stanley Kenneth O.
Published: September 2010

In evolutionary computation, the fitness function normally measures progress toward an objective in the search space, effectively acting as an objective function. Through deception, such objective functions may actually prevent the objective from being reached. While methods exist to mitigate deception, they leave the underlying pathology untreated: Objective functions themselves may actively misdirect search toward dead ends. This paper proposes an approach to circumventing deception that also yields a new perspective on open-ended evolution. Instead of either explicitly seeking an objective or modeling natural evolution to capture open-endedness, the idea is to simply search for behavioral novelty. Even in an objective-based problem, such novelty search ignores the objective. Because many points in the search space collapse to a single behavior, the search for novelty is often feasible. Furthermore, because there are only so many simple behaviors, the search for novelty leads to increasing complexity. By decoupling open-ended search from artificial life worlds, the search for novelty is applicable to real world problems. Counterintuitively, in the maze navigation and biped walking tasks in this paper, novelty search significantly outperforms objective-based search, suggesting the strange conclusion that some problems are best solved by methods that ignore the objective. The main lesson is the inherent limitation of the objective-based paradigm and the unexploited opportunity to guide search through other means.
Local Structure Parameters of Temperature and Humidity in the Entrainment-Drying Convective Boundary Layer: A Large-Eddy Simulation Analysis
Authors: Cheinet Sylvain , Cumin Pierre
Published: September 2010

Many wave propagation applications depend on the local, instantaneous structure parameters of humidity and of potential temperature . This study uses a large-eddy simulation to explore and compare the variability of and in the shearless, entrainment-drying convective boundary layer (CBL). The predicted horizontal mean profiles of these quantities are shown to agree with corresponding observations. The results in the bulk CBL suggest that the largest occur in the entrained tropospheric air whereas the largest are within the convective plumes. There are distinct correlations between the vertical velocity and and between the vertical velocity and . It is shown that these correlations can significantly contribute to the mean vertical velocity biases measured from radars and sodars. A physical interpretation for these contributions is offered in terms of the CBL dynamics.
The Wavelength Dependence of the Gross Moist Stability and the Scale Selection in the Instability of Column-Integrated Moist Static Energy
Authors: Kuang Zhiming
Published: September 2010

Gross moist stability (GMS), a measure of how efficiently divergent flow exports column-integrated moist static energy (MSE), is a widely used quantity in current simplified models of the tropical mean circulation and intraseasonal variabilities such as the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), where it is often assumed to be constant. In this paper, it is shown, with cloud-system-resolving model experiments that incorporate feedback from the large-scale flow, that the GMS is smaller at longer wavelengths. The reason for this wavelength dependence is that temperature anomalies required to maintain a given divergent flow increase with wavelength. At long wavelengths, the required temperature anomalies become sufficiently strong to affect the shape of convective heating. As a consequence, the divergent flow is forced to be less top heavy in order to maintain the balance of momentum, heat, and moisture, as well as consistency with the behavior of cumulus convection. A simple model is constructed to illustrate this behavior. Given the ongoing theoretical efforts that view the MJO as resulting from instability in column-integrated MSE, the results presented here provide a planetary-scale selection for such instability, which is absent in current theoretical models that assume a constant GMS.
On the Use of Two-Dimensional Incompressible Flow to Study Secondary Eyewall Formation in Tropical Cyclones
Authors: Moon Yumin , Nolan David S. , Iskandarani Mohamed
Published: September 2010

Previous studies have offered hypotheses for the mechanisms that lead to secondary eyewall formation in tropical cyclones by using two-dimensional incompressible flow. Those studies represented the convection-induced vorticity field as either large but weak vortices that are the same sign as the tropical cyclone core or as purely asymmetric vorticity perturbations that are an order of magnitude weaker than the core. However, both observations and full-physics simulations of tropical cyclones indicate that the convection-induced vorticity field should also include clusters of small vorticity dipoles whose magnitude is comparable to that of the high-vorticity core. Results of numerical simulations indicate that the interaction between the tropical cyclone core vortex and the convection-induced small vorticity dipoles of considerable strength in two-dimensional flow does not lead to coherent concentric vorticity ring formation. The axisymmetrization process under the simplification of two-dimensional incompressible flow appears to be incomplete for describing secondary eyewall formation.
On the Reliability of the Rank Histogram
Authors: Wilks D. S.
Published: September 2010

