bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Co‐overexpression of Janus kinase 2 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5a promotes differentiation of mammary cancer cells through reversal of epithelial–mesenchymal transition
Authors: Sultan Ahmed S. , Brim Hassan , Sherif Zaki A.
Published: February 2008

Signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) 5 appears to play a vital role in prolactin (PRL)‐induced cell differentiation and normal mammary gland development. We previously showed that PRL‐activated Stat5a induced expression of E‐cadherin–β‐catenin complex in vitro and in xenotransplant tumors in vivo led to inhibition of breast cancer invasion. In the present study, we show that human breast cancer cells co‐overexpressing Stat5a and its tyrosine kinase (Jak) 2 cultured in three‐dimensional (3D) Matrigel culture demonstrate changes consistent with induction of mesenchymal–epithelial redifferentiation. Jak2 and Stat5a‐co‐overexpressing cells treated with cocktail (PRL, dexamethasone, and insulin), effectively reverse epithelial–mesenchymal transition by stimulating 3D organoids more reminiscent of the acinar growth of normal mammary epithelial cells, compared with cells overexpressing only Stat5a or Jak2. In contrast, dominant‐negative dominant‐negative‐Stat5 blocks 3D organoid formation, causing cells to grow in layers instead. Hyperactivation of Jak2 and Stat5a in T‐47D cells induces alveolar‐like structures, mamospheres, with marked lumen formation through central apoptosis and restores a polarized epithelial phenotype. However, Jak2 and Stat5a overexpression in BT‐20 cells induces partially differentiated 3D organoids with no central lumen, but effectively re‐expresses estrogen receptor α. Jak2 and Stat5a‐induced 3D differentiated organoids are accompanied by increased expression of E‐cadherin, zonula occludens‐1, and cytokeratins 8 and 18, and decreased levels of vimentin and Snail, indicating a shift from a mesenchymal phenotype toward an epithelial phenotype. Collectively, Jak2 and Stat5a co‐overexpression cooperatively reverses epithelial–mesenchymal transition and promotes differentiation in human breast cancer cells, which may provide a mechanism to explain the invasive suppressor role of PRL‐activated Stat5a in mammary cancer cells. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 272–279)
Prediction of breast cancer prognosis by gene expression profile ofTP53status
Authors: Takahashi Shin , Moriya Takuya , Ishida Takanori , Shibata Hiroyuki , Sasano Hironobu , Ohuchi Noriaki , Ishioka Chikashi
Published: February 2008

TP53mutations are a poor prognostic factor in breast cancers. The present study sets out to identify the gene set that determines the expression signature of theTP53status (TP53signature) and to correlate it with clinical outcome. Using comprehensive expression analysis and DNA sequencing of theTP53gene in 38 Japanese breast cancer patients, a gene set from differentially expressed genes was isolated, depending on theTP53status. As independent external datasets, two published datasets were introduced for validation ofTP53status predictions (251 Swedish samples) and survival analysis (both the Swedish and 295 Dutch samples). Thirty‐three gene sets were identified from microarray analysis. Predictive accuracy of theTP53status by gene expression profiling was 83.3% in the test set (n = 12).TP53signature has the ability to predict recurrence‐free survival (RFS) of 29 stage I and stage II Japanese breast cancers (log rank,P = 0.032), and RFS, overall survival of two independently published datasets (log rank, bothP < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis has shown that theTP53signature an independent and significant prognostic factor with a hazard ratio (HR) for recurrence and survival in two external datasets (P < 0.0001). TheTP53signature is also a strong prognostic factor in the subgroups: estrogen‐receptor positive, lymph node positive and negative, intermediate/high risk in St. Gallen criteria, and high risk in National Cancer Institute (NCI) criteria (log rank,P < 0.0001).TP53signature is a reliable and independent predictor of the outcome of disease in operated breast cancer. (Cancer Sci2008; 99: 324–332)
Addiction science and its genetics
Authors: Ball David
Published: February 2008

Aim To assess the progress and impact of genetic studies in the addictions arena and to present this information in a form accessible to the general readership ofAddiction.

Methods Review of the evidence that genes are involved in addiction, approaches to their identification, current findings and the potential implications.

Results Family, twin and adoption studies provide strong evidence that addiction runs in families and that this is determined in part by genetic factors. Two main molecular genetic approaches, namely linkage and association, have been adopted to identify the specific genes involved. Both methods are fraught with problems. Linkage is limited by issues of sensitivity, and association by false positives. Perhaps the strongest finding in psychiatric genetics to date is the impressive effect that a single genetic variant, in the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 gene, has on drinking behaviour and reducing the risk of developing alcohol dependence. Other findings are currently less robust; however, the implications of elucidating the genetic underpinning of addiction will be profound.

