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Selected AbstractsCore Competencies in Food Science: Background Information on the Development of the IFT Education StandardsJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 1 2002Richard W. Hartel ABSTRACT: In recent years, many professional organizations have shifted their program standards and program review away from course content-based criteria and towards outcome-based learning measures. IFT has recently done the same with implementation of the new IFT Education Standards. These Standards, which replace the old "Minimum Standards for Food Science Programs", were approved by the Executive Committee at their meeting in June, 2001, with implementation beginning in fall, 2001. All food science programs will now be reviewed for IFT approval against these new Standards. This article describes the process by which this change has occurred over the past few years. [source] HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS: Critical Thinking of Nurse Managers Related to Staff RNs' Perceptions of the Practice EnvironmentJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 3 2010NEA-BC, Susan Zori RN Abstract Background Information and Significance: Critical thinking (CT) skills and the inclination to engage in critical thinking are essential for nurse managers to function as transformational leaders capable of influencing staff to align with organizational goals. In an extensive literature review, numerous studies were found examining the concept of CT in students and no studies were found exploring CT in nurse managers. Identifying the attributes, such as CT, that lead to success in the nurse manager role is useful when preparing nurse managers to lead effectively in the current healthcare climate. Research Question: Is there a difference between nurse managers' CT dispositions and their respective staff nurses' perceptions of the practice environment? Design: A convenience sample of 12 nurse managers and a random sample of 132 of their respective staff registered nurses (RNs) participated in this descriptive study. CT in nurse managers was measured by the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). Staff RNs' perceptions of the practice environment were measured by the Practice Environment Scale (PES). The research question was answered using a t test. Findings: Significant (p < .001) differences were found between specific nurse managers' CCTDI scores for open-mindedness, analyticity, and critical thinking confidence, and significant differences (p < .01) were found for systematicity when compared with their respective staff RNs' mean subscale and overall PES scores. Conclusions: Results of the study support the positive relationship between strength in critical thinking dispositions of nurse managers and their respective staff RNs' perceptions of the practice environment. Nurse managers with stronger CT dispositions may be better able to create positive practice environments that are conducive to job satisfaction and thus the retention of staff RNs. Inclusion of strategies to support the development and use of CT in nurse managers is recommended. CT and other leadership attributes and skills including emotional and social intelligence and management of change through an appreciative inquiry process may provide opportunities to improve leadership effectiveness in nurse managers. Clinical Relevance: Enhancing critical thinking skills and dispositions of nurse managers may help to create positive work environments for staff RNs. Staff RNs who work in an environment perceived to be positive may be in a better position to deliver high quality, safe patient care. [source] assessment: Checking the checklist: a content analysis of expert- and evidence-based case-specific checklist itemsMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 9 2010Agatha M Hettinga Medical Education 2010: 44: 874,883 Objectives, Research on objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) is extensive. However, relatively little has been written on the development of case-specific checklists on history taking and physical examination. Background information on the development of these checklists is a key element of the assessment of their content validity. Usually, expert panels are involved in the development of checklists. The objective of this study is to compare expert-based items on OSCE checklists with evidence-based items identified in the literature. Methods, Evidence-based items covering both history taking and physical examination for specific clinical problems and diseases were identified in the literature. Items on nine expert-based checklists for OSCE examination stations were evaluated by comparing them with items identified in the literature. The data were grouped into three categories: (i) expert-based items; (ii) evidence-based items, and (iii) evidence-based items with a specific measure of their relevance. Results, Out of 227 expert-based items, 58 (26%) were not found in the literature. Of 388 evidence-based items found in the literature, 219 (56%) were not included in the expert-based checklists. Of these 219 items, 82 (37%) had a specific measure of importance, such as an odds ratio for a diagnosis, making that diagnosis more or less probable. Conclusions, Expert-based, case-specific checklist items developed for OSCE stations do not coincide with evidence-based items identified in the literature. Further research is needed to ascertain what this inconsistency means for test validity. [source] What do we learn from motor unit action potentials in surface electromyography?MUSCLE AND NERVE, Issue S11 2002Karin Roeleveld PhD Abstract This article gives an overview of what multichannel surface electromyography can teach us about a motor unit. Background information is given about the generation of surface electromyography in general and surface motor unit potentials in particular. Furthermore, we describe how surface motor unit potentials are related to several motor unit characteristics, such as size, location, neuromuscular junction position, fiber length, fiber type, and metabolic fiber properties. In addition, we show how the spatial characteristics of multichannel surface electromyography can be used to obtain single-surface motor unit potentials. The possibilities, challenges, and problems are discussed. Finally, several examples of surface motor unit potential analyses are given. