bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Time Is Our Commodity”
Authors: Sherman Rachel
Published: January 2010

The emergence of personal concierge and errand services in the past decade offers a rare opportunity to look at a fledgling occupation with uncertain prospects and in particular to examine its rhetorical struggles for legitimacy. Providers of these services are attempting to commodify household and personal tasks largely associated with women’s labor. Based on interviews and participant observation, this article demonstrates that this association of concierge work with women’s work impedes its symbolic and monetary valuation in the market. In response, concierges primarily use gender-neutral frames to legitimate their product and cast themselves as professionals. This analysis illuminates multiple dimensions of legitimacy-seeking and documents the continued influence of gender on rhetorics of work and value in the market.
Will Workers Benefit From This Economic Recovery?
Authors: Kochan Thomas A.
Published: January 2010

Every 2 years, staff at the Economic Policy Institute publishes a labor market and employment sourcebook. The State of Working America 2008-2009 is an especially important and valuable contribution. It documents how poorly working families fared in the period prior to the recent economic crisis and therefore provides a benchmark for assessing whether current economic recovery policies will reverse these trends. The author draws on the data and analysis presented in this volume to suggest policy actions needed to do so.
The Sage Handbook of Industrial Relations
Authors: Edwards Paul
Published: January 2010

A major handbook on industrial relations is reviewed. The handbook provides a synthesis of recent research, with an emphasis on the United States and the United Kingdom. It shows the vitality of the field and its ability to address new issues. As in the field itself, theorization is strong but implicit. The handbook captures what has been done in the field; it leaves open the challenge of theoretical advance and application to international and global questions.
Worksite Segregation and Performance-Related Attitudes
Authors: Dickerson Niki , Schur Lisa , Kruse Douglas , Blasi Joseph
Published: January 2010

This article explores the effects of structural inequality on organizational outcomes by examining the relationship between worksite segregation and performance-related attitudes by gender, race, and ethnicity. We use a new data set based on detailed surveys of 21,000 U.S. employees among 207 worksites in 14 companies gathered between 2001 and 2006. To measure workplace segregation, the study used the Duncan dissimilarity index and composition measures in a multilevel model, estimating their relationship to performance-related attitudes (company loyalty, willingness to work hard, perceived company fairness, and turnover intention) among Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians, separately for men and women within each of these groups. The key finding is that worksite segregation is linked to worse performance-related attitudes for Black, Hispanic, and Asian males, but is generally not linked to such attitudes for the female groups. These results illustrate the effects that segregation can have on organizations and suggest directions for further research that explores the mechanisms connecting diversity to performance-related outcomes.
Medium of Exchange Matters
Authors: DeVoe Sanford E. , Iyengar Sheena S.
Published: January 2010

Organized groups face a fundamental problem of how to distribute resources fairly. We found people view it as less fair to distribute resources equally when the allocated resource invokes the market by being a medium of exchange than when the allocated resource is a good that holds value in use. These differences in fairness can be attributed to being a medium of exchange, and not to other essential properties of money (i.e., being a unit of account or a store of value). These findings suggest that egalitarian outcomes have a greater likelihood of being accepted as fair when the resources being distributed take the form of in-kind goods rather than of cash transfers.
Interacting Like a Body
Authors: Saguy Tamar , Quinn Diane M. , Dovidio John F. , Pratto Felicia
Published: January 2010

The present experiment tested the impact of sexual objectification on women’s behavior in social interactions. We predicted that when objectified, women would narrow their social presence by spending little time talking, particularly when interacting with men. Participants (males and females) gave an oral introduction of themselves to an alleged interaction partner (male or female). Objectification was manipulated by having participants believe their bodies were either visually inspected or not inspected during this introduction. Specifically, participants introduced themselves through a closed-circuit device in one of three conditions: body (videotaped from the neck down), face (videotaped from the neck up), or audio (no videotaping). Women who were in the body condition and thought they were interacting with men spent less time talking than participants in all other groups. In addition, the majority of women disliked the body condition, indicating that they found having their bodies gazed at aversive. Implications for women’s behavior in mixed-sex contexts are discussed.
Visual Feature Binding Requires Reentry
Authors: Bouvier Seth , Treisman Anne
Published: January 2010

Reentrant processing has been proposed as a critical mechanism in feature binding. To test this claim, participants were shown arrays of six pairs of crossed vertical and horizontal bars. In each pair, one bar was white; one was red, green, or blue. Identifying the orientation, but not the color, of the nonwhite bar in the target item required correct binding. Four dots appeared around one of the items (the target) and either disappeared with it or persisted for 300 ms after the array disappeared. This type of trailing mask is thought to interfere with target processing by disrupting reentry. Consistent with the hypothesis that binding requires reentrant processing, the trailing mask significantly reduced the accuracy of orientation but not color judgments. In a control condition, when the white bar was omitted, binding was no longer required, and both color and orientation were accurately reported.
Intertrial Repetition Facilitates Selection in Time
Authors: Yashar Amit , Lamy Dominique
Published: January 2010

