bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurements of the Skin Temperature on Small Lakes
Authors: Kurzeja Robert , Pendergast Malcolm , Villa-Aleman Eliel
Published: October 2005

An apparatus to measure the skin temperature and related variables on inland lakes is described. The apparatus is a transparent frame with sensors to measure the skin and bulk water temperature, the wind velocity, and the air temperature and humidity for periods of several days. The sensors are positioned within 1 m of the air–water interface and sample boundary layer variables every 2 s.

Data for a 4-h period at midday are discussed, and the vertical fluxes of heat and momentum are calculated using bulk relationships for 1- and 5-min periods. It is shown that the measured water temperature at a depth of 1 cm correlates well with estimates based on the bulk heat flux.

The skin temperature depression is calculated from the bulk heat and momentum fluxes and is found to vary between 0.4° and 0.5°C for the 4-h period and was in good agreement with the measured values. However, the calculated and measured skin temperatures were poorly correlated for both the 1- and 5-min averages. This is believed to be due to departures from the steady-state assumptions or to deficiencies in the theory.
Estimation of the Turbulent Fraction in the Free Atmosphere from MST Radar Measurements
Authors: Wilson Richard , Dalaudier Francis , Bertin Francois
Published: October 2005

Small-scale turbulence in the free atmosphere is known to be intermittent in space and time. The turbulence fraction of the atmosphere is a key parameter in order to evaluate the transport properties of small-scale motions and to interpret clear-air radar measurements as well.

Mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST)/stratosphere–troposphere (ST) radars provide two independent methods for the estimation of energetic parameters of turbulence. First, the Doppler spectral width σ2 is related to the dissipation rate of kinetic energy εk. Second, the radar reflectivity, or C2n, relates to the dissipation rate of available potential energy εp. However, these two measures yield estimates that differ with respect to an important point. The Doppler width measurements, and related εk, are reflectivity-weighted averages. On the other hand, the reflectivity estimate is a volume-averaged quantity. The values of εp depend on both the turbulence intensity and the turbulent fraction within the radar sampling volume.

Now, the two dissipation rates εp and εk are related quantities as shown by various measurements within stratified fluids (atmosphere, ocean, lakes, or laboratory). Therefore, by assuming a “canonical” value for the ratio of dissipation rates, an indirect method is proposed to infer the turbulent fraction from simultaneous radar measurements of reflectivity and Doppler broadening within a sampling volume. This method is checked by using very high resolution radar measurements (30 m and 51 s), obtained by the PROUST radar during a field campaign. The method is found to provide an unbiased estimation of the turbulent fraction, within a factor of 2 or less.
A Preoperational Scheme for Calculating Sea Surface Height by Bernoulli Inverse of Argo Float Data in the North Atlantic
Authors: Alderson Steven G. , Killworth Peter D.
Published: October 2005

A preoperational scheme has been implemented to calculate sea surface height fields at 7-day intervals over the North Atlantic. Input data from Argo floats is downloaded and processed in near–real time. The solution method is by Bernoulli inverse. Early results are encouraging. Features of the results are compared with both model and satellite data and show good agreement.
Evaluating the Decomposition of Tropical Atlantic Drifter Observations
Authors: Lumpkin Rick , Garraffo Zulema
Published: October 2005

Because the tropical Atlantic is characterized by regions of strong seasonal variability that have been sampled inhomogeneously by surface drifters, Eulerian averages of these Lagrangian observations in spatially fixed bins may be aliased. In the Pacific, this problem has been circumvented by first calculating seasonal or monthly means. In the Atlantic, such an approach is of limited value because of the relatively sparse database of drifter observations. As an alternative, a methodology is developed in which drifter-observed currents and sea surface temperatures are grouped into bins and, within each bin, simultaneously decomposed into a time-mean, annual and semiannual harmonics, and an eddy residual with a nonzero integral time scale.

The methodology is evaluated using a temporally homogeneous SST product and in situ SST observations, and also using simulated drifter observations in an eddy-resolving model of the Atlantic Ocean. These analyses show that, compared to simple bin averaging, the decomposition developed herein yields significantly improved estimates of time-mean values in regions of strong seasonal variability. The methodology can also successfully estimate the distribution of the seasonal harmonics’ amplitude and phase throughout much of the tropical Atlantic.
“Saying One Thing and Doing Another”: Examining the Impact of Event Order on Hypocrisy Judgments of Others
Authors: Barden Jamie , Rucker Derek D. , Petty Richard E.
Published: October 2005

This study investigated whether the temporal order of people’s expressed statements and their behaviors affected others’ judgments of hypocrisy, and why. It was proposed that hypocrisy would be greater when a statement establishing a personal standard preceded a behavior violating that standard as opposed to the reverse order. This order effect occurred in three studies, generalizing across two topic areas (healthy living and safe sex) and for both normative and nonnormative statements (pro/anti–safe sex). Mediation analyses indicated that the reverse order mitigated against hypocrisy because the target’s inconsistency was attributed to dispositional change. The discussion addresses additional variables likely to affect hypocrisy and the relationship of this research to hypocrisy paradigms in dissonance.
Self-Engagement, Stressors, and Health: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Britt Thomas W. , Castro Carl Andrew , Adler Amy B.
Published: October 2005

