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Distant Relatives (distant + relative)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	44%
Medical Sciences	33%

Selected Abstracts

Gender, kinship and caregiver burden: the case of community-dwelling memory impaired seniors

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 8 2003
Neale R. Chumbler
Abstract Background This study examined whether there were gender and kinship (spouse, child, more distant relative) differences in caregiver burden. It further examined the constellation of gender and kinship by examining whether adult daughter caregivers experienced greater burden compared to wives, husbands, sons, and other more distant relatives. Methods The sample consisted of 305 family caregivers of memory-impaired individuals who were age 70 years or older and resided in non-institutional settings in Arkansas. A cross-sectional design was employed using validated measures to assess both the memory-impaired elders' and family caregivers' self-reported physical and memory status. Results After controlling for the age and health status characteristics of the memory-impaired elder, sociodemographic and health status characteristics of the family caregiver, and the caregiver coping response (measured by the sense of coherence), multiple regression analyses found kinship, but not gender differences in caregiver burden. Adult children experienced more caregiver burden than more distant relatives. There were no significant differences in caregiver burden between adult children and spouses. Adult daughters had greater caregiver burden scores compared to more distant relatives, but had comparable scores to wives, sons, and husbands. Other significant correlates of burden included caregiver personal characteristics (age and ethnicity) and the sense of coherence. Conclusions The study discusses the practice implications of adult children and adult daughters' propensity to suffer burden when caring for their memory-impaired parents living in the community. It also discusses the relevance of caregiver personal characteristics and the sense of coherence as correlates of burden. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The regulation and function of mammalian AMPK-related kinases

ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 1 2009
N. J. Bright
Abstract AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of cellular and whole-body energy homeostasis. Recently, 12 AMPK-related kinases (BRSK1, BRSK2, NUAK1, NUAK2, QIK, QSK, SIK, MARK1, MARK2, MARK3, MARK4 and MELK) were identified that are closely related by sequence homology to the catalytic domain of AMPK. The protein kinase LKB1 acts as a master upstream kinase activating AMPK and 11 of the AMPK-related kinases by phosphorylation of a conserved threonine residue in their T-loop region. Further sequence analyses have identified the eight-member SNRK kinase family as distant relatives of AMPK. However, only one of these is phosphorylated and activated by LKB1. Although much is known about AMPK, many of the AMPK-related kinases remain largely uncharacterized. This review outlines the general similarities in structure and function of the AMPK-related kinases before examining the specific characteristics of each, including a brief discussion of the SNRK family. [source]

Doing one's duty: chronological age, felt autonomy, and subjective well-being

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2005
Kennon M. Sheldon
Existential, psychosocial, and organismic theories propose that human beings tend towards greater autonomy over the lifespan, and that greater autonomy is associated with greater happiness. We tested these two ideas in the under-studied domain of social duties by examining the associations between chronological age, felt autonomy while engaging in various social duties, and subjective well-being (SWB). Study 1 found that older Americans felt more autonomous while voting, tipping, and paying taxes, Study 2 showed that American parents felt more autonomous in their work and citizenship roles compared with their own children, and Study 3 found that older Singaporeans felt more autonomous while obeying authorities, helping distant relatives, and staying politically informed. In all three studies, felt autonomy was also associated with higher SWB. It appears that older persons better internalize their social duties, to their own and societies' benefit. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Gender, kinship and caregiver burden: the case of community-dwelling memory impaired seniors

Khoratpithecus piriyai, a Late Miocene hominoid of Thailand

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2006
Yaowalak Chaimanee
Abstract A Khoratpithecus piriyai lower jaw corresponds to a well-preserved Late Miocene hominoid fossil from northeastern Thailand. Its morphology and internal structure, using a microcomputed tomography scan, are described and compared to those of other known Miocene hominoids. It originated from fluviatile sand and gravel deposits of a large river, and was associated with many fossil tree trunks, wood fragments, and large vertebrate remains. A biochronological analysis by using associated mammal fauna gives an estimated geological age between 9,6 Ma. The flora indicates the occurrence of a riverine tropical forest and wide areas of grassland. K. piriyai displays many original characters, such as the great breadth of its anterior dentition, suggesting large incisors, large lower M3, a canine with a flat lingual wall, and symphysis structure. Several of its morphological derived characters are shared with the orangutan, indicating sister-group relationship with that extant ape. This relationship is additionally strongly supported by the absence of anterior digastric muscle scars. These shared derived characters are not present in Sivapithecus, Ankarapithecus, and Lufengpithecus, which are therefore considered more distant relatives to the orangutan than Khoratpithecus. The Middle Miocene K. chiangmuanensis is older, displays more primitive dental characters, and shares several dental characters with the Late Miocene form. It is therefore interpreted as its probable ancestor. But its less enlarged M3 and more wrinkled enamel may suggest an even closer phylogenetic position to orangutan ancestors, which cannot yet be supported because of the incomplete fossil record. Thus Khoratpithecus represents a new lineage of Southeast Asian hominoids, closely related to extant great ape ancestors. Am J Phys Anthropol 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