Recent research has demonstrated that what observers attend to at a given time affects how their attention is deployed in the few moments that follow. When an observer searches for a discrepant target, repetition of the target feature from the previous trial speeds search, an effect known as priming of pop-out (PoP). Previous PoP studies have relied exclusively on spatial search tasks. Here, using a rapid serial visual presentation task, we show that PoP also occurs when temporal uncertainty makes search necessary, and that when spatial and temporal search trials are interleaved, the PoP effect transfers from one task to the other. The results suggest that common mechanisms of target-feature activation and distractor-feature inhibition underlie spatial and temporal visual search. They elucidate the role of PoP in visual search by showing that it speeds engagement of attention to the selected target, rather than earlier stages involving target localization and attention focusing.
From Statistics to Meaning
Authors: Lany Jill , Saffran Jenny R.
Published: January 2010

Infants are highly sensitive to statistical patterns in their auditory language input that mark word categories (e.g., noun and verb). However, it is unknown whether experience with these cues facilitates the acquisition of semantic properties of word categories. In a study testing this hypothesis, infants first listened to an artificial language in which word categories were reliably distinguished by statistical cues (experimental group) or in which these properties did not cue category membership (control group). Both groups were then trained on identical pairings between the words and pictures from two categories (animals and vehicles). Only infants in the experimental group learned the trained associations between specific words and pictures. Moreover, these infants generalized the pattern to include novel pairings. These results suggest that experience with statistical cues marking lexical categories sets the stage for learning the meanings of individual words and for generalizing meanings to new category members.
Do You Have a Voting Plan?
Authors: Nickerson David W. , Rogers Todd
Published: January 2010

Phone calls encouraging citizens to vote are staples of modern campaigns. Insights from psychological science can make these calls dramatically more potent while also generating opportunities to expand psychological theory. We present a field experiment conducted during the 2008 presidential election ( N = 287,228) showing that facilitating the formation of a voting plan (i.e., implementation intentions) can increase turnout by 4.1 percentage points among those contacted, but a standard encouragement call and self-prediction have no significant impact. Among single-eligible-voter households, the formation of a voting plan increased turnout among persons contacted by 9.1 percentage points, whereas those in multiple-eligible-voter households were unaffected by all scripts. Some situational factors may organically facilitate implementation-intentions formation more readily than others; we present data suggesting that this could explain the differential treatment effect that we found. We discuss implications for psychological and political science, and public interventions involving implementation-intentions formation.
Mistrust and Lack of Market Innovation
Authors: Lindkvist Knut Bjørn
Published: January 2010

The fundamental problem discussed in this article is the lack of accord between market adaptation and traditional production practices, which may result in a loss of competitiveness in some industries. A key question of this article is why salted fish consumers in Spain, formerly an important market for Norwegian salted fish producers, are seemingly unable to influence production practices within the Norwegian salted fish industry. The Norwegians have lost significant market share in Spain because of their failure to meet the demand for new products, which required different production methods. Based on institutional and evolutionary economic theories and focusing on production systems, institutional rigidity and path dependency, this article analyses two causes of market failure: the structural conditions for industrial adaptation; and mistrust among most of the core actors in the Norwegian salted fish industry. Mistrust is one significant reason for the failure to establish networks and collective innovation practices in order to adapt to market demands. The article concludes that, instead, actors in the seafood industry developed an ‘imaginary innovation system’ in which they believed that they were innovative and competitive, whereas in reality they were defending individual positions within traditional production practices.
Adaptation After Facial Surgery: Using the Diary as a Research Tool
Authors: Furness Penny J. , Garrud Paul
Published: January 2010

We conducted a small-scale qualitative diary study to gather accounts from five facial cancer surgery patients. Participants were asked to record their experiences, thoughts, and feelings for up to 1 year, as they underwent and recovered from their surgery and adapted to living with alterations in their appearance. In this article, we consider evidence relating to the diary as a research tool and discuss our experiences of issues arising with the qualitative diary method employed in this study.These include comparability with interview data, factors affecting the quantity and quality of data (novelty, personal significance, and individual writing styles), chronological storytelling, and barriers to writing (visual difficulties and depression).
The Relationship Between Trait, Expressive, and Familial Correlates of Emotion Regulation in a Clinical Sample of Anxious Youth
Authors: Trosper Sarah E. , Ehrenreich May Jill
Published: January 2010