The authors examined whether engagement in a performance domain could buffer or exacerbate the consequences of different stressors. Soldiers completed measures of engagement in work, work demands (days training, work hours, and subjective work overload), and symptoms at two time periods. Engagement in work interacted with days training and work hours at Time 1 to predict health symptoms at Time 2 (after controlling Time 1 outcomes). Soldiers highly engaged in their jobs were less likely to report negative consequences under high levels of training/work hours in comparison to soldiers disengaged from their jobs. However, engagement in work interacted with work overload in the opposite manner, with high levels of engagement potentiating the relationship between overload and reports of health symptoms. Engagement in a domain appears to buffer individuals from stressors that do not undermine performance but may exacerbate the impact of stressors that compromise performing well in the domain.
Motivation Influences the Underestimation of Cumulative Risk
Authors: Knäuper Bärbel , Kornik Rachel , Atkinson Katherine , Guberman Carly , Aydin Cristina
Published: October 2005

Past research has shown that people typically underestimate the cumulative risk of events. This effect has mainly been interpreted as resulting from the use of cognitive heuristics and judgment strategies, such as availability or anchoring and adjustment. The authors suggest that motivational processes can be an additional force in the generation of cumulative risk estimates. Using an experimental design, Study 1 shows that people underestimate the cumulative risk of infection with sexually transmitted diseases of appealing prospective sexual partners by using risk-irrelevant information for their judgment. Using a correlational design, Study 2 demonstrates that people underestimate the cumulative risk of being infected with a sexually transmitted disease and that commitment to the present partner is directly related to a low cumulative risk estimate as well as indirectly through its effect on the perceived risk of the present partner. Together, the two studies demonstrate that motivation influences the underestimation of cumulative risk.
Individual Differences in Emotional Memory: Adult Attachment and Long-Term Memory for Child Sexual Abuse
Authors: Edelstein Robin S. , Ghetti Simona , Quas Jodi A. , Goodman Gail S. , Alexander Kristen Weede , Redlich Allison D. , Cordón Ingrid M.
Published: October 2005

In the present study, attachment-related differences in long-term memory for a highly emotional life event, child sexual abuse (CSA), were investigated. Participants were 102 documented CSA victims whose cases were referred for prosecution approximately 14 years earlier. Consistent with the proposal that avoidant individuals defensively regulate the processing of potentially distressing information (Bowlby, 1980), attachment avoidance was negatively associated with memory for particularly severe CSA incidents. This finding was not mediated by the extent to which participants reported talking about the abuse after it occurred, although postabuse discussion did enhance long-term memory. In addition, accuracy was positively associated with maternal support following the abuse and extent of CSA-related legal involvement. Attachment anxiety was unrelated to memory accuracy, regardless of abuse severity. Implications of the findings for theories of avoidant defensive strategies and emotional memory are discussed.
On the Outside Looking In: Loneliness and Social Monitoring
Authors: Gardner Wendi L. , Pickett Cynthia L. , Jefferis Valerie , Knowles Megan
Published: October 2005

The skill-deficit view of loneliness posits that unskilled social interactions block lonely individuals from social inclusion. The current studies examine loneliness in relation to social attention and perception processes thought to be important for socially skilled behavior. Two studies investigate the association between social monitoring (attention to social information and cues) and self-reported loneliness and number of close social ties. In Study 1, higher levels of loneliness are related to increased rather than decreased incidental social memory. In Study 2, individuals with fewer reported friends show heightened decoding of social cues in faces and voices. Results of these studies suggest that the attentional and perceptual building blocks of socially skilled behavior remain intact, and perhaps enhanced, in lonely individuals. Implications for recent models of belonging regulation and theories of loneliness are discussed.
Public Dramas and the Politics of Justice
Authors: Chun Jennifer Jihye
Published: October 2005

Low-wage, nonstandard service work is an expanding sector of employment in today’s global economy. Although scholars document its effects on increasing poverty and inequality, few studies examine how peripherally employed workers respond to the erosion of their living and working conditions under new forms of employment-centered poverty. Through comparative ethno-graphic case studies of university janitors in South Korea and the United States, the author analyzes how one group of low-wage, nonstandard service workers is transforming their structural marginality into new sources of moral and material leverage. The author argues that unions are staging public dramas that redefine a particular labor dispute into broader violations over justice. Two factors are key to this process: cultivating associational power and symbolic leverage.
Workers of the World Unite? The Contemporary Anti-Sweatshop Movement and the Struggle for Social Justice in the Americas
Authors: Armbruster-Sandoval Ralph
Published: October 2005

