bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Action-Research Project
Authors: Rajaram Shireen S.
Published: December 2009

This action-research project focused on gathering data on awareness of lead poisoning, as well as disseminating information on lead poisoning prevention in a metropolitan midwestern city. This project reflects an action-research approach to service learning and was in collaboration with a grass-roots organization. This paper outlines the daunting task of seeking this “highest level of service learning” (Porpora 1999: 121)—action research—in a medical sociology undergraduate class. Action research reflects an integration of the three main academic functions: service, teaching, and research. It requires wearing different hats, and meeting the agendas of both the academic and civic communities. This paper illustrates the process and some of the challenges in carrying out an action-research project geared toward childhood lead poisoning prevention.
Teaching Transgender
Authors: Wentling Tre , Windsor Elroi , Schilt Kristen , Lucal Betsy
Published: December 2009

The recent visibility of transgender lives demonstrates the dawning of a new period in the potential to include transgender topics in sociology courses. The focus on transgender individuals, communities, and inclusive initiatives are gaining momentum on many public and private college and university campuses, awakening old and new curiosities, igniting student activists and advocates everywhere. Such developments provide an important opportunity for instructors who are motivated to create trans-friendly syllabi, courses, and classrooms. In this article, we briefly explore how transgender people have been used to teach sociological concepts and provide strategies to positively integrate transgender communities into the classroom. Ultimately, we intend this article to show new and more sensitive ways to include transgender experiences into a wide range of sociological courses.
Teaching Reflexivity in Qualitative Interviewing
Authors: Hsiung Ping-Chun
Published: December 2009

Reflexivity has gained paramount status in qualitative inquiry. It is central to debates on subjectivity, objectivity, and, ultimately, the scientific foundation of social science knowledge and research. Although much work on doing reflexivity by researchers and practitioners has been published, scholars have only recently begun to explore how one goes about teaching reflexivity in qualitative research. This paper contributes to the endeavour by first identifying challenges of teaching reflexivity. It then describes how I use an existing data set and hands-on learning as complementary strategies to teach reflexiv-ity in a course on qualitative interviewing. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of teaching reflexivity in sociology in general and in qualitative research methods in particular.
C. Wright Mills's Friendly Critique of Service Learning and an Innovative Response: Cross-Institutional Collaborations for Community-Based Research
Authors: Marullo Sam , Moayedi Roxanna , Cooke Deanna
Published: December 2009

C. Wright Mills would be a friendly critic of service learning, acknowledging its benefits for providing students with experiential learning opportunities to connect personal troubles with social issues. Yet he would be critical of service-learning practices that perpetuate institutional power inequalities and that do not advance the social change objectives of community-based organizations. We offer an innovative approach that helps to address some of these concerns which, when used in conjunction with “best practices” of service learning, has the potential to make a greater impact on the community than most service-learning projects. This paper highlights how two sociology programs in two urban universities—a large, elite university and a smaller, minority-serving university—have completed significant community-based research projects by having classes of students at both universities work on projects both consecutively and simultaneously across several semesters to complete substantial research projects with and for community partners. We use a case study approach to identify five key practices that have enabled the two universities to effectively collaborate across institutions.
Non-expert ratings of infant and parent emotion: Concordance with expert coding and relevance to early autism risk
Authors: Baker Jason K. , Haltigan John D. , Brewster Ryan , Jaccard James , Messinger Daniel
Published: December 2009

This study investigated a novel approach to obtaining data on parent and infant emotion during the Face-to-Face/Still-Face paradigm, and examined these data in light of previous findings regarding early autism risk. One-hundred and eighty eight non-expert students rated 38 parents and infant siblings of children who did (20) or did not (18) have autism spectrum disorders. Ratings averaged across 10 non-experts exhibited high concordance with expert facial-action codes for infant emotion, and 20 non-experts were required for reliable parent ratings. Findings replicated the well-established still-face effect and identified subtle risk associations consonant with results from previous investigations. The unique information offered by intuitive non-expert ratings is discussed as an alternative to complex and costly behavioral coding systems.
Experiencing marital satisfaction across three cultures: A qualitative study
Authors: Wong Sowan , Goodwin Robin
Published: December 2009

The present study examined, via qualitative interviews, the experience of marital satisfaction across three cultures: the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Beijing, China. A total of 79 respondents were interviewed in the three cultures and template analysis with an emic approach was used as the analytic method. Results indicated that, in all three cultures, a stable relationship with the spouse, spousal support, partnership with the spouse, and stable family finances were important factors that contributed to marital satisfaction. Cultural differences also appeared. Companionship was more important for British respondents, while harmonious marital relations were more important for Hong Kong respondents. These findings were generally consistent with postulates from modernization theories and cultural value theories.
Assessing and improving out-of-hours palliative care in a deprived community: a rapid appraisal study
Authors: Fergus CJY , Chinn DJ , Murray SA
Published: December 2009