Although emotion and its regulation have been linked to children’s general psychopathology, it has only recently been studied in relation to childhood anxiety disorders. In this study, the authors examine the relationship between various inputs of emotion regulation and anxiety in a clinical sample of youth. Participants ( N = 112) were administered a battery of questionnaires that assessed for negative emotionality, emotion expression style, and familial affective expression. Participants also took part in a structured diagnostic interview to assess for clinical levels of anxiety. Results of standard multiple regression analyses indicated a relationship between all three components of the emotion in question. Moderator analyses revealed that age, but not gender, affects the relationship between negative emotionality and self-reported anxiety symptomatology. Results of mediation analyses suggested that emotion expression influences the relationship between negative emotionality and anxiety in older participants (ages 13—17), whereas the direct effect of negative emotionality and anxiety is maintained for younger participants (ages 8—12).
Prevalence, Trajectories, and Risk Factors for Depression Among Caregivers of Young Children Involved in Child Maltreatment Investigations
Authors: Casanueva Cecilia , Cross Theodore P. , Ringeisen Heather , Christ Sharon L.
Published: January 2010

This study examines depression among caregivers of young children involved in investigations of child maltreatment, in terms of 12-month prevalence of depression across 5 to 6 years. Data were from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a national probability study of 5,501 children investigated for maltreatment. The study sample comprised 1,244 female caregivers (95.5% biological mothers) of children not placed out of home and younger than 5 years old. About a quarter of caregivers had, at any given point, a score indicating major depression in the previous 12 months; across all follow-ups, 46% of caregivers had a score indicating major depression at some point. Depression was associated with caregivers’ report of intimate-partner violence and fair or poor health status. Caregivers of maltreated children are at substantial risk for depression that does not diminish over the course of 5 years. Assessing and providing assistance for intimate-partner violence and health problems may help decrease depression prevalence.
Family Therapy With Latino Families: An Interview With Patricia Arredondo
Authors: Cardona Betty , Softas-Nall Lia
Published: January 2010

In this interview, Patricia Arredondo shares with us her scholarship and expertise working with Latino families. Patricia talks about multicultural competencies, multicultural development as well as diversity assessment when working with Latino families. Dr. Arredondo has published widely on these topics and is the coauthor of Counseling Latinos y la Familia (2006). Her leadership as the President of the American Counseling Association, Division 45 Society for Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues and the National Latina/Latino Psychological Association among others shows her commitment to our field. Her interview offers critical perspectives for the family therapy field in the area of diversity and specifically when working with Latino families.
Theory Development: A Bridge Between Practice and Research
Authors: Southern Stephen , Devlin James
Published: January 2010

Theory development is an intentional process by which marriage and family counselors may bridge the gap between research and practice. The theory building process includes inductive and deductive forms of reasoning, qualitative and quantitative approaches to knowledge development, and diffusion of innovations. Grounded theory provides an accessible method for bridging the gap. Theoretical orientation development is a lifelong process involving the interaction of personal and professional influences in theory selection and elaboration. Examination of personal values and values implicit in theories afford opportunities for ongoing professional development.
Neuroglial Modulation in Peripheral Sensory Systems
Authors: Pack Adam K. , Pawson Lorraine J.
Published: January 2010

Glia are increasingly appreciated as active participants in central neural processing via calcium waves, electrical coupling, and even synaptic-like release of “neuro”-transmitters. In some sensory organs (e.g., retina, olfactory bulb), glia have been shown to interact with neurons in the same manner, although their role in perception has yet to be elucidated. In the organ of Corti, synapses occur between supporting cells and neurons. In one sensory organ, the Pacinian corpuscle (fine touch), glia have been shown to play just as important a role in sensory transduction as they do in neural processing in the brain, and the functional role is quite clear; the modified Schwann cells of the capsule are responsible for the rapid adaptation process of the PCs, integral to its function as a vibration detector. This complex glial/neuronal relationship may be a recent evolutionary phenomenon and may account for much of the relative sophistication of vertebrate nervous systems.
Review Article: Examining Treatment of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: The Importance of Early Intervention
Authors: Lamas Gervasio A. , Escolar Esteban , Faxon David P.
Published: January 2010

Early reperfusion in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is imperative. Acute reperfusion may be achieved with fibrinolytic agents and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); however, PCI is associated with lower rates of death and myocardial infarction compared with fibrinolysis. As treatment delays are associated with worse outcomes, current guidelines recommend minimizing time from symptom onset to treatment initiation. Regardless of the reperfusion strategy, patients with STEMI are at increased risk of early recurrent ischemic events and death. These risks can be significantly reduced by promptly initiating a combination of pharmacotherapies that includes antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents, β-blockers, and inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. This manuscript reviews the evidence supporting the most recent guidelines for STEMI management published jointly by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association. More recent evidence and its potential impact on future evidence-based guidelines are also addressed.
Implementation and Evaluation of File Write-Back and Prefetching for MPI-IO Over GPFS
Authors: Garcia Blas Javier , Isaila Florin , Carretero Jesus , Singh David , Garcia-Carballeira Felix
Published: January 2010

