bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pharmacist Involvement in Primary Care Improves Hypertensive Patient Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Sookaneknun Phayom , Richards Robert ME , Sanguansermsri Jaratbhan , Teerasut Chai 
Published: November 2004

BACKGROUND The practice of pharmaceutical care in primary care settings in Thailand is currently not generally accepted. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of pharmacist involvement in treatment with hypertensive patients in primary care settings. METHODS The treatment objective was to stabilize the blood pressure (BP) of hypertensive patients in accordance with the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure guidelines. Patients were randomly assigned to a pharmacist-involved group (treatment) or a group with no pharmacist involvement (control). Pre- and post-test BPs, tablet counts, lifestyle modifications, and pharmacists’ recommendations were recorded. The 6-month study was carried out in Mahasarakham University pharmacy and 2 primary care units. Patients were monitored monthly by reviewing their medications and supported by providing pharmaceutical care and counseling. RESULTS From a total of 235 patients, the treatment group (n = 118) had a significant reduction in both systolic (S) and diastolic (D) BP compared with the 117 patients of the control group (p = 0.037, 0.027, respectively). The 158 patients (76 treatment, 82 control) with BPs 140/90 mm Hg at the beginning of the study showed significant BP reductions (p = 0.002 SBP, 0.008 DBP). The proportion of 158 patients whose BP became stabilized was higher in the treatment group (p = 0.017). The treatment group showed significantly better adherence (p = 0.014) and exercise control (p = 0.012) at the end of the study. Physicians accepted 42.72% of medication modifications and 5.34% of the suggestions for additional investigations. CONCLUSIONS Hypertensive patients who received pharmacist input achieved a significantly greater benefit in BP reduction, BP control, and improvement in adherence rate and lifestyle modification.
Orthographic revision: A developmental study of how revisers check verbal agreements in written texts
Authors: Largy Pierre , Dédéyan Alexandra , Hupet Michel 
Published: November 2004

Background: Writing is a complex activity involving various cognitive processes in the planning, the transcription and the revision of written texts. The present study focused on the revision of written texts within a developmental approach.Aims: The study aimed to examine whether children and adults use different procedures to detect and revise erroneous grammatical agreements. It was predicted that children would use a slow algorithmic procedure while adults would use a fast automatized procedure.Sample: One hundred and twenty participants from 5th grade to undergraduate levels (24 per level) participated in the study.Method: The participants were asked to decide as quickly as possible whether a visually presented sentence had any agreement error. The French experimental sentences were of the type ‘The N1 of the N2 + Verb’, in which N2 was either a plausible subject of the following verb (e. g., The guard of the prisoners watches) or an implausible subject (e. g., The guard of the safes watches). Correctness and latency of the responses were recorded.Results: The main results showed that only the younger participants were affected by the subject‐role plausibility of N2, and that there was no difference in response latency between their correct and incorrect responses. These observations support the hypothesis that the younger participants systematically apply a time‐consuming algorithmic procedure to verify the agreement; since one step of this procedure consists in searching for the subject of the verb, these participants were frequently misled by the subject‐role plausibility of N2. On the contrary, the older participants were not affected by the plausibility of N2, but were frequently misled by erroneous agreements between N2 and the verb. These observations support the view that these older participants use a fast decision strategy based on the co‐occurrence of formal indices. Their correct answers, however, were slower than their incorrect ones; this suggests that they also sometimes use a time‐consuming controlled procedure.Conclusion: The study shows that along with the acquisition of writing expertise, the revising activity itself is progressively facilitated and gradually automatized by substituting a fast direct decision strategy for a slow and laborious use of revision rules.
‘What about bullying?’ An experimental field study to understand students' attitudes towards bullying and victimisation in Italian middle schools
Authors: Baldry Anna C. 
Published: November 2004

Background: Attitudes towards bullying at school are influential in understanding and preventing bullying behaviour but they should be measured with reference to the particular conditions under which bullying takes place.Aims: To establish how far positive and negative judgments of bullying and victims and blaming of the victim vary according to the gender of observers, gender of bullies and of victims and whether the bullying took place alone or in group.Sample: Participants were 117 students (49 boys and 68 girls), aged 11–12, recruited from a middle school in Italy randomly allocated to one of four independent groups according to experimental condition: bullying alone among girls, bullying alone among boys, bullying in groups among girls, bullying in groups among boys.Method: Participants watched one of four versions of a video according to experimental condition showing a brief standardized bullying episode taking place at a school; they then had to fill in a self‐report questionnaire measuring the dependent variables: respondents' positive or negative judgments towards the bully and the victim shown in the video and how far the victim was blamed for what had happened.Results: Overall, results indicate students have positive attitudes towards the victims of bullying and tend not to blame them for what has happened. However, same gender identification lead girls to blame male victims more than female victims and the reverse applies in case of boys providing their judgments. A bully acting alone is considered stronger and braver than when acting in a group.Conclusions: The limits and potential of the study are presented with special attention to implications for intervention strategies in school by focusing on the role observers could play in supporting the victims and discouraging the bullies.
The interactive effects of prior knowledge and text structure on memory for cognitive psychology texts
Authors: Wylie Judith , McGuinness Carol 
Published: November 2004