The contemporary anti-sweatshop movement emerged more than 10 years ago. During that time period, numerous campaigns have challenged sweatshop labor practices (particularly in the garment industry) throughout the Americas. This article examines four such campaigns that primarily involved Central American garment workers and U.S.-based nongovernment organizations. The results of these case studies were relatively mixed. Gains (better wages and working conditions) were usually not broadened or sustained over time. What factors explain these disparate outcomes? Following and expanding on theoretical concepts and models embedded within the globalization and transnational social movement literatures, the author explores that question, describing each campaign’s dynamics and comparatively analyzing all four. The author concludes with some short-term, medium-term, and long-term proposals for addressing the various obstacles that the anti-sweatshop movement currently faces.
From Transformation to Revitalization
Authors: Turner Lowell
Published: October 2005

This introductory article offers an overview of the contemporary labor movement revitalization perspective. Moving beyond the transformation of industrial relations literature of the 1980s and 1990s, this growing body of work has emerged in response to contemporary realities, to address above all the urgency of innovative union strategies in the face of dramatically worsening international and domestic conditions. There are two central arguments in the revitalization literature. The first is that contemporary circumstances provide openings for a resurgence of social movement unionism. The second is that such strategies matter: They have been instrumental in promoting workplace, social, and political change, and they contain as well the potential for breakthroughs in labor movement and broader democratic revitalization.
Adult Student Identity in an Intergenerational Community College Classroom
Authors: Kasworm Carol
Published: October 2005

What is the nature of an adult student identity? Based in social constructivist theory, this study explored coconstructed understandings of culturally and socially mediated student identities through a select group of adult undergraduates in intergenerational community college classroom contexts. Key findings elaborated the coconstruction of two interwoven dimensions— positional and relational adult student identities reflecting multilayered, multisourced, and, at times, paradoxical beliefs and understandings of self, position, and relationships. Key elements and dynamics of these positional and relational identities for adult students are presented, including unique findings of a belief in an ideal student image as a referent to one’s actions and beliefs as well as using a referent of the younger college students’ attitudes and behaviors for salient judgments of position and relational status.
Pharmacotherapy Overview of Seizure Management in the Adult Emergency Department
Authors: Idrees Umbreen , Londner Michael
Published: October 2005

Seizures are a common cause of emergency department visits, and approximately 28% of epilepsy patients present to an emergency department annually for treatment. This article will provide an overview of the pharmacotherapeutic management of seizures and anticonvulsant therapy for patients who present to the adult emergency department, including practical information for pharmacists covering or cross-covering this practice area. The benzodiazepines are reviewed as a class, including dosing strategies, pharmacodynamic considerations, and advantages and disadvantages of lorazepam, diazepam, and midazolam. Indications for the use of phenytoin and fosphenytoin will be reviewed, as well as dosing, adverse effects, and cost-effectiveness data. In addition, dosing, administration, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects of phenobarbital, carbamazepine, and valproate will be discussed. Clinical indications for serum anticonvulsant concentration monitoring and subsequent calculation of loading doses from serum concentrations are reviewed. Since status epilepticus is a life-threatening emergency, its therapeutic management is reviewed, including the use of continuous infusion midazolam, pentobarbital, and propofol. There are many opportunities for clinical pharmacists to collaborate with other members of the health care team to optimize efficacy and minimize adverse effects of anticonvulsant agents in the emergency department setting.
Current Concepts in Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock
Authors: Rudis Maria I. , Rowland Kathy L.
Published: October 2005

Sepsis is a frequent cause of presentation to the emergency department (ED). Early identification and aggressive management in the ED is paramount to improving morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis. As a result, pharmacists in the ED should be familiar with and assist with the optimization of therapy for sepsis in this patient population. This article will discuss the epidemiology and economic impact of sepsis and the definitions, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation of sepsis and its related syndromes. In addition, the authors will discuss the elements related to treatment of sepsis from the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines that are particularly germane to the management of sepsis in the ED. Direct support such as source control, early broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, hemodynamic assessment, and continuous monitoring are essential. In addition, early aggressive fluid resuscitation with titration of therapy to mixed venous oxygen saturation >70%, tight glycemic control and choice of vasopressors and inotropes have been shown to decrease mortality in sepsis. Mechanical ventilation with low tidal volumes, renal replacement therapies, early enteral nutritional support, and stress ulcer prophylaxis are also important considerations in septic patients. Controversies in therapy such as the utility of drotrecogin α activated, low-dose corticosteroids, and vasopressin are also discussed.
Mapping the Ethnic Landscape: Personal Beliefs About Own Group’s and Other Groups’ Traits
Authors: Burton Michael L. , Greenberger Ellen , Hayward Craig
Published: October 2005

Brewer and Campbell showed that stereotypes fall along dimensions of achievement and evaluation. This study examines individuals’ personal beliefs about their own and other ethnic groups, along with indicators of in-group bias. Three hundred fifty-one college students who were members of six ethnic groups selected 4 traits from a list of 30 traits that best described each group. The six ethnic identities and the traits were represented in two dimensions using correspondence analysis. An achievement dimension emerged that we termed Collectivist Achievement Ethic, which contrasted three high-achieving Asian identities with three lower achieving non-Asian identities. The second dimension was linked with the socioeconomic status of the ethnic identities and had variable relationships with favorability ratings of the traits. In-group bias was found in five out of six cases; however, White Americans exhibited in-group derogation.
Young Children's Adjustment as a Function of Maltreatment, Shame, and Anger
Authors: Bennett David S. , Sullivan Margaret Wolan , Lewis Michael
Published: October 2005