Ensemble consistency is a name for the condition that an observation being forecast by a dynamical ensemble is statistically indistinguishable from the ensemble members. This statistical indistinguishability condition is meaningful only in a multivariate sense. That is, it pertains to the joint distribution of the ensemble members and the observation. The rank histogram has been designed to assess overall ensemble consistency, but mistakenly employing it to assess only restricted aspects of this joint distribution (e.g., the climatological distribution) leads to the incorrect conclusion that the verification rank histogram is not a useful diagnostic for good behavior of ensemble forecasts. The potential confusion is analyzed in the context of an idealized multivariate Gaussian model of forecast ensembles and their corresponding observations, and it is shown that the rank histogram does correctly assess the consistency of forecast ensembles.
Impact of a six-month empowerment-based exercise intervention programme in non-physically active adolescent Swedish girls
Authors: Lindgren Eva-Carin , Baigi Amir , Apitzsch Erwin , Bergh Håkan
Published: September 2010

Objective: This study evaluated changes in self-efficacy in non-physically active adolescent girls (13–19 years old) who participated in a six-month, empowerment-based exercise intervention programme (EIP).

Design: The study used a pre- and post-test randomized group design and included one pre- and one post-test (at six months) and non-physically active adolescent girls ( N = 110) were assigned to an intervention group ( n = 54) or a comparison group ( n = 56).

Setting: Two upper secondary schools and five secondary schools, located in the low socio-economic areas of two communities in southern Sweden were involved in the study.

Method: The Swedish version of a 10-item General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Social Barriers to Exercise Self-efficacy Questionnaire (SPBESQ) were used. In addition, BMI and results from a physical fitness test were measured. For statistical analysis, the Mann-Whitney U-test and the Wilcoxon’s matched-pairs signed-rank test were used.

Results: Analysis showed a statistically significant difference in GSES scores ( p = 0.037) between the groups after the EIP was implemented. Girls in the intervention group had increased their levels of general perceived self-efficacy ( p = 0.004). Both groups increased their level of physical fitness (intervention, p = 0.06 and control, p = 0.013). BMI increased in the control group ( p = 0.031).

Conclusions: The EIP had an impact on adolescent girls’ general perceived self-efficacy and can be regarded as an outcome of empowerment that indicates the development of the adolescent girls’ ability to effectively deal with a variety of stressful situations in general.
The impact of neo-liberal globalization on pre-school day-care service in South Korea: Tensions and dilemmas
Authors: Seon Mi Kim
Published: September 2010

The impact of globalization on the South Korean pre-school day-care system is examined in this article, which argues that market competition and deregulation that accompany neo-liberal globalization resulted in a decline in the quality of day-care service.The government loosened the qualifications for private service providers and teachers over a 10-year period beginning in the 1990s. This deregulation resulted in the low-service quality of private centers. Since 2003, the government has tried to improve the quality of private centers through subsidization and increased monitoring. However, these recent governmental efforts have not proved a success.
Modality switching cost during property verification by 7 years of age
Authors: Ambrosi Solène , Kalenine Solène , Blaye Agnès , Bonthoux Françoise
Published: September 2010

Recent studies in neuroimagery and cognitive psychology support the view of sensory-motor based knowledge: when processing an object concept, neural systems would re-enact previous experiences with this object. In this experiment, a conceptual switching cost paradigm derived from Pecher, Zeelenberg, and Barsalou (2003, 2004) was used to investigate sensory-motor simulation in children’s conceptual processing. Adults and 7-year-old children performed a property verification task involving visual and motor properties of manipulable artifacts. Verification times were compared for target trials preceded by a trial in which the property either involved the same modality or a different one. By 7 years of age, results revealed a modality switching cost with longer verification times in the different modality than in the same modality condition. In addition, the switching effect did not interact with age or property modality type. Results support an embodied view of concepts in both adults and children.
Predicting family poverty and other disadvantaged conditions for child rearing from childhood aggression and social withdrawal: A 30-year longitudinal study
Authors: Serbin Lisa A. , Temcheff Caroline E. , Cooperman Jessica M. , Stack Dale M. , Ledingham Jane , Schwartzman Alex E.
Published: September 2010