Background: Interest in the interactive effects of prior knowledge and text structure on learning from text is increasing but experimental manipulations of knowledge and structure variables often produce findings that do not help teachers to select expository texts for students.Aims: We aimed to extend the ecological validity of previous findings by asking students with a high or low level of discipline‐relevant knowledge to read texts characteristic of those they would normally encounter. A compensation effect was hypothesized, where high prior knowledge would compensate for a lack of text structure and text structure would compensate for a lack of prior knowledge.Samples: One hundred and ninety‐five undergraduate psychology students (144 Year 1 students and 51 Year 3 students) were allocated to a high knowledge (HiPK) or low knowledge (LoPK) group on the basis of their performance on a word association test.Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to one of five text structure groups (compare/contrast, sequence, classification, enumeration, generalization) and asked to study two cognitive psychology passages before recalling the main points of the text immediately afterwards and after a delay of 2 weeks. The five text structures were placed on an ‘organizational continuum’ according to the degree of structure/organization in the 10 passages.Results: A compensation effect did not emerge. Recall was high when texts were well structured and readers had prior knowledge, but recall was poor when texts were less structured, regardless of the level of prior knowledge.Conclusions: Readers benefit most from texts that challenge pre‐existing mental representations.
Profiles of non‐victims, escaped victims, continuing victims and new victims of school bullying
Authors: Smith Peter K. , Talamelli Lorenzo , Cowie Helen , Naylor Paul , Chauhan Preeti 
Published: November 2004

Background: Victims of school bullying are known to be at risk in peer relationships and to sometimes use ineffective coping strategies, but little previous research has examined differences among escaped victims, continuing victims and new victims.Aim: A follow‐up design compared friendships, behavioural characteristics, victimisation experiences and coping strategies of pupils who had 2 years previously answered a questionnaire identifying themselves as victims (V) or non‐victims (NV) of school bullying and whose current victim status could be identified.Sample: 406 pupils aged 13–16 years (190 boys, 216 girls): 175 non‐victims (NV‐NV), 146 escaped victims (V‐NV), 27 new victims (NV‐V) and 58 continuing victims (V‐V).Method: Structured interviews were given to pupils, together with the SDQ. Teachers also filled in the SDQ. School records of attendance were obtained.Results: Escaped victims did not differ greatly from non‐victims, but had some self‐perception of continuing peer relationship difficulties. Continuing victims, irrespective of gender, liked other pupils and breaktime less (but did not dislike other aspects of school), had fewer friends in school (but not outside school), more often missed school (sometimes because of bullying), scored high on problem scales of the SDQ, and were more likely to be involved in bullying others as well as being bullied. New victims tended to resemble continuing victims. Continuing victims did not differ from escaped victims on type of bullying, but new and continuing victims less often reported talking to someone about a specific incident of bullying. Most victims gave mainly victim‐related reasons for the bullying having taken place.Conclusion: The results are discussed in relation to why some pupils become or continue to be victims in secondary school, and recommendations for anti‐bullying procedures in schools designed to help such victims.
The relation of depression and anxiety to life‐stress and achievement in students
Authors: Andrews Bernice , Wilding John M. 
Published: November 2004

Objectives: An apparent increase in seriously disturbed students consulting student health services in the UK has led to concern that increasing financial difficulties and other outside pressures may affect student mental health and academic performance. The current research investigated whether student anxiety and depression increases after college entry, the extent to which adverse life experiences contribute to any increases, and the impact of adversity, anxiety and depression on exam performance.Method: 351 UK‐domiciled undergraduates completed questionnaires one month before university entry and mid‐course. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS: Zigmond & Snaith, 1983) was administered at both time points and a modified List of Threatening Experiences (Brugha, Bebbington, Tennant, & Hurry, 1985) was administered mid‐course.Results: By mid‐course 9% of previously symptom‐free students became depressed and 20% became anxious at a clinically significant level. Of those previously anxious or depressed 36% had recovered. After adjusting for pre‐entry symptoms, financial difficulties made a significant independent contribution to depression and relationship difficulties independently predicted anxiety. Depression and financial difficulties mid‐course predicted a decrease in exam performance from first to second year.Conclusions: This is the first study to confirm empirically that financial and other difficulties can increase British students' levels of anxiety and depression and that financial difficulties and depression can affect academic performance. However, university life may also have a beneficial effect for some students with pre‐existing conditions. With widening participation in higher education, the results have important implications for educational and health policies.
Microglial Phagocytosis of Fibrillar β-Amyloid through a β1Integrin-Dependent Mechanism
Authors: Koenigsknecht Jessica , Landreth Gary 
Published: November 2004