Maltreated children are at increased risk for behavior problems. This study examines a model in which shame mediates the potential relation between maltreatment and anger, and anger mediates the potential relation between shame and behavior problems. Participants were 177 children (ages 3 to 7 years) and their mothers, 90 of whom had histories of perpetrating neglect and/or physical abuse. Physical abuse, but not neglect, was related to increased shame during an evaluative task; shame was related to increased anger; and anger to teacher ratings of total behavior problems and externalizing problems. Age moderated the relation between physical abuse and adjustment, as abuse was related to more total problems only among the younger children. Anger was a significant mediator of shame and both behavior problems and externalizing problems. Shame, anger, age, and type of maltreatment appear to be important factors in explaining variance in behavioral adjustment following a history of maltreatment.
Shame, Humiliation, and Childhood Sexual Abuse: Distinct Contributions and Emotional Coherence
Authors: Negrao Claudio , Bonanno George A. , Noll Jennie G. , Putnam Frank W. , Trickett Penelope K.
Published: October 2005

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may produce powerful and enduring emotion reactions, including intense shame, anger, and humiliation. Whereas shame and anger have received considerable interest from researchers, less attention has been paid to humiliation or associated coherence among these emotions as it relates to the psychological adjustment in CSA survivors. In the current investigation, the authors coded shame, anger, and humiliation from narrative transcripts of CSA survivors as they either voluntarily disclosed an abuse experience or described a distressing nonabuse experience and from nonabused individuals as they described a distressing experience. Verbal humiliation was found to be significantly associated with nonverbal displays of shame. Coherence between verbal humiliation and facial shame among CSA nondisclosers was associated with increased symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Through Black Eyes
Authors: Nash Shondrah Tarrezz
Published: October 2005

This research explores Black women’s experiences with intimate male partner violence through interview data from nine former physically, emotionally, and sexually abused African American wives. It urges a womanist analysis of Black women’s abuse experiences and, thus, considers how systems of inequalities, especially gender and race, help foster less-explored constructions of and reactions to intimate male partner violence. Findings suggest that participants’ observations on Black men’s social marginalization, educational and economic disparities between Black partners, Black women’s role in safeguarding Black men, and gendered scripts on traditions of resistance influenced their perspectives on the causes of and responses to abuse.
Considering the Interplay of Cultural Context and Service Provision in Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Latta Rachel E. , Goodman Lisa A.
Published: October 2005

This qualitative study explored how the cultural context of intimate partner violence affected accessibility to mainstream services for one immigrant group: Haitian women. Analysis of the data revealed two major themes. First, the nature and context of intimate partner violence in the Haitian immigrant community contribute to Haitian women’s reluctance to seek services as well as their overall vulnerability to intimate partner violence. Second, mainstream services are largely inaccessible to Haitian women. The authors conclude with suggestions for overcoming cultural barriers through education, increasing cultural competency of mainstream services, and creating alternative community-based services.
The Mirrored Public
Authors: Kotnik Toni
Published: October 2005

In Islamic societies, the segregation of gender typically leads to the courtyard house, with its characteristic feature of enclosure. However, there are other types of housing in the Middle East. By looking at tower houses in the Yemenite city of Sana’a, the author questions the validity of the widely used model of interpretation of the separation of urban space into the opposition between public and private space. The evaluation of architecture with respect to various studies of the gender relationship in traditional urban Yemeni society leads to a much more complex and dynamic picture of living and the replacement of privacy by a second form of public space used exclusively by women.
Families Seen Sightseeing
Authors: Larsen Jonas
Published: October 2005

Ideas of embodiment and performance have been crucial in destabilizing the visual hegemony of images, cameras, and gazes in tourist studies. This article discusses how a practice-inspired performance perspective potentially allows a more satisfying account of tourist photography’s “nature” than conventional “representational” ones in which tourist photography is dismissed as “all eyes and no bodies and sometimes no brain.” The author writes a new account, seeing tourist photography as performed rather than preformed and tourist photographers as framing as much as being framed. Tourist photography is a choreographed and experimental performance connecting the representational and nonrepresentational. Tourist photography is made less visual and more embodied, less concerned with “consuming” places than with producing social relationships, such as family life. The author examines the performances and performativities, the embodied practices and textual and corporeal choreographies, of tourist photography within a family photography context, the “family gaze.” The article draws on ethnographic research of tourist photographic performances at northern Europe’s largest medieval ruined castle, Hammershus.
Pneumothorax Then and Now
Authors: Adams Annmarie , Schwartzman Kevin
Published: October 2005