This 30-year longitudinal study examined pathways from problematic childhood behavior patterns to future disadvantaged conditions for family environment and child rearing in adulthood. Participants were mothers (n = 328) and fathers (n = 222) with lower income backgrounds participating in the ongoing Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine pathways from childhood aggression and social withdrawal to future high school drop-out, early parenthood, parental absence, and family poverty after the participants became parents. Childhood aggression directly predicted early parenthood and parental absence in both mothers’ and fathers’ models, and high school drop-out for the fathers (for the mothers, this path was indirect via achievement in primary school). Childhood aggression predicted family poverty indirectly, with some gender differences in significant pathways.
The longitudinal relations among dimensions of parenting styles, sympathy, prosocial moral reasoning, and prosocial behaviors
Authors: Carlo Gustavo , Mestre Maria Vicenta , Samper Paula , Tur Ana , Armenta Brian E.
Published: September 2010

Developmental scholars assert that parents are important in fostering prosocial behaviors in adolescents, but longitudinal investigations on this topic are limited. Participants consisted of 372 boys and 358 girls with a mean age of 10.84 years (SD = 1.57) at Wave 1 from a mostly middle class community in Spain. Across three successive years, participants completed measures of fathers’ and mothers’ warmth and strict control, sympathy, prosocial moral reasoning, and self- and peer-reported prosocial behaviors. Results showed that parental warmth, sympathy, and prosocial moral reasoning were predictive of prosocial behaviors. Further analyses showed bidirectional effects such that early prosocial behaviors predicted later parenting and adolescents’ prosociality. Findings lend support to cognitive-developmental and moral internalization models of prosocial development.
New Labour’s prison legacy
Authors: Dobson Geoff
Published: September 2010

This article charts the massively increased reliance on the use of custody under New Labour. It highlights the considerable social and economic costs of such an approach, while also drawing attention to a number of positive developments.
European Palliative Care Research collaborative pain guidelines. Central side-effects management: what is the evidence to support best practice in the management of sedation, cognitive impairment and myoclonus?
Authors: Stone Patrick , Minton Ollie
Published: September 2010

This is a systematic review examining the management of opioid-induced central side effects. It has been conducted as part of a larger European Palliative Care Research collaborative review into the use and role of opioids in cancer pain. The review process identified 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The overall quality of the data was low and the few recommendations that can be made are weak and require confirmatory studies.

The main central side effects examined were sedation, cognitive failure, sleep disturbance and myoclonus. Overall there is limited evidence for the use of methylphenidate in counteracting opioid-induced sedation and cognitive disturbance. No clear recommendations can be made concerning other individual drugs for the management of any of the central side effects examined.

Given the lack of available data from this review there need to be further prospective controlled trials to confirm or refute these findings.
A [11C]Ro15 4513 PET study suggests that alcohol dependence in man is associated with reduced α5 benzodiazepine receptors in limbic regions
Authors: Lingford-Hughes Anne , Reid Alastair G , Myers James , Feeney Adrian , Hammers Alexander , Taylor Lindsay G , Rosso Lula , Turkheimer Federico , Brooks David J , Grasby Paul , Nutt David J
Published: September 2010

Preclinical evidence suggests the α5 subtype of the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor is involved in some of the actions of alcohol and in memory. The positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, [11C]Ro15 4513 shows relative selectivity in labelling the α5 subtype over the other GABA-benzodiazepine receptor subtypes in limbic regions of the brain. We used this tracer to investigate the distribution of α5 subtype availability in human alcohol dependence and its relationship to clinical variables. Abstinent (>6 weeks) alcohol-dependent men and healthy male controls underwent an [11C]Ro15 4513 PET scan. We report [11C]Ro15 4513 brain uptake for 8 alcohol-dependent men and 11 healthy controls. We found a significant reduction in [11C]Ro15 4513 binding in the nucleus accumbens, parahippocampal gyri, right hippocampus and amygdala in the alcohol-dependent compared with the healthy control group. Levels of [11C]Ro15 4513 binding in both hippocampi were significantly and positively associated with performance on a delayed verbal memory task in the alcohol-dependent but not the control group. We speculate that the reduced limbic [11C]Ro15 4513 binding seen here results from the effects of alcohol, though we cannot currently distinguish whether they are compensatory in nature or evidence of brain toxicity.
Biomimetic Sonar: Binaural 3D Localization using Artificial Bat Pinnae
Authors: Schillebeeckx Filips , De Mey Fons , Vanderelst Dieter , Peremans Herbert
Published: September 2010