Recent changes to out-of-hours primary care in the UK have generated concerns about care for palliative care patients. The aim of this study was to identify key challenges and improvements to out-of-hours palliative care in a mixed urban and rural deprived area. We integrated data from three sources: interviews with patients and professionals, direct observations of services, and routine statistics. Key issues in the provision of care were the importance of good communication and having information available, the unwieldy process of accessing medical care out of hours, professionals bypassing routine out-of-hours care for palliative care patients, and out-of-hours care being provided by practitioners unaware of local services. We recommend provision to out-of-hours services of an enhanced ‘special note’ for palliative care patients, to be completed early in the course of the illness and updated regularly. The provision for certain complex patients to bypass NHS24 should be considered if routine care is not satisfactory.
Mechanical Properties of PP Composites Reinforced with BCTMP Aspen Fiber
Authors: Ruijun Gu  , Kokta B.V.
Published: December 2009

In this work we investigated the effect of incorporating wood fibers (bleached chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp of aspen, BCTMP) on the properties of a hybrid composite material made from maleated polypropylene (MAPP) and Nanoclay (NC) or not. The effects of morphological structure of polypropylene (PP) and the molecular weight (Mw) and maleic anhydride graft level (MA%) of MAPP were also performed to evaluate the improvements of each independent factor (MAPP, Dicumyl peroxide-DCP and NC).

In our case, the size of wood fiber had little effect on the impact and tensile strength. High Mw and low MA% MAPP contributes homo-PP hybrids with better performance, either impact or tensile. In addition, wood fiber gives the hybrids, based on both homo-polypropylene (homo-PP) and co-polypropylene (co-PP), without the presence of coupling agent, similar behaviors of impact and tensile strengths. However, the impact and tensile strength of the hybrids mentioned above are improved in the presence of coupling agent. NC weakens the impact strength of composites with/without the reinforcement of wood fiber, coupling agent, and DCP. It shows different behaviors of tensile with improvement of tensile for hybrids with wood fiber, coupling agent, and DCP but impartation for nanocomposites without additives. Moreover, the behavior of tensile is in concordance to the changes of elongation as well as toughness. Furthermore, DCP leads to negative effects on the impact and tensile, as well as toughness of the hybrids when fiber is present, but exhibits better resistance deformation extension which is in concordance with the increase of modulus. In addition, there is a little increase in plasticity.
The Agrofuels Project at Large
Authors: McMichael Philip
Published: December 2009

This essay addresses the contradictory consequences of expanding agrofuels production on crop land (inflating food prices) and forestland (increasing carbon emissions). Whereas the energy crisis has strong roots in industrial agriculture’s fossil-fuel dependence, responses to the energy crisis follow a typical capital accumulation script — that is, attempting to overcome barriers to profitability by extending the realm of value creation, even as this intensifies capitalism’s contradictions. The ‘agrofuels project’ is central to this attempt to maintain profit, and to legitimize the state/capital nexus. The rush to agrofuels, under the guise of policies geared to alternative energy and reducing carbon emissions, opens up new profit frontiers for agribusiness, energy and biotechnology corporations.
Partner effects on labour market participation and job level: opposing mechanisms
Authors: Verbakel Ellen , de Graaf Paul M.
Published: December 2009

This study investigates to what extent a partner’s career resources affect labour market par ticipation and job level. Theories on this topic predict opposing par tner effects: economic theory expects a negative relationship due to financial incentives, whereas a positive relationship can be expected from a social capital point of view. In order to test these opposing mechanisms properly, (a) labour market outcomes are decomposed into labour market participation and job level, and (b) a historical perspective is introduced. Large scale labour force surveys conducted by Statistics Netherlands from 1977 onwards show that a partner’s career resources have a negative influence on working hours and a positive influence on job level. Over birth cohorts, the negative effect on working hours has become stronger for males and weaker for females, whereas the positive effect on job level has decreased for both men and women.
Regulatory enforcement of labour standards in an outsourcing globalized industry
Authors: Bloor Michael , Sampson Helen
Published: December 2009

Ship operators have largely contracted out the supply of seafarer labour to crewing agencies recruiting in developing world countries. This case study reports on the quality of seafarer training and on the local enforcement of international training standards in a developing country which has become a major supplier of outsourced seafarer labour. Maritime education and training institutions (METs) cannot compete freely to supply quality training at competitive prices because of the market-fixing activities of the crewing agencies who demand kickbacks from the METs. Other pressures on training quality include the existence of papermill METs (issuing certificates without training) and a developed market in forged cer tificates. This poses a considerable challenge for the national institutions charged with overseeing examinations and inspecting METs.The struggle to achieve effective governance of the training of outsourced labour in the shipping industry may arguably be viewed as a critical case for other globalizing industries.
Twin research, revisionism and metahistory
Authors: Teo Thomas , Ball Laura C.
Published: December 2009

