bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evidence for NF-κB- and CBP-Independent Repression of p53's Transcriptional Activity by Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Tax in Mouse Embryo and Primary Human Fibroblasts
Authors: Miyazato Akiko , Sheleg Sergey , Iha Hidekatsu , Li Yan , Jeang Kuan-Teh 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax oncoprotein can repress the transcriptional activity of the tumor suppressor protein p53. However, it remains controversial whether Tax requires NF-κB factors/activity and/or p300/CBP in order to inactivate p53 function. To address this issue, we have investigated Tax's effect on p53's transcriptional activation in IκB-kinase-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs); some of which are entirely silent for Tax-induced NF-κB activity. We found that, in IKKα
−/−
, IKKβ
−/−
, and IKKγ
−/−
MEFs, p53 activation of a prototypic responsive plasmid (pG13-luciferase) was repressed by wild-type Tax. Curiously, p53's activity in MEFs was also repressed by a p300/CBP-binding deficient Tax protein. Our results highlight the complex nature of Tax-mediated repression of p53- activity, which requires further investigation.
Reduced Mobilization of Rev-Responsive Element-Deficient Lentiviral Vectors
Authors: Lucke Susann , Grunwald Thomas , Überla Klaus 
Published: July 2005

ABSTRACT

Infection of cells transduced with a lentiviral vector by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) could lead to packaging of the lentiviral vector RNA into HIV particles and unintended transfer of the vector. To prevent this, the Rev-responsive element (RRE) of an HIV-1 vector was functionally replaced by a heterologous RNA element (MS2). Providing Rev fused to an MS2 binding protein allowed efficient vector production. Mobilization of the vector from infected target cells was below the level of detection and at least 10
3
- to 10
4
-fold lower than for the RRE-containing vector. Thus, RRE-deficient lentiviral vectors provide a novel approach to reduce the risk of vector mobilization.
Whose information is it anyway? Informing a 12-year-old patient of her terminal prognosis
Authors: Goldie J , Schwartz L , Morrison J 
Published: July 2005

Objective:To examine students’ attitudes and potential behaviour towards informing a 12-year-old patient of her terminal prognosis in a situation in which her parents do not wish her to be told, as they pass through a modern medical curriculum.Design:A cohort study of students entering Glasgow University’s new medical curriculum in October 1996.Methods:Students’ responses obtained before year 1 and at the end of years 1, 3, and 5 to the “childhood leukaemia” vignette of the Ethics in Health Care Survey Instrument (EHCI) were examined quantitatively and qualitatively. Analysis of the students’ multichoice answers enabled measurement of the movement towards professional consensus opinion. An analysis of their written justifications for their answers helped to determine whether their reasoning was consistent with professional consensus and enabled measurement of changes in knowledge content and recognition of the values inherent in the vignette. Themes on the students’ reasoning behind their decision to tell the patient or not were also identified.Results:Unlike other vignettes of the EHCI in which autonomy was a main theme, few students chose the consensus answer before year 1 and there was no significant movement towards consensus at any point during the course. In defence of their decision to withhold information, the students expressed strong paternalistic opinions. The patient’s age was seen as a barrier to respecting her autonomy.Conclusions:It is important to identify students’ perceptions on entry to medical school. Transformative learning theory may provide the basis for an approach to foster doctors who consider the rights of young people. Small-group teaching is most conducive to this approach. The importance of positive role modelling is also emphasised.
DETERMINATION OF MINUTIAE SCORES FOR FINGERPRINT IMAGE APPLICATIONS
Authors: BHOWMICK PARTHA , BISHNU ARIJIT , BHATTACHARYA BHARGAB BIKRAM , KUNDU MALAY KUMAR , MURTHY C. A. , ACHARYA TINKU 
Published: July 2005