In this paper we present the implementation of an open-source MPI-IO interface for the General Parallel File System (GPFS). Our solution includes the design and implementation of GPFS-based write-back and prefetching modules, which have been integrated in ROMIO. A collective file write strategy based on GPFS data-shipping, and a view-based collective I/O mechanism, relying on GPFS mechanisms, are at the core of the novel optimizations proposed in this paper. View-based collective I/O includes a thread-based flushing method implementing a write-back policy for latency hiding, and a prefetching method, based on GPFS hints, to increase small read access performance. Performance evaluations show that our implementation achieves high-performance and hides the latency of file accesses through the combination of view-based collective file accesses, and the overlapping of computation, communication and I/O. This is especially true for collective and small-size access patterns, which are very frequent in parallel scientific applications.
The Alignment of the Informal and Formal Organizational Supports for Reform: Implications for Improving Teaching in Schools
Authors: Penuel William R. , Riel Margaret , Joshi Aasha , Pearlman Leslie , Kim Chong Min , Frank Kenneth A.
Published: January 2010

Previous qualitative studies show that when the formal organization of a school and patterns of informal interaction are aligned, faculty and leaders in a school are better able to coordinate instructional change. This article combines social network analysis with interview data to analyze how well the formal and informal aspects of a school’s social context are aligned. The focus is on two elementary schools engaged in initiatives aimed to use data to inform instructional decision making. The multimethod case study integrated findings from questionnaire and interview data. Data were collected over two years from case study schools. By fitting multilevel social selection models to longitudinal social network data collected from surveys, the authors estimated the relative influence of formal and informal processes on patterns of advice giving in each school. They used interview data to contextualize and corroborate findings. The social selection models they fit revealed distinct patterns in each school that helped explain why one school had been successful in developing a shared vision for change and a second school had been unsuccessful. The authors’ research shows that efforts to promote formal collaboration can and do vary in their success in ways that are evident from social network analyses. These case studies imply directions for future analyses of the social context of teaching and schools.
Social Cognitive Mediators of Change in a Group Randomized Nutrition and Physical Activity Intervention
Authors: Anderson Eileen S. , Winett Richard A. , Wojcik Janet R. , Williams David M.
Published: January 2010

In an evaluation of the theoretical foundations of behavior change, the current study examined whether social cognitive (SCT) variables mediated treatment effects on physical activity and nutrition in the recently reported Guide-to-Health trial (GTH). Adults ( N = 661) were assessed at baseline, seven months and 16 months to examine whether treatment-related changes in SCT variables at seven months mediated change in nutrition and physical activity at 16 months. GTH treatment effects were mediated by self-efficacy, self-regulation and social support; self-regulation mediated self-efficacy. Social-cognitive variables explained only part of the treatment effects suggesting future investigations evaluate the environmental-selection and affective processes of behavior change.
Relationships among Mental Health, Self-esteem and Physical Health in Chinese Adolescents
Authors: Li Ho Cheung William , Chan Siu Ling Polly , Chung Oi Kwan Joyce , Chui Miu Ling Maureen
Published: January 2010

This study explored the relationships among mental health, self-esteem and physical health in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. Chinese students ( N = 1945) between the ages of 12 and 19 from four secondary schools of different regions were invited to participate in the study. This study revealed that a significant number of adolescents in Hong Kong are experiencing depressive symptoms. The overall results indicated that self-esteem of adolescents was correlated to and a predictor of their physical and mental health. Health care professionals should take a more assertive role in promoting relevant health education to the community with emphasis on helping adolescents develop positive self-esteem.
Sense Making and Benefit Finding among Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Their Primary Caregivers
Authors: Mock Steven , Boerner Kathrin
Published: January 2010

The associations of sense making and benefit finding with depressive symptoms were examined among patient and caregiver pairs coping with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Benefit finding, but not sense making, was associated with fewer depressive symptoms for both patients and caregivers. Patient and caregiver pairs where neither found benefit had more depressive symptoms compared to pairs where at least one member found benefit. Patients cited benefits related to relationships and caregivers were more likely to cite finding personal strength as a benefit. Results suggest situational constraints to making sense and on the kinds of benefit that can be found.
Maladaptive Sleep Hygiene Practices in Good Sleepers and Patients with Insomnia
Authors: Yang Chien-Ming , Lin Shih-Chun , Hsu Shih-Chieh , Cheng Chung-Ping
Published: January 2010

Previous studies examining the associations between sleep hygiene practices and insomnia have produced inconsistent results. This study further investigates this issue by examining different domains of sleep hygiene separately. One hundred and six insomnia patients and 89 good sleepers participated in the study. Their sleep hygiene, sleep quality and insomnia severity were assessed with subjective rating scales. Among good sleepers, almost all domains of sleep hygiene correlated significantly with their sleep ratings. However, in insomnia patients, only the arousal-related behavior correlated with sleep ratings. The findings suggest that strategies in prevention and treatment of sleep disturbance may be different accordingly.
Metformin treatment for Gestational Diabetes
Authors: Hyer Steve L , Balani Jyoti , Johnson Antoinette , Shehata Hassan
Published: January 2010