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Muscle Nerve Supplement 11: S92,S97, 2002 [source] Model competencies in regulatory therapeutic product assessment: Health Canada's good review guiding principles as a reviewing community's code of intellectual conduct,,§¶PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 8 2007Robyn R. Lim PhD Abstract Purpose This article describes some work from the Therapeutic Products Directorate of Health Canada regarding Good Review Practices (GRP). Methods and Results Background information is provided on the Therapeutic Products Directorate (TPD) and its regulatory activities regarding drug and medical device assessment in both the pre- and post-market setting. The TPD Good Review Guiding Principles (GRGP) are described which include a Definition of a Good Therapeutic Product Regulatory Review, Ten Hallmarks of a Good Therapeutic Product Regulatory Review and Ten Precepts. Analysis of the guiding principles discusses possible linkages between the guiding principles and intellectual virtues. Conclusions Through this analysis an hypothesis is developed that the guiding principles outline a code of intellectual conduct for Health Canada's reviewers of evidence for efficacy, safety, manufacturing quality and benefit-risk regarding therapeutic products. Opportunities to advance therapeutic product regulatory review as a scientific discipline in its own right and to acknowledge that these reviewers constitute a specific community of practice are discussed. Integration of intellectual and ethical approaches across therapeutic product review sectors is also suggested. Copyright © 2007 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Two little known Acacia species from Mexico Plate 444.CURTIS'S BOTANICAL MAGAZINE, Issue 3 2002Acacia anisophylla Plate 445. Some background information on the large, widespread genus Acacia (Leguminosae) is provided, followed by more detailed accounts of two rare and vulnerable Mexican species, A. anisophylla S. Watson and A. reniformis Benth. There are illustrations of both species, historical information, comprehensive descriptions and details of their cultivation at Kew. [source] The European Service Mapping Schedule (ESMS): development of an instrumentfor the description and classificationof mental health servicesACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2000S. Johnson Objective: This paper describes the development of an instrument for description and classification of mental health services and for measurement of service use. Purposes to be served by the instrument include: (i) identification of gaps in the spectrum of services in a catchment area; (ii) obtaining background information which may be important to understanding why apparently similar interventions lead to different outcomes in different areas; (iii) investigating how introduction of a particular type of service influences use of other local services; and (iv) understanding the relationship between sociodemographic factors and service use. Method: The instrument was developed through meetings of an international expert panel and pilot stages in several European countries. Results: Use of the European Mapping Service Mapping Schedule (ESMS) appears feasible in several countries and allowed description and classification of the full range of services identified within each of the study catchment areas. Conclusion: The ESMS promises to fill a gap in the technology available for mental health services research. Further practical experiences of its use for a variety of purposes in a variety of settings are now needed to indicate how far the ESMS does successfully generate data which are useful to researchers and planners. [source] Emergency Safe Spaces in Haiti and the Solomon IslandsDISASTERS, Issue 3 2010Josh Madfis This paper provides background information on emergency Safe Spaces for children and specific information for responses in Haiti and the Solomon Islands. In 2007, both countries experienced natural disasters that resulted in internal displacement of thousands of people. The Save the Children Alliance created Safe Spaces for children living in camps for internally displaced persons. The project sought to accomplish ,B-SAFE' strategies through emergency education, psychosocial, and protection interventions. The B-SAFE strategies are to (B)uild relationships, cooperation, and respect among peers; to (S)creen for high-risk children and youth; (A)ctive, structured learning and life saving information; to (F)acilitate children's natural resilience and a return to normalcy; and to (E)stablish a sense of security and self-esteem. The project made use of child and parent surveys and observation tools that measured B-SAFE indicators. Analysed data demonstrated an improvement in children's behavior participating in the programme. [source] A unified formulation of the piecewise exact method for inelastic seismic