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Adaptation Process (adaptation + process)
Selected AbstractsPersonal Resources, Appraisal, and Coping in the Adaptation Process of Immigrants From the Former Soviet UnionAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 2 2008Liat Yakhnich PhD Between 1989 and 2005, Israel absorbed over a million new immigrants, about 90% of whom were from the Former Soviet Union (FSU). The present study investigated the adaptation of these FSU new immigrants in a sample of 301 participants (67% women, ages 25,45 years), who completed inventories measuring personal resources (tolerance of ambiguity and cognitive flexibility), cognitive appraisals (of employment, language, and housing problems), coping strategies, well-being, distress, and willingness to remain in Israel. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis showed that tolerance for ambiguity and cognitive flexibility contributed positively to control appraisals, task-oriented coping, and level of participant well-being, and negatively to threat/loss appraisals, emotion/avoidance-oriented coping, and distress. Control appraisals contributed to task-oriented coping, whereas threat/loss appraisals contributed to both emotion/avoidance-oriented and task-oriented coping. Control and challenge appraisals, and task-oriented coping, contributed positively to participant willingness to remain in Israel, whereas emotion/avoidance-oriented coping contributed positively to distress levels, which in turn were negatively related to willingness to remain in Israel. The results of this study have significant implications for such aspects of immigrant adaptation as absorption policies and the provision of individual care by professionals and organizations. [source] Human Vulnerability, Dislocation and Resettlement: Adaptation Processes of River-bank Erosion-induced Displacees in BangladeshDISASTERS, Issue 1 2004David Mutton The purpose of this research was to identify and analyse patterns of economic and social adaptation among river-bank erosion-induced displacees in Bangladesh. It was hypothesised that the role of social demographic and socio-economic variables in determining the coping ability and recovery of the river-bank erosion-induced displacees is quite significant. The findings of the research reveal that displacees experience substantial socio-economic impoverishment and marginalisation as a consequence of involuntary migration. This in part is a socially constructed process, reflecting inequitable access to land and other resources. Vulnerability to disasters is further heightened by a number of identifiable social and demographic factors including gender, education and age, although extreme poverty and marginalisation create complexity to isolate the relative influence of these variables. The need to integrate hazard analysis and mitigation with the broader economic and social context is discussed. It is argued that the capacity of people to respond to environmental threats is a function of not only the physical forces which affect them, but also of underlying economic and social relationships which increase human vulnerability to risk. Hazard analysis and mitigation can be more effective when it takes into account such social and demographic and socio-economic dimensions of disasters. [source] Phosphorylation of voltage-gated ion channels in rat olfactory receptor neuronsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 7 2001Christian H. Wetzel Abstract In olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), ligand,odorant receptor interactions cause G protein-mediated activation of adenylate cyclase and a subsequent increase in concentration of the intracellular messenger cAMP. Odorant-evoked elevation in cAMP is thought to directly activate a cation-selective cyclic nucleotide-gated channel, which causes external Ca2+ influx, leading to membrane depolarization and the generation of action potentials. Our data show that in freshly dissociated rat ORNs, odorant-induced elevation in cAMP also activates cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), which is then able to phosphorylate various protein targets in the olfactory signal transduction pathway, specifically voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels. The presence of PKI (PKA inhibitor peptide) blocked the modulatory action of cAMP on voltage-gated ion channels. By modulating the input/output properties of the sensory neurons, this mechanism could take part in the complex adaptation process in odorant perception. In addition, we found modulation of voltage-gated sodium and calcium channel currents by 5-hydroxytryptamine and the dopamine D1 receptor agonist SKF 38393. These findings suggest that in situ ORNs might also be a target for efferent modulation. [source] Adaptation of normal and hypofunctional masseter muscle after bite-raising in growing ratsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 6 2000Andrea Bresin The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of prolonged muscular elongation induced by bite-raising on the length of the muscle belly, sarcomeres and aponeurosis of the anterior deep masseter in the growing rat. Another aim was to determine the role of different functional conditions of this muscle in the adaptation process. Ninety-six young male rats were split into two groups: one was fed a hard diet and the other a soft diet to develop different functional capacities in the masticatory muscles. After 2 wk, half of the rats in both groups were fitted with an appliance that