Microglia are the principle immune effector and phagocytic cells in the CNS. These cells are associated with fibrillar β-amyloid (fAβ)-containing plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The plaque-associated microglia undergo a phenotypic conversion into an activated phenotype and are responsible for the development of a focal inflammatory response that exacerbates and accelerates the disease process. Paradoxically, despite the presence of abundant activated microglia in the brain of AD patients, these cells fail to mount a phagocytic response to Aβ deposits but can efficiently phagocytose Aβ fibrils and plaquesin vitro.We report that exposure of microglia to fAβin vitroinduces phagocytosis through mechanisms distinct from those used by the classical phagocytic receptors, the Ig receptors (FcRγI and FcγRIII) or complement receptors. Microglia interact with fAβ through a recently characterized Aβ cell surface receptor complex comprising the B-class scavenger receptor CD36, α6β1integrin, and CD47 (integrin-associated protein). Antagonists specific for each component of the receptor complex blocks fAβ-stimulated phagocytosis. These data demonstrated that engagement of this ensemble of receptors is required for induction of phagocytosis. The phagocytic response stimulated by this receptor complex is driven principally by a β1integrin-linked process that is morphologically and mechanistically distinct from the classical type I and type II phagocytic mechanisms. These data provide evidence for phagocytic uptake of fAβ through a receptor-mediated, nonclassical phagocytic mechanism.
The Zn(II)2Cys6 Putative Aspergillus nidulans Transcription Factor Repressor of Sexual Development Inhibits Sexual Development Under Low-Carbon Conditions and in Submersed CultureSequence data from this article have been deposited with the EMBL/GenBank Data Libraries under accession no. CAD58393.
Authors: Vienken Kay , Scherer Mario , Fischer Reinhard 
Published: November 2004