demand analysis including the P -delta effectEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 6 2003M. N. Ayd Abstract The non-linear analysis of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems provides the essential background information for both strength-based design and displacement-based evaluation/design methodologies through the development of the inelastic response spectra. The recursive solution procedure called the piecewise exact method, which is efficiently used for the response analysis of linear SDOF systems, is re-formulated in this paper in a unified format to analyse the non-linear SDOF systems with multi-linear hysteresis models. The unified formulation is also capable of handling the P-delta effect, which generally involves the negative post-yield stiffness of the hysteresis loops. The attractiveness of the method lies in the fact that it provides the exact solution when the loading time history is composed of piecewise linear segments, a condition that is perfectly satisfied for the earthquake excitation. Based on simple recursive relationships given for positive, negative and zero effective stiffnesses, the unified form of the piecewise exact method proves to be an extremely powerful and probably the best tool for the SDOF inelastic time-history and response spectrum analysis including the P-delta effect. A number of examples are presented to demonstrate the implementation of the method. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Robust principal component analysis and outlier detection with ecological dataENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 2 2004Donald A. Jackson Abstract Ecological studies frequently involve large numbers of variables and observations, and these are often subject to various errors. If some data are not representative of the study population, they tend to bias the interpretation and conclusion of an ecological study. Because of the multivariate nature of ecological data, it is very difficult to identify atypical observations using approaches such as univariate or bivariate plots. This difficulty calls for the application of robust statistical methods in identifying atypical observations. Our study provides a comparison of a standard method, based on the Mahalanobis distance, used in multivariate approaches to a robust method based on the minimum volume ellipsoid as a means of determining whether data sets contain outliers or not. We evaluate both methods using simulations varying conditions of the data, and show that the minimum volume ellipsoid approach is superior in detecting outliers where present. We show that, as the sample size parameter, h, used in the robust approach increases in value, there is a decrease in the accuracy and precision of the associated estimate of the number of outliers present, in particular as the number of outliers increases. Conversely, where no outliers are present, large values for the parameter provide the most accurate results. In addition to the simulation results, we demonstrate the use of the robust principal component analysis with a data set of lake-water chemistry variables to illustrate the additional insight available. We suggest that ecologists consider that their data may contain atypical points. Following checks associated with normality, bivariate linearity and other traditional aspects, we advocate that ecologists examine their data sets using robust multivariate methods. Points identified as being atypical should be carefully evaluated based on background information to determine their suitability for inclusion in further multivariate analyses and whether additional factors explain their unusual characteristics. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Summary of findings from a participant country pollen beetle questionnaireEPPO BULLETIN, Issue 1 2008D. M. Richardson A questionnaire was sent to all participating countries to gain some background information on rape growing and on pollen beetle (Meligethes aeneus). Information was sought on the use of thresholds, the availability of active substances and on the year in which resistance, if present, had been observed. A summary of the main findings of the questionnaire are presented. In total 20 countries responded and resistance in pollen beetle was reported in 12 of those countries. Information presented shows the range of active substances and doses recommended, frequency of use of insecticides on rape, and year when resistance was reported. [source] STILL A PATCHWORK QUILT: A NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF STATE LAWS REGARDING STEPPARENT RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONSFAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 3 2010Susan L. Pollet This article surveys state laws regarding stepparents and stepchildren throughout the United States with regard to custody and visitation rights, child support obligations, adoption and inheritance rights. It provides background information, statistics and general definitions regarding stepparents, a review of some of the psychological and legal literature, information regarding websites and articles for the general public on the topic, and a description of the survey of the states nationwide. Finally, it provides some suggestions regarding future goals for the law in this arena. [source] Transmitting the signal of excess nitrogen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae from the Tor proteins to the GATA factors: connecting the dotsFEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, Issue 3 2002Terrance G. Cooper Abstract Major advances have recently occurred in our understanding of GATA factor-mediated, nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR)-sensitive gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Under nitrogen-rich conditions, the GATA family transcriptional activators, Gln3 and Gat1, form complexes with Ure2, and are localized to the cytoplasm, which decreases NCR-sensitive expression. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, Gln3 and Gat1 are dephosphorylated, move from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, in wild-type but not rna1 and srp1 mutants, and increase expression of NCR-sensitive genes. ,Induction' of NCR-sensitive gene expression and dephosphorylation of Gln3 (and Ure2 in some laboratories) when cells are treated with rapamycin implicates the Tor1/2 signal transduction pathway in this regulation. Mks1 is posited to be a negative regulator of Ure2, positive regulator of retrograde gene expression and to be itself negatively regulated by Tap42. In addition to Tap42, phosphatases Sit4 and Pph3 are also argued by some to participate in the regulatory pathway. Although a treasure trove of information has recently become available, much remains unknown (and sometimes controversial) with respect to the precise biochemical functions and regulatory pathway connections of Tap42, Sit4, Pph3, Mks1 and Ure2, and how precisely Gln3 and Gat1 are prevented from entering the nucleus. The purpose of this review is to provide background information needed by students and investigators outside of the field to follow and evaluate the rapidly evolving literature in this exciting field. [source] Teachers' Pedagogical Beliefs and the Standards for Foreign Language LearningFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 5 2002Article first published online: 9 SEP 2010, Linda Quinn Allen ABSTRACT: This study examined Midwestern foreign language teachers, (n = 613) responses to the Foreign Language Education Questionnaire (FLEQ) in order to determine the extent to which their beliefs are consistent with major constructs underlying the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. Additionally, respondents rated their familiarity with the standards and provided background information that was used to identify factors that influence their beliefs. The purpose of this study was to provide direction for teacher education, in-service professional development, and future research. Analysis of the data suggests that the teachers believe that foreign language instruction should be delivered in the target language, available to all students, consonant with the "Weave of Curricular Elements," included in early elementary school curriculum, and within the coverage model. Generally, the teachers felt somewhat familiar with the standards. Factors that have an impact on their beliefs include urban versus rural location, membership in professional organizations, gender, percentage of teaching assignment in a foreign language, highest educational degree earned, and private versus public school. [source] Constrained tomography of realistic velocity models in microseismic monitoring using calibration shotsGEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 5 2010T. Bardainne ABSTRACT The knowledge of the velocity model in microseismic jobs is critical to achieving statistically reliable microseismic event locations. The design of microseismic networks and the limited sources for calibration do not allow for a full tomographic inversion. We propose optimizing a priori velocity models using a few active shots and a non-linear inversion, suitable to poorly constrained systems. The considered models can be described by several layers with different P- and S-wave velocities. The velocities may be constant or have 3D gradients; the layer interfaces may be simple dipping planes or more complex 3D surfaces. In this process the P- and S- wave arrival times and polarizations measured on the seismograms constitute the observed data set. They are used to estimate two misfit functions: i) one based on the measurement residuals and ii) one based on the inaccuracy of the source relocation. These two functions are minimized thanks to a simulated annealing scheme, which decreases the risk of converging to a local solution within the velocity model. The case study used to illustrate this methodology highlights the ability of this technique to constrain a velocity model with dipping layers. This was performed by jointly using sixteen perforation shots recorded during a multi-stage fracturing operation from a single string of 3C-receivers. This decreased the location inaccuracies and the residuals by a factor of six. In addition, the retrieved layer dip was consistent with the pseudo-horizontal trajectories of the wells and the background information provided by the customer. Finally, the theoretical position of each calibration shot was contained in the uncertainty domain of the relocation of each shot. In contrast, single-stage inversions provided different velocity models that were neither consistent between each other nor with the well trajectories. This example showed that it is essential to perform a multi-stage inversion to derive a better updated velocity model. [source] Valuation of biodiversity effects from reduced pesticide useINTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006Jesper S. Schou Abstract This study deals with the effects on biodiversity of pesticide-free buffer zones along field margins. Using choice modeling, the majority of respondents to a survey on pesticide use in the environment are willing to accept an increase in the price of bread if the survival of partridge chicks and the number of wild plants increase. The study identifies the need for further empirical work