We understand metahistory as an approach that studies how histories within a particular discipline have been written and focus on insider scientists’ reconstructions of twin research. Using the concept of ethical-political affordances we suggest that such histories are based on a management of resources that prove to be beneficial for representing one’s own research traditions in a positive light. Instead of discussing information on the context and intellectual life of pioneers of the twin method, which include high-caliber eugenicists and Nazi ideologues, and on how the twin method has been used and abused, insider scientists’ accounts present twin research as neutral, objective and void of any kind of political connotations. We show how important leaders of German twin research have been historically managed, and how their contributions have been distorted and omitted. Reasons for historical revisionism by omission and for selectively revised accounts of the past are discussed. Suggestions for writing accounts of the twin method are included and focus on the necessity of self-reflection, considerations regarding one’s own ethical-political inclinations, and review of the existing historical literature. In analyzing these connections, we attempt to understand how science, politics and history interact.
Chemotherapy dose intensity reductions due to adverse drug reactions in an oncology outpatient setting
Authors: Llopis-Salvia Pilar , Sarrio-Montes Gema , Garcia-Llopis Paula , Bargues-Ruiz Adria
Published: December 2009

Objective. The aim of this study was to establish the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) that prevent administration of planned dose intensity antineoplastic chemotherapy in clinical practice.

Methods. A retrospective cohort study was made of adult oncology patients who received intravenous chemotherapy in an outpatient ward during 2005. Dose delays, dose reductions, dose omissions, or treatment discontinuations with respect to the planned chemotherapy regimen were obtained, and causes were evaluated to identify ADRs.

Results. A total of 532 patients were included, involving the administration of 631 chemotherapy regimens. The total number of cycles evaluated was 3553. The incidence of nonadherence to planned treatment due to ADRs was 12.9% cycles (95% CI: 11.8—14.0). Differences according to patient’s age were found, patients younger than 65 years showed higher rates of nonadherence due to ADRs. Myelosuppression was the main cause of dose delays, and gastrointestinal and neurological toxicity were reported as the main causes of dose reductions.

Conclusions. The incidence of ADRs preventing planned dose intensity administration has been estimated. Follow-up of nonadherence to antineoplastic chemotherapy prescriptions can be used to evaluate tolerance in the clinical setting. Continuous evaluation of security in clinical practice provides information on benefits outweighing the deleterious effects in specific patient populations where the available data are limited.
Atypical presentation of acute neurotoxicity secondary to oxaliplatin
Authors: Uña Esther
Published: December 2009

Neurotoxicity is the main and dose-limiting toxicity of oxaliplatin. It may produce two different syndromes, acute and chronic. We describe here a case of a patient with an acute syndrome with the particularity of affecting only contralateral hemibody to arm of infusion. A 62-year-old female diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer, underwent palliative treatment with combination of oxaliplatin (130 mg/m 2 on day 1), capecitabine (1.250 mg/m2 bid on days 1 to 14 every 3 weeks), and bevacizumab. Thirty minutes after cycle 1 oxaliplatin infusion, which was into the left arm, she experienced right hemibody paresthesia with muscle cramping of her right calf. She associated dysphonia and painful jamming sensation in her right upper limb with difficulty to release grip. She noted also undulating movements under the skin of her right lower extremity. She was unable to stand or walk. She was given intravenous magnesium sulfate and calcium gluconate and after 3 h all her symptoms were solved. Subsequent doses were reduced by 25% and the infusions were prolonged to 3 h and the patient tolerated well except minimal paresthesia in her right hand lasting few minutes.
Mutations of p53 gene in breast cancer in the Egyptian Province of Dakahliya
Authors: El-Ghannam Doaa M , Arafa Mohammad , Badrawy Tarek
Published: December 2009

Background. Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among females worldwide. Molecular analysis of p53 is likely to have value in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of breast cancer.

Objective. To study the frequency and spectrum of p53 gene mutations in breast cancer patients residing Al Dakahliya district in the north of Egypt.

Materials and Methods. Thirty patients with cancer breast as well as 10 controls were evaluated for p53 status by flow-cytometry, PCR-SSCP, and sequencing analysis.

Results. P53 mutations were evident in five breast cancer patients (17%) including two missense mutations (A218 T and R279 G) in exon 6, 8; nonsense mutations (S297stop and Y159stop) in exon 8, 5, respectively, and frame shift mutation (M133 fs) in exon 5. p53 mutations were associated with invasive ductal carcinoma, large tumor size, and advanced disease stage

Conclusion. p53 gene mutations is potentially responsible for pathogenesis and clinical aggressiveness of breast cancer in our locality.
Reconsidering the Utility of Case Study Designs for Researching School Reform in a Neo-Scientific Era: Insights From a Multiyear, Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Donmoyer Robert , Galloway Fred
Published: December 2009