Conclusions Addiction genetics is a developing science that has yet to prove its worth in the clinical setting
Intentional induction of mixed haematopoietic chimerism as platform for cellular therapy after HLA‐matched allogeneic stem cell transplantation in childhood leukaemia patients
Authors: Pérez Antonio , González‐Vicent Marta , Ramirez Manuel , Sevilla Julián , Madero Luis , Díaz Miguel Angel
Published: February 2008

Allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell CD34+‐selected transplantation followed by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) to maximize graft‐versus‐leukaemia effect while avoiding graft‐versus‐host disease was investigated in 22 paediatric patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (n = 10) or acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (n = 12). Patients were grafted with a median (range) 6 × 106 (2–31 × 106)/kg CD34+ cells and 1·1 × 104 (0·2–3·9 × 104) CD3+ cells. Seventy‐five DLI were performed with no complications. Median time (range) to neutrophil and platelet engraftment was 13 (11–15) and 12 d (8–13) respectively. Probability of relapse and disease‐free survival was 23 ± 9% and 72 ± 6% respectively (median follow‐up of 15 months).
Mould‐specific immunoglobulin antibodies quantified by flow cytometry reflect mould exposure in Norwegian children
Authors: Rydjord B. , Marton J. H. , Strømsnes H. , Granum B. , Bolle R. , Nystad W. , Hetland G.
Published: February 2008

Background
Studies from many countries have shown an association between dampness in buildings and airway symptoms. Little is known about the role of mould‐specific IgG antibodies in this context.

Objective
To examine the IgG antibody response to mould applying a new flow cytometric assay, compare the results with the standardized ImmunoCap® method, and evaluate the association of IgG to IgE antibodies, dampness in buildings, and airway symptoms like wheeze and asthma.

Methods
A population of 3713 children 9–11 years of age living in Northern Norway was investigated for airway symptoms and dampness at homes by a parental questionnaire, using protocols of the International study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC). Among these, a case–control study of 100 wheezers and 100 non‐wheezers was established that included home inspection, a parental structured interview, and serum samples analysed for mould‐specific IgG and IgE antibodies, total IgE, and specific IgE to an allergen panel (Phadiatop®).

Results
Self‐reported visible signs of mould or moisture at home during the child's first year of life were a significant risk factor for both wheeze and asthma. The levels of mould‐specific IgG antibodies were associated with mould and moisture findings, but only when IgG antibodies were measured by flow cytometry.

Conclusions
The results support that dampness at home can increase the risk of airway symptoms. IgG antibodies determined by flow cytometry reflect mould exposure better than antibodies measured by the conventional method. IgG antibodies measured by flow cytometry may be used as an indicator of mould exposure.
Disturbance history influences the distribution of stream invertebrates by altering microhabitat parameters: a field experiment
Authors: EFFENBERGER MICHAEL , ENGEL JOHANNA , DIEHL SEBASTIAN , MATTHAEI CHRISTOPH D.
Published: February 2008

1. We investigated the effects of local disturbance history and several biotic and abiotic habitat parameters on the microdistribution of benthic invertebrates after an experimental disturbance in a flood‐prone German stream.

2. Bed movement patterns during a moderate flood were simulated by scouring and filling stream bed patches (area 0.49 m2) to a depth of 15–20 cm. Invertebrates were investigated using ceramic tiles as standardized substrata. After 1, 8, 22, 29, 36 and 50 days, we sampled one tile from each of 16 replicates of three bed stability treatments (scour, fill and stable controls). For each tile, we also determined water depth, near‐bed current velocity, the grain size of the substratum beneath the tile, epilithic algal biomass and standing stock of particulate organic matter (POM).

3. Shortly after disturbance, total invertebrate density, taxon richness and density of the common taxa Baetis spp. and Chironomidae were highest in stable patches. Several weeks after disturbance, by contrast, Baetis spp. and Hydropsychidae were most common in fill and Leuctra spp. in scour patches. The black fly Simulium spp. was most abundant in fill patches from the first day onwards. Community evenness was highest in scour patches during the entire study.

4. Local disturbance history also influenced algal biomass and POM standing stock at the beginning of the experiment, and water depth, current velocity and substratum grain size throughout the experiment. Scouring mainly exposed finer substrata and caused local depressions in the stream bed characterized by slower near‐bed current velocity. Algal biomass was higher in stable and scour patches and POM was highest in scour patches. In turn, all five common invertebrate taxa were frequently correlated with one or two of these habitat parameters.

5. Our results suggest that several ‘direct’ initial effects of local disturbance history on the invertebrates were subsequently replaced by ‘indirect’ effects of disturbance history (via disturbance‐induced changes in habitat parameters such as current velocity or food).
Daphnia comes of age: an ecological model in the genomic era
Authors: SCHAACK SARAH
Published: February 2008

Scientists in various subdisciplines of biology have long relied on model organisms to push the frontiers of knowledge forward as far as possible in their specific field. Today, interdisciplinary science requires model organisms that can push our understanding on multiple frontiers and help us formulate and address more complex questions. Members of the genus Daphnia represent just such an interdisciplinary model. Daphnia are aquatic microcrustaceans (also known as waterfleas) that have long been central to the study of ecology and toxicology and have recently been developed as a genomic model. A recent survey of both nuclear and mitochondrial markers in populations of the Daphnia pulex complex from high‐altitude lakes in South America (Mergeay et al. 2008, this issue) provides an excellent example of how genetic data and ecological information can be used to push the boundaries of our understanding in molecular ecology. In this species complex, extensive hybridization has occurred resulting in polyploidization and, consequently, asexuality. Their data reveal high levels of genetic diversity, incongruence in phylogenetic signal among genomes (nuclear and mitochondrial), cryptic species in the complex, and a new model for the historical spread of the species throughout the Americas. Their data indicate that genome‐level changes have occurred in this species which have profound consequences in an ecological context, the implications of which can be more fully appreciated because of our extensive knowledge of the ecology and natural history of the genus Daphnia.
Transcriptional profiling reveals elevated CO2 and elevated O3 alter resistance of soybean (Glycine max) to Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica)
Authors: CASTEEL CLARE L. , O'NEILL BRIDGET F. , ZAVALA JORGE A. , BILGIN DAMLA D. , BERENBAUM MAY R. , DeLUCIA EVAN H.
Published: February 2008