with respect to methodological validation, price estimation, and the use of survey results in policy analysis. In particular, the environmental effects of pesticide use are complex and, therefore, present difficult challenges when presenting information to lay people. Forty-one percent of respondents changed their responses regarding willingness to pay more for bread when references to pesticide use were introduced in the questionnaire. This indicates that scenarios depicting changes in pesticide use can be difficult to present to lay people in an economically rational and well-defined context. Thus, in the study of valuation related to changes in pesticide use, much attention should be devoted to the design and definition of the context. Furthermore, the effects of providing different background information, e.g., with or without the mention of pesticides, should be tested. [source] Design Considerations for Research on Analytical ProceduresINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 3 2001Stephen K. Asare This article discusses research design considerations for conducting behavioral research on auditors' performance of analytical procedures (APs). With the trend in practice towards increasing reliance on APs, it is essential that auditors are proficient in completing such tests. Therefore, research to understand and improve auditors' performance of APs is important. Once an unexpected fluctuation is identified, APs involve three phases: generation of plausible hypotheses (likely causes); gathering evidence to examine plausible hypotheses; and identification of the most likely cause followed by appropriate follow-up actions. Although prior research has focused on these phases in isolation, they are, in fact, interrelated. Important research design issues and trade-offs for each of the phases of APs are discussed. For instance, in examining hypothesis generation there are choices as to the amount and nature of case background information, number of ratios or accounts to explain; ex-post evaluation of the quality of the hypothesis set; and instructions on number of causes that account for the fluctuation. Significant considerations are identified for making informed decisions among design choices. [source] Prey selection by flounder, Platichthys flesus, in the Douro estuary, PortugalJOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 3 2008C. Vinagre Summary Prey selection by the flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), in an estuarine nursery was investigated and the major factors influencing food choice by this species were assessed. Diet breadth was narrow, reflecting the low prey diversity observed in the benthos. A gradual ontogenetic shift from small prey such as amphipods to larger prey like polychaetes and bivalves was observed. Amphipods had positive electivity values in the upper estuary and negative values in the lower estuary.Polychaetes showed the inverse pattern. Bivalve electivity values were always positive. Differential selectivity throughout the estuary was mainly related to spatial segregation of flounders according to size, with the smaller individuals concentrating in the upper estuary and larger individuals concentrating in the lower estuary. Amphipods such as Corophium spp. play a crucial role in the flounder diet because of their small size, low mobility and diel activity pattern. As prey, the polychaete value increases throughout flounder ontogeny since the flounder size range is compatible with the larger mouth gapes and detection ability of larger fish. Bivalve electivity values for flounder are mainly related to high calorific values. The absence of Crangon crangon (Linnaeus, 1758) in the diet may be due to low water temperature since the cost,benefit involved in the capture of highly mobile prey is too high at low temperatures. It was concluded that flounder must use several sensory features to detect and capture prey in turbid estuarine waters and that field studies provide important background information on the actual predator preferences under natural conditions. [source] The ED strategy: how species-level surrogates indicate general biodiversity patterns through an ,environmental diversity' perspectiveJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2004D. P. Faith Abstract Biodiversity assessment requires that we use surrogate information in practice to indicate more general biodiversity patterns. ,ED' refers to a surrogates framework that can link species data and environmental information based on a robust relationship of compositional dissimilarities to ordinations that indicate underlying environmental variation. In an example analysis of species and environmental data from Panama, the environmental and spatial variables that correlate with an hybrid multi-dimensional scaling ordination were able to explain 83% of the variation in the corresponding Bray Curtis dissimilarities. The assumptions of ED also provide the rationale for its use of p-median optimization criteria to measure biodiversity patterns among sites in a region. M.B. Araújo, P.J. Densham & P.H. Williams (2004, Journal of Biogeography31, 1) have re-named ED as ,AD' in their evaluation of the surrogacy value of ED based on European species data. Because lessons from previous work on ED options consequently may have been neglected, we use a corroboration framework to investigate the evidence and ,background knowledge' presented in their evaluations of ED. Investigations focus on the possibility that their weak corroboration of ED surrogacy (non-significance of target species recovery relative to a null model) may be a consequence of Araújo et al.'s use of particular evidence and