raised the bite by 2 mm. The measurements on the muscles were performed in situ. The insertion of the appliance stretched the anterior masseter muscle. After 4 wk, the vertical dentoskeletal dimension, the muscle belly, and the sarcomeres showed no difference in length among the groups. However, the aponeurosis was longer in the rats wearing the appliance compared to the controls, and among the bite block groups it was longer in the rats fed a hard diet. Length adaptation occurred in the aponeurosis. Clinically this may imply a need for reactivation of functional appliances to increase their efficiency, at a rate possibly depending on masseter muscles functional condition. [source] GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN ACID STRESS TOLERANCE OF THE MOOR FROG, RANA ARVALIS.EVOLUTION, Issue 2 2003Abstract Spatially varying directional selection together with restricted gene flow among populations is expected to lead to local adaptation. One environmental factor that potentially causes strong directional selection, but is little explored in evolutionary terms, is naturally and anthropogenically induced acidity. We studied local adaptation to acidity in four Swedish populations (two originating from areas that have suffered from severe anthropogenic acidification during the 1900s and two from areas which have remained neutral due to higher buffering capacity) of the moor frog Rana arvalis in a laboratory experiment by investigating whether differences in acid tolerance correspond to population origin. Embryos were raised from fertilization to hatching at three different pH levels (pH 4.0, 4.25 and 7.5), corresponding to levels experienced by these populations in nature, and acid stress tolerance was measured in terms of embryonic survival, hatchling size, and age. Evidence for local adaptation in all of these traits was found, the acid origin embryos having higher survival and less impaired growth performance under acid conditions than the neutral origin embryos. Our estimated rates of divergence (0.007,0.102 haldanes) suggest a rapid adaptation process in response to anthropogenic environmental change, and that the different traits have evolved at relatively similar rates. [source] Freeze tolerance of the yeast Torulaspora delbrueckii: cellular and biochemical basisFEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 1 2004Cecília Alves-Araújo Abstract The freeze stress responses to prolonged storage at ,20 °C in Torulaspora delbrueckii PYCC5323 were investigated. In this yeast, no loss of cell viability was observed for at least 120 days during freezing at ,20 °C, whereas a loss of 80% was observed in a commercial baker's yeast after 15 days. In the former strain, freeze resistance was dependent on an adaptation process. The primary cell target of freeze stress was the plasma membrane, preservation of its integrity being related with a lower increase of lipid peroxidation and with a higher resistance to H2O2, but not with the intracellular trehalose concentration. [source] Methods of case adaptation: A surveyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 6 2005Rudradeb Mitra In this article, we provide an overview of the case adaptation process. We classify various existing case adaptation methods available in the literature. We consider three different aspects, namely, domain knowledge requirement, adaptive capabilities of the case adaptation methods, and the kind of adaptation knowledge required. We then derive certain findings about the nature of the case adaptation methods and their applicability in real-life tasks. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 20: 627,645, 2005. [source] Demands of immigration among Chinese immigrant nursesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 5 2010Amy X Ma DNP APRN-BC FNP Ma AX, Quinn Griffin MT, Capitulo KL, Fitzpatrick JJ. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2010; 16: 443,453 Demands of immigration among Chinese immigrant nurses The purpose of this study was to identify the demands of immigration among Chinese nurses that have immigrated to the USA. The relationship between the demands of immigration and length of stay in the USA was investigated also. A descriptive correlational study design was used. A convenience sample of 128 nurses was recruited. A self-administered survey was conducted using the demands of immigration scale developed by Aroian, along with a demographic questionnaire. The results showed Chinese immigrant nurses have high demands of immigration. There were significant negative relationships between the demands of immigration and length of stay in the USA. Immigration demands decreased as length of stay increased but remained high even for those who had been in the USA for > 5 years. This information is vital to health-care agencies designing and implementing adaptation programmes targeting these demands to facilitate Chinese nurses' adaptation process. [source] Migration, Motherhood, Marriage: Cross-Cultural Adaptation of North American Immigrant Mothers in IsraelINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 1 2009Laura I. Sigad This study probes the cross-cultural adaptation patterns of North American women who immigrated to Israel with their Israeli-born husbands (or married there) and are mothers in their new country. In order to undertake a cultural analysis of the interplay between immigration, motherhood and bicultural marriage, we examine: the effects of motherhood and North American culture of origin on cross-cultural adaptation; the effects of immigration to Israel