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Methodological Advances (methodological + advance)
Selected AbstractsPharmacogenetics and personalised medicineFUNDAMENTAL & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 5 2002Werner Kalow ABSTRACT The traditional concern of pharmacogenetics was Mendelian (monogenic) variation, which visibly affected some drug responses. Pharmacogenetics was broadened by the observation that multifactorial genetic influences, in conjunction with environmental factors, usually determine drug responses. Variability of gene expression, a new theme of the science of genetics, also affects pharmacogenetics; for example, enhanced enzyme activity does not necessarily indicate a mutation, but may be the consequence of a drug-induced enhancement of gene expression. Methodological advances permit the conversion of pharmacogenetics into the broad practice of pharmacogenomics; this improves the possibility of identifying genetic causes of common diseases, which means establishing new drug targets, thereby stimulating the search for new drugs. While the main medical effect of pharmacogenetics was an improvement of drug safety, pharmacogenomics is hoped to improve drug efficacy. On the way to personalized medicine, we may stepwise improve the chances of choosing the right drug for a patient by categorizing patients into genetically definable classes that have similar drug effects (as, for example, human races, or any population group carrying a particular set of genes). It is wise to expect that, even after we have reached the goal to establish personalized medicine, we will not have eliminated all uncertainties. [source] Analyzing Roll Calls with Perfect Spatial Voting: France 1946,1958AMERICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Issue 3 2004Howard Rosenthal A recent methodological advance in legislative roll-call analysis is especially relevant to the study of legislative behavior outside the setting of the United States Congress. We argue that Poole's (2000) optimal classification method for roll-call analysis is preferable to parametric methods for studying many legislatures. This is because the nature of party discipline, near-perfect spatial voting, and parliamentary institutions that provides incentives for strategic behavior lead to severe violations of the error assumptions underlying parametric methods. The robustness of the nonparametric method to the stochastic nature of the data makes it an ideal candidate for studying strategic behavior in legislatures. We illustrate these points with an analysis of data from the French Fourth Republic (1946,1958). [source] Introduction: Diversity Not UniformityETHOS, Issue 2 2009DOUGLAS RAYBECK His theoretical and methodological advances led to the emergence of a more empirically oriented field of endeavor that is more properly designated psychological anthropology, rather than culture and personality. The four articles that compose this issue make effective use of Wallace's conception of "organization of diversity" and illustrate its utility across a wide range of issues. [Anthony F. C. Wallace, organization of diversity, theory, methodology, psychological anthropology] [source] Structural disorder in amyloid fibrils: its implication in dynamic interactions of proteinsFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 19 2009P. Tompa Proteins are occasionally converted from their normal soluble state to highly ordered fibrillar aggregates (amyloids), which give rise to pathological conditions that range from neurodegenerative disorders to systemic amyloidoses. Recent methodological advances in solid-state NMR and EPR spectroscopy have enabled determination of the 3D structure of several amyloids at residue-level resolution. The general picture that emerges is that amyloids constitute parallel , sheets, in which individual polypeptide chains run roughly perpendicular to the major axis of the fibril and are stacked in-register. Thus, the unifying theme of amyloid formation is the structural transition from an initial globular or intrinsically disordered state to a highly ordered regular form. In this minireview, we show that this description is somewhat oversimplified, because part of the polypeptide chain in the amyloid remains intrinsically disordered and does not become part of the ordered core. As demonstrated through examples such as the amyloids of ,-synuclein and A, peptide and the yeast prions HET-s and Ure2p, these disordered segments are depleted in amino acids NQFYV and are enriched in DEKP. They are also significantly more charged and have a higher predicted disordered value than segments in the cross-, core. We suggest that structural disorder in amyloid is a special case of ,fuzziness', i.e. disorder in the bound state that may serve different functions, such as the accommodation of destabilizing residues and the mediation of secondary interactions between protofibrils. [source] The Assessment of Land Resources: Achievements and New ChallengesGEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2002Donald A. Davidson It is surprising that despite all the pleas and policies regarding the development of sustainable land use systems, there is still considerable ignorance regarding the nature and significance of land resources. This paper traces the development and achievements of land evaluation during the 20th century, with particular reference to soils. The most active period was between 1950 and around 1980 with the development of soil and land capability surveys, methodological advances initiated with the FAO Framework for Land Evaluation, and regional land resource assessments. Thus there were considerable achievements in land evaluation by the early 1980s, and subsequently there have been important advances in the subject through the application of GIS, spatial analysis, modelling and fuzzy set algebra. Since the late 1990s there has been a phenomenal rise in interest in soil quality assessment. Considerable debate has focussed on definition, and methods of assessment and monitoring. The latter part of this paper discusses the major challenges to the development and application of land evaluation. The inadequacy of much soil survey data in terms of variables, quality, spatial coverage and scale is emphasised. Also, there is a continuing need to highlight the centrality of land resource issues in any attempt to develop sustainable land use systems. [source] Finding Meaning in Memory: A Methodological Critique of Collective Memory StudiesHISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 2 2002Wolf Kansteiner The memory wave in the humanities has contributed to the impressive revival of cultural history, but the success of memory studies has not been accompanied by significant conceptual and methodological advances in the research of collective memory processes. Most studies on memory focus on the representation of specific events within particular chronological, geographical, and media settings without reflecting on the audiences of the representations in question. As a result, the wealth of new insights