randomizations. We illustrate how their use of discrete ED, and not the recommended continuous ED, may have produced unnecessarily poor species recovery values. Further, possible poor optimization of their MDS ordinations, due to small numbers of simulations and/or low resolution of stress values appears to have provided a possible poor basis for ED application and, consequently, may have unnecessarily favoured non-corroboration results. Consideration of Araújo et al.'s randomizations suggests that acknowledged sampling biases in the European data have not only artefactually promoted the non-significance of ED recovery values, but also artefactually elevated the significance of competing species surrogates recovery values. We conclude that little credence should be given to the comparisons of ED and species-based complementarity sets presented in M.B. Araújo, P.J. Densham & P.H. Williams (2004, Journal of Biogeography31, 1), unless the factors outlined here can be analysed for their effects on results. We discuss the lessons concerning surrogates evaluation emerging from our investigations, calling for better provision in such studies of the background information that can allow (i) critical examination of evidence (both at the initial corroboration and re-evaluation stages), and (ii) greater synthesis of lessons about the pitfalls of different forms of evidence in different contexts. [source] Microarray data classification using inductive logic programming and gene ontology background informationJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 5 2010Einar Ryeng Abstract There exists many databases containing information on genes that are useful for background information in machine learning analysis of microarray data. The gene ontology and gene ontology annotation projects are among the most comprehensive of these. We demonstrate how inductive logic programming (ILP) can be used to build classification rules for microarray data which naturally incorporates the gene ontology and annotations to it as background knowledge without removing the inherent graph structure of the ontology. The ILP rules generated are parsimonious and easy to interpret. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer: molecular mechanismsJOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2005Mahmoud R. Hussein This electromagnetic energy has both life-giving and life-endangering effects. UV radiation can damage DNA and thus mutagenize several genes involved in the development of the skin cancer. The presence of typical signature of UV-induced mutations on these genes indicates that the ultraviolet-B part of sunlight is responsible for the evolution of cutaneous carcinogenesis. During this process, variable alterations of the oncogenic, tumor-suppressive, and cell-cycle control signaling pathways occur. These pathways include (a) mutated PTCH (in the mitogenic Sonic Hedgehog pathway) and mutated p53 tumor-suppressor gene in basal cell carcinomas, (b) an activated mitogenic ras pathway and mutated p53 in squamous cell carcinomas, and (c) an activated ras pathway, inactive p16, and p53 tumor suppressors in melanomas. This review presents background information about the skin optics, UV radiation, and molecular events involved in photocarcinogenesis. [source] Florigen (II): It is a Mobile ProteinJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2007Yuejun Yang Abstract The true identity of florigen , the molecule(s) that migrates from leaves to apical meristem to initiate flowering , was notoriously elusive, having made it almost the "Bigfoot" of plant biology. There was never a lack of drama in the field of florigen study, and florigen researchers have once again experienced such a swing in the last two years. We wrote a minireview last year in this journal (Yu et al. 2006) to excitedly salute, among other discoveries, the notion that the flowering locus T (FT) mRNA might be the molecular form of a florigen. However, this hypothesis was challenged in a little less than two years after its initial proposition, and the original paper proposed that the FT mRNA hypothesis was retracted (Huang et al. 2005; Bohlenius et al. 2007). Interestingly enough, the FT gene previously proposed to encode a florigen was never challenged. Rather, the FT protein, instead of the FT mRNA, is now believed to migrate from leaves to the apical meristem to promote floral initiation. In this update, we will share with our readers some entertaining stories concerning the recent studies of florigen in five different plant species. In addition to the published reports referenced in this update, readers may also refer to our previous minireview and references therein for additional background information (Yu et al. 2006). [source] 71 Proteomics of haematococcus pluvialis: new opportunities for study of genomics of a non-sequenced speciesJOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 2003Q. Hu The green alga, Haematococcus pluvialis, has become a model organism for commercial production of the high-value carotenoid astaxanthin. H. Pluvialis has also drawn significant scientific attention because fundamental biological questions relating to the massive cellular accumulation of astaxanthin have to be addressed in order to improve the yield and quality of the algal biomass. However, research has been impeded by the lack of molecular background information on this non-sequenced species. A combination of classical biochemistry with a state-of-the-art proteomic approach was used to address these questions. This was possible by taking advantage of information already available for homologous genes/gene-products in organisms whose genomes have been