This article begins with a photograph of the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Montreal depicting the induction of a pneumothorax, a treatment for tuberculosis (TB) used from the 1920s to the 1940s. The authors place the photograph in historical context and review the contents of the room it shows, including a patient’s chest X ray. Building on Martha Langford’s Suspended Conversations, the authors examine the use of such photographic and X ray images in depictions of TB care in the mid-20th century. The authors parallel the spaces shown explicitly (the treatment facility) with those shown implicitly (the chest cavity) and then juxtapose these historical images with those of medical thoracoscopy, a current technique for visualizing chest disease that likewise begins with pneumothorax. Finally, the authors consider the changing audience for these images by highlighting the evolving role of the patient as actor and consumer rather than as passive recipient of health care expertise.
The Impact of Learning Goal Orientation Similarity on Formal Mentoring Relationship Outcomes
Authors: Egan Toby Marshall
Published: October 2005

The problem and the solution. Protégé-mentor pairs were examined regarding the impact of the similarity of their learning goal orientation (LGO) on mentoring support provided and protégé outcomes. In this study, 143 protégé-mentor pairs who articipated in a formal mentoring program in a large health care organization were the respondents. Results supported Ragins’s theory that pair homogeneity may influence support and outcomes for the protégé. Protégé-mentor pairs sharing high LGO were reported to have higher levels of idealized influence, managerial aspirations, and commitment to achieving goals than protégé-mentor dyads who had low or dissimilar levels of LGO. Implications for human resource development research and practice are discussed.
Literature Review As Creative Inquiry
Authors: Montuori Alfonso
Published: October 2005

In this article it is proposed that approached in the right way, literature reviews can be an opportunity for creative inquiry. The process of the literature review is framed as a participation in a community, a dialogue with those who are part of the community now and with one's “ancestors.” The literature review can also explore the deeper underlying assumptions of the larger community or communities of inquiry one is joining and one's own beliefs, assumptions, and attachments. Three levels are proposed that each provide a different perspective on the construction of knowledge. The article concludes with a brief overview of the way inquiry, specifically in the context of the literature review, can also be an opportunity for self-inquiry.
Sox4 cooperates with Evi1 in AKXD-23 myeloid tumors via transactivation of proviral LTR
Authors: Boyd Kathryn E. , Xiao Ying-Yi , Fan Kai , Poholek Amanda , Copeland Neal G. , Jenkins Nancy A. , Perkins Archibald S.
Published: October 2005

Myeloid leukemias in AKXD23 mice contain proviral insertions at Evi1, resulting in transcriptional activation. Although Evi1 is clearly involved in leukemia, gene transfer studies in mice with Evi1 fail to cause leukemia, arguing that cooperating events are necessary. We reanalyzed AKXD-23 tumors for cooperating proviral insertion and found that each tumor had a proviral insertion in Sox4, which encodes an HMG-box transcription factor. RNA analysis revealed these insertions cause increased Sox4 expression. Overexpression of Sox4 in 32Dcl3 cells markedly inhibited cytokine-induced granulocyte maturation, as documented by morphologic and mRNA analysis. Sox4-expressing cells had higher levels of transcripts associated with proliferation, including Evi1. Conversely, in leukemic cells that express Sox4 and bear provirally activated Evi1, suppression of Sox4 with short hairpin RNAs resulted in down-regulation of both Sox4 and Evi1. By cotransfection studies, Sox4 is able to transactivate the AKV long terminal repeat, which likely explains how Sox4 transcriptionally up-regulates provirally activated Evi1; however, Sox4 does not appear to regulate the native Evi1 promoter. We propose that Sox4 proviral activation is selected for in the setting of prior proviral activation of Evi1, because it transactivates the relatively weak LTR of AKV leading to higher Evi1 expression and consequent block to differentiation. (Blood. 2006;107:733-741)
Monocytes form a vascular barrier and participate in vessel repair after brain injury
Authors: Glod John , Kobiler David , Noel Martha , Koneru Rajeth , Lehrer Shoshana , Medina Daniel , Maric Dragan , Fine Howard A.
Published: October 2005

Subpopulations of bone marrow-derived cells can be induced to assume a number of endothelial properties in vitro. However, their ability to form a functional vascular barrier has not been demonstrated. We report that human CD14+ peripheral blood monocytes cultured under angiogenic conditions develop a number of phenotypic and functional properties similar to brain microvascular endothelial cells. These cells express the tight junction proteins zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) and occludin and form a barrier with a transcellular electrical resistance (TCER) greater than 100 ohm cm2 and low permeability to 4 kDa and 20 kDa dextrans. The TCER of the cellular barrier is decreased by bradykinin and histamine. We also demonstrate that these cells associate with repairing vasculature in areas of brain and skin injury. Our data suggest that CD14+ peripheral blood monocytes participate in the repair of the vascular barrier after brain injury.
Hematopoietic stem cells do not engraft with absolute efficiencies
Authors: Camargo Fernando D. , Chambers Stuart M. , Drew Erin , McNagny Kelly M. , Goodell Margaret A.
Published: October 2005