,We, the Congolese, we cannot trust each other'.

THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
Democratic Republic of Congo, Trust, norms, relations among traders in Katanga
Abstract Congolese traders in Katanga claim that they cannot trust their peers, customers, and employees. Existing literature about social capital in Africa does not enhance our understanding, as it tends to consider trust as depending on the degree of social knowledge. In the Congo, social proximity does not exclude suspicion, nor does social distance necessarily prevent trust. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, this article aims at developing a more detailed framework. It studies how Congolese traders negotiate two key norms for the building of economic trust , property and reciprocity , with non-relatives, distant relatives, and close relatives. [source]

Pannexins, distant relatives of the connexin family with specific cellular functions?

BIOESSAYS, Issue 9 2009
Catheleyne D'hondt
Abstract Intercellular communication (IC) is mediated by gap junctions (GJs) and hemichannels, which consist of proteins. This has been particularly well documented for the connexin (Cx) family. Initially, Cxs were thought to be the only proteins capable of GJ formation in vertebrates. About 10 years ago, however, a new GJ-forming protein family related to invertebrate innexins (Inxs) was discovered in vertebrates, and named the pannexin (Panx) family. Panxs, which are structurally similar to Cxs, but evolutionarily distinct, have been shown to be co-expressed with Cxs in vertebrates. Both protein families show distinct properties and have their own particular function. Identification of the mechanisms that control Panx channel gating is a major challenge for future work. In this review, we focus on the specific properties and role of Panxs in normal and pathological conditions. [source]

Biogeographical, ecological and morphological structure in a phylogenetic analysis of Ateleia (Swartzieae, Fabaceae) derived from combined molecular, morphological and chemical data

BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2010
HELEN E. IRELAND
A phylogenetic analysis of combined morphological, chemical and ITS/5.8S sequence data reveals that species of Ateleia are often more genetically than morphologically divergent, and that species thought to be most closely related morphologically are distant relatives within the genus. Ateleia shows niche conservatism, with most species confined to seasonally dry tropical forest in Central America and the Caribbean, and fewer species in the same biome in South America. Four independent transitions to wet forests may have occurred in the genus. The estimated ages of Ateleia lineages spanning Central and South America are either older or younger than the estimated age of closure of the Isthmus of Panama. The older dates clearly suggest that over-water dispersal is responsible for the distribution of Ateleia that includes the Caribbean Islands. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 162, 39,53. [source]

Influence of religious and spiritual values on the willingness of Chinese,Americans to donate organs for transplantation

CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2000
Wilbur Aaron Lam
The rate of organ donation among minority groups in the United States, including Chinese,Americans, is very low. There is currently very little data in the biomedical literature that builds on qualitative research to quantify the attitudes of Chinese,Americans toward organ donation. The present study quantitatively assesses the religious and cultural reasons that Chinese,Americans appear to be less willing to donate their organs than other populations. It also seeks to determine whether Confucian, Buddhist, or Daoist ideals are a significant factor in their overall reluctance to donate organs among respondents in this sample. A questionnaire distributed to Chinese,American adults asked about general feelings toward organ donation and Buddhist, Confucian, Christian, Daoist, and other spiritual objections. The results suggest that Chinese,Americans are indeed influenced by Confucian values, and to a lesser extent, Buddhist, Daoist, and other spiritual beliefs, that associate an intact body with respect for ancestors or nature. Another significant finding is that the subjects were most willing to donate their organs after their deaths, to close relatives, and then in descending order, distant relatives, people from their home country, and strangers. This ,negotiable' willingness has enormous implications for clinicians, who may be able to increase organ donation rates among Chinese,Americans by, first, recognizing their diverse spiritual beliefs, and, second, offering a variety of possibilities for the organ procurement and allocation. [source]