This paper presents an advanced bio-inspired binaural sonar sensor capable of localizing reflectors in 3D space with a single reading. The technique makes use of broadband spectral cues in the received echoes only. Two artificial pinnae act as complex direction-dependent spectral filters on the echoes returning from the ensonified reflector. The “active head-related transfer function” (AHRTF) is introduced to describe this spectral filtering as a function of the reflector angle, taking into account the transmitter radiation pattern, both pinnae and the particular sonar head geometry. 3D localization is performed by selecting the azimuth—elevation pair with the highest a posteriori probability, given the binaural target echo spectrum. Experimental 3D localization results of a ball reflector show that the AHRTF carries sufficient information to discriminate between different reflector locations under realistic noise conditions. In addition, experiments with more complex reflectors illustrate that the AHRTF dominates the echo spectrum, allowing 3D localization in the presence of spectrum distortions caused by unknown reflector filtering. These experiments show that a fairly simple sonar device can extract more spatial information about realistic objects in its direct surroundings than is conventionally believed.
Tankbot: A Palm-size, Tank-like Climbing Robot using Soft Elastomer Adhesive Treads
Authors: Unver Ozgur , Sitti Metin
Published: September 2010

In this paper we propose a tank-like climbing robot, called Tankbot, using flat (non-patterned) and soft elastomer adhesive treads. This wheeled climbing robot design enables continuous, vibration-free, and strong attachment to wide range of smooth and rough surfaces, relatively fast and smooth motion, and improved capability to traverse obstacles and to carry high payloads. Tankbot is lightweight (60—150 g) and can climb on any slope from 0• to 360• on smooth surfaces. Moreover, climbing vertically up, down, and laterally on relatively rough surfaces, such as a wooden door, a painted wall, and a brick wall, is also possible. A passive or active tail is added to Tankbot to transfer the peeling force to the front wheel and to assist for transitioning to different surface slopes. It is shown that the normal component of the peeling force with respect to the surface is crucial and has to be maximized to maximize the climbing stability. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the tread tension should be in a specific range to maximize the normal peeling force. With the aid of the derived models, different Tankbot prototypes with different body and tread dimensions are manufactured and tested for different tasks. It is shown that a 115 g Tankbot can carry up to 300 g on a regular painted wall. Tankbot can go over obstacles of up to 16 mm in diameter, perform both internal and external vertical wall to ceiling transitions, steer in two dimensions with a minimum turning diameter of 80 cm, and loiter on painted walls for up to 5 min.
Myelodysplasia in 2 Pig-Tailed Macaques (Macaca nemestrina) Associated With Retroviral Vector–Mediated Insertional Mutagenesis and Overexpression of HOXB4
Authors: Murnane R. , Zhang X. B. , Hukkanen R. R. , Vogel K. , Kelley S. , Kiem H. P.
Published: September 2010

Gammaretroviral vectors are an efficient means to effect gene therapy. However, genotoxicity from insertion at nonrandom sites can confer a competitive advantage to transduced cells, resulting in clonal proliferation or neoplasia. Six pig-tailed macaques ( Macaca nemestrina) underwent total body irradiation and reconstitution with autologous stem cells genetically modified by a gammaretroviral vector overexpressing HOXB4. Two animals were euthanized owing to irradiation- or transplantation-associated toxicity, whereas the other 4 had successful reconstitution. Of the 4 macaques with successful reconstitution, 1 has no long-term follow-up information; 1 was euthanized owing to infection with simian varicella virus infection 18 months post–total body irradiation; and the 2 others are described herein as case Nos. 1 and 2. After being stable for 3 years, case No. 1 developed pancytopenia and petechiation, and after 2 years of stability case No. 2 developed anemia and thrombocytopenia. Despite therapy, the animals deteriorated and were euthanized. Gross findings included emaciation; case No. 1 also had hemorrhage, peritonitis, and cholecystitis. Histologically, bone marrow was hypercellular with predominately blast cells of all hematopoietic lineages, though with myeloid predominance, and with maturation arrest and blast cell dysplasia (myelodysplasia). Myelodysplasia was likely from a combination of insertional mutagenesis by the retroviral vector and overexpression of HOXB4. Consequences of myelodysplasia included the blood dyscrasias and, in case No. 1, hemorrhage, bacterial cholecystitis, hepatitis, and peritonitis.
Composting barrel for sustainable organic waste management in Bangladesh
Authors: Moqsud Md Azizul , Bushra Quazi Sifat , Rahman MH
Published: September 2010