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can be isolated from murine bone marrow by their ability to efflux the Hoechst 33342 dye. This method defines an extremely small and hematopoietically potent subset of cells known as the side population (SP). Recent studies suggest that transplanted single SP cells are capable of lymphohematopoietic repopulation at near absolute efficiencies. Here, we carefully reevaluate the hematopoietic potential of individual SP cells and find substantially lower rates of reconstitution. Our strategy involved the cotransplantation of single SP cells along with different populations of competitor cells that varied in their self-renewal capacity. Even with minimized HSC competition, SP cells were only able to reconstitute up to 35% of recipient mice. Furthermore, through immunophenotyping and clonal in vitro assays we find that SP cells are virtually homogeneous. Isolation of HSCs on the basis of Hoechst exclusion and a single cell-surface marker allows enrichment levels similar to that obtained with complex multicolor strategies. Altogether, our results indicate that even an extremely homogeneous HSC population, based on phenotype and dye efflux, cannot reconstitute mice at absolute efficiencies.
Erythropoietin stimulates phosphorylation and activation of GATA-1 via the PI3-kinase/AKT signaling pathway
Authors: Zhao Wei , Kitidis Claire , Fleming Mark D. , Lodish Harvey F. , Ghaffari Saghi
Published: October 2005

Erythropoietin (Epo) stimulation of its receptor's downstream signaling pathways and optimum function of GATA-1 transcription factor are both essential for normal erythroid cell development. Epo-receptor (EpoR) signaling and GATA-1 regulate proliferation, survival, differentiation, and maturation of erythroid cells. Whether any signal that is generated by EpoR targets GATA-1 or affects GATA-1 transcriptional activity is not known. Here, we demonstrate that stimulation of EpoR results in phosphorylation of GATA-1 at serine 310 (S310) in primary fetal liver erythroid progenitors and in cultured erythroid cells. We show that phosphorylation of GATA-1 is important for Epo-induced maturation of fetal liver erythroid progenitor cells. The PI3-kinase/AKT signaling pathway is identified as a mediator of Epo-induced phosphorylation of GATA-1. AKT serine threonine kinase phosphorylates GATA-1S310 in vitro and in erythroid cells and enhances GATA-1 transcriptional activity. These data demonstrate that EpoR signaling phosphorylates GATA-1 and modulates its activity via the PI3-kinase/AKT signaling pathway.
In silico characterization of the family of PARP-like poly(ADP-ribosyl)transferases (pARTs)
Authors: Otto Helge , Reche Pedro A , Bazan Fernando , Dittmar Katharina , Haag Friedrich , Koch-Nolte Friedrich
Published: October 2005

Background

ADP-ribosylation is an enzyme-catalyzed posttranslational protein modification in which mono(ADP-ribosyl)transferases (mARTs) and poly(ADP-ribosyl)transferases (pARTs) transfer the ADP-ribose moiety from NAD onto specific amino acid side chains and/or ADP-ribose units on target proteins.

Results

Using a combination of database search tools we identified the genes encoding recognizable pART domains in the public genome databases. In humans, the pART family encompasses 17 members. For 16 of these genes, an orthologue exists also in the mouse, rat, and pufferfish. Based on the degree of amino acid sequence similarity in the catalytic domain, conserved intron positions, and fused protein domains, pARTs can be divided into five major subgroups. All six members of groups 1 and 2 contain the H-Y-E trias of amino acid residues found also in the active sites of Diphtheria toxin and Pseudomonas exotoxin A, while the eleven members of groups 3 – 5 carry variations of this motif. The pART catalytic domain is found associated in Lego-like fashion with a variety of domains, including nucleic acid-binding, protein-protein interaction, and ubiquitylation domains. Some of these domain associations appear to be very ancient since they are observed also in insects, fungi, amoebae, and plants. The recently completed genome of the pufferfish T. nigroviridis contains recognizable orthologues for all pARTs except for pART7. The nearly completed albeit still fragmentary chicken genome contains recognizable orthologues for twelve pARTs. Simpler eucaryotes generally contain fewer pARTs: two in the fly D. melanogaster, three each in the mosquito A. gambiae, the nematode C. elegans, and the ascomycete microfungus G. zeae, six in the amoeba E. histolytica, nine in the slime mold D. discoideum, and ten in the cress plant A. thaliana. GenBank contains two pART homologues from the large double stranded DNA viruses Chilo iridescent virus and Bacteriophage Aeh1 and only a single entry (from V. cholerae) showing recognizable homology to the pART-like catalytic domains of Diphtheria toxin and Pseudomonas exotoxin A.