into past and present historical cultures cannot be linked conclusively to specific social collectives and their historical consciousness. This methodological problem is even enhanced by the metaphorical use of psychological and neurological terminology, which misrepresents the social dynamics of collective memory as an effect and extension of individual, autobiographical memory. Some of these shortcomings can be addressed through the extensive contextualization of specific strategies of representation, which links facts of representation with facts of reception. As a result, the history of collective memory would be recast as a complex process of cultural production and consumption that acknowledges the persistence of cultural traditions as well as the ingenuity of memory makers and the subversive interests of memory consumers. The negotiations among these three different historical agents create the rules of engagement in the competitive arena of memory politics, and the reconstruction of these negotiations helps us distinguish among the abundance of failed collective memory initiatives on the one hand and the few cases of successful collective memory construction on the other. For this purpose, collective memory studies should adopt the methods of communication and media studies, especially with regard to media reception, and continue to use a wide range of interpretive tools from traditional historiography to poststructural approaches. From the perspective of collective memory studies, these two traditions are closely related and mutually beneficial, rather than mutually exclusive, ways of analyzing historical cultures. [source] Life events as a risk factor for psychological problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities: a critical reviewJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 11 2008L. Hulbert-Williams Abstract Background Stressful life events such as bereavement, moving house and changing jobs have repeatedly been implicated as risk factors for mental and physical ill health. Since the 1940s, researchers have demonstrated the negative effects of stressful life events, refined methods of recording such events and investigated the relative impact of different types of event. These investigations have generally not extended to include people with intellectual disabilities. Methods We conducted a narrative review of research on life events as they occur to people with intellectual disabilities and critically assessed the evidence that life events function as a risk factor for psychological problems. Evidence was reviewed for an association between life events and a range of outcome variables, including affective disorders, challenging behaviour, psychosis and psychological problems more generally. We also critiqued the methodology behind the current evidence base and discussed a number of methodological advances that would help to strengthen it. Conclusions There is reasonable evidence that life events are associated with psychological problems, and that there is some tentative evidence that life events play a causal role, although to date, no relationship with psychosis in people with intellectual disabilities has been demonstrated. Life events are likely to be pertinent in clinical work with people with intellectual disabilities. [source] The ,New Wave' in plant demographic inference: more loci and more individualsMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2010MARTIN LASCOUX Abstract Plant population genetic surveys are starting to take full advantage of technological advances in genotyping methods and of methodological advances in demographic inference. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Keller et al. (2010) illustrate this trend with a particularly convincing study of rangewide genetic variation in a North American poplar, using both SNP and sequence data. They first investigate population genetic structure by estimating the most likely number of genetic clusters using a more formal approach than most other studies to date. They proceed by estimating gene flow among the inferred populations and by testing predictions on the distribution of low frequency alleles derived from recent work on range expansions. [source] Doubly labelled water for the measurement of total energy expenditure in man , progress and applications in the last decadeNUTRITION BULLETIN, Issue 2 2008L. J. C. Bluck Summary The doubly labelled water method for the measurement of total energy expenditure is a methodology that is still maturing. Over the last 10 years, the number of publications describing its exploitation in man has remained roughly constant, at a rate of about 50 per annum. During this time, the laboratory techniques used have become more refined, particularly in the measurement of deuterium enrichment. This article details the methodological advances which have been made and presents a brief review of some recent applications. [source] Methods in Nutrition Science: Cre/loxP System for Generating Tissue-specific Knockout Mouse ModelsNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 6 2004Claudine H. Kos Ph.D. Editor's note: From time to time, we take the opportunity in Nutrition Reviews to highlight a particularly exciting application of sophisticated methodological advances that are relevant to the nutrition research community. In the current issue of Nutrition Reviews, Dr. Claudine Kos has provide a brief review of some of the salient features of the Cre/loxP system for generating tissue-specific knockout mouse models. Hopefully, this review will provide additional background to Dr. George Wolf's Brief Critical Review (page 253) of the use of the Cre/loxP technique by investigators to gain further insight into the function of the peroxysome proliferators-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-,), as well as promote its further use within experimental nutrition. Alteration of the mouse genome by conventional transgenic and gene-targeted approaches has greatly facilitated studies of gene function. However, a gene alteration expressed in the germ line may cause an embryonic lethal phenotype resulting in no viable mouse to study gene function. Similarly, a gene alteration may exert its effect in multiple different cell and tissue types, creating a complex phenotype in which it is difficult to distinguish direct function in a particular tissue from secondary effects resulting from altered gene function in other tissues. Therefore, methods have been developed to control conditions such as the timing, cell-type, and tissue specificity of gene activation or repression. This brief review provides an overview of the Cre/LoxP system for generating tissue-specific knockout mouse models. [source] Advances in optical imaging of the newborn infant brainPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Jeremy C. Hebden Abstract New methods of imaging the oxygenation, hemodynamics, and metabolism of the newborn infant brain are being developed, based on illumination of the head with near-infrared light. Techniques known as optical topography and optical tomography have