In recent years, policy makers and researchers once again have embraced the traditional idea that quasi-experimental research designs (or reasonable facsimiles) can provide the sort of valid and generalizable knowledge about “what works” that educational researchers had promised—but never really produced—during the previous century. Although critics have challenged this thinking, to date most critiques have been more epistemological than methodological.The purpose of this article is to critique neo-scientific thinking about case study methods. In the process of doing this, the article also provides a more general, methodologically oriented critique of neo-scientific thought. The authors use a mixed-method, multiyear study of a reform initiative to keep their discussion tethered to relatively concrete methodological concerns.
Fractures of the radial head and neck
Authors: Laugharne Edward , Porter KM
Published: December 2009

Fractures of the radial head and neck are common injuries that largely result from a fall onto an outstretched hand. They can range from simple injuries amenable to conservative management, to complex injuries requiring operative intervention. Undisplaced and minimally displaced fractures can usually be managed non-operatively with satisfactory results. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is generally indicated for significantly displaced or complex fractures, with radial head replacement reserved for cases refractory to ORIF. However, there remains debate regarding optimal treatment of complex radial head fractures and further evidence is required before definitive management guidelines can be produced.
French prisons of yesteryear and today
Authors: Chantraine Gilles
Published: December 2009

In France, while the invention of the penal prison represents a historical turning point, it is also in line with the repressive practices of the Ancien Régime. Reconstruction of the sociogenesis of the institution and of the general structure of prison reforms shows a peculiar historical dynamic: whereas the prison is primarily a tool for handling illegalities, its inertia resides less in its disciplinary function than in the constant interference of the pragmatic achievement of its main goal — locking inmates up — with the correctional aspiration. Two important, contradictory reorientations in this dynamic partially break the ‘monotony’ of prison reforms. On the one hand, the decline in prison’s rehabilitative vocation, the extension of risk management-oriented penology and the will to remove dangerous individuals from society tend to reinforce the safety-oriented structure of the institution and its inherent violence. On the other hand, criticism of institutional totalitarianism and the demand for respect of human rights are continually questioning the traditional exertion of power in custodial contexts. The history of contemporary French prisons, torn between the primacy of security and respect for basic rights, is the outcome of the balance of power between two penal modernities with conflicting stances on basic rights.
To max or not to max
Authors: King Roy D. , Resodihardjo Sandra L.
Published: December 2009

Following a number of high profile escapes during the 1990s, policy makers in the Dutch Prison Service and in the Prison Service of England and Wales faced stark choices about how to house their highest risk offenders. They made those choices in the spotlight of publicity and under pressure from politicians and the press. In this article we seek to present the choices made in the light of the respective histories of the two systems by using a framework drawn from the literature on public policy formation. Our aim is not so much to develop or test hypotheses about policy formation, but rather to try to understand two things: first, how these particular policies compare with so-called supermax solutions developed in the United States and second, why policy makers decided to choose one policy option rather than the other.
Pastoral power as penal resistance
Authors: Welch Michael
Published: December 2009

Whereas Michel Foucault’s writings are an important mainstay in penology, his involvement in the Groupe d’Information sur les Prisons (GIP) is generally given less consideration by criminologists outside France. Recently though, some scholars have revisited Foucault’s affiliation with the GIP in an effort to interpret the nature of his activism by turning attention to Foucault’s published work as it intersects his political engagements. The project here suggests that analyses of Foucault’s participation in the GIP have the potential to benefit even further by tapping into another source of intellectual pursuit, namely his lectures at the College de France. The article uses Foucault’s teachings on pastoral power as a device to decipher his own influence in the campaign to confront unjust conditions in French prisons. Overall, the critique aims to situate Foucault’s thoughts on the pastoral into his personal commitment to challenge prison regimes; by doing so, the discussion moves toward a deeper understanding of penal resistance.
Picture and social concept: a fractal-concept analysis of advertising art
Authors: Wilson Kenneth L. , Wasserman Jason Adam , Lowndes Florin
Published: December 2009

This article introduces a new variation of Mandelbrot’s fractal geometry: fractal-concept analysis. Like fractal geometry, fractal-concept analysis differentiates phenomena into self-similar fractals that resemble the parent seed, but instead of using geometric generators, fractal-concept analysis uses a conceptual architecture as the generator. The methodology’s unique capacity for clearly characterizing difficult subject matter is demonstrated through an analysis of advertising art. The conceptual generator’s second iteration of advertisements from three reputable companies (Gore-Tex, Akvavit and Land Rover) exposed latent picture-concepts and text-concepts that significantly manipulated consumers in clearly identifiable ways. While most people are aware that advertising is manipulative by design, our analysis systematically explicates the manipulation logic of advertisements. We suggest that fractal-concept analysis is a useful new tool allowing analysis of qualitative/interpretive subject matter with a high level of confidence without resorting to positivistic analytic strategies.
Urn sampling, interval censoring and proportional hazard models
Authors: Zheng Lu , Zelen Marvin
Published: December 2009