on motherhood and childrearing; the influence of family of origin on the immigrant motherhood experience; and the role of Israeli husbands and their families in the women's cross-cultural adaptation process. We study patterns for the entire group as well as bringing out individual differences. Our main finding is that motherhood serves as the principal social link to the Israeli host society. The high status of North American culture and English proficiency facilitate cross-cultural adaptation in Israel. Our findings reveal transnationalist tendencies co-existing with various adaptation strategies. We propose an expansion of previous acculturation models to accommodate this dual modus vivendi. [source] Race, Gender, and Class in the Persistence of the Mariel Stigma Twenty Years after the Exodus from CubaINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 3 2007Gastón A. Fernández The study examines the mediating effects of gender, race, and class in the Mariel Cuban immigrant adaptation process. It explores the significance of the Mariel identity by comparing the experiences of pre-1980 arrivals with those of the Mariel cohort (1980,1981) and post-Mariel arrivals (1982,1990, 1990,2000). The central question of the study is the extent to which the Marielitos' experience as a group with stigmatization and being labeled as "different" and pathological has persisted in having a different effect on their adaptation to the U.S. from that of other Cuban arrivals before and after Mariel. This study bases its definition of stigma on sociologically grounded theoretical orientation of the construction of a social identity in which a dominant group(s) attribute an undesired difference from what was anticipated to an out-group such that it leads to varieties of discrimination that reduce one's life chances. [source] Parents of Children with Intellectual Disabilities: Their Expectations and Experience of Genetic CounsellingJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 3 2003Owen Barr Background, Following the birth of a child, parents and other family members have to adapt to their new circumstances. This process takes time and can become more complex when the child is suspected or diagnosed as having intellectual disabilities. When a child has a disability, parents often seek answers as to the origin and nature of the condition as part of the adaptation process. For some parents, this will result in genetic investigations and could lead to the provision of personal genetics about the child and parents. Materials and methods, This paper reports a mixed-method project that combined questionnaires prior to and interviews after an appointment with a geneticist. The project sought to identify the expectations and experience of parents who had a child referred to specialist genetics services. Results and conclusions, The findings identify that parents felt largely unprepared for their appointment and reported feelings of failing to maximize the opportunity present. The need for more effective liaison between specialist regional and local primary care and learning disability services is also highlighted. Parents made practical suggestions relevant to all the above services about how they could be better supported at this difficult stage in the adaptation process. [source] New growth factor therapies aimed at improving intestinal adaptation in short bowel syndromeJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Prue M Pereira Abstract Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is used to describe a condition of malabsorption and malnutrition resulting from the loss of absorptive area following massive small bowel resection. The key to improved clinical outcome after massive small bowel resection is the ability of the residual bowel to adapt. Although still in experimental stages, a major goal in the management of SBS may be the augmented use of growth factors to promote increased adaptation. A number of growth factors have been implicated in promoting the adaptation process. The best-described growth factors are reviewed: glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and growth hormone (GH). This article reviews the ability of recombinant GLP-2, EGF and GH to modulate structural and functional aspects of intestinal adaptation following small bowel resection. Although these growth factors have shown promise, small sample size, inconsistent measurement parameters and uncontrolled study designs have hampered the acquisition of strong data advocating the use of growth factor treatment for SBS. Multicenter trials using well-defined outcome measures to assess clinical efficacy are needed to direct the clinical indications, timing and duration of therapy and assess potential risks associated with growth factor therapies. [source] Surface EMG of jaw-elevator muscles and chewing pattern in complete denture wearersJOURNAL OF ORAL REHABILITATION, Issue 12 2005M. G. PIANCINO summary, The aim of this study was to investigate the adaptation process of masticatory patterns to a new complete denture in edentulous subjects. For this purpose, muscle activity and kinematic parameters of the chewing pattern were simultaneously assessed in seven patients with complete maxillary and mandibular denture. The patients were analysed (i) with the old denture, (ii) with the new denture at the delivery, (iii) after 1 month and (iv) after 3 months from the delivery of the new denture. Surface electromyographic (EMG) signals were recorded from the masseter and temporalis anterior muscles of both sides and jaw movements