To ensure quick and uniform aerobic stabilization of biowaste through domestic composting and to prevent malodorous emissions, two modifications were made to a conventional steel barrel composter by: (1) providing 0.0125 m diameter openings throughout the sides and (2) placing a 0.0254 m diameter perforated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe in the middle portion of the barrel. The volume of composting waste before modification of the composting barrel was 40% of the original volume and it was 70%, 4 weeks following the modifications. In addition, the nutrients in the compost were found to be in a more suitable range after modification of the composting barrel. The carbon–nitrogen ratio (C/N) of the compost was in the ideal range of 11–15 in the modified composting reactor but it was quite high (24–25) in the conventional barrel. This modified barrel composting plant proved to be an efficient, eco-friendly, cost-effective solution for the management of organic solid waste materials in developing and technologically less sophisticated countries such as Bangladesh.
Validating the BASC-TRS for Use With Children and Adolescents With an Educational Diagnosis of Autism
Authors: Hass Michael R. , Brown Richard S. , Brady John , Johnson Danielle Boehm
Published: September 2010

Accurate diagnosis and treatment planning for children with autism are a growing concern. This study sought to address two questions: (a) Which domains of the of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (2nd ed.) Teacher Rating Scales (BASC-TRS) are most effective in discriminating students diagnosed with higher functioning autism from children and youth who do not have a disability or psychiatric diagnosis? and (b) Are there noteworthy differences in BASC-TRS domain scores between children and adolescents with autism? The results indicated that children and adolescents with an educational diagnosis of autism were given significantly higher ratings in the domains of Developmental Social Disorders and Withdrawal and significantly lower ratings in Functional Communication. These scales appear to discriminate best between those students with autism and their nondisabled peers. In addition, the results suggest that the differences between students with autism and students without clinical problems may become less pronounced as they grow into adolescence.
Disability as Cultural Difference
Authors: Anastasiou Dimitris , Kauffman James M.
Published: September 2010

This article critiques the treatment of disability as cultural difference by the theorists of the “social model” and “minority group model” of disability. Both models include all of the various disabling conditions under one term—disability—and fail to distinguish disabilities from cultural differences (e.g., race, ethnicity, or gender differences). Equating disability with cultural difference, they adopt a political strategy of positive identity similar to that used in other civil rights movements. The consequences of this strategy for the disability movement and special education are discussed.
Assessment of Breastfeeding Information in General Obstetrics and Gynecology Textbooks
Authors: Ogburn Tony , Philipp Barbara L. , Espey Eve , Merewood Anne , Espindola Dana
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this study was to determine if breastfeeding information in obstetrics/gynecology textbooks is complete, current, and evidence-based. Five general obstetrics/gynecology textbooks were reviewed to assess 22 basic breastfeeding facts. Five reviewers reviewed each text to determine the number of items presented, the number omitted, and the accuracy of the information. The mean number of breastfeeding facts present in each textbook was 14.6 (10-20), the mean number present and correct was 12.6 (5-18), present but incorrect/inconsistent 2 (0-5), and omitted 7.4 (2-12). The facts in the texts were usually correct. The percentages of correct answers for each text were 50%, 80%, 90%, 95%, and 100%, respectively. However, there were significant omissions; two of the texts missed half of the criteria scored. Scores for Omitted/(Reviewed + Omitted) were 9%, 14%, 36%, 55%, and 55%. Overall, breastfeeding information in obstetrics/ gynecology textbooks is variable and there are often significant omissions and/or inaccuracies.
US Hospitals Violate WHO Policy on the Distribution of Formula Sample Packs: Results of a National Survey
Authors: Merewood Anne , Grossman Xena , Cook John , Sadacharan Radha , Singleton Marcella , Peters Karen , Navidi Tina
Published: September 2010