Many Automatic Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) are based on minutiae matching. Minutiae are the terminations and bifurcations of the ridge lines in a fingerprint image. A gray-scale fingerprint image that has undergone binarization, followed by thinning, in order to extract the minutiae, may contain hundreds of minutiae, all of which are not so vivid and obvious in the original image. Thus, the set of minutiae that are well-defined and more prominent than the rest should be given higher relevance and importance in the process of minutiae matching.In this work, a gray-scale fingerprint image is first preprocessed to produce a thinned binary image. Next, a method to assign a score value to each of the extracted minutiae is proposed, based on certain topographical properties of a minutia. The score associated to a minutia signifies its robustness and prominence. A minutia with a higher score value should be considered with higher priority in the matching scheme to yield better results. Experimental results on several standard databases have been reported.
THOR—Cloud Thickness from Offbeam Lidar Returns
Authors: Cahalan Robert F. , McGill Matthew , Kolasinski John , Várnai Tamás , Yetzer Ken 
Published: July 2005

Abstract
Conventional wisdom is that lidar pulses do not significantly penetrate clouds having an optical thickness exceeding about τ = 2, and that no returns are detectible from more than a shallow skin depth. Yet optically thicker clouds of τ ≫ 2 reflect a larger fraction of visible photons and account for much of the earth’s global average albedo. As cloud-layer thickness grows, an increasing fraction of reflected photons are scattered multiple times within the cloud and return from a diffuse concentric halo that grows around the incident pulse, increasing in horizontal area with layer physical thickness. The reflected halo is largely undetected by narrow field-of-view (FOV) receivers commonly used in lidar applications. Cloud Thickness from Offbeam Returns (THOR) is an airborne wide-angle detection system with multiple FOVs, capable of observing the diffuse halo as a wide-angle signal, from which the physical thickness of optically thick clouds can be retrieved. This paper describes the THOR system, demonstrates that the halo signal is stronger for thicker clouds, and presents a validation of physical thickness retrievals for clouds having τ &gt; 20, from NASA’s P-3B flights over the Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Southern Great Plains site, using the lidar, radar, and other ancillary ground-based data.
Absolute Calibration of Radar Altimeters: Consistency with Electromagnetic Modeling
Authors: Caudal Gérard , Dinnat Emmanuel , Boutin Jacqueline 
Published: July 2005

Abstract
Empirical Ku-band altimeter model functions of near-nadir normalized radar cross-sectional σ° are compared to electromagnetic two-scale quasi-specular theory in the context of a standard sea wave spectral model. Three empirical model functions are tested: (i) the modified Chelton and Wentz model (WCM) using data from Geosat, (ii) the Callahan et al. model using data from TOPEX, and (iii) the Freilich and Vanhoff model using data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR). These three models are basically very similar, except that they differ in terms of the level of absolute calibration. The difference between the absolute calibrations of the two extreme models (MCW and Freilich and Vanhoff) is as high as 1.9 dB. Assuming a sea wave spectrum similar to that used by Elfouhaily et al., the two-scale quasi-specular electromagnetic model is run, with a wave separation wavenumber kd adjusted so as to minimize the rms difference between the theoretical σ°(θ) function and the empirical near-nadir model function. The quality of the best-fit solution is not perfect, however, because the shape and absolute level of the function σ°(θ) cannot usually be adjusted simultaneously by the electromagnetic model. Taking the model function used by Freilich and Vanhoff as a reference, an offset is then introduced to the empirical model function, and the residual error is computed as a function of the offset. The overall quality of the fit is shown to be best when a −1.1 dB offset is introduced into the Freilich and Vanhoff model function. To within 0.1 dB, this corresponds to the offset that would be required to match Callahan et al.’s model function. This result is obtained in a context where the effect of the peakedness of the sea surface was assumed negligible. When this effect is introduced, with a peakedness parameter Δ assumed to be independent of wind speed and taken tentatively as Δ = 0.23, as suggested by Chapron et al., the optimal offset is then found to be −0.2 dB, thus indicating that for this example the best consistency with electromagnetic modeling is closer to Freilich and Vanhoff’s calibration. A more refined assessment would require accurate measurements of the parameter Δ involving both magnitude and variability with wind speed. Such accurate measurements are, unfortunately, not available at this time.
Empowering women in social work practice
Authors: Leung Lai-Ching 
Published: July 2005