were tracked measuring the motion of a tiny magnet attached at the lower inter-incisor point. The subjects were asked to chew a bolus on the right and left side. At the delivery of the new denture, peak EMG amplitude of the masseter of the side of the bolus was lower than with the old denture and the masseters of the two sides showed the same intensity of EMG activity, contrary to the case with the old denture. EMG amplitude and asymmetry of the two masseter activities returned as with the old denture in 3 months. The EMG activity in the temporalis anterior was larger with the old denture than in the other conditions. The chewing cycle width and lateral excursion decreased at the delivery of the new denture and recovered after 3 months. [source] Upland development policy, livelihood change and land degradation: interactions from a Laotian villageLAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2007G. Lestrelin Abstract This study uses a local political ecology approach that examines the physical and social dimensions of land use and soil erosion and their broader political and socioeconomic environment in Ban Lak Sip, a village located in the uplands of the Luang Prabang Province in Laos. The study indicates that, despite an explicit government policy aimed at improving both socioeconomic and environmental conditions, the resulting livelihood change has in part led to a deterioration in working conditions with mixed impacts on the environment. While land degradation and economic transition appear to have driven villagers to rework the role and importance of the land in their livelihoods, this paper argues that the Laotian rural development policy has constrained the adaptation process and led to a significant intensification in labour and land use. In fact, Ban Lak Sip villagers have had to adapt both to actual land degradation processes and to a discourse on upland environmental degradation constructed by the Laotian State and international development actors. The results of this study have significant implications for the formulation of environmental policy and for land degradation research more widely. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] BUYING VERSUS HIRING,AN INDIRECT EVOLUTIONARY APPROACHMETROECONOMICA, Issue 4 2009Siegfried K. Berninghaus ABSTRACT On a symmetric homogeneous oligopoly market with stochastic demand, firms can either hire employees or buy their labor input on a competitive labor market. Whereas the wage of hired labor does not depend on the realization of stochastic demand, the price of ,bought' labor reacts positively to product demand. We derive the equilibrium price vector to define an evolutionary process, assuming that the number of hiring firms increases when they earn more than buying firms. We then derive and discuss the stationary distribution of this stochastic adaptation process. [source] The Arabic ICIQ-UI SF: An alternative language version of the English ICIQ-UI SFNEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 3 2006H. Hashim Abstract Aims Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common and distressing condition. A variety of questionnaires are currently available to assess UI and its impact on patients' lives. However, most have not been adapted for international use. Following a systematic review of the literature and existing questionnaires the International Consultation on Incontinence short form questionnaire (ICIQ-UI SF) was developed, and has since been translated into many languages for local use. This paper reports the development and validation of the first UI questionnaire in the Arabic language. The development of this questionnaire will facilitate the assessment of UI in both clinical practice and research in the Middle-East. Methods Translation and validation of the Arabic version of the ICIQ-UI is described. Standard methods of translation by native Arabic and English speakers (including translation and back translation) are followed. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire, including its validity, reliability and sensitivity to change, are examined. The validation of the questionnaire involved patients attending urology outpatient clinics in two Middle-Eastern countries. Results The Arabic ICIQ-UI SF was found to be valid, reliable and responsive, indicating that the psychometric properties of the questionnaire have remained constant throughout the adaptation process. Furthermore, the findings of the psychometric testing confirm those found for the UK-English ICIQ-UI SF. Conclusions The development of this questionnaire will allow the study of Arabic speaking groups with UI in many countries around the world. This may act as an example to initiate the translation and validation of other patient reported outcomes into the Arabic language, thereby enabling more multinational and cross-cultural research into diseases in given areas. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Changes in accessibility and usability in housing: an exploration of the housing adaptation processOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2005Agneta Fänge Abstract The purpose of a housing adaptation is to enhance daily activities and to improve housing accessibility and usability by removing physical barriers in the home. The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal changes in housing accessibility among clients receiving grants for housing adaptations. Baseline assessments were administered one month before the housing adaptation, with the first follow-up after two to three months, and the second follow-up after eight to nine months. The Housing Enabler and the Usability in My Home instruments were used to collect data from 131 consecutively enrolled clients living in general housing. Accessibility and usability improved significantly, the number of physical environmental barriers decreased and dependence on mobility devices increased, but at different times along the process. The results indicate the complexity of the housing adaptation process and the need to consider person,environment interactions over time. The methodology seems useful for quality development of assessment, intervention and evaluation processes in housing adaptations performed by occupational therapists. Copyright © 2005 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Attributions to Discrimination and Depression Among Latino/as: The Mediating Role of CompetenceAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2009Lucas Torres PhD The present study examined the role of attributions to discrimination and competence in predicting depression among a sample of 93 Latino/a adults. The major findings showed that attributions to discrimination were related to decreases in both general competence and intercultural competence, which were in turn associated with increases in depressive symptoms. This pattern of results suggests that general and intercultural competence partially mediated the relationship between attributions to discrimination and depression. The findings are discussed within the context of the cultural adaptation process and factors that ameliorate Latino/a mental health. In addition, theoretical and practical implications are outlined along with areas of future research. [source] The role of oestrogens in the adaptation of islets to insulin resistanceTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 21 2009Angel Nadal Pregnancy is characterized by peripheral insulin resistance, which is developed in parallel with a plasma increase of maternal hormones; these include prolactin, placental lactogens, progesterone and oestradiol among others. Maternal insulin resistance is counteracted by the adaptation of the islets of Langerhans to the higher insulin demand. If this adjustment is not produced, gestational diabetes may be developed. The adaptation process of islets is characterized by an increase of insulin biosynthesis, an enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and an increase of ,,cell mass. It is not completely understood why, in some individuals, ,,cell mass and function fail to adapt to the metabolic demands of pregnancy, yet a disruption of the ,,cell response to maternal hormones may play a key part. The role of the maternal hormone 17,-oestradiol (E2) in this adaptation process has been largely unknown. However, in recent years, it has been demonstrated that E2 acts directly on ,,cells to increase insulin biosynthesis and to enhance GSIS through different molecular mechanisms. E2 does not increase ,,cell proliferation but it is involved in ,,cell survival. Classical oestrogen receptors ER, and ER,, as well as the G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor (GPER) seem to be involved in these adaptation changes. In addition, as the main production of E2 in post-menopausal women comes from the adipose tissue, E2 may act as a messenger between adipocytes and islets in obesity. [source] Managing the environmental adaptation process in supplier,customer relationshipsBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 4 2001Louise Canning This paper details the results and managerial implications from four case studies, which examine how the environmental adaptation process (EAP) is managed within business-to-business relationships. The research uses models of supplier,customer interaction and inter-organization cooperation in order to explore inter-firm relationships and the process of adaptation. The research findings show that either party might pursue adaptations and also establishes features of the process itself as well as identifying factors that can facilitate or hinder the introduction of environmental changes. Arriving at a satisfactory outcome to the adaptation process can be determined by individual company and relationship characteristics, as well as the behaviour and experience of those managers involved in the process. Guidelines for the management of the process of environmental adaptation are proposed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [source] IDENTIFYING ATHLETES AT RISK OF HAMSTRING STRAINS AND HOW TO PROTECT THEMCLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 8 2004U Proske SUMMARY 1.,One common soft-tissue injury in sports involving sprinting and kicking a ball is the hamstring strain. Strain injuries often occur while the contracting muscle is lengthened, an eccentric contraction. We have proposed that the microscopic damage to muscle fibres that routinely occurs after a period of unaccustomed eccentric exercise can lead to a more severe strain injury. 2.,An indicator of susceptibility for the damage from eccentric exercise is the optimum angle for torque. When this is at a short muscle length, the muscle is more prone to eccentric damage. It is known that subjects most at risk of a hamstring strain have a previous history of hamstring strains. By means of isokinetic dynamometry, we have measured the optimum angle for torque for nine athletes with a history of unilateral hamstring strains. We also measured optimum angles for 18 athletes with no previous history of strain injuries. It was found that mean optimum angle in the previously injured muscles was at a significantly shorter length than for the uninjured muscles of the other leg and for muscles of both legs in the uninjured group. This result suggests that previously injured muscles are more prone to eccentric damage and, therefore, according to our hypothesis, more prone to strain injuries than uninjured muscles. 