The World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, as well as most major medical authorities, opposes hospital-based distribution of free infant formula at discharge. The goal of this cross-sectional telephone survey of 3209 US maternity sites, conducted from 2006 to 2007, was to determine the extent of this practice. It was found that 91% of hospitals distributed formula sample packs, and a trend toward discontinuation of the practice was statistically significant ( P < .001). It was concluded that most US hospitals distribute infant formula samples, in violation of the WHO Code and the recommendations of organizations including the US Government Accountability Office, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Lactation Rounds: A System to Improve Hospital Productivity
Authors: Mannel Rebecca
Published: September 2010

Currently, there are no national guidelines on appropriate staffing for hospital lactation, and a central goal in today’s health care climate is to provide optimal patient care while making the best use of available resources. This article describes a successful effort to improve patient care, lactation productivity, and employee satisfaction through a system of lactation rounds at Oklahoma University Medical Center (OUMC). Outcomes included more accurate data collection and distribution of resources for patient care, increased lactation service productivity, and increased employee satisfaction.
Moving Onward
Authors: Florczak Kristine L.
Published: September 2010

This column is concerned with the mechanics of transitioning from being a new doctoral graduate to being a researcher with a solid program of study. To clarify these mechanics, Carol Kostovich, Karen Saban, and Eileen Collins discuss the roles of being a nurse mentor, the expectations of being a mentee, and practical tips for sustaining a successful relationship as mentor-mentee.
Twitter
Authors: Lassen David S. , Brown Adam R.
Published: September 2010

The rapid rise of Twitter and other social media tools has enticed many members of Congress to personally use these services. Such waves of technological adoption are comparatively rare in Congressional history, leaving us with little knowledge about why some members of Congress adopt new technologies while others do not. We find that Twitter adoption and use are relatively difficult to predict. Members are more likely to use Twitter if they belong to the minority party, if their party leaders urge them to, if they are young, or if they serve in the Senate. Surprisingly, we find that electoral vulnerability has little or no effect on Twitter adoption or use.
Negotiating Leave-Taking Events in the Palliative Medicine Unit
Authors: Hadders Hans
Published: September 2010

In this article I explore the importance staff and relatives give to patients’ social identity at the time of dying, death, and leave-taking in a palliative medical unit in Norway. I employ Timmermans’ concept of death brokering and show how various patient identities are used to broker and negotiate the timing, content, and form of leave-taking events. In their end-of-life care, nurses strive to accommodate relatives and support them in their grief process. Making patient identities relevant illustrates the close relationships between maintenance of the integrity of the material body and maintenance of the integrity of the social person; this practice aligns biomedical and physical identities with biographical and personal identities. Maintenance of patients’ social identity is not a uniform process. Throughout postmortem care, nurses and relatives oscillate between poles of nearness to and distance from the deceased, who paradoxically can be experienced as both socially alive and socially dead.
Communication Skills in Girls With Rett Syndrome
Authors: Bartolotta Theresa E. , Zipp Genevieve P. , Simpkins Susan D. , Glazewski Barbara
Published: September 2010

Rett Syndrome (RS) is an X-linked, neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs primarily in females and causes significant impairment in cognition, motor control, and communication. Teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) encounter girls with RS with increasing frequency as awareness of the disorder increases, yet the literature on clinical interventions with this population is limited. Parents, teachers, and SLPs were surveyed regarding the communication abilities of these girls. Respondents reported that girls with RS use multiple modalities to communicate, with eye gaze the most frequently used modality, followed by picture/symbol systems and body movements. This study provides clinical information for professionals working with girls with RS, and supports the need for additional research on strategies to improve communication in RS.
Group Social Skills Instruction for Adolescents With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: White Susan W. , Koenig Kathleen , Scahill Lawrence
Published: September 2010