AbstractHere we have characterized the putative Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor RosA from the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. The rosA gene encodes a protein of 713 aa, which shares 38% sequence similarity to Pro1 from Sordaria macrospora. In contrast to Pro1, which promotes the transition from protoperithecia to perithecia, RosA is a negative regulator of sexual development in A. nidulans. Transcript levels of rosA were usually very low and were only transiently upregulated upon carbon starvation and at 12 hr of asexual development. Deletion of rosA only slightly induced fruiting-body formation under standard culture conditions, but enabled sexual development under low-glucose and high-osmolarity conditions and the production of Hülle cells under submersed growth conditions. Stimulation of fruiting-body formation on agar surfaces was dependent on veA. In ΔrosA strains, transcript levels of the sexual developmental regulators nsdD, veA, and stuA were increased. Overexpression of rosA led to a reduction of hyphal growth and to a fluffy phenotype. Post-transcriptional regulation of RosA, with a regulated accumulation in the nucleus, was shown using a RosA-GFP fusion protein. We propose that RosA represses sexual development upon integration of several environmental signals.
Analysis of Conditional Paralytic Mutants in Drosophila Sarco-Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase Reveals Novel Mechanisms for Regulating Membrane Excitability
Authors: Sanyal S , Consoulas C , Kuromi H , Basole A , Mukai L , Kidokoro Y , Krishnan K S , Ramaswami M 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Individual contributions made by different calcium release and sequestration mechanisms to various aspects of excitable cell physiology are incompletely understood. SERCA, a sarco-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, being the main agent for calcium uptake into the ER, plays a central role in this process. By isolation and extensive characterization of conditional mutations in the Drosophila SERCA gene, we describe novel roles of this key protein in neuromuscular physiology and enable a genetic analysis of SERCA function. At motor nerve terminals, SERCA inhibition retards calcium sequestration and reduces the amplitude of evoked excitatory junctional currents. This suggests a direct contribution of store-derived calcium in determining the quantal content of evoked release. Conditional paralysis of SERCA mutants is also marked by prolonged neural activity-driven muscle contraction, thus reflecting the phylogenetically conserved role of SERCA in terminating contraction. Further analysis of ionic currents from mutants uncovers SERCA-dependent mechanisms regulating voltage-gated calcium channels and calcium-activated potassium channels that together control muscle excitability. Finally, our identification of dominant loss-of-function mutations in SERCA indicates novel intra- and intermolecular interactions for SERCA in vivo, overlooked by current structural models.
Genomic Heterogeneity of Background Substitutional Patterns in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Singh Nadia D , Arndt Peter F , Petrov Dmitri A 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Mutation is the underlying force that provides the variation upon which evolutionary forces can act. It is important to understand how mutation rates vary within genomes and how the probabilities of fixation of new mutations vary as well. If substitutional processes across the genome are heterogeneous, then examining patterns of coding sequence evolution without taking these underlying variations into account may be misleading. Here we present the first rigorous test of substitution rate heterogeneity in the Drosophila melanogaster genome using almost 1500 nonfunctional fragments of the transposable element DNAREP1_DM. Not only do our analyses suggest that substitutional patterns in heterochromatic and euchromatic sequences are different, but also they provide support in favor of a recombination-associated substitutional bias toward G and C in this species. The magnitude of this bias is entirely sufficient to explain recombination-associated patterns of codon usage on the autosomes of the D. melanogaster genome. We also document a bias toward lower GC content in the pattern of small insertions and deletions (indels). In addition, the GC content of noncoding DNA in Drosophila is higher than would be predicted on the basis of the pattern of nucleotide substitutions and small indels. However, we argue that the fast turnover of noncoding sequences in Drosophila makes it difficult to assess the importance of the GC biases in nucleotide substitutions and small indels in shaping the base composition of noncoding sequences.
Genetic Analysis of RpL38 and RpL5, Two Minute Genes Located in the Centric Heterochromatin of Chromosome 2 of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Marygold Steven J , Coelho Carmen M A , Leevers Sally J 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
The Minute mutations of Drosophila melanogaster are thought to disrupt genes that encode ribosomal proteins (RPs) and thus impair ribosome function and protein synthesis. However, relatively few Minutes have been tied to distinct RP genes and more Minute loci are likely to be discovered. We have identified point mutations in RpL38 and RpL5 in a screen for factors limiting for growth of the D. melanogaster wing. Here, we present the first genetic characterization of these loci. RpL38 is located in the centric heterochromatin of chromosome arm 2R and is identical to a previously identified Minute, M(2)41A, and also l(2)41Af. RpL5 is located in the 2L centric heterochromatin and defines a novel Minute gene. Both genes are haplo-insufficient, as heterozygous mutations cause the classic Minute phenotypes of small bristles and delayed development. Surprisingly, we find that RpL38−/+ and RpL5−/+ adult flies have abnormally large wings as a result of increased cell size, emphasizing the importance of translational regulation in the control of growth. Taken together, our data provide new molecular and genetic information on two previously uncharacterized Minute/RP genes, the heterochromatic regions in which they reside, and the role of their protein products in the control of organ growth.
Mapping Multiple Quantitative Trait Loci by Bayesian Classification
Authors: Zhang Min , Montooth Kristi L , Wells Martin T , Clark Andrew G , Zhang Dabao 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
We developed a classification approach to multiple quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping built upon a Bayesian framework that incorporates the important prior information that most genotypic markers are not cotransmitted with a QTL or their QTL effects are negligible. The genetic effect of each marker is modeled using a three-component mixture prior with a class for markers having negligible effects and separate classes for markers having positive or negative effects on the trait. The posterior probability of a marker's classification provides a natural statistic for evaluating credibility of identified QTL. This approach performs well, especially with a large number of markers but a relatively small sample size. A heat map to visualize the results is proposed so as to allow investigators to be more or less conservative when identifying QTL. We validated the method using a well-characterized data set for barley heading values from the North American Barley Genome Mapping Project. Application of the method to a new data set revealed sex-specific QTL underlying differences in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme activity between two Drosophila species. A simulation study demonstrated the power of this approach across levels of trait heritability and when marker data were sparse.
The Novel Drosophila timblind Mutation Affects Behavioral Rhythms but Not Periodic Eclosion
Authors: Wülbeck Corinna , Szabo Gisela , Shafer Orie T , Helfrich-Förster Charlotte , Stanewsky Ralf 
Published: November 2004

Abstract
Circadian clock function depends on the tightly regulated exclusion or presence of clock proteins within the nucleus. A newly induced long-period timeless mutant, timblind, encodes a constitutively hypophosphorylated TIM protein. The mutant protein is not properly degraded by light, and timblind flies show abnormal behavioral responses to light pulses. This is probably caused by impaired nuclear accumulation of TIMBLIND protein, which we observed in brain pacemaker neurons and photoreceptor cells of the compound eye. timblind encodes two closely spaced amino acid changes compared to the wild-type TIM protein; one of them is within a putative nuclear export signal of TIM. Under constant conditions, timblind flies exhibit 26-hr free-running locomotor rhythms, which are not correlated with a period lengthening of eclosion rhythms and period-luciferase reporter-gene oscillations. Therefore it seems possible that TIM—in addition to its well-established role as core clock factor—functions as a clock output factor, involved in determining the period length of adult locomotor rhythms.