Concrete Evidence (concrete + evidence)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


STRICTLY LIABLE: GOVERNMENTAL USE OF THE PARENT,CHILD RELATIONSHIP AS A BASIS FOR HOLDING VICTIMS LIABLE FOR THEIR CHILD'S WITNESS TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 1 2006
Sharon N. ClarkeArticle first published online: 10 FEB 200
Studies estimate that between three and ten million children in the United States witness domestic violence annually. Although studies have demonstrated a co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse, there is no concrete evidence to support the assumption that a child's exposure to domestic violence increases the risk to the child of abuse or neglect. Recently the New York State Court of Appeals determined that a child's witness to abuse does not suffice, in and of itself, to show that removal of the child is necessary or that removal is in the "best interests" of the child. Programs which have developed alternatives to presumptive removal understand the importance of viewing the interests of the battered parent and children as being in accord with each other rather than in opposition. Private and government sponsored programs have demonstrated some success in protecting the parent-child relationship, ensuring the safety of both parent and child, and increasing accountability of batterers while reducing the necessity for removals. Alternative programs are less costly to the state than foster care, and emotionally less costly to the families. [source]


Pro-metastasis function of TGF, mediated by the smad pathway

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2006
Yibin Kang
Abstract The transforming growth factor beta (TGF,) signaling pathway plays a vital role in the development and homeostasis of normal tissues. Abnormal function of this pathway contributes to the initiation and progression of cancer. Smad proteins are key signal transducers of the TGF, pathway and are essential for the growth suppression function of TGF,. Smads are bona fide tumor suppressors whose mutation, deletion, and silencing are associated with many types of human cancer. However, the involvement and functional mechanism of Smad proteins in cancer metastasis are poorly defined. Recent studies using genetically modified cancer cells and mouse tumor models have provided concrete evidence for a Smad-dependent mechanism for metastasis promotion by TGF,. Understanding the dual roles of Smad proteins in tumor initiation and progression has important implications for cancer therapeutics. J. Cell. Biochem. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Numerical chromosomal abnormalities in equine embryos produced in vivo and in vitro

MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2005
B.P.B. Rambags
Chromosomal aberrations are often listed as a significant cause of early embryonic death in the mare, despite the absence of any concrete evidence for their involvement. The current study aimed to validate fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) probes to label specific equine chromosomes (ECA2 and ECA4) in interphase nuclei and thereby determine whether numerical chromosome abnormalities occur in horse embryos produced either in vivo (n,=,22) or in vitro (IVP: n,=,20). Overall, 75% of 36,720 and 88% of 2,978 nuclei in the in vivo developed and IVP embryos were analyzable. Using a scoring system in which extra FISH signals were taken to indicate increases in ploidy and "missing" signals were assumed to be "false negatives," 98% of the cells were scored as diploid and the majority of embryos (30/42: 71%) were classified as exclusively diploid. However, one IVP embryo was recorded as entirely triploid and a further seven IVP and four in vivo embryos were classified as mosaics containing diploid and polyploid cells, such that the incidence of apparently mixoploid embryos tended to be higher for IVP than in vivo embryos (P,=,0.118). When the number of FISH signals per nucleus was examined in more detail for 11 of the embryos, the classification as diploid or polyploid was largely supported because 2,174 of 2,274 nuclei (95.6%) contained equal numbers of signals for the two chromosomes. However, the remaining 100 cells (4.4%) had an uneven number of chromosomes and, while it is probable that many were artefacts of the FISH procedure, it is also likely that a proportion were the result of other types of aneuploidy (e.g., trisomy, monosomy, or nullisomy). These results demonstrate that chromosomally abnormal cells are present in morphologically normal equine conceptuses and suggest that IVP may increase their likelihood. Definitive distinction between polyploidy, aneuploidy and FISH artefacts would require the use of more than one probe per chromosome and/or probes for more than two chromosomes. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Detection of non-equilibrium longitudinal optical phonons in InN and its consequences

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 7 2005
W. Liang
Abstract Picosecond Raman spectroscopy has been used to study properties of non-equilibrium longitudinal optical phonons in a high quality, single crystal wurtzite structure InN sample. Our experimental results show that the bandgap of InN cannot be around 1.89 eV; but are consistent with a bandgap of around 0.8 eV. Our results provide a concrete evidence that 0.8 eV-luminescence observed recently in InN cannot be due to deep level radiative emission in InN. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Penile Rehabilitation after Radical Prostatectomy: Where Do We Stand and Where Are We Going?

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 4ii 2007
FACS, Run Wang MD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Postprostatectomy erectile dysfunction (ED) remains a serious quality-of-life issue. Recent advances in the understanding of the mechanism of postprostatectomy ED have stimulated great attention toward penile rehabilitation. Aim., This review presents and analyzes a contemporary series of the recent medical literature pertaining to penile rehabilitation therapy after radical prostatectomy (RP). Main Outcome Measures., The laboratory and clinical studies related to penile rehabilitation are analyzed. The validity of the methodology and the conclusion of the findings from each study are determined. Methods., The published and presented reports dealing with penile rehabilitation following RP in human and cavernous nerve injury in animal models are reviewed. Results., Exciting scientific discoveries have improved our understanding of postprostatectomy ED at the molecular level. The rationale for postprostatectomy penile rehabilitation appears to be logical according to animal studies. However, clinical studies have not consistently replicated the beneficial effects found in the laboratory studies. Currently available clinical studies are flawed due to short-term follow-up, small number of patients in the studies, studies with retrospective nature, or prospective studies without control. Rehabilitation programs are also facing a challenge with the compliance, which is critical for success for any rehabilitation program. At the present time, we do not have concrete evidence to recommend what, when, how long, and how often a particular penile rehabilitative therapy can be used effectively. Conclusions., Large prospective, multicentered, placebo-controlled trials with adequate follow-up are necessary to determine the cost-effective and therapeutic benefits of particular penile rehabilitative therapy or therapies in patients following the treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer. Until such evidence is available, it is difficult to recommend any particular penile rehabilitation program as a standard of practice. Wang R. Penile rehabilitation after radical prostatectomy: Where do we stand and where are we going? J Sex Med 2007;4:1085,1097. [source]


Planar Asymmetry Tips the Phonological Playground and Environment Raises the Bar

CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2001
Mark A. Eckert
Reading readiness varies as a function of family and environmental variables. This study of 11-year-old children (N=39) was designed to determine if there was an additional or interactive contribution of brain structure. Evidence is presented that both environmental and biological variables predict phonological development. Temporal lobe (planar) asymmetry, hand preference, family history of reading disability, and SES explained over half of the variance in phonological and verbal performance. The results demonstrate a linear association between cerebral organization and phonological skill within socioeconomic groups. These data provide concrete evidence to support the commonly held assumption that both environmental and biological factors are independent determinants of a child's ability to process linguistic information. [source]