Br J Diabetes Vasc Dis 2009;9:220-225. DOI: 10.1177/1474651409346767 .
An Entropy-based Scheme for Automatic Target Recognition
Authors: Friend Mark A. , Bauer Kenneth W.
Published: January 2010

Often the performance of a classification system is reported in terms of classification accuracy. In an environment with objects unknown to the classification system, classification accuracy may provide unrealistic expectations. In this paper we contrast classification and label accuracy in a challenging classification environment. A statistical-based method is used to identify records not represented in the template library used by the classifier and three different information theory-based methods are used to identify label records likely to be misidentified. These methods are applied to an automatic target recognition (ATR) problem, using features drawn from high-range resolution profiles generated from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. An optimization framework is used to select the optimal classification system choices based on the measurement of evaluation. The choices selected by the framework when classification or label accuracy is the optimization focus are contrasted.
Aberrant DNA methylation and epigenetic inactivation of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and ephrin ligands in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Kuang Shao-Qing , Bai Hao , Fang Zhi-Hong , Lopez Gonzalo , Yang Hui , Tong Weigang , Wang Zack Z. , Garcia-Manero Guillermo
Published: January 2010

Eph receptors and their ephrin ligands are involved in normal hematopoietic development and tumorigenesis. Using methylated CpG island amplification/DNA promoter microarray, we identified several EPH receptor and EPHRIN genes as potential hypermethylation targets in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We subsequently studied the DNA methylation status of the Eph/ephrin family by bisulfite pyrosequencing. Hypermethylation of EPHA2, -A4, -A5, -A6, -A7, -A10, EPHB1, -B2, -B3, -B4, EFNA1, -A3, -A5, and EFNB1 and -B2 genes was detected in leukemia cell lines and primary ALL bone marrow samples. Expression analysis of EPHB4, EFNB2, and EFNA5 genes demonstrated that DNA methylation was associated with gene silencing. We cloned the promoter region of EPHB4 and demonstrated that promoter hypermethylation can result in EPHB4 transcriptional silencing. Restoration of EPHB4 expression by lentiviral transduction resulted in reduced proliferation and apoptotic cell death in Raji cells in which EPHB4 is methylated and silenced. Finally, we demonstrated that phosphorylated Akt is down-regulated in Raji cells transduced with EPHB4. These results suggest that epigenetic silencing by hypermethylation of EPH/EPHRIN family genes contributes to ALL pathogenesis and that EPHB4 can function as a tumor suppressor in ALL.
Identification of DJ-1/PARK-7 as a determinant of stroma-dependent and TNF-α–induced apoptosis in MDS using mass spectrometry and phosphopeptide analysis
Authors: Marcondes A. Mario , Li Xiang , Gooley Ted A. , Milless Brian , Deeg H. Joachim
Published: January 2010

In patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), apoptosis in hematopoietic cells is up-regulated in low-grade disease, whereas advanced disease is characterized by apoptosis resistance. We have shown that marrow stroma–derived signals convey sensitivity to tumor-necrosis-factor alpha (TNF-α)–mediated apoptosis in otherwise-resistant KG1a myeloid cells and CD34+ cells from MDS marrow. Here, we used a PhosphoScan proteomic liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method to identify signals relevant for this effect. The transcription factor DJ-1/PARK-7 (DJ-1) was highly phosphorylated in KG1a cells cultured without stroma but dephosphorylated after stroma coculture, whereas expression of p53 increased significantly, suggesting a stroma contact-dependent effect of DJ-1 on p53. In CD34+ marrow cells from advanced MDS, expression of DJ-1 was up-regulated, whereas p53 levels were low, resulting in significantly greater DJ-1/p53 ratios than in patients with low-grade MDS (P = .01). DJ-1 levels were correlated with increasing International Prognostic Scoring System scores (P = .006). Increasing DJ-1/p53 ratios were associated with an increased risk of mortality, although the correlation did not reach statistical significance (P = .18). These data suggest that DJ-1/p53 interactions contribute to apoptosis resistance in clonal myeloid cells and may serve as a prognostic marker in patients with MDS.
Impaired expression of p66Shc, a novel regulator of B-cell survival, in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Capitani Nagaja , Lucherini Orso Maria , Sozzi Elisa , Ferro Micol , Giommoni Nico , Finetti Francesca , De Falco Giulia , Cencini Emanuele , Raspadori Donatella , Pelicci Pier Giuseppe , Lauria Francesco , Forconi Francesco , Baldari Cosima T.
Published: January 2010