This paper proposes a new distribution-free statistical method for testing hypotheses about covariates for survival data having simultaneously right-, left- and interval-censored survival times. The new test is motivated by the analogue between urn sampling and the Cox’s proportional hazard models. Investigations of the significance levels and power as a function of the proportion of interval-censored observations and interval length show that the test performs well for most censoring situations encountered in practice. Simulation results also suggest that there is negligible loss of power in the practical situation in which the mean interval length for interval-censored observations is less than the mean survival time. This holds even with heavy interval censoring. Comparison with the widely used Mantel’s method for comparing two groups shows that the power of the new method appears to be superior. Furthermore, the test is relatively simple to carry out and generalizes to comparing k populations as well as the testing of general linear hypothesis for arbitrary covariates.
Recent advances in the pharmacological management of painful diabetic neuropathy
Authors: Tesfaye Solomon , Selvarajah Dinesh
Published: December 2009

Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) affects 10—26% of all diabetic patients and continues to pose significant clinical/treatment challenges. Pharmacological treatment of painful DPN includes tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, anticonvulsants, opiates, the antioxidant alpha lipoic acid, membrane stabilisers, topical capsaicin etc. Over the past five years many compounds have undergone clinical trials and new agents have immerged. Current first-line therapies for painful DPN are a TCA, SNRI (such as duloxetine) or anticonvulsants (such as pregabalin or gabapentin), taking into account patient co-morbidities and cost. On the basis of cost NICE has recently recommended the use of TCAs before the other first-line agents of painful DPN. Second-line therapies include opiates such as tramadol, morphine and oxycodone.
Review: The importance of residual endogenous beta-cell preservation in type 1 diabetes
Authors: Ali Mohammad Alhadj , Dayan Colin M
Published: December 2009

Achieving tight glycaemic control in type 1 diabetes remains very challenging for patients. However, some individuals retain a degree of endogenous beta-cell function for 5 or more years after diagnosis, and prospective studies confirm that this is associated not only with lower glycated haemoglobin A1c levels, and less hypoglycaemia, but also a reduced incidence of long-term complications. An independent effect of insulin C-peptide may contribute to this beneficial effect. Retention of even small amounts of endogenous beta-cell function for as long as possible should therefore be a key therapeutic goal in type 1 diabetes. Tight glycaemic control from diagnosis has already been shown to help in this regard, and we argue that the introduction of novel immunotherapies which achieve this important goal should be strongly encouraged, even if they fall short of an insulin-free 'cure'.
Crossfit analysis: a novel method to characterize the dynamics of induced plant responses
Authors: Jansen Jeroen J , van Dam Nicole M , Hoefsloot Huub CJ , Smilde Age K
Published: December 2009

Background

Many plant species show induced responses that protect them against exogenous attacks. These responses involve the production of many different bioactive compounds. Plant species belonging to the Brassicaceae family produce defensive glucosinolates, which may greatly influence their favorable nutritional properties for humans. Each responding compound may have its own dynamic profile and metabolic relationships with other compounds. The chemical background of the induced response is therefore highly complex and may therefore not reveal all the properties of the response in any single model.

Results

This study therefore aims to describe the dynamics of the glucosinolate response, measured at three time points after induction in a feral Brassica, by a three-faceted approach, based on Principal Component Analysis. First the large-scale aspects of the response are described in a 'global model' and then each time-point in the experiment is individually described in 'local models' that focus on phenomena that occur at specific moments in time. Although each local model describes the variation among the plants at one time-point as well as possible, the response dynamics are lost. Therefore a novel method called the 'Crossfit' is described that links the local models of different time-points to each other.

Conclusions

Each element of the described analysis approach reveals different aspects of the response. The crossfit shows that smaller dynamic changes may occur in the response that are overlooked by global models, as illustrated by the analysis of a metabolic profiling dataset of the same samples.
Dissecting the dynamics of dysregulation of cellular processes in mouse mammary gland tumor
Authors: Mentzen Wieslawa I , Floris Matteo , de la Fuente Alberto
Published: December 2009

Background

Elucidating the sequence of molecular events underlying breast cancer formation is of enormous value for understanding this disease and for design of an effective treatment. Gene expression measurements have enabled the study of transcriptome-wide changes involved in tumorigenesis. This usually occurs through identification of differentially expressed genes or pathways.

Results

We propose a novel approach that is able to delineate new cancer-related cellular processes and the nature of their involvement in tumorigenesis. First, we define modules as densely interconnected and functionally enriched areas of a Protein Interaction Network. Second, 'differential expression' and 'differential co-expression' analyses are applied to the genes in these network modules, allowing for identification of processes that are up- or down-regulated, as well as processes disrupted (low co-expression) or invoked (high co-expression) in different tumor stages. Finally, we propose a strategy to identify regulatory miRNAs potentially responsible for the observed changes in module activities. We demonstrate the potential of this analysis on expression data from a mouse model of mammary gland tumor, monitored over three stages of tumorigenesis. Network modules enriched in adhesion and metabolic processes were found to be inactivated in tumor cells through the combination of dysregulation and down-regulation, whereas the activation of the integrin complex and immune system response modules is achieved through increased co-regulation and up-regulation. Additionally, we confirmed a known miRNA involved in mammary gland tumorigenesis, and present several new candidates for this function.