Given the increased recognition of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and the chronic and pervasive nature of associated deficits, there is a pressing need for effective treatments. The feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a structured, group social skills training program for high-functioning youth with ASD was examined in this study. Fifteen participants (14 boys and 1 girl; age M = 12.55 years ± 1 year) completed a 16-week outpatient group-based intervention. The structured treatment was acceptable to families based on session attendance (89%) and postgroup satisfaction ratings. Treatment integrity was acceptable. Nine participants demonstrated significant improvement based on reliable change indices. Gains were not, however, uniform across school and home, nor were they consistently maintained following treatment.
Effects of Nondependent Lung Ventilation With Continuous Positive-Pressure Ventilation and High-Frequency Positive-Pressure Ventilation on Right-Ventricular Function During 1-Lung Ventilation
Authors: El Tahan Mohamed R. , El Ghoneimy Yasser , Regal Mohamed , Deria Afrah , Al Ahmadey Mona , El Emam Hatem
Published: September 2010

Background. The application of volume-controlled high frequency positive pressure ventilation (HFPPV) to the nondependent lung (NL) may have comparable effects to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the right ventricular (RV) function, oxygenation, and surgical conditions during one lung ventilation (OLV) for thoracotomy. Methods. After local ethics committee approval and informed consent, 75 patients scheduled for elective thoracotomy using OLV were randomly allocated to receive nondependent lung either CPAP 2 (CPAP2; n=25) or 5 (CPAP5; n=25) cm H2O pressure setting of the device or HFPPV using VT 3 mL-1, I: E ratio <0.3 and R.R 60/min (HFPPV; n=25), followed 15 min of OLV. Intraoperative changes in RV ejection fraction (REF), end-diastolic volume (RVEDVI) and stroke work (RVSWI), stroke volume (SVI), oxygen delivery (DO2), and uptake (VO2) indices and shunt fraction (Qs: Qt) were recorded without any surgical manipulation of the lung. Results. The application of NL-HFPPV resulted in improved REF by 33%, SVI and DO2 (P < 0.01) and reduced RVEDVI, RVSWI, PVRI, oxygen uptake, and shunt fraction by 24.8% (P < 0.01) than in the NL-CPAP groups. Conclusion. We concluded that the use of NL-HFPPV is a feasible option and offers improved RV function and oxygenation during OLV for open thoracotomy.
Property Value Assessment Growth Limits, Tax Base Erosion, and Regional In-Migration
Authors: Skidmore Mark , Tosun Mehmet S.
Published: September 2010

In 1994, a limit on the growth of property values for tax purposes was imposed in Michigan. One consequence of the newly imposed assessment growth cap was an emerging differential in tax prices between potential new property owners and long-time property owners. The purpose this article is to examine the impact of this growing tax price differential on migration patterns. Using county level data on migration activity over the 1994-2006 period, the authors present evidence that differential tax prices resulting from the assessment growth cap have reduced in-migration.
Nurse-led detoxification in primary care. Can it be done?
Authors: Fernandez Jeff
Published: September 2010

This paper describes the community alcohol detoxifications (detox) carried out in primary care by the nurse specialist for alcohol in Islington, as an independent prescriber. It is argued that this service is a valuable resource and can enable a better space for preparation for the client, who can then be more insightful and motivated before entering the detox in primary care. It also shows that the guidelines for the assessment and detoxification of patients entering this modality are important in ensuring a potentially good outcome. This is beneficial for the patient and can ensure a break from dependent drinking for 6 months to 1 year. Importantly, it also shows the crucial and beneficial role a nurse specialist can play in treating patients in the clinical speciality of alcohol misuse. The role of the nurse has changed over time, and can now initiate services in primary care. One such role has set up a service that supports GPs and practice staff in the area of alcohol. Often this is seen as specialist area crossing over into mental health. However, many patients can be managed and prescribed for in primary care with the support of an experienced and knowledgeable specialist nurse. This paper illustrates that through basic audit and research, good outcomes are possible for nurses working on the clinical ‘frontline’. Also, nurses are capable of producing excellent prescribing guidelines in the field of substance misuse.
The Plastic Trap
Authors: Pettit Nathan C. , Sivanathan Niro
Published: September 2010