the potential to provide valuable information about the function of the normal brain, and about a variety of cerebral pathology such as hypoxic-ischemia. Optical methods provide a unique means of monitoring brain oxygenation safely in an intensive care environment without interference with the normal handling of the infant. Studies on infants have focused on the assessment of steady-state regional cerebral perfusion and tissue oxygenation, as well as monitoring hemodynamic changes in response to sensory stimulation. Recent technological and methodological advances in this research field are reviewed, and the likely impact of optical imaging methods on the care of newborn infants is assessed. [source] New perspectives in forensic anthropologyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue S47 2008Dennis C. Dirkmaat Abstract A critical review of the conceptual and practical evolution of forensic anthropology during the last two decades serves to identify two key external factors and four tightly inter-related internal methodological advances that have significantly affected the discipline. These key developments have not only altered the current practice of forensic anthropology, but also its goals, objectives, scope, and definition. The development of DNA analysis techniques served to undermine the classic role of forensic anthropology as a field almost exclusively focused on victim identification. The introduction of the Daubert criteria in the courtroom presentation of scientific testimony accompanied the development of new human comparative samples and tools for data analysis and sharing, resulting in a vastly enhanced role for quantitative methods in human skeletal analysis. Additionally, new questions asked of forensic anthropologists, beyond identity, required sound scientific bases and expanded the scope of the field. This environment favored the incipient development of the interrelated fields of forensic taphonomy, forensic archaeology, and forensic trauma analysis, fields concerned with the reconstruction of events surrounding death. Far from representing the mere addition of new methodological techniques, these disciplines (especially, forensic taphonomy) provide forensic anthropology with a new conceptual framework, which is broader, deeper, and more solidly entrenched in the natural sciences. It is argued that this new framework represents a true paradigm shift, as it modifies not only the way in which classic forensic anthropological questions are answered, but also the goals and tasks of forensic anthropologists, and their perception of what can be considered a legitimate question or problem to be answered within the field. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 51:33,52, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Annotation: Childhood Bereavement Following Parental DeathTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 7 2000Linda Dowdney Psychological outcomes in children who have experienced the death of a parent are heterogeneous. One child in five is likely to develop psychiatric disorder. In the year following bereavement, children commonly display grief, distress, and dysphoria. Nonspecific emotional and behavioural difficulties among children are often reported by surviving parents and the bereaved children themselves. The highest rates of reported difficulties are found in boys. This review identifies the moderating and mediating variables that lead to some children being more vulnerable to disturbance than others following parental death. Limitations and gaps in the recent bereavement literature are identified. Theoretical and methodological advances that are necessary for a coherent account of childhood bereavement are outlined. [source] Wildlife Population Assessment: Past Developments and Future DirectionsBIOMETRICS, Issue 1 2000S. T. Buckland Summary. We review the major developments in wildlife population assessment in the past century. Three major areas are considered: mark-recapture, distance sampling, and harvest models. We speculate on how these fields will develop in the next century. Topics for which we expect to see methodological advances include integration of modeling with Geographic Information Systems, automated survey design algorithms, advances in model-based inference from sample survey data, a common inferential framework for wildlife population assessment methods, improved methods for estimating population trends, the embedding of biological process models into inference, substantially improved models for conservation management, advanced spatiotemporal models of ecosystems, and greater emphasis on incorporating model selection uncertainty into inference. We discuss the kind of developments that might be anticipated in these topics. [source] The development and application of luminescence dating to loess deposits: a perspective on the past, present and futureBOREAS, Issue 4 2008HELEN M. ROBERTSArticle first published online: 28 AUG 200 Loess deposits preserve important records of Quaternary climate change and atmospheric dust flux; however, their full significance can only be revealed once a reliable chronology is established. Our understanding of loess-palaeosol sequences and the development of luminescence dating techniques have progressed hand-in-hand over the past 25 years, with each subject informing the advancement of the other. This article considers the development and application of luminescence dating techniques to loess deposits from the early days of thermoluminescence (TL) to the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) methods utilized today. Recent technological and methodological advances have led to a step-change in the accuracy and precision of quartz OSL ages; this has led to an expansion of high-resolution luminescence studies, which in turn are informing loess studies and challenging some of the basic ideas regarding the nature of loess records, their formation and their significance. Future luminescence research efforts are likely to focus on extending the age range of luminescence techniques, possibly by utilizing new luminescence signals; this, again, will allow investigation of the long-term variability of loess records in comparison with other long records of climate change to which they are frequently compared. [source] The Rebirth of Children's LearningCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2000Robert S. Siegler Learning is a central part of children's lives, but the study of learning is a rather peripheral part of the field of cognitive development. Fortunately, this situation is starting to change; recent theoretical and methodological advances have sparked renewed interest in children's learning. This renewed interest has already yielded a set of consistent and interesting findings regarding how children learn, as well as intriguing proposals regarding the mechanisms that underlie the learning. Increasing our focus on children's learning promises to yield practical benefits as well as a more exciting field of cognitive development. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||