The accumulation of CO2 and O3 in the troposphere alters phytochemistry which in turn influences the interactions between plants and insects. Using microarray analysis of field‐grown soybean (Glycine max), we found that the number of transcripts in the leaves affected by herbivory by Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) was greater when plants were grown under elevated CO2, elevated O3 and the combination of elevated CO2 plus elevated O3 than when grown in ambient atmosphere. The effect of herbivory on transcription diminished strongly with time (<1% of genes were affected by herbivory after 3 weeks), and elevated CO2 interacted more strongly with herbivory than elevated O3. The majority of transcripts affected by elevated O3 were related to antioxidant metabolism. Constitutive levels and the induction by herbivory of key transcripts associated with defence and hormone signalling were down‐regulated under elevated CO2; 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate (ACC) synthase, lipoxygenase (LOX), allene oxide synthase (AOS), allene oxide cyclase (AOC), chalcone synthase (CHS), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and cysteine protease inhibitor (CystPI) were lower in abundance compared with levels under ambient conditions. By suppressing the ability to mount an effective defence, elevated CO2 may decrease resistance of soybean to herbivory.
Aquaporins and plant water balance
Authors: KALDENHOFF RALF , RIBAS‐CARBO MIQUEL , SANS JAUME FLEXAS , LOVISOLO CLAUDIO , HECKWOLF MARLIES , UEHLEIN NORBERT
Published: February 2008

The impact of aquaporin function on plant water balance is discussed. The significance of these proteins for root water uptake, water conductance in the xylem, including embolism refilling and the role of plant aquaporins in leaf physiology, is described. Emphasis is placed on certain aspects of water stress reactions and the correlation of aquaporins to abscisic acid as well as on the relation of water and CO2 permeability in leaves.
PKS1 plays a role in red‐light‐based positive phototropism in roots
Authors: MOLAS MARIA LIA , KISS JOHN Z.
Published: February 2008

Aerial parts of plants curve towards the light (i.e. positive phototropism), and roots typically grow away from the light (i.e. negative phototropism). In addition, Arabidopsis roots exhibit positive phototropism relative to red light (RL), and this response is mediated by phytochromes A and B (phyA and phyB). Upon light stimulation, phyA and phyB interact with the phytochrome kinase substrate (PKS1) in the cytoplasm. In this study, we investigated the role of PKS1, along with phyA and phyB, in the positive phototropic responses to RL in roots. Using a high‐resolution feedback system, we studied the phenotypic responses of roots of phyA, phyB, pks1, phyA pks1 and phyB pks1 null mutants as well as the PKS1‐overexpressing line in response to RL. PKS1 emerged as an intermediary in the signalling pathways and appears to promote a negative curvature to RL in roots. In addition, phyA and phyB were both essential for a positive response to RL and act in a complementary fashion. However, either photoreceptor acting without the other results in negative curvature in response to red illumination so that the mode of action differs depending on whether phyA and phyB act independently or together. Our results suggest that PKS1 is part of a signalling pathway independent of phyA and phyB and that PKS1 modulates RL‐based root phototropism.
Outcome of pediatric liver transplant in grafts with multiple arteries
Authors: Haberal Mehmet , Sevmis Sinasi , Karakayali Hamdi , Moray Gokhan , Ozcay Figen , Torgay Adnan , Arslan Gulnaz
Published: February 2008

Abstract:  Young age, small diameter of the hepatic artery, presence of multiple arteries, and the selected technique are risk factors for hepatic arterial complications. We report the outcomes of pediatric liver transplant (LT) patients who had received a liver graft with multiple arteries. Since April 2001, 89 pediatric LTs have been performed at our center. Twenty‐six liver grafts (29.2%) that had multiple hepatic arteries were analyzed retrospectively. Twenty‐five grafts had 2, and 1 graft had 3, hepatic arteries. In 17 grafts with double arteries, and in 1 graft with 3 arteries, the adjacent edges of the hepatic arteries were sutured together at the back table to create a single opening, and the recipient’s common hepatic artery was then anastomosed to that orifice. In 8 grafts with double arteries, 2 separate anastomoses were performed between the graft hepatic arteries and the recipient’s hepatic artery branches. The mean age of the recipients was 7.9 ± 5.4 years (range, 0.6–17 years). During the early postoperative period, hepatic arterial thromboses occurred in 3 recipients. Two of these 3 recipients were treated with transcatheter arterial thrombolysis using streptokinase or recombinant plasminogen and intraluminal stent placement, and the remaining recipient was treated with a re‐anastomosis using a polytetrafluoroethylene graft. Three recipients died during follow‐up, which ranged from 1 to 71 months. In conclusion, multiple graft arteries did not increase the incidence of hepatic arterial complications in our series.
Lamotrigine in the acute treatment of bipolar depression: results of five double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trials
Authors: Calabrese Joseph R , Huffman Russell F , White Robin L , Edwards Suzanne , Thompson Thomas R , Ascher John A , Monaghan Eileen T , Leadbetter Robert A
Published: February 2008

Objectives:  The efficacy of lamotrigine as maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder (BD), particularly for delaying depressive episodes, is well established, but its efficacy in the acute treatment of bipolar depression is less clear. This paper reports the results of five randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials of lamotrigine monotherapy for the acute treatment of bipolar depression.