English The postmodernist feminist notion of empowerment and its integration in social work practice for women in Hong Kong are examined. Four areas of reflections on empowerment practice are highlighted for discussion, namely the reconceptualization of power, the fact that the personal is political, the dilemma of difference and the relationship between empowerer and the empowered. French Ce texte examine les notions d'`empowerment' dans le féminisme postmoderniste et son intégration dans les pratiques de travail social auprès des femmes à Hong Kong. Quatre angles de réflexions sur les pratiques d'`empowerment' y sont identifiés et discutés: la reconceptualisation du pouvoir; le personnel est politique; le dilemme de la différence; et la relation entre la personne qui `tente de rendre du pouvoir' et celle qui `développe son pouvoir'. Spanish Se examina la noción feminista posmoderna de `apoderamiento' y su integración en la práctica del trabajo social con referencia a las mujeres de Hong Kong. Se señalan para examen cuatro áreas de apoderamiento: reconceptualización del poder, el axioma de `lo personal es político', el dilema de la diferencia y la relación entre quien `apodera' y el que es `apoderado'.
Functions of social work supervision in Hong Kong
Authors: Tsui Ming-sum 
Published: July 2005

English The functions of social work supervision in Hong Kong are characterized by three distinct features: consensus between the supervisor and the supervisee, discussion of personal matters and team building. These distinct features reflect characteristics of the Chinese cultural context. Supervision is not only organizational and professional, but also personal and cultural. French Trois aspects caractérisent les fonctions du travail social à Hong Kong: le consensus entre le superviseur et le supervisé, le partage de préoccupations personnelles et la construction d'un esprit d'équipe. Ces caractéristiques témoignent du contexte culturel chinois. La supervision ne se préoccupe pas seulement des dimensions organisationnelles et professionnelles mais également des dimensions personnelles et culturelles. Spanish La función de la supervisión en el trabajo social en Hong Kong tiene tres características: el consenso entre el supervisor y el supervisado, la atención a los asuntos personales, y la formación de equipo. Estas características reflejan el contexto cultural chino. La supervisión no es sólo organizacional y profesional sino también personal y cultural.
Young People, Gender and Suicide
Authors: Smalley Nina , Scourfield Jonathan , Greenland Katy 
Published: July 2005

Summary: The paper reviews some recent research on the social context of suicide in young people, with particular reference to evidence about the gendered character of suicidal behaviour. Some implications for social work and social policy are discussed. Findings: Key messages from the research reviewed are presented in relation to some specific social domains. These are employment, social cohesion and social comparison, mental illness, family and relationships, sexual orientation and help-seeking. Applications: This review is especially of use to those in the social work field who are not familiar with the large body of research on the social context of youth suicide in the medical and psychological literature. There is some discussion in the article of the implications of this research for suicide prevention, both in terms of policy and in terms of the practices of individual social workers.
Timely Responses to Dementia
Authors: Manthorpe Jill , Iliffe Steve 
Published: July 2005

Summary: Little attention has been paid to the impact of early recognition of dementia on mental health social work. This paper reports a small study of the views of 20 social workers employed by an English social services department to set out possible agendas for debate about the role of mental health social work in this area. A modified nominal group methodology was used in a workshop undertaken as part of a regular series of information and training days, to elicit participants’ experiences of the early recognition of dementia and any anticipation about their future role. Findings: We identified three main themes from these social workers’ experiences and perceptions: diagnostic and prognostic skills; the impact of resource availability on professional activity; and a disability model of dementia. Application: Specialist social workers working within dementia teams may have much to contribute and may find the emergence of such teams enables them to exercise their therapeutic, communication and problem-solving skills.
Some Theoretical Propositions on the Nature of Practice Wisdom
Authors: O’sullivan Terence 
Published: July 2005