3.,After a period of unaccustomed eccentric exercise, if the exercise is repeated 1 week later, there is much less evidence of damage because the muscle has undergone an adaptation process that protects it against further damage. We propose that for athletes considered at risk of a hamstring strain, as indicated by the optimum angle for torque, a regular programme of mild eccentric exercise should be undertaken. This approach seems to work because evidence from a group of athletes who have implemented such a programme shows a significant reduction in the incidence of hamstring strains. [source] ADAPTATION KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION: A CASE STUDY FOR CASE-BASED DECISION SUPPORT IN ONCOLOGYCOMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, Issue 3-4 2006Mathieu D'Aquin Kasimir is a case-based decision support system in the domain of breast cancer treatment. For this system, a problem is given by the description of a patient and a solution is a set of therapeutic decisions. Given a target problem, Kasimir provides several suggestions of solutions, based on several justified adaptations of source cases. Such adaptation processes are based on adaptation knowledge. The acquisition of this kind of knowledge from experts is presented in this paper. It is shown how the decomposition of adaptation processes by introduction of intermediate problems can highlight simple and generalizable adaptation steps. Moreover, some adaptation knowledge units that are generalized from those acquired for Kasimir are presented. This knowledge can be instantiated in other case-based decision support systems, in particular in medicine. [source] Social Capital, Collective Action, and Adaptation to Climate ChangeECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2003W. Neil Adger Abstract: Future changes in climate pose significant challenges for society, not the least of which is how best to adapt to observed and potential future impacts of these changes to which the world is already committed. Adaptation is a dynamic social process: the ability of societies to adapt is determined, in part, by the ability to act collectively. This article reviews emerging perspectives on collective action and social capital and argues that insights from these areas inform the nature of adaptive capacity and normative prescriptions of policies of adaptation. Specifically, social capital is increasingly understood within economics to have public and private elements, both of which are based on trust, reputation, and reciprocal action. The public-good aspects of particular forms of social capital are pertinent elements of adaptive capacity in interacting with natural capital and in relation to the performance of institutions that cope with the risks of changes in climate. Case studies are presented of present-day collective action for coping with extremes in weather in coastal areas in Southeast Asia and of community-based coastal management in the Caribbean. These cases demonstrate the importance of social capital framing both the public and private institutions of resource management that build resilience in the face of the risks of changes in climate. These cases illustrate, by analogy, the nature of adaptation processes and collective action in adapting to future changes in climate. [source] Frente Amplio and the Crafting of a Social Democratic Alternative in UruguayLATIN AMERICAN POLITICS AND SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007Juan Pablo Luna ABSTRACT This study of Uruguay's Frente Amplio explores four central questions for the analysis of the "new Latin American left." How did a leftist alternative emerge and grow inside an institutionalized party system? How do the socioeconomic and political factors that enabled the rise of the left in Uruguay differ from those observed in other Latin American cases? How did Frente Amplio adapt itself to profit from the opportunities that arose during the 1990s? What are the implications of the previous factors for governmental action by the FA? In answering these questions, this study integrates an analysis of the sociological and political-institutional opportunity structures consolidated during the 1990s with one of strategic partisan adaptation processes. This perspective is useful for explaining how, by 2004, Frente Amplio had built a dual support base from its historical constituency and a socially heterogeneous group alienated from traditional parties due to economic and political discontent. [source] Small non-coding RNAs, co-ordinators of adaptation processes in Escherichia coli: the RpoS paradigmMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003F. Repoila Summary Adaptation to the changing environment requires both the integration of external signals and the co-ordination of internal responses. Around 50 non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) have been described in Escherichia coli; the levels of many of these vary with changing environmental conditions. This suggests that they play a role in cell adaptation. In this review, we use the regulation of RpoS (,38) translation as a paradigm of sRNA-mediated response to environmental conditions; rpoS is currently the only