Methods:  Adult subjects with bipolar I or II disorder experiencing a depressive episode were randomized to placebo or lamotrigine monotherapy (after titration, at a fixed dose of 50 mg or 200 mg daily in Study 1; a flexible dose of 100–400 mg daily in Study 2; or a fixed dose of 200 mg daily in Studies 3, 4 and 5) for 7–10 weeks.

Results:  Lamotrigine did not differ significantly from placebo on primary efficacy endpoints [17‐item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale in Studies 1 and 2; Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) in Studies 3, 4 and 5]. In Study 1, lamotrigine significantly separated from placebo on some secondary measures of efficacy, including the MADRS, the Clinical Global Impressions‐Severity (CGI‐S) and the CGI‐Improvement (CGI‐I), but seldom differed on secondary efficacy endpoints for the other studies.

Conclusions:  Lamotrigine monotherapy did not demonstrate efficacy in the acute treatment of bipolar depression in four out of five placebo‐controlled clinical studies. Lamotrigine was well tolerated in the acute treatment of bipolar depression.
Circadian activity rhythm abnormalities in ill and recovered bipolar I disorder patients
Authors: Salvatore Paola , Ghidini Stefano , Zita Gianmaria , Panfilis Chiara De , Lambertino Samuele , Maggini Carlo , Baldessarini Ross J
Published: February 2008

Objectives:  Most physiological indicators of bipolar disorder (BPD) reflect current acute illness, and rarely have proved to be state‐independent. Activity rhythms are highly abnormal in acute phases of BPD; we compared circadian activity rhythms in BPD I patients during ill and recovered states to those of normal controls to test the hypothesis that some abnormalities may persist.

Methods:  We compared 36 adult DSM‐IV BPD I patients during acute mania or mixed states, and during full and sustained clinical recovery, to 32 healthy controls of similar age and sex distribution, using wrist‐worn, piezoelectric actigraphic monitoring for 72 h and computed cosinor analysis of circadian activity rhythms.

Results:  We verified expected major differences between manic or mixed‐state BPD I patients and matched normal controls, including phase advances averaging 2.1 h in ill BPD I patients and 1.8 h in recovered patients. Moreover, recovered BPD patients differed highly significantly from controls in several measures, including acrophase advance, higher percentage of nocturnal sleep, and lower average daily activity (mesor). Actigraphic measures among recovered BPD patients were independent of ratings of mania (on the Young Mania Rating Scale), depression (on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale), or rating‐scale scored subjective distress, as well as the type and dose of concurrent psychotropic medication.

Conclusions:  These findings suggest that abnormal activity rhythms, including sustained phase advances, may represent enduring (trait) characteristics of BPD patients even during clinical recovery. If verified, such indices may be useful in supporting diagnoses and as an objective phenotype for genetic or other biological studies.
Defining biological communication
Authors: SCOTT‐PHILLIPS T. C.
Published: February 2008

Communication is ubiquitous in biology, and agreement on terms essential for scientific progress. Yet there is no agreed definition of biological communication. Definitions couched in terms of adaptation are often used, but there is significant variability in exactly which criteria are invoked. An alternative is to define communication in terms of information transfer. This article reviews the merits of these approaches, and argues that the former is to be preferred, so long as we demand thatboththe signalandthe response be adaptive, rather than just one or the other, as is common. Specific concerns with the definition are addressed, and it is then explained why an account of communication predicated on information transfer is necessarily derivative upon such an approach. Other alternatives and some variants of the adaptationist definition are also briefly discussed.
Factors affecting captures of male citrus leafminer,Phyllocnistis citrellaStainton, in pheromone‐baited traps
Authors: Stelinski L. L. , Rogers M. E.
Published: February 2008

The citrus leafminer,Phyllocnistis citrellaStainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is an important world‐wide pest of citrus. Larval mining within leaf flush impacts yield and predisposes trees to infection by citrus canker,Xanthomonas axonopodispv. citri. The present series of studies sought to identify factors affecting maleP. citrellacatch in pheromone‐baited traps with the intent of developing effective monitoring. A commercially available pheromone lure (Citralure, ISCA Technologies, Riverside, CA, USA) was highly effective in attracting maleP. citrellato traps. Pherocon VI Delta (Trécé Inc., Adair, OK, USA) traps baited with a Citralure captured more maleP. citrellathan identically baited Pherocon IC Wing traps (Trécé Inc.). The superiority of the Delta‐style trap was found to be due to a 3 cm long closing latch that likely prevents males from flying directly through the trap without capture. Within canopies of mature citrus trees (approximately 3.5 m high), traps at mid‐canopy height (2.0 m) captured more males than traps placed higher (3.5 m) or lower (0.6 m). On the canopy perimeter and in between canopies, traps near ground level (0.6 m height) captured more males than traps at 2.0 and 3.5 m heights. Male catch was greater within the tree canopy or on the canopy perimeter than 2.0 away from the canopy. Traps deployed in trees on the edge of groves captured more males than traps placed 120 and 240 m away from the grove edge and within the grove interior. In non‐pheromone‐treated grove plots, the optimal dosage for catching males was between 0.1 and 1.0 mg of the 3 : 1 blend of (Z,Z,E)‐7,11,13‐hexadecatrienal and (Z,Z)‐7,11‐hexadecadienal; however, in pheromone‐treated plots a higher 10.0 mg dosage lure was most effective. Male catch in pheromone‐baited traps exhibited a diel rhythm with most males captured during scotophase (22:00–23:00 h) and no males captured during photophase.
Indole Glucosinolates and Camalexin do not Influence the Development of the Clubroot Disease in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Siemens J. , Glawischnig E. , Ludwig‐Müller J.
Published: February 2008