Intrinsic apoptosis defects underlie to a large extent the extended survival of malignant B cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here, we show that the Shc family adapter p66Shc uncouples the B-cell receptor (BCR) from the Erk- and Akt-dependent survival pathways, thereby enhancing B-cell apoptosis. p66Shc expression was found to be profoundly impaired in CLL B cells compared with normal peripheral B cells. Moreover, significant differences in p66Shc expression were observed in patients with favorable or unfavorable prognosis, based on the mutational status of IGHV genes, with the lowest expression in the unfavorable prognosis group. Analysis of the expression of genes implicated in apoptosis defects of CLL showed an alteration in the balance of proapoptotic and antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family in patients with CLL. Reconstitution experiments in CLL B cells, together with data obtained on B cells from p66Shc−/− mice, showed that p66Shc expression correlates with a bias in the Bcl-2 family toward proapoptotic members. The data identify p66Shc as a novel regulator of B-cell apoptosis which attenuates BCR-dependent survival signals and modulates Bcl-2 family expression. They moreover provide evidence that the p66Shc expression defect in CLL B cells may be causal to the imbalance toward the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members in these cells.
Overexpression of caveolin-1 in adult T-cell leukemia
Authors: Sawada Shigeki , Ishikawa Chie , Tanji Hiroe , Nakachi Sawako , Senba Masachika , Okudaira Taeko , Uchihara Jun-Nosuke , Taira Naoya , Ohshiro Kazuiku , Yamada Yasuaki , Tanaka Yuetsu , Uezato Hiroshi , Ohshima Koichi , Sasai Ken , Burgering Boudewijn M. T. , Duc Dodon Madeleine , Fujii Masahiro , Sunakawa Hajime , Mori Naoki
Published: January 2010

Caveolin-1 is implicated in the regulation of signal pathways. Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is a T-cell malignancy causatively associated with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). To determine the role of caveolin-1 in leukemogenesis, we examined caveolin-1 expression levels in HTLV-1–infected T-cell lines and ATL cells. These cells expressed high levels of caveolin-1 compared with uninfected T-cell lines and normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Caveolin-1–positive ATL cells were detected in ATL lymph nodes and skin lesions, and caveolin-1 was also detected in the plasma of patients with ATL. Infection of a human T-cell line, an epithelial cell line, and normal PBMCs with HTLV-1 induced caveolin-1 expression. The viral protein Tax transcriptionally activated caveolin-1 gene through nuclear factor-κB and cAMP response element binding protein signal pathways. HTLV-1–infected T-cell lines, and ATL cells are known to be resistant to transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)–induced growth inhibition. Caveolin-1 was colocalized with TGF-β type I receptor in HTLV-1–infected T-cell lines and suppressed TGF-β signaling. Caveolin-1 knockdown in an HTLV-1–infected T-cell line exhibited susceptibility to TGF-β. Thus, we describe a new function for Tax, repression of TGF-β signaling through caveolin-1 expression, which may play a critical role in ATL leukemogenesis.
Clonal analysis of TET2 and JAK2 mutations suggests that TET2 can be a late event in the progression of myeloproliferative neoplasms
Authors: Schaub Franz X. , Looser Renate , Li Sai , Hao-Shen Hui , Lehmann Thomas , Tichelli Andre , Skoda Radek C.
Published: January 2010

Somatic mutations in TET2 occur in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms and other hematologic malignancies. It has been suggested that TET2 is a tumor suppressor gene and mutations in TET2 precede the acquisition of JAK2-V617F. To examine the order of events, we performed colony assays and genotyped TET2 and JAK2 in individual colonies. In 4 of 8 myeloproliferative neoplasm patients, we found that some colonies with mutated TET2 carried wild-type JAK2, whereas others were JAK2-V617F positive, indicating that TET2 occurred before JAK2-V617F. One of these patients carried a germline TET2 mutation. However, in 2 other patients, we obtained data compatible with the opposite order of events, with JAK2 exon 12 mutation preceding TET2 mutation in one case. Finally, in 2 of 8 patients, the TET2 and JAK2-V617F mutations defined 2 separate clones. The lack of a strict temporal order of occurrence makes it unlikely that mutations in TET2 represent a predisposing event for acquiring mutations in JAK2.
Machine learning methods for metabolic pathway prediction
Authors: Dale Joseph M , Popescu Liviu , Karp Peter D
Published: January 2010

Background

A key challenge in systems biology is the reconstruction of an organism's metabolic network from its genome sequence. One strategy for addressing this problem is to predict which metabolic pathways, from a reference database of known pathways, are present in the organism, based on the annotated genome of the organism.

Results

To quantitatively validate methods for pathway prediction, we developed a large "gold standard" dataset of 5,610 pathway instances known to be present or absent in curated metabolic pathway databases for six organisms. We defined a collection of 123 pathway features, whose information content we evaluated with respect to the gold standard. Feature data were used as input to an extensive collection of machine learning (ML) methods, including naïve Bayes, decision trees, and logistic regression, together with feature selection and ensemble methods. We compared the ML methods to the previous PathoLogic algorithm for pathway prediction using the gold standard dataset. We found that ML-based prediction methods can match the performance of the PathoLogic algorithm. PathoLogic achieved an accuracy of 91% and an F-measure of 0.786. The ML-based prediction methods achieved accuracy as high as 91.2% and F-measure as high as 0.787. The ML-based methods output a probability for each predicted pathway, whereas PathoLogic does not, which provides more information to the user and facilitates filtering of predicted pathways.