known gene regulated post-transcriptionally by at least three sRNAs. DsrA and RprA stimulate RpoS translation in response to low temperature and cell surface stress, respectively, whereas OxyS represses RpoS translation in response to oxidative shock. However, in addition to regulating RpoS translation, DsrA represses the translation of HNS (a global regulator of gene expression), whereas OxyS represses the translation of FhlA (a transcriptional activator), allowing the cell to co-ordinate different pathways involved in cell adaptation. Environmental cues affect the synthesis and stability of specific sRNAs, resulting in specific sRNA-dependent translational control. [source] Phototropism: A "Simple" Physiological Response Modulated by Multiple Interacting Photosensory-response Pathways ,PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Emmanuel Liscum ABSTRACT Phototropism is the process by which plants reorient growth of various organs, most notably stems, in response to lateral differences in light quantity and/or quality. The ubiquitous nature of the phototropic response in the plant kingdom implies that it provides some adaptive evolutionary advantage. Upon visual inspection it is tempting to surmise that phototropic curvatures result from a relatively simple growth response to a directional stimulus. However, detailed photophysiological, and more recently genetic and molecular, studies have demonstrated that phototropism is in fact regulated by complex interactions among several photosensory systems. At least two receptors, phototropin and a presently unidentified receptor, appear to mediate the primary photoreception of directional blue light cues in dark-grown plants. PhyB may also function as a primary receptor to detect lateral increases in far-red light in neighbor-avoidance responses of light-grown plants. Phytochromes (phyA and phyB at a minimum) also appear to function as secondary receptors to regulate adaptation processes that ultimately modulate the magnitude of curvature induced by primary photoperception. As a result of the interactions of these multiple photosensory systems plants are able to maximize the adaptive advantage of the phototropic response in ever changing light environments. [source] Proteomic DIGE analysis of the mitochondria-enriched fraction from aged rat skeletal musclePROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 24 2009Kathleen O'Connell Abstract Skeletal muscle aging is associated with a loss in tissue mass and contractile strength, as well as fiber type shifting and bioenergetic adaptation processes. Since mitochondria represent the primary site for energy generation via oxidative phosphorylation, we investigated potential changes in the expression pattern of the mitochondrial proteome using the highly sensitive DIGE approach. The comparative analysis of the mitochondria-enriched fraction from young adult versus aged muscle revealed an age-related change in abundance for 39 protein species. MS technology identified the majority of altered proteins as constituents of muscle mitochondria. An age-dependent increase was observed for NADH dehydrogenase, the mitochondrial inner membrane protein mitofilin, peroxiredoxin isoform PRX-III, ATPase synthase, succinate dehydrogenase, mitochondrial fission protein Fis1, succinate-coenzyme A ligase, acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase, porin isoform VDAC2, ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase core I protein and prohibitin. Immunoblotting, enzyme testing and confocal microscopy were used to validate proteomic findings. The DIGE-identified increase in key mitochondrial elements during aging agrees with the concept that sarcopenia is associated with a shift to a slower contractile phenotype and more pronounced aerobic-oxidative metabolism. This suggests that mitochondrial markers are reliable candidates that should be included in the future establishment of a biomarker signature of skeletal muscle aging. [source] Physiological adaptation of Corynebacterium glutamicum to benzoate as alternative carbon source , a membrane proteome-centric viewPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 14 2009Ute Haußmann Abstract The ability of microorganisms to assimilate aromatic substances as alternative carbon sources is the basis of biodegradation of natural as well as industrial aromatic compounds. In this study, Corynebacterium glutamicum was grown on benzoate as sole carbon and energy source. To extend the scarce knowledge about physiological adaptation processes occurring in this cell compartment, the membrane proteome was investigated under quantitative and qualitative aspects by applying shotgun proteomics to reach a comprehensive survey. Membrane proteins were relatively quantified using an internal standard metabolically labeled with 15N. Altogether, 40 proteins were found to change their abundance during growth on benzoate in comparison to glucose. A global adaptation was observed in the membrane of benzoate-grown cells, characterized by increased abundance of proteins of the respiratory chain, by a starvation response, and by changes in sulfur metabolism involving the regulator McbR. Additional to the relative quantification, stable isotope-labeled synthetic peptides were used for the absolute quantification of the two benzoate transporters of C. glutamicum, BenK and BenE. It was found that both transporters were expressed during growth on benzoate, suggesting that both contribute substantially to benzoate uptake. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||