Root galls of Brassicaceae caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae are dependent on increased auxin and cytokinin formation. In this study we investigated whether indole glucosinolates are involved in indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis in root galls, by using a genetic approach. The cytochrome P450 enzymes, CYP79B2 and CYP79B3, convert tryptophan to indole‐3‐acetaldoxime (IAOx), which is a precursor for indole glucosinolates and the phytoalexin camalexin in Arabidopsis thaliana. Root galls of the Arabidopsis ecotypes Wassilewskija (WS) and Columbia (Col) accumulated camalexin, WS at levels up to 320 μg/g dry weight. By contrast, camalexin was absent in root galls of cyp79b2/b3 double mutants. Infection rate and disease index as a measure of club development in mutant and wild‐type plants of the two ecotypes were investigated and no differences were found in gall formation. This demonstrates that camalexin is an ineffective inhibitor of P. brassicae and indole glucosinolates are not the source of elevated levels of IAA in galls, because free IAA levels in mutant galls were comparable with those in wild type.
Complete Genome Sequence of a Chinese Isolate ofPotato virus Xand Analysis of Genetic Diversity
Authors: Yu X.‐Q. , Wang H.‐Y. , Lan Y.‐F. , Zhu X.‐P. , Li X.‐D. , Fan Z.‐F. , Li H.‐F. , Wang Y.‐Y.
Published: February 2008

The complete genomic sequence of a ChinesePotato virus Xisolate FX21 (PVX‐FX21) was determined from three overlapping cDNA clones. The genome of PVX‐FX21 is 6435 nucleotides in length excluding the poly(A) tail and contains five open reading frames (ORFs). Its entire genomic sequence shares 95.2–96.3% identities with Asian and European isolates, and 77.3–77.8% with American isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete genomic sequence reveals two groups: the Eurasian group and the American group. PVX‐FX21 belongs to the Eurasian group and forms a separate sub‐branch with three Asian isolates. Similar analyses of the coat protein genes of 37 PVX isolates also reveal two major groups. All PVX isolates from Asia are clustered to group I, whereas isolates from Europe and America are clustered to both groups. Nucleotide sequence diversity analyses show that there is no geographical differentiation between PVX isolates and that constraint on the ORF encoding RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase is much higher than those on the other four ORFs.
Reframing professional development for first‐line nurses
Authors: Jantzen Darlaine
Published: February 2008

Within a context of healthcare restructuring and a shift toward individualized continuing competency in Canada, this inductive, narrative inquiry explored positive learning experiences of first‐line acute care nurses. The written stories of eight self‐selected participants were collected and unstructured follow‐up interviews were conducted. The stories and interview transcripts were examined using categorical‐content and holistic‐form analysis, and analyzed in light of literature relating to adult education and professional development in nursing. Emergent themes included life‐changing learning and learning through one's own, and other's, experiences. The findings highlight the need to re‐frame professional development for nurses in Canada, specifically by valuing and utilizing shared workplace experiences.
CRACK CLOSURE IN SMALL FATIGUE CRACKS—A COMPARISON OF FINITE ELEMENT PREDICTIONS WITHIN‐SITUSCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE MEASUREMENTS
Authors: Zhang J. Z. , Halliday M. D. , Poole P. , Bowen P.
Published: February 2008

Abstract—A three dimensional, elastic‐plastic, finite element analysis of fatigue crack growth and plasticity‐induced crack closure has been performed for a range of small, semi‐circular cracks. Predicted crack opening displacements have been compared with data obtained fromin‐situSEM measurements for a coarse‐grained aluminium alloy 2024‐T351. The magnitude of fatigue crack closure measured fromin‐situSEM measurements was consistently higher than that predicted from the finite element analysis. It is deduced that the higher closure stresses obtained fromin‐situSEM measurements are due to the contact of asperities on the fatigue crack surfaces. A simple mathematical model is suggested to describe the fatigue crack closure stress caused by the combination of both a plastic wake and asperities on the fatigue crack surfaces. The predicted fatigue crack closure stresses and their dependence on crack size are consistent with experimental measurement.
MODE I STRESS INTENSITY FACTOR EQUATIONS FOR CRACKS AT NOTCHES AND CAVITIES
Authors: Xu R. X. , Topper T. H. , Thompson J. C.
Published: February 2008