Summary: The author aims to advance the theoretical understanding of practice wisdom by presenting three propositions in relation to its nature and process. A model of practice wisdom is constructed that seeks to address some issues of critical, accountable and knowledge-based practice, while retaining its flexible, creative and intuitive use of practice knowledge. Findings: It is argued that a critical, accountable and knowledge-based practice wisdom requires distinctive knowledge production processes, the ability to make reasoning explicit, and credible and valuable knowledge. Models of experienced practice development are needed if social work educators are to effectively facilitate the growth of practice wisdom. Such models will need to set out a framework of how such factors as disposition towards knowledge, professional education, practice experience and practice contexts influence whether practitioners engage in wise practice. Applications: The article makes a contribution to the debate about the nature of social work practice and how entrants to social work can become effective practitioners. Practitioners, researchers and social work educators can use the presented framework to review their thinking about the nature of social work practice and the place practice wisdom has in contemporary social work.
nm1054: a spontaneous, recessive, hypochromic, microcytic anemia mutation in the mouse
Authors: Ohgami Robert S. , Campagna Dean R. , Antiochos Brendan , Wood Emily B. , Sharp John J. , Barker Jane E. , Fleming Mark D. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractHypochromic, microcytic anemias are typically the result of inadequate hemoglobin production because of globin defects or iron deficiency. Here, we describe the phenotypic characteristics and pathogenesis of a new recessive, hypochromic, microcytic anemia mouse mutant, nm1054. Although the mutation nm1054 is pleiotropic, also resulting in sparse hair, male infertility, failure to thrive, and hydrocephaly, the anemia is the focus of this study. Hematologic analysis reveals a moderately severe, congenital, hypochromic, microcytic anemia, with an elevated red cell zinc protoporphyrin, consistent with functional erythroid iron deficiency. However, serum and tissue iron analyses show that nm1054 animals are not systemically iron deficient. From hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and iron uptake studies in nm1054 reticulocytes, we provide evidence that the nm1054 anemia is due to an intrinsic hematopoietic defect resulting in inefficient transferrin-dependent iron uptake by erythroid precursors. Linkage studies demonstrate that nm1054 maps to a genetic locus not previously implicated in microcytic anemia or iron phenotypes.
Directing thrombin
Authors: Lane David A. , Philippou Helen , Huntington James A. 
Published: July 2005

AbstractFollowing initiation of coagulation as part of the hemostatic response to injury, thrombin is generated from its inactive precursor prothrombin by factor Xa as part of the prothrombinase complex. Thrombin then has multiple roles. The way in which thrombin interacts with its many substrates has been carefully scrutinized in the past decades, but until recently there has been little consideration of how its many functions are coordinated or directed. Any understanding of how it is directed requires knowledge of its structure, how it interacts with its substrates, and the role of any cofactors for its interaction with substrates. Recently, many of the interactions of thrombin have been clarified by crystal structure and site-directed mutagenesis analyses. These analyses have revealed common residues used for recognition of some substrates and overlapping surface exosites used for recognition by cofactors. As many of its downstream reactions are cofactor driven, competition between cofactors for exosites must be a dominant mechanism that determines the fate of thrombin. This review draws together much recent work that has helped clarify structure function relationships of thrombin. It then attempts to provide a cogent proposal to explain how thrombin activity is directed during the hemostatic response.
Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT)-specific comorbidity index: a new tool for risk assessment before allogeneic HCT
Authors: Sorror Mohamed L. , Maris Michael B. , Storb Rainer , Baron Frederic , Sandmaier Brenda M. , Maloney David G. , Storer Barry 
Published: July 2005