sequenced. The approach involved isolation of subsets of the proteome from subcellular compartments/organelles of an organism by one- or two-dimensional electrophoresis (1-DE or 2-DE) and their identification by N-terminal sequencing and peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF), involving matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry coupled with bioinformatics. Based upon the information obtained from the combined methods, expression and physiological functions of specific genes/encoded proteins may be deduced. Examples include profiling of cell wall proteins, biogenesis and protein composition of lipid bodies, and expression patterns of soluble proteins under stress conditions. Advantages and limitations of the method for non-sequenced organisms and for cross-species protein identification will also be discussed. [source] Quality of Life: Its Application to Persons With Intellectual Disabilities and Their Families,Introduction and OverviewJOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 1 2009Roy I. Brown Abstract The authors provide an overview of quality of life (QoL) conceptualization in the field of intellectual disabilities (ID), provide background information, and set an organizing framework for presenting concepts and concrete ideas for applying QoL. This framework is useful for three broad categories of application in the field of ID that form the application of QoL to individuals, groups of individuals, and to families. QoL thus can be used as a sensitizing notion that gives a sense of reference and guidance from the individual's perspective, focusing on the person and the individual's environment and provides a framework for conceptualizing, measuring, and applying the QoL construct. The applications also frame evaluation strategies for QoL research. The authors conclude that there is a need to identify relevant QoL evidence from the literature in a proactive way, and to ensure that it is methodologically sound, provides both quantitative and qualitative data, represents inter- and intra-individual variability, and illustrates changes over both the lifespan and across cultural settings. [source] Reading and genetics: an introductionJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, Issue 1 2006Kate Nation Recent years have brought about rapid advances in our understanding of how genetic factors influence reading development and reading disorder. The purpose of this special issue is to summarise what has been learned, and to highlight some of the issues and questions currently at the forefront of research. This paper sets the scene for the special issue by introducing relevant methodology and background information. [source] The Immigration Dilemma: The Role of Perceived Group Competition, Ethnic Prejudice, and National IdentityJOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 3 2001Victoria M. Esses In this article, we discuss the role of perceived competition for resources in determining negative attitudes toward immigrants and immigration in North America. We first provide background information on immigration policies and levels of immigration to Canada and the United States. Following an overview of our theoretical perspective, we then describe the research we have conducted in Canada and the United States indicating that perceived zero-sum competition between groups, whether situationally induced or a function of chronic belief in zero-sum relations among groups, is strongly implicated in negative immigration attitudes. In addition, we describe our recent attempts to improve attitudes toward immigrants and immigration through the targeting of zero-sum beliefs and through manipulations of the inclusiveness of national identity. [source] Biological Markers of Alcohol Consumption in Nondrinkers, Drinkers, and Alcohol-Dependent Brazilian PatientsALCOHOLISM, Issue 7 2002N. B. Figlie Background The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of some new and traditional biological markers and indicators of health among Brazilian nondrinkers, drinkers, and alcohol-dependent patients. Material and Methods We evaluated 130 nondrinkers, 167 drinkers, and 183 alcohol-dependent drinkers from Brazil who participated in the WHO/ISBRA Study on State and Trait Markers of Alcohol Use and Dependence. A standardized WHO/ISBRA Interview Schedule provided background information on the subjects' characteristics including reported health problems and alcohol consumption. Blood samples were analyzed for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT), ,-glutamyltransferase (GGT), blood alcohol levels (BAL), and platelet adenylate cyclase activity (basal levels [AC] and levels after stimulation with Gpp(NH)p, cesium fluoride, and forskolin). Results The alcohol-dependent drinkers presented higher levels of AST, GGT, AC, CDT, and BAL than the nondrinkers and drinkers, whose levels were similar. Sex differences in the sensitivity of CDT and AC were found. The alcohol-dependent women presented a lower prevalence of abnormal values of CDT and Gpp(NH)p-stimulated AC than the alcohol-dependent men, despite the fact that they presented similar alcohol consumption levels. The alcohol-dependent drinkers presented a higher prevalence of clinical disorders than the nondrinkers and drinkers. The drinkers and alcohol-dependent patients presented significantly higher rates of gastritis than the nondrinkers. Conclusions Sex differences in the sensitivity of CDT and AC suggest that these markers are not as sensitive at detecting excessive alcohol use in women as they are in men. If data from this Brazilian sample are compared with those reported for international samples, relevant