Abstract— In this paper, the notch‐crack problem is treated in two different ways: if the non‐dimensional crack length l/ρ (l= crack length; ρ= notch root radius) is smaller than the transition crack length lT/ρ, it is treated as an edge crack lying within the local stress field around the notch tip; if l/ρ is larger than lT/ρ, the notch‐crack is considered as a simple flat crack problem subjected to remote loading, the flat crack size being the sum of notch depth and the real crack length. Based on currently available numerical data, expressions for the transition crack length, lT, and for the geometric factor F=KI/(1.1215Ktσ√πl) are developed for various notch problems for the crack length range l≦lT. It is found that the stress (σyy) normalized by the peak stress (σpeak), σyy/σpeak, for the pre‐cracked component is very similar to the geometric factor for short cracks.
Cancer control and the preservation of neurovascular tissue: how to meet competing goals during robotic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Tewari Ashutosh , Rao Sandhya , Martinez‐Salamanca Juan I. , Leung Robert , Ramanathan Rajan , Mandhani Anil , Vaughan E. Darracott , Menon Mani , Horninger Wolfgang , Tu Jiangling , Bartsch Georg
Published: February 2008

Study Type – Therapy (case series)  Level of Evidence 4

OBJECTIVE

To present early functional and oncological data for the athermal trizonal nerve‐sparing technique of robotic radical prostatectomy (RP), that addresses the concerns about deviations from the principles of open RP and revisits the anatomical foundations of this surgery from the robotic perspective.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study involved close collaboration between the Cornell Institute of Robotic Surgery in New York, USA, and the Institute of Urology at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. The cadaveric studies and standardization of the athermal technique were conducted at Innsbruck, and the technique was used in 215 patients in New York.

RESULTS

The athermal technique addresses concerns about the use of thermal energy and bulldog clamps during nerve sparing, and emphasizes the importance of the trizonal neural architecture. We analysed the surgical outcomes of 215 consecutive patients from January 2005. The operative duration was 120–240 min and the mean blood loss was 150 mL. In patients potent before RP the potency rate at 1 year after bilateral nerve‐sparing was 87%. The overall surgical margin rate was 6.5% and positive margin rates for organ‐confined cancer were 4.7%.

CONCLUSION

We describe the athermal technique of robotic RP and introduce the concept of trizonal nerve preservation. The immediate oncological and sexual outcomes were encouraging.
Poverty and Social Impact in the Agricultural Sector: Lessons from Experience
Authors: Alwang Jeffrey , Marió Estanislao Gacitúa
Published: February 2008

This article draws on the donor experience in agriculture‐sector reforms to analyse the contribution of Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) to improved rural policy. A decision‐theoretic framework is presented showing that effective PSIAs should target reforms where institutional distortions and uncertainty about key policy parameters are greatest. The framework is applied to nine cases of World Bank‐sponsored PSIAs, and results show that, while they have generally been effective, their impacts can be improved by identifying key uncertaintiesa priori, better identifying and engaging stakeholders, and improving the integration of quantitative and qualitative components.
Creating Social Connection Through Inferential Reproduction
Authors: Epley Nicholas , Akalis Scott , Waytz Adam , Cacioppo John T.
Published: February 2008

People are motivated to maintain social connection with others, and those who lack social connection with other humans may try to compensate by creating a sense of human connection with nonhuman agents. This may occur in at least two ways—by anthropomorphizing nonhuman agents such as nonhuman animals and gadgets to make them appear more humanlike and by increasing belief in commonly anthropomorphized religious agents (such as God). Three studies support these hypotheses both among individuals who are chronically lonely (Study 1) and among those who are induced to feel lonely (Studies 2 and 3). Additional findings suggest that such results are not simply produced by any negative affective state (Study 3). These results have important implications not only for understanding when people are likely to treat nonhuman agents as humanlike (anthropomorphism), but also for understanding when people treat human agents as non-human (dehumanization).
The creation of coevalness and the danger of homochronism
Authors: Birth Kevin
Published: February 2008

Johannes Fabian'sTime and the Othercriticized anthropology for creating representations that placed the Other outside the flow of time. Fabian offered the ethnographic portrayal of coevalness as a solution to this problem. This article explores four challenges to the representation of coevalness: the split temporalities of the ethnographer; the multiple temporalities of different histories; the culturally influenced phenomenological present; and the complicated relationship between culturally variable concepts of being and becoming and cultural concepts of time. Based on these challenges, this article argues that some attempts at ethnographic coevalness have fostered a temporal framework of homochronism which subsumes the Other into academic discourses of history. To achieve coevalness and to avoid homochronism and allochronism, it is necessary to represent the temporal frameworks that research subjects use to forge coevalness with ethnographers, and to place these frameworks in relationship to commonly used academic representations of time and history.