Conclusions

Understanding complex diseases requires studying them by integrative approaches that combine data sources and different analysis methods. The integration of methods and data sources proposed here yields a sensitive tool, able to pinpoint new processes with a role in cancer, dissect modulation of their activity and detect the varying assignments of genes to functional modules over the course of a disease.
Variable expression of cysteinyl leukotriene type I receptor splice variants in asthmatic females with different promoter haplotypes
Authors: Sokolowska Milena , Wodz-Naskiewicz Karolina , Cieslak Malgorzata , Seta Karolina , Bednarek Andrzej K , Pawliczak Rafal
Published: December 2009

Background

Cysteinyl leukotrienes are potent inflammatory mediators implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma. Human cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CYSLTR1) gene contains five exons that are variably spliced. Within its promoter few polymorphisms were described. To date, there has been no evidence about the expression of different splice variants of CysLT1in asthma and their association withCYSLTR1promoter polymorphisms.

The goal of our study was to investigate CysLT1alternative transcripts expression in asthmatic patients with differentCYSLTR1promoter haplotypes.

The study groups consisted of 44 patients with asthma, diagnosed according to GINA 2008 criteria and 18 healthy subjects. Genomic DNA and total RNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Real-time PCR was performed with specific primers for transcript I [GenBank:DQ131799] and II [GenBank:DQ131800]. Fragments of theCYSLTR1promoter were amplified by PCR and sequenced directly to identify four single nucleotide polymorphisms: C/T [SNP:rs321029], A/C [SNP:rs2637204], A/G [SNP:rs2806489] and C/T [SNP:rs7066737].

Results

The expression of CysLT1transcript I and II in asthma did not differ from its expression in healthy control group. However, in major alleles homozygotic CAAC/CAAC women with asthma we found significantly higher expression of transcript I as compared to heterozygous CAAC/TCGC women in that loci. CysLT1transcript I expression tended to negative correlation with episodes of acute respiratory infection in our asthmatic population. Moreover, expression of CysLT1transcript II in CAAC/CAAC homozygotic women with asthma was significantly lower than in CAAC/CAAC healthy control females.

Conclusions

Genetic variants ofCYSLTR1promoter might be associated with gender specific expression of CysLT1alternative transcripts in patients with asthma. CysLT1splice variants expression might also correlate with the susceptibility to infection in asthmatic population.
TIM-Finder: A new method for identifying TIM-barrel proteins
Authors: Si Jing-Na , Yan Ren-Xiang , Wang Chuan , Zhang Ziding , Su Xiao-Dong
Published: December 2009

Background

The triosephosphate isomerase (TIM)-barrel fold occurs frequently in the proteomes of different organisms, and the known TIM-barrel proteins have been found to play diverse functional roles. To accelerate the exploration of the sequence-structure protein landscape in the TIM-barrel fold, a computational tool that allows sensitive detection of TIM-barrel proteins is required.

Results

To develop a new TIM-barrel protein identification method in this work, we consider three descriptors: a sequence-alignment-based descriptor using PSI-BLAST e-values and bit scores, a descriptor based on secondary structure element alignment (SSEA), and a descriptor based on the occurrence of PROSITE functional motifs. With the assistance of Support Vector Machine (SVM), the three descriptors were combined to obtain a new method with improved performance, which we call TIM-Finder. When tested on the whole proteome of Bacillus subtilis, TIM-Finder is able to detect 194 TIM-barrel proteins at a 99% confidence level, outperforming the PSI-BLAST search as well as one existing fold recognition method.

Conclusions

TIM-Finder can serve as a competitive tool for proteome-wide TIM-barrel protein identification. The TIM-Finder web server is freely accessible at http://202.112.170.199/TIM-Finder/.
Erratum to: Image guided dose escalated prostate radiotherapy: still room to improve
Authors: Martin Jarad M , Bayley Andrew , Bristow Robert , Chung Peter , Gospodarowicz Mary , Menard Cynthia , Milosevic Michael , Rosewall Tara , Warde Padraig R , Catton Charles N
Published: December 2009

We regret to report that a proofreading error caused an incorrect legend and description of the contents of table 6 to appear in our original publication of this work. The correct description of table 6 is: Univariate analysis of prognostic factors for 5-year nadir + 2 biochemical outcome for men presenting with intermediate risk factors.
Data-domain correlation approach for joint hydrogeologic inversion of time-lapse hydrogeologic and geophysical data
Authors: Johnson Timothy C. , Versteeg Roelof J. , Huang Hai , Routh Partha S.
Published: December 2009