Conclusion

The pART family, which encompasses 17 members in the human and 16 members in the mouse, can be divided into five subgroups on the basis of sequence similarity, phylogeny, conserved intron positions, and patterns of genetically fused protein domains.
Lack of interchangeability between visual analogue and verbal rating pain scales: a cross sectional description of pain etiology groups
Authors: Lund Iréne , Lundeberg Thomas , Sandberg Louise , Budh Cecilia Norrbrink , Kowalski Jan , Svensson Elisabeth
Published: October 2005

Background:

Rating scales like the visual analogue scale, VAS, and the verbal rating scale, VRS, are often used for pain assessments both in clinical work and in research, despite the lack of a gold standard. Interchangeability of recorded pain intensity captured in the two scales has been discussed earlier, but not in conjunction with taking the influence of pain etiology into consideration.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, patients with their pain classified according to its etiology (chronic/idiopathic, nociceptive and neuropathic pain) were consecutively recruited for self-assessment of their actual pain intensity using a continuous VAS, 0–100, and a discrete five-category VRS. The data were analyzed with a non-parametric statistical method, suitable for comparison of scales with different numbers of response alternatives.

Results:

An overlapping of the VAS records relative the VRS categories was seen in all pain groups. Cut-off positions for the VAS records related to the VRS categories were found lower in patients with nociceptive pain relative patients suffering from chronic/idiopathic and neuropathic pain. When comparing the VAS records transformed into an equidistant five-category scale with the VRS records, systematic disagreements between the scales was shown in all groups. Furthermore, in the test-retest a low percentage of the patients agreed to the same pain level on the VAS while the opposite hold for the VRS.

Conclusion:

The pain intensity assessments on VAS and VRS are in this study, not interchangeable due to overlap of pain records between the two scales, systematic disagreements when comparing the two scales and a low percentage intra-scale agreement. Furthermore, the lower VAS cut-off positions relative the VRS labels indicate different meaning of the rated pain intensity depending on pain etiology. It is also indicated that the scales have non-linear properties and that the two scales probably have different interpretation. Our findings are in favor of using the VRS in pain intensity assessments but if still the VAS is preferred, the VAS data should be analyzed as continuous using statistical methods suitable for ordinal data. Furthermore, our findings indicate a risk to over or under estimate the patient's perceived pain when interpreting condensed VAS data.
Survivin expression and its clinical significance in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Lee Myung Ah , Park Gyeong-sin , Lee Hee-Jung , Jung Ji-Han , Kang Jin-Hyoung , Hong Young Seon , Lee Kyung Shik , Kim Dong-gu , Kim Seung-Nam
Published: October 2005

Background

Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis is expressed in several human cancers. Its expression is known to be associated with poor clinical outcome, but not widely studied in pancreatic cancer. We performed this study to determine the survivin expression in pancreatic cancer and its clinical significance as a prognostic factor.

Methods

We performed immunohistochemical staining for survivin, p53, and Bax in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded block from forty-nine pancreatic tissues. To determine the association with clinical course, we reviewed the patients' clinical record.

Results

Of the 49 cases of pancreatic cancer, 46 cases (93.9%) were positive for survivin expression. There was no significant association between survivin expression and p53 or bax. For clinicopathological parameters, perineural invasion was more common in survivin positive and venous invasion was more common in survivin negative (p = 0.041 and 0.040, respectively). Responsiveness to chemotherapy appeared to be slightly better in patients with low survivin expression.

Conclusion

Survivin expression may be associated with venous or perineural invasion, indicating metastatic route, and seems to have a potential as a predictive marker for chemotherapy. Further study of large scale is required to determine the clinical significance of survivin expression in pancreatic cancer.
ELSID-Diabetes study-evaluation of a large scale implementation of disease management programmes for patients with type 2 diabetes. Rationale, design and conduct – a study protocol [ISRCTN08471887]
Authors: Joos Stefanie , Rosemann Thomas , Heiderhoff Marc , Wensing Michel , Ludt Sabine , Gensichen Jochen , Kaufmann-Kolle Petra , Szecsenyi Joachim
Published: October 2005

Background

Diabetes model projects in different regions of Germany including interventions such as quality circles, patient education and documentation of medical findings have shown improvements of HbA1c levels, blood pressure and occurrence of hypoglycaemia in before-after studies (without control group). In 2002 the German Ministry of Health defined legal regulations for the introduction of nationwide disease management programs (DMP) to improve the quality of care in chronically ill patients. In April 2003 the first DMP for patients with type 2 diabetes was accredited. The evaluation of the DMP is essential and has been made obligatory in Germany by the Fifth Book of Social Code. The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of DMP by example of type 2 diabetes in the primary care setting of two German federal states (Rheinland-Pfalz and Sachsen-Anhalt).

Methods/Design

The study is three-armed: a prospective cluster-randomized comparison of two interventions (DMP 1 and DMP 2) against routine care without DMP as control group. In the DMP group 1 the patients are treated according to the current situation within the German-Diabetes-DMP. The DMP group 2 represents diabetic care within ideally implemented DMP providing additional interventions (e.g. quality circles, outreach visits). According to a sample size calculation a sample size of 200 GPs (each GP including 20 patients) will be required for the comparison of DMP 1 and DMP 2 considering possible drop-outs. For the comparison with routine care 4000 patients identified by diabetic tracer medication and age (> 50 years) will be analyzed.