Dans son livreLe Temps et les Autres,Johannes Fabian critiquait la création par l’anthropologie de représentations plaçant l’Autre en dehors du flux du temps. Selon lui, la description ethnographique de la contemporanéité pourrait être la solution à ce problème. Le présent article explore les quatre difficultés que pose la représentation de la contemporanéité : temporalités dissociées de l’ethnographe, temporalités multiples des différentes histoires, présent phénoménologique culturellement informé, relation complexe entre les concepts culturellement variables de l’être et du devenir et les concepts culturel du temps. Sur la base de ces difficultés, l’auteur avance que certaines tentatives de contemporanéité ethnographique ont suscité un cadre temporel d’homochronie qui subsume l’Autre dans les discours académiques sur l’histoire. Pour parvenir à la contemporanéité et éviter homochronie et allochronie, il est nécessaire de représenter les cadres temporels utilisés par les enquêtés pour forger la contemporanéité avec les ethnographes et de resituer ces cadres en relation avec les représentations académiques du temps et de l’histoire qui prévalent habituellement.
Three modes of experimentation with art and ethnography
Authors: Schneider Arnd
Published: February 2008

Whilst theWriting culturecritique since the mid‐1980s has led to a number of experiments with ethnographic writing, the visual side has been neglected. Thus this article argues that by looking at the work of Oppitz, Downey, and Lockhart, which has not been considered in the canon of visual and general anthropology, anthropologists can develop new strategies of visual representation and research in regard to (1) conceptualizing closeness to and distance from the ethnographic subject, (2) the multiple positioning of the participant observer, and (3) developing new formal possibilities of visual representation. In doing so, anthropologists can start to address the unfulfilled potential of visual experimentation inherent in theWriting culturecritique. This article then discusses three examples of experimentation with art and ethnography, that is,Shamans of the Blind Country, by anthropologist and film director Michael Oppitz (part‐narrated by the writer William S. Burroughs), the video‐ and installation work of pioneer video artist Juan Downey among the Yanomamö, and the experimental film and photographic workTeatro Amazonasby contemporary artist Sharon Lockhart in Brazil, based on a collaboration with anthropologists.

Alors que la critique issue deWriting culturea suscité, depuis le milieu des années 1980, de nombreuses expériences d’écriture ethnographique, le côté visuel de l’ethnographie a été négligé. L’auteur avance donc qu’en examinant les travaux d’Oppitz, Downey et Lockhart, qui n’ont pas été incluses dans les œuvres canoniques de l’anthropologie visuelle générale, les anthropologues peuvent élaborer de nouvelles stratégies de représentation visuelle et de recherches sur (1) la conceptualisation de la proximité et de la distance par rapport au sujet ethnographique, (2) le positionnement multiple de l’observateur participant et (3) le développement de nouvelles possibilités formelles de représentation visuelle. Par ce biais, les anthropologues peuvent commencer à exploiter le potentiel inexploré de l’expérimentation visuelle contenue dans l’approche «Writing culture». Le présent article discute ensuite trois exemples d’expérimentation de l’art et de l’ethnographie, à savoirShamans of the Blind Country, par l’anthropologue et cinéaste Michael Oppitz (dont la narration est due en partie au romancier William S. Burroughs), le travail de vidéo et d’installation du vidéaste pionnier Juan Downey chez les Yanomamö et l’œuvre cinématographique et photographiqueTeatro Amazonasde l’artiste contemporaine Sharon Lockhart au Brésil, réalisée en collaboration avec des anthropologues.
Fishing for words: the taboo language of Shetland fishermen and the dating of Norn language death1
Authors: Knooihuizen Remco
Published: February 2008

There has been considerable debate about when Norn, the Scandinavian language formerly spoken in Orkney and Shetland, died as a community language in the islands. Arguments thus far have focused primarily on second‐hand commentary from travel and census reports, sparking disputes about the credibility of these sources. Linguistic evidence, although very little survives, is seldom used systematically in the debate about when Norn died. I argue that a list of thirty Norn words collected in 1774 can tell us about the state of the language at the time, and can thus be used as evidence in this debate.1
A New Method for Analysing Discrete Life History Data with Missing Covariate Values
Authors: Catchpole E. A. , Morgan B. J. T. , Tavecchia G.
Published: February 2008

Regular censusing of wild animal populations produces data for estimating their annual survival. However, there can be missing covariate data; for instance time varying covariates that are measured on individual animals often contain missing values. By considering the transitions that occur from each occasion to the next, we derive a novel expression for the likelihood for mark–recapture–recovery data, which is equivalent to the traditional likelihood in the case where no covariate data are missing, and which provides a natural way of dealing with covariate data that are missing, for whatever reason. Unlike complete-case analysis, this approach does not exclude incompletely observed life histories, uses all available data and produces consistent estimators. In a simulation study it performs better overall than alternative methods when there are missing covariate data.
Szasz and His Interlocutors: Reconsidering Thomas Szasz's “Myth of Mental Illness” Thesis
Authors: CRESSWELL MARK
Published: February 2008

It is a matter of some irony that psychiatry's most trenchant critic for over four decades is himself a psychiatrist. I refer to Thomas S. Szasz. Szasz's core thesis may be succinctly rendered: mental illness is a “myth”, a “metaphor” which serves only to obscure the social and ethical “problems in living” we face as human beings. This paper reconsiders the conceptual bases of Szasz's assault on psychiatry and assesses recent counter‐arguments of his critical interlocutors. It presents a defence of the Szaszian conception and emphasises the continuing relevance of his earliest work. Additionally, the paper discusses Szasz's thesis in light of the work of the influential French philosopher of medicine, Georges Canguilhem.
Psychological distress in mothers and fathers of preschool children: a 5‐year follow‐up study after birth
Authors: Skreden M , Skari H , Björk MD , Malt UF , Veenstra M , Faugli A , Åvitsland TL , Emblem R
Published: February 2008

Objective Maternal and paternal psychological distress influence children’s development and health beyond the perinatal period. The aim of our study was to describe psychological health during a 5‐year period in parents of preschool children. Secondarily, we wanted to explore differences between mothers and fathers and identify predictors for increased psychological distress in parents.