Inverse estimations of hydrogeologic properties often are highly uncertain because of the expense of collecting hydrogeologic data and the subsequent lack of information. Geophysical data potentially can help fill this information gap because geophysical methods can survey large areas remotely and relatively inexpensively. However, geophysical data are difficult to incorporate into hydrogeologic parameter estimations primarily because of a lack of knowledge concerning the petrophysical relationships between hydrogeologic and geophysical parameters. A method can be used that allows time-lapse geophysical data to be incorporated directly into a hydrogeologic parameter estimation when a strong correlation exists between changes in geophysical and hydrogeologic properties. This approach bypasses the need for an explicit petrophysical transform by formulating the geophysical part of the hydrogeologic inversion in terms of a data-domain correlation operator. A synthetic electrical resistivity monitoring application is used to estimate the hydraulic conductivity distribution. Including time-lapse resistivity data to supplement sparse hydrologic data appears to improve greatly the resolution of hydraulic conductivity in this case. More generally, the formulation and results suggest that geophysical monitoring data can be incorporated effectively into a hydrogeologic parameter estimation using a data-domain correlation operator, assuming a strong correlation exists between changes in hydrogeologic and geophysical properties.
Intellectuals and “HUMANITY as a Whole”
Authors: Shweder Richard A.
Published: December 2009

In the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001, Stanley Katz (who now chairs the editorial board of this journal) invited the intellectual community to reflect on its own history of involvement in public affairs and to make good on its mistakes. This essay examines a single case of intellectuals involving themselves in public affairs and some of the difficulties in saying and evaluating exactly what happened. Critical attention is given to Anthropological Intelligence, a book by David Price published in 2008, which concerns the involvement of anthropologists in wartime activities during World War II and argues that even that “just war” left an indelible stain on the moral fabric of the discipline.
The New Loud
Authors: Kraugerud Hanne Andrea , Ramberg Bjørn Torgrim
Published: December 2009

Is Richard Rorty a philosophical quietist? We consider different stances Rorty has assumed toward philosophy, arguing that on the face of it there is no conflict between them. However, Rorty's extensive writing on the topic of truth suggests a tension between Rorty's own recommendation of “benign neglect” of metaphysics and his actual philosophical practice. The topic of truth actually serves Rorty's philosophical purposes well, allowing him to change the direction of conversation from a concern with the nature of concepts to a direct concern with human practice. The switch Rorty envisions is captured in the emblematic figure of the ironist, and we consider the ironist variety of quietism accordingly. For Rorty, we conclude, quietism is a contingent, conditional, strategic stance. Rorty's aim is to change the direction of a strand of philosophical conversation, not to free us from philosophical illusion or to bring philosophy to an end.
The Critic as Quietist
Authors: Plotkin Sidney
Published: December 2009

Though a radical critic of capitalist society, Thorstein Veblen was a political quietist. His ideas of social evolution, cultural lag, and predatory power help to explain why. Veblen saw the need for deep-seated social change but despaired of its chances. He was in crucial ways a tragic writer, a radical realist who refused to yield to the temptations of political life. Veblen's quietism also helps to explain the hesitant, often unwelcome reception more ideologically minded scholars have given to his work. Attributing Veblen's quietism to timidity or confusion, they have frequently avoided coming to grips with his distinctions between theory and pragmatism, science and politics, which lie at the heart of his political refusal. Theory and science push toward reasonable explanations and accounts of things; pragmatic and predatory political actors apply “worldly wisdom” to the exploit of others. Scientists cannot change institutions; political actors cannot dispense with the operations of power. Veblen asks much of us: for he struggled to undrape the veils of power while puncturing false hopes in the prospects of democracy. His quietism situates itself within this awful contradiction. Above all, Veblen's work serves the purpose of reminding us that neither science nor democracy constitutes a self-evident ground for belief in the inherent reasonableness or justice of action per se. For these reasons alone, an acquaintance with his work should be part of any solidly grounded education in the possibilities and limits of democratic political life in a scientific age.
Modulation of cell spreading and cell-substrate adhesion dynamics by dystroglycan
Authors: Thompson Oliver , Moore Chris J. , Hussain Sadaf-Ahmahni , Kleino Iivari , Peckham Michelle , Hohenester Erhard , Ayscough Kathryn R. , Saksela Kalle , Winder Steve J.
Published: December 2009