Conspicuous consumption and its accompanying debt played a critical role in crippling global financial markets in 2008. Although a confluence of factors contribute to hyper-consumerism, the authors explore the potential role of two psychological forces—the desire to combat self-threats through compensatory consumption and the relatively pain-free experience of consuming on credit—that may have interactively contributed to the pernicious cycle of consumption and debt. Consistent with their predictions, the authors find that self-threat sways individuals to consume with credit over cash (Experiment 1) and the interactive effect of self-threat, product status, and payment method creates a perfect storm, whereby threatened individuals not only seek to consume high-status goods but also, when using credit, do so at higher costs to themselves (Experiment 2). These findings have broad implications for consumer decision making and offer psychologically grounded insights into the regulation of lending policies aimed at promoting consumer health.
The Sum of Friends' and Lovers' Self-Control Scores Predicts Relationship Quality
Authors: Vohs Kathleen D. , Finkenauer Catrin , Baumeister Roy F.
Published: September 2010

What combination of partners' trait self-control levels produces the best relationship outcomes? The authors tested three hypotheses—complementarity (large difference in trait self-control scores), similarity (small difference in self-control scores), and totality (large sum of self-control scores)—in three diverse samples: friends, dating partners, and married couples living in the United States and the Netherlands who were tracked cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results consistently favored the totality model: the more total self-control, the better the relationship fared. Multiple benefits were found for having mutually high self-control, including relationship satisfaction, forgiveness, secure attachment, accommodation, healthy and committed styles of loving, smooth daily interactions, absence of conflict, and absence of feeling rejected. These effects might be due to high-self-control partners' use of accommodation when there is miscommunication or problems in the relationship. Additionally, partners might “outsource” self-control to each other; hence, having a partner with higher self-control enables more outsourcing.
Rentiers, teachers and workers: Greek women in late nineteenth-century Odessa
Authors: Sifneos Evrydiki
Published: September 2010

This article sheds light on a neglected aspect of the Greek paroikia of Odessa, its female component, in the late imperial period. By revisiting the 1897 All-Russian Census, it offers an insight into the demographic and social features of Greek women, and depicts their occupational position. It shows that middle-class and working women formed the majority of the Greek female workforce and suggests that their participation or non-participation in the labour market depended on the ability of the male breadwinner to support his household financially.
The Study of Names in Samuel Beckett's Texts: Problems and Prospects
Authors: Hramova Tatyana
Published: September 2010

AbstractThe article tries to understand and make a critical evaluation of the directions the study of names and naming in Samuel Beckett's texts has taken in the last fifty years. It is argued that, despite many works dedicated to the subject, this field of Beckett studies has never been looked at within the framework of its own tradition and development, and hence it has not as yet acquired an independent status and remains an appendix to other fields of Beckett criticism. The article also suggests a course the study of names in Beckett might take in future and invites scholars to enter into a dialogue.
Notch signaling is a critical regulator of allogeneic CD4+ T-cell responses mediating graft-versus-host disease
Authors: Zhang Yi , Sandy Ashley R. , Wang Jina , Radojcic Vedran , Shan Gloria T. , Tran Ivy T. , Friedman Ann , Kato Koji , He Shan , Cui Shuaiying , Hexner Elizabeth , Frank Dale M. , Emerson Stephen G. , Pear Warren S. , Maillard Ivan
Published: September 2010

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains the major barrier to the success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). GVHD is caused by donor T cells that mediate host tissue injury through multiple inflammatory mechanisms. Blockade of individual effector molecules has limited efficacy in controlling GVHD. Here, we report that Notch signaling is a potent regulator of T-cell activation, differentiation, and function during acute GVHD. Inhibition of canonical Notch signaling in donor T cells markedly reduced GVHD severity and mortality in mouse models of allogeneic HSCT. Although Notch-deprived T cells proliferated and expanded in response to alloantigens in vivo, their ability to produce interleukin-2 and inflammatory cytokines was defective, and both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells failed to up-regulate selected effector molecules. Notch inhibition decreased the accumulation of alloreactive T cells in the intestine, a key GVHD target organ. However, Notch-deprived alloreactive CD4+ T cells retained significant cytotoxic potential and antileukemic activity, leading to improved overall survival of the recipients. These results identify Notch as a novel essential regulator of pathogenic CD4+ T-cell responses during acute GVHD and suggest that Notch signaling in T cells should be investigated as a therapeutic target after allogeneic HSCT.