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Multiple Ways (multiple + way)
Selected AbstractsMicropatterned Polymer Surfaces and Cellular Response of Dictyostelium,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 5 2010Magdalena Eder Gecko inspired adhesives are surfaces with many microscale pillars that form Van der Waals forces with other surfaces. They differ from conventional tape in that adhesion is reversible and has the potential for switchability. These properties make gecko adhesives interesting for various biomedical applications. The two objectives of this project were to investigate the formation of biofilms on such surfaces and how the surfaces affect cell development. The developmental stages of the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum were observed by time lapse photography using light and environmental scanning electron microscopy. This study shows that micropatterned surfaces can be used as a biophysical tool to interfere with multicellular tissue formation in multiple ways. [source] Teaching and Learning with Therapists Who Work with Street Children and Their FamiliesFAMILY PROCESS, Issue 3 2010JANINE ROBERTS ED.D. Providing training for people working with some of the most marginalized families in Guatemala and Peru meant establishing credibility as a facilitator; entering organizations as a learner; cocreating training agendas; and working in a format that paralleled a strength-based, resilience focus in therapy. Strategies used for different phases of the work are detailed: multiple ways to gather information, shadowing staff, delivering topics on demand, and creating learning environments with a focus on families as teachers. Key processes included moving in and out of the role of facilitator and participant, entering into the trainings from different vantage points within the organizations, and designing activities with an eye to how they would impact work relationships of staff and clients. RESUMEN Brindar capacitación a personas que trabajan con algunas de las familias más marginadas de Guatemala y Perú implicó establecer credibilidad como facilitador; ingresar en organizaciones como alumno; co-crear agendas de capacitación y trabajar en un formato análogo a un enfoque basado en las virtudes y la resiliencia en terapia. Se detallan las estrategias utilizadas en las diferentes fases del trabajo: distintas maneras de reunir información, observación del personal, charlas a pedido, y creación de ambientes de aprendizaje haciendo hincapié en las familias como maestras. Los procesos clave consistieron en asumir y abandonar el rol de facilitador y participante, iniciar las capacitaciones desde diferentes posiciones de ventaja dentro de las organizaciones y diseñar actividades con miras a cómo repercutirían sobre las relaciones laborales del personal y los clientes. Palabras clave: capacitación colaborativa, niños que trabajan en la calle, terapia familiar en Latinoamérica [source] Distant warriors, distant peace workers?GLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 4 2008Multiple diaspora roles in Sri Lanka's violent conflict Abstract This article provides a critical, empirically based analysis of the multiple ways in which diaspora communities participate in transnational politics related