Conclusions

ML methods for pathway prediction perform as well as existing methods, and have qualitative advantages in terms of extensibility, tunability, and explainability. More advanced prediction methods and/or more sophisticated input features may improve the performance of ML methods. However, pathway prediction performance appears to be limited largely by the ability to correctly match enzymes to the reactions they catalyze based on genome annotations.
A pairwise residue contact area-based mean force potential for discrimination of native protein structure
Authors: Arab Shahriar , Sadeghi Mehdi , Eslahchi Changiz , Pezeshk Hamid , Sheari Armita
Published: January 2010

Background

Considering energy function to detect a correct protein fold from incorrect ones is very important for protein structure prediction and protein folding. Knowledge-based mean force potentials are certainly the most popular type of interaction function for protein threading. They are derived from statistical analyses of interacting groups in experimentally determined protein structures. These potentials are developed at the atom or the amino acid level. Based on orientation dependent contact area, a new type of knowledge-based mean force potential has been developed.

Results

We developed a new approach to calculate a knowledge-based potential of mean-force, using pairwise residue contact area. To test the performance of our approach, we performed it on several decoy sets to measure its ability to discriminate native structure from decoys. This potential has been able to distinguish native structures from the decoys in the most cases. Further, the calculated Z-scores were quite high for all protein datasets.

Conclusions

This knowledge-based potential of mean force can be used in protein structure prediction, fold recognition, comparative modelling and molecular recognition. The program is available at http://www.bioinf.cs.ipm.ac.ir/softwares/surfield
Intact fetal ovarian cord formation promotes mouse oocyte survival and development
Authors: Nicholas Cory R , Haston Kelly M , Pera Renee A Reijo
Published: January 2010

Background

Female reproductive potential, or the ability to propagate life, is limited in mammals with the majority of oocytes lost before birth. In mice, surviving perinatal oocytes are enclosed in ovarian follicles for subsequent oocyte development and function in the adult. Before birth, fetal germ cells of both sexes develop in clusters, or germline cysts, in the undifferentiated gonad. Upon sex determination of the fetal gonad, germ cell cysts become organized into testicular or ovarian cord-like structures and begin to interact with gonadal somatic cells. Although germline cysts and testicular cords are required for spermatogenesis, the role of cyst and ovarian cord formation in mammalian oocyte development and female fertility has not been determined.

Results

Here, we examine whether intact fetal ovarian germ and somatic cell cord structures are required for oocyte development using mouse gonad re-aggregation and transplantation to disrupt gonadal organization. We observed that germ cells from disrupted female gonad prior to embryonic day e13.5 completed prophase I of meiosis but did not survive following transplantation. Furthermore, re-aggregated ovaries from e13.5 to e15.5 developed with a reduced number of oocytes. Oocyte loss occurred before follicle formation and was associated with an absence of ovarian cord structure and ovary disorganization. However, disrupted ovaries from e16.5 or later were resistant to the re-aggregation impairment and supported robust oocyte survival and development in follicles.

Conclusions

Thus, we demonstrate a critical window of oocyte development from e13.5 to e16.5 in the intact fetal mouse ovary, corresponding to the establishment of ovarian cord structure, which promotes oocyte interaction with neighboring ovarian somatic granulosa cells before birth and imparts oocytes with competence to survive and develop in follicles. Because germline cyst and ovarian cord structures are conserved in the human fetal ovary, the identification of genetic components and molecular mechanisms of pre-follicle stage germ and somatic cell structures may be important for understanding human female infertility. In addition, this work provides a foundation for development of a robust fetal ovarian niche and transplantation based system to direct stem cell-derived oocyte differentiation as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of infertility.
Relationship between morphological features and kinetic patterns of enhancement of the dynamic breast magnetic resonance imaging and clinico-pathological and biological factors in invasive breast cancer
Authors: Fernández-Guinea Oscar , Andicoechea Alejandro , González Luis O , González-Reyes Salomé , Merino Antonio M , Hernández Luis C , López-Muñiz Alfonso , García-Pravia Paz , Vizoso Francisco J
Published: January 2010

Background

To investigate the relationship between the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of breast cancer and its clinicopathological and biological factors.

Methods

Dynamic MRI parameters of 68 invasive breast carcinomas were investigated. We also analyzed microvessel density (MVD), estrogen and progesterone receptor status, and expression of p53, HER2, ki67, VEGFR-1 and 2.