Discussion

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the German Diabetes-DMP compared to a Diabetes-DMP providing additional interventions and routine care in the primary care setting of two different German federal states.
A system for precise analysis of transcription-regulating elements of immunoglobulin genes
Authors: Cheng Emily Y , Collins Cathy , Berru Maribel , Shulman Marc J
Published: October 2005

Background

Precise analysis of expression-regulating elements, such as enhancers and insulators, requires that they be tested under reproducible, isogenic conditions. The commonly used methods of transfecting DNA into cell lines and selecting for drug resistance lack the requisite precision, as they yield cell lines in which varying numbers of gene copies have inserted at varying and undefined sites. By contrast, recombination-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE), by which a site-specific recombinase is used to place a single copy of a transgene at a constant chromosomal site of a cell line, offers the necessary precision. Although RMCE is generally applicable, many regulatory elements of interest are tissue-specific in their function and so require cell lines in the appropriate ontogenetic state.

Results

As reported here, we have used RMCE in a mouse B hybridoma cell line to establish a system with several additional advantages. To avoid the non-physiological features of prokaryotic DNA, this system uses the immunoglobulin μ heavy chain (IgH) gene from the hybridoma as the reporter. Expression can be measured simply by bulk culture assays (ELISA, Northern blot) and single cell assays (flow cytometry). Expression of the IgH reporter gene varies only 1.5 fold among independent transfectants, and expression is greatly (> 50 fold) increased by inclusion of the IgH intronic enhancer.

Conclusion

This system is suitable for precise analysis of the regulatory elements of the immunoglobulin loci.
Expression and cytosolic assembly of the S-layer fusion protein mSbsC-EGFP in eukaryotic cells
Authors: Blecha Andreas , Zarschler Kristof , Sjollema Klaas A , Veenhuis Marten , Rödel Gerhard
Published: October 2005

Background

Native as well as recombinant bacterial cell surface layer (S-layer) protein of Geobacillus (G.) stearothermophilus ATCC 12980 assembles to supramolecular structures with an oblique symmetry. Upon expression in E. coli, S-layer self assembly products are formed in the cytosol. We tested the expression and assembly of a fusion protein, consisting of the mature part (aa 31–1099) of the S-layer protein and EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein), in eukaryotic host cells, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human HeLa cells.

Results

Upon expression in E. coli the recombinant mSbsC-EGFP fusion protein was recovered from the insoluble fraction. After denaturation by Guanidine (Gua)-HCl treatment and subsequent dialysis the fusion protein assembled in solution and yielded green fluorescent cylindric structures with regular symmetry comparable to that of the authentic SbsC. For expression in the eukaryotic host Saccharomyces (S.) cerevisiae mSbsC-EGFP was cloned in a multi-copy expression vector bearing the strong constitutive GPD 1 (glyceraldehyde-3-phosophate-dehydrogenase) promoter. The respective yeast transfomants were only slightly impaired in growth and exhibited a needle-like green fluorescent pattern. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies revealed the presence of closely packed cylindrical structures in the cytosol with regular symmetry comparable to those obtained after in vitro recrystallization. Similar structures are observed in HeLa cells expressing mSbsC-EGFP from the Cytomegalovirus (CMV IE) promoter.

Conclusion

The mSbsC-EGFP fusion protein is stably expressed both in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and in HeLa cells. Recombinant mSbsC-EGFP combines properties of both fusion partners: it assembles both in vitro and in vivo to cylindrical structures that show an intensive green fluorescence. Fusion of proteins to S-layer proteins may be a useful tool for high level expression in yeast and HeLa cells of otherwise instable proteins in their native conformation. In addition the self assembly properties of the fusion proteins allow their simple purification. Moreover the binding properties of the S-layer part can be used to immobilize the fusion proteins to various surfaces. Arrays of highly ordered and densely structured proteins either immobilized on surfaces or within living cells may be advantageous over the respective soluble variants with respect to stability and their potential interference with cellular metabolism.
The role of aromatase inhibitors in ameliorating deleterious effects of ovarian stimulation on outcome of infertility treatment
Authors: Mitwally Mohamed FM , Casper Robert F , Diamond Michael P
Published: October 2005

Clinical utilization of ovulation stimulation to facilitate the ability of a couple to conceive has not only provided a valuable therapeutic approach, but has also yielded extensive information on the physiology of ovarian follicular recruitment, endometrial receptivity and early embryo competency. One of the consequences of the use of fertility enhancing agents for ovarian stimulation has been the creation of a hyperestrogenic state, which may influence each of these parameters. Use of aromatase inhibitors reduces hyperestrogenism inevitably attained during ovarian stimulation. In addition, the adjunct use of aromatase inhibitors during ovarian stimulation reduces amount of gonadotropins required for optimum stimulation. The unique approach of reducing hyperestrogenism, as well as lowering amount of gonadotropins without affecting the number of mature ovarian follicles is an exciting strategy that could result in improvement in the treatment outcome by ameliorating the deleterious effects of the ovarian stimulation on follicular development, endometrial receptivity, as well as oocyte and embryo quality.