Dystroglycan is a ubiquitously expressed cell adhesion protein. Its principal role has been determined as a component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex of muscle, where it constitutes a key component of the costameric cell adhesion system. To investigate more fundamental aspects of dystroglycan function in cell adhesion, we examined the role of dystroglycan in the dynamics and assembly of cellular adhesions in myoblasts. We show that β-dystroglycan is recruited to adhesion structures and, based on staining for vinculin, that overexpression or depletion of dystroglycan affects both size and number of fibrillar adhesions. Knockdown of dystroglycan increases the size and number of adhesions, whereas overexpression decreases the number of adhesions. Dystroglycan knockdown or overexpression affects the ability of cells to adhere to different substrates, and has effects on cell migration that are consistent with effects on the formation of fibrillar adhesions. Using an SH3 domain proteomic screen, we identified vinexin as a binding partner for dystroglycan. Furthermore, we show that dystroglycan can interact indirectly with vinculin by binding to the vinculin-binding protein vinexin, and that this interaction has a role in dystroglycan-mediated cell adhesion and spreading. For the first time, we also demonstrate unequivocally that β-dystroglycan is a resident of focal adhesions.
Human RBMY regulates germline-specific splicing events by modulating the function of the serine/arginine-rich proteins 9G8 and Tra2-β
Authors: Dreumont Natacha , Bourgeois Cyril F. , Lejeune Fabrice , Liu Yilei , Ehrmann Ingrid E. , Elliott David J. , Stévenin James
Published: December 2009

RBMY is a male germline RNA binding protein and potential alternative splicing regulator, but the lack of a convenient biological system has made its cellular functions elusive. We found that human RBMY fused to green fluorescent protein was strictly nuclear in transfected cells, but spatially enriched in areas around nuclear speckles with some components of the exon junction complex (EJC). Human RBMY (hRBMY) and the EJC components Magoh and Y14 also physically interacted but, unlike these two proteins, hRBMY protein did not shuttle to the cytoplasm. In addition, it relocalised into nucleolar caps after inhibition of RNA polymerase II transcription. Protein interactions were also detected between RBMY and splicing factors 9G8 and transformer-2 protein homolog β (Tra2-β), mediated by multiple regions of the RBMY protein that contain serine/arginine-rich dipeptides, but not by the single region lacking such dipeptides. These interactions modulated the splicing of several pre-mRNAs regulated by 9G8 and Tra2-β. Importantly, ectopic expression of hRBMY stimulated the inclusion of a testis-enriched exon from the Acinus gene, whereas 9G8 and Tra2-β repressed this exon. We propose that hRBMY associates with regions of the nucleus enriched in nascent RNA and participates in the regulation of specific splicing events in the germline by modulating the activity of constitutively expressed splicing factors.
Validation of computational models in biomechanics
Authors: Henninger H B , Reese S P , Anderson A E , Weiss J A
Published: December 2009

The topics of verification and validation have increasingly been discussed in the field of computational biomechanics, and many recent articles have applied these concepts in an attempt to build credibility for models of complex biological systems. Verification and validation are evolving techniques that, if used improperly, can lead to false conclusions about a system under study. In basic science, these erroneous conclusions may lead to failure of a subsequent hypothesis, but they can have more profound effects if the model is designed to predict patient outcomes. While several authors have reviewed verification and validation as they pertain to traditional solid and fluid mechanics, it is the intent of this paper to present them in the context of computational biomechanics. Specifically, the task of model validation will be discussed, with a focus on current techniques. It is hoped that this review will encourage investigators to engage and adopt the verification and validation process in an effort to increase peer acceptance of computational biomechanics models.
End-of-Period vs. Continuous Accounting of Inventory-Related Costs
Authors: Rudi Nils , Groenevelt Harry , Randall Taylor R.
Published: December 2009

This paper investigates the effect of using an end-of-period accounting scheme for inventory-related costs when costs actually accrue in continuous time. Using a simple model, we show that (i) the end-of-period scheme results in higher than optimal order-up-to levels and inventory cost if the cost and demand parameters are unchanged, and (ii) it is possible to replicate both the optimal base-stock level and its cost by selecting the values of the cost or demand parameters judiciously. The cost adjustments often require extreme values, and no systematic cost parameter adjustment scheme is robust. However, we find a systematic adjustment to the demand parameters that serves as a good approximation and is robust. We therefore conclude that end-of-period cost accounting without parameter adjustments is in general inappropriate when costs are incurred continuously, but there are adjustments that can make it work well.
Mobilizing meaning?: religious symbolism in film adaptations of C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Authors: Wolf Alain
Published: December 2009

The aim of stories is often to socialize children into accepting certain dominant values held by the society in which they live. C. S. Lewis's fantasy fiction, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ([1950] 1998), may be a case in point: steeped in Christian symbolism, it uses
linguistic means such as implied meaning, for example, to convey a particular religious message. It is with this ideological focus in mind that the article will seek to explore the processes at stake in converting Lewis's text to film. In the first instance, I will provide an analysis of how
Lewis's narrative works on different planes: an explicit and an implicit plane where interpretation depends on the reader's knowledge of the Christian tradition. In more general terms, I will attempt to show how, in the process of converting the text to film, a significant shift in religious
ideology occurs from that of general Christian symbolism to an American conservative evangelical perspective.