Results

Homogeneous enhancement was significantly associated with smaller tumor size (T1: < 2 cm) (p = 0.015). Tumors with irregular or spiculated margins had a significantly higher MVD than tumors with smooth margins (p = 0.038). Tumors showing a maximum enhancement peak at two minutes, or longer, after injecting the contrast, had a significantly higher MVD count than those which reached this point sooner (p = 0.012). The percentage of tumors with vascular invasion or high mitotic index was significantly higher among those showing a low percentage (≤ 150%) of maximum enhancement before two minutes than among those ones showing a high percentage (>150%) of enhancement rate (p = 0.016 and p = 0.03, respectively). However, there was a significant and positive association between the mitotic index and the peak of maximum intensity (p = 0.036). Peritumor inflammation was significantly associated with washout curve type III (p = 0.042).

Conclusions

Variations in the early phase of dynamic MRI seem to be associated with parameters indicatives of tumor aggressiveness in breast cancer.
Gene expression profile of androgen modulated genes in the murine fetal developing lung
Authors: Bresson Eva , Seaborn Tommy , Côté Mélissa , Cormier Geneviève , Provost Pierre R , Piedboeuf Bruno , Tremblay Yves
Published: January 2010

Background

Accumulating evidences suggest that sex affects lung development. Indeed, a higher incidence of respiratory distress syndrome is observed in male compared to female preterm neonates at comparable developmental stage and experimental studies demonstrated an androgen-related delay in male lung maturation. However, the precise mechanisms underlying these deleterious effects of androgens in lung maturation are only partially understood.

Methods

To build up a better understanding of the effect of androgens on lung development, we analyzed by microarrays the expression of genes showing a sexual difference and those modulated by androgens. Lungs of murine fetuses resulting from a timely mating window of 1 hour were studied at gestational day 17 (GD17) and GD18, corresponding to the period of surge of surfactant production. Using injections of the antiandrogen flutamide to pregnant mice, we hunted for genes in fetal lungs which are transcriptionally modulated by androgens.

Results

Results revealed that 1844 genes were expressed with a sexual difference at GD17 and 833 at GD18. Many genes were significantly modulated by flutamide: 1597 at GD17 and 1775 at GD18. Datasets were analyzed by using in silico tools for reconstruction of cellular pathways. Between GD17 and GD18, male lungs showed an intensive transcriptional activity of proliferative pathways along with the onset of lung differentiation. Among the genes showing a sex difference or an antiandrogen modulation of their expression, we specifically identified androgen receptor interacting genes, surfactant related genes in particularly those involved in the pathway leading to phospholipid synthesis, and several genes of lung development regulator pathways. Among these latter, some genes related to Shh, FGF, TGF-beta, BMP, and Wnt signaling are modulated by sex and/or antiandrogen treatment.

Conclusion

Our results show clearly that there is a real delay in lung maturation between male and female in this period, the latter pursuing already lung maturation while the proper is not yet fully engaged in the differentiation processes at GD17. In addition, this study provides a list of genes which are under the control of androgens within the lung at the moment of surge of surfactant production in murine fetal lung.
Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor associated with neurofibromatosis type 1, with metastasis to the heart: a case report
Authors: Kitamura Masanori , Wada Naoki , Nagata Shigenori , Iizuka Norishige , Jin Yu-Fen , Tomoeda Miki , Yuki Michiko , Naka Norifumi , Araki Nobuhito , Yutani Chikao , Tomita Yasuhiko
Published: January 2010

A rare case is presented of a 61-year-old man with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor associated with neurofibromatosis type 1, with metastasis to the heart. The primary tumor originated in the right thigh in 1982. Since then, the patient has had repeated local recurrences in spite of repeated surgical treatment and adjuvant chemotherapy. He has developed previous metastases of the lung and heart. The patient died of cardiac involvement.
Protein synthesis and degradation are required for the incorporation of modified information into the pre-existing object-location memory
Authors: Choi Jun-Hyeok , Kim Jung-Eun , Kaang Bong-Kiun
Published: January 2010

Although some reports indicate that protein synthesis dependent process may be induced by updating information, the role of protein synthesis and degradation in changing the content of pre-existing memory is yet unclear. In this study, we utilized an object rearrangement task, in which partial information related to a pre-existing memory is changed, promoting memory modification. Inhibitors of both protein synthesis and protein degradation impaired adequate incorporation of the altered information, each in a distinctive way. These results indicate that protein synthesis and degradation play key roles in memory modification.
An asymptomatic case of peritoneal encapsulation: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Al-Taan Omer S , Evans Martyn D , Shami Javid A
Published: January 2010

Peritoneal encapsulation is a rare congenital anomaly characterised by a thin membrane of peritoneum encasing the small bowel to form an accessory peritoneal sac. We present a case of peritoneal encapsulation diagnosed incidentally in an 82 year old man undergoing laparotomy for colonic cancer. The sac was easily excised and surgery was otherwise uneventful. A discussion of the case and a review of the literature are presented.