AbstractWe previously reported that the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was useful for predicting outcomes in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, the sample size of patients with scores of 1 or more, captured by the CCI, did not exceed 35%. Further, some comorbidities were rarely found among patients who underwent HCT. Therefore, the current study was designed to (1) better define previously identified comorbidities using pretransplant laboratory data, (2) investigate additional HCT-related comorbidities, and (3) establish comorbidity scores that were suited for HCT. Data were collected from 1055 patients, and then randomly divided into training and validation sets. Weights were assigned to individual comorbidities according to their prognostic significance in Cox proportional hazard models. The new index was then validated. The new index proved to be more sensitive than the CCI since it captured 62% of patients with scores more than 0 compared with 12%, respectively. Further, the new index showed better survival prediction than the CCI (likelihood ratio of 23.7 versus 7.1 and c statistics of 0.661 versus 0.561, respectively, P &lt; .001). In conclusion, the new simple index provided valid and reliable scoring of pretransplant comorbidities that predicted nonrelapse mortality and survival. This index will be useful for clinical trials and patient counseling before HCT. (Blood. 2005;106: 2912-2919)
Exhaled nitric oxide from lung periphery is increased in COPD
Authors: Brindicci C. , Ito K. , Resta O. , Pride N. B. , Barnes P. J. , Kharitonov S. A. 
Published: July 2005

Single constant flow exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) cannot distinguish between the sources of NO. The present study measured eNO at multiple expired flows (MEFeNO) to partition NO into alveolar (Calv,NO) and bronchial (Jaw,NO) fractions to investigate peripheral lung contribution to eNO in chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD).MEFeNO were made in 81 subjects including 18 nonsmokers, 16 smokers and 47 COPD patients of different severity by the classification of the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD): 0 (n = 14), 1 (n = 7), 2 (n = 11), 3 (n = 8) and 4 (n = 7).COPD severity was correlated with an increased Calv,NOregardless of the patient's smoking habit or current treatment. The levels of Calv,NO(in ppb) were 1.4±0.09 in nonsmokers, 2.1±0.1 in smokers categorised as GOLD stage 0 (smokers-GOLD0), 3.3±0.18 in GOLD1–2and 3.4±0.1 in GOLD3–4. Jaw,NOlevels (pL·s−1) were higher in nonsmokers than smokers-GOLD0(716.2±33.3versus464.7±41.8), GOLD3–4(609.4±71). Diffusion of NO in the airways (Daw,NOpL·ppb−1s−1) was higher (p<0.05) in GOLD3–4than in nonsmokers (15±1.2versus11±0.5) and smokers-GOLD0(11.6±0.5).MEFeNO measurements were reproducible, free from day-to-day and diurnal variation and were not affected by bronchodilators.In conclusion, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with elevated alveolar nitric oxide. Measurements of nitric oxide at multiple expired flows may be useful in monitoring inflammation and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the response to anti-inflammatory treatment.
Airflow limitation and changes in pulmonary function among bleachery workers
Authors: Mehta A. J. , Henneberger P. K. , Torén K. , Olin A-C. 
Published: July 2005

This study investigated whether chronic airflow limitation and rapid decline in pulmonary function were associated with peak exposures to ozone and other irritant gases in pulp mills.Bleachery workers potentially exposed to irritant gassings (n = 178) from three Swedish pulp mills, and a comparison group of workers not exposed to irritant gassings (n = 54) from two paper mills, were studied. Baseline surveys occurred in 1995–1996, with follow-up surveys in 1998–1999. Participants performed spirometry and answered questions regarding ozone, chlorine dioxide (ClO2), and sulphur dioxide (SO2) gassings.From regression models controlling for potential confounders, declines in both the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (−24 mL·yr−1) and the forced vital capacity (FVC) (−19 mL·yr−1) were associated with ClO2/SO2gassings. At follow-up, the prevalence of chronic airflow limitation (i.e.FEV1/FVC less than the lower limit of normal) was elevated for participants with only pre-baseline ozone gassings and with both pre-baseline and interval ozone gassings, after controlling for potential confounders.These findings suggest that obstructive effects among bleachery workers are associated with ozone gassings, and that adverse effects on spirometry might also accompany chlorine dioxide/sulphur dioxide gassings. Peak exposures to irritant gases in pulp mills should be prevented.