Design Prospective cohort study.

Setting A county in Southern Norway 1998–2004.

Population One hundred and twenty‐three mothers and 112 fathers were candidates for the follow‐up study.

Methods Parental psychological responses were assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐28), State Anxiety Inventory‐X1 and Impact of Event Scale at 0–4 days, 6 weeks, 6 months and 5 years after delivery of a healthy child.

Main outcome measure Parental psychological distress defined by GHQ‐28 Likert sum score at 5‐year follow‐up.

Results Clinically important psychological distress (GHQ case score ≥ 6) was reported by more mothers (29%) than by fathers (11%) (P= 0.004). In multivariate analysis, psychological distress (GHQ‐28 Likert sum score) after 5 years was predicted by initial psychological distress, being single and low educational level in mothers, and unemployment and low quality of relationship with partner in fathers.

Conclusions Fathers reported significantly lower frequency of clinically important psychological distress and more stable scores than mothers throughout the period. The results indicate that selected psychometric screening may be warranted for parents with known psychosocial risk factors.
Fetal exposure to herpesviruses may be associated with pregnancy‐induced hypertensive disorders and preterm birth in a Caucasian population*
Authors: Gibson CS , Goldwater PN , MacLennan AH , Haan EA , Priest K , Dekker GA ,   South Australian Cerebral Palsy Research Group
Published: February 2008

Objective  To investigate the role of fetal viral infection in the development of a range of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), including pregnancy‐induced hypertensive disorders (PIHD), antepartum haemorrhage (APH), birthweight <10th percentile (small for gestational age, SGA) and preterm birth (PTB).

Design  Population‐based case–control study.

Setting  Laboratory‐based study.

Population  The newborn screening cards of 717 adverse pregnancy cases and 609 controls.

Methods  Newborn screening cards were tested for RNA from enteroviruses and DNA from herpesviruses using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The herpesviruses were detected using two PCRs, one detecting nucleic acids from herpes simplex virus (HSV)‐1, HSV‐2, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human herpesvirus (HHV)‐8, hereafter designated Herpes PCR group A viruses, and the other detecting nucleic acids from varicella‐zoster virus (VZV), HHV‐6 and HHV‐7, hereafter designated Herpes PCR group B viruses.

Main outcome measure  Odds ratios and 95% CIs for specific APOs.

Results  For both term and PTBs, the risk of developing PIHD was increased in the presence of DNA from Herpes PCR group B viruses (OR 3.57, 95% CI 1.10–11.70), CMV (OR 3.89, 95% CI 1.67–9.06), any herpesvirus (OR 5.70, 95% CI 1.85–17.57) and any virus (OR 5.17, 95% CI 1.68–15.94). The presence of CMV was associated with PTB (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.14–2.27). No significant association was observed between SGA or APH and exposure to viral infection.

Conclusions  Fetal exposure to herpesvirus infection was associated with PIHD for both term and PTBs in this exploratory study. Exposure to CMV may also be associated with PTB. These findings need confirmation in future studies.
The Child With Headache in a Pediatric Emergency Department
Authors: Conicella Elena , Raucci Umberto , Vanacore Nicola , Vigevano Federico , Reale Antonino , Pirozzi Nicola , Valeriani Massimiliano
Published: February 2008

Objectives.—To investigate clinical features of a pediatric population presenting with headache to a pediatric emergency department (ED) and to identify headache characteristics which are more likely associated with serious, life‐threatening conditions in distinction from headaches due to more benign processes.

Background.—Although headache is a common problem in children visiting a pediatric ED, a few studies thus far have attempted to identify the clinical characteristics most likely associated with suspected life‐threatening disease.

Methods.—A retrospective chart review of all consecutive patients who presented with a chief complaint of headache at ED over a 1‐year period was conducted. Etiologies were classified according to the International Headache Society diagnostic criteria 2nd edition.

Results.—Four hundred and thirty‐two children (0.8% of the total number of visits) aged from 2 to 18 years (mean age 8.9 years) were enrolled in our study. There were 228 boys (53%) and 204 girls (47%). School‐age group was the most represented (66%). The most common cause of headache was upper respiratory tract infections (19.2%). The remaining majority of non‐life‐threatening headache included migraine (18.5%), posttraumatic headache (5.5%), tension‐type headache (4.6%). Serious life‐threatening intracranial disorders (4.1%) included meningitis (1.6%), acute hydrocephalus (0.9%), tumors (0.7%). We found several clinical clues which demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with dangerous conditions: pre‐school age, recent onset of pain, occipital location, and child's inability to describe the quality of pain and objective neurological signs.

Conclusions.—Differential diagnosis between primary and secondary headaches can be very difficult, especially in an ED setting. The majority of headaches are secondary to respiratory infectious diseases and minor head trauma. Our data allowed us to identify clinical features useful to recognize intracranial life‐threatening conditions.