differences are detected, which suggests that genetic and cultural differences should be considered in the selection of biological markers of heavy alcohol consumption. [source] Binary Phase Diagram of the Manganese Oxide,Iron Oxide SystemJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 10 2009Jarrod V. Crum The phase equilibrium of the MnOx,FeOy binary system was measured within a temperature range of 750°,1590°C in air to examine inconsistencies found in literature, i.e., discrepancies related to the boundary between the spinel and hausmannite+spinel phase fields. Several studies are available in the literature that describe this boundary however the results and methods by which they were studied vary namely in terms of the atmosphere (air versus reducing) used and heat treatment/analysis methods. In addition, samples in the discrepancy region of the diagram revert to the hausmannite phase spontaneously upon cooling due to a displacive transformation. In order to accurately measure the phase boundaries, the following measurement methods were used: isothermal heat treatments followed by rapid quenching (in air or water), dilatometry, differential thermal analysis with thermogravimetric analysis, as well as room temperature and hot-stage X-ray diffraction (XRD). Phase assemblage(s) in each specimen were determined by XRD. Data were compared with literature and a new, self consistent phase diagram was developed. The results are reported along with background information and a comparison with previously reported data. This study will support development of a model for thermodynamic equilibria in complex, multioxide silicate melts. [source] How and why do college students use Wikipedia?JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2009Sook Lim The purposes of this study were to explore college students' perceptions, uses of, and motivations for using Wikipedia, and to understand their information behavior concerning Wikipedia based on social cognitive theory (SCT). A Web survey was used to collect data in the spring of 2008. The study sample consisted of students from an introductory undergraduate course at a large public university in the midwestern United States. A total of 134 students participated in the study, resulting in a 32.8% response rate. The major findings of the study include the following: Approximately one-third of the students reported using Wikipedia for academic purposes. The students tended to use Wikipedia for quickly checking facts and finding background information. They had positive past experiences with Wikipedia; however, interestingly, their perceptions of its information quality were not correspondingly high. The level of their confidence in evaluating Wikipedia's information quality was, at most, moderate. Respondents' past experience with Wikipedia, their positive emotional state, their disposition to believe information in Wikipedia, and information utility were positively related to their outcome expectations of Wikipedia. However, among the factors affecting outcome expectations, only information utility and respondents' positive emotions toward Wikipedia were related to their use of it. Further, when all of the independent variables, including the mediator, outcome expectations, were considered, only the variable information utility was related to Wikipedia use, which may imply a limited applicability of SCT to understanding Wikipedia use. However, more empirical evidence is needed to determine the applicability of this theory to Wikipedia use. Finally, this study supports the knowledge value of Wikipedia (Fallis, 2008), despite students' cautious attitudes toward Wikipedia. The study suggests that educators and librarians need to provide better guidelines for using Wikipedia, rather than prohibiting Wikipedia use altogether. [source] Identification and characterization of errors and incidents in a medical intensive care unitACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 7 2005J. Graf Background:, To assess the frequency, type, consequences, and associations of errors and incidents in a medical intensive care unit (ICU). Methods:, Two-hundred and sixteen consecutive patients with predominantly cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders admitted between December 2002 and February 2003 were enrolled. Demographic data, SAPS II, and TISS-28 were obtained for all patients. Prior to patient enrolment all staff members (physicians, nurses, physiotherapists) were repeatedly encouraged to make use of the Incident Report Form (IRF) and detailed descriptions on how, why and when to use the IRF were provided. Results:, During the observation period of 64 days, 50 errors involving 32 patients (15%) were reported. Patients subjected to errors were more severely ill (SAPS II 42 ± 25 vs. 32 ± 18, P < 0.05), had a higher hospital mortality (38% vs. 9%), and a longer ICU stay (11 ± 18 vs. 3 ± 5 days, P < 0.05). Gender, age and TISS-28 were equally distributed. Each day of ICU stay increased the risk by 8% (odds ratio 1.078, 95% confidence interval 1.034,1.125, P < 0.001), and by 2.3% per SAPS II point (odds ratio 1.023, 95% confidence interval 1.006,1.040, P < 0.001). The majority of errors and incidents were judged as ,human failures' (73%), and 46 errors and incidents (92%) as ,avoidable'. Conclusions:, The identification and characterization of errors and incidents combined with contextual information is feasible and may provide sufficient background information for areas of quality improvement. Areas with a high frequency of errors and incidents need to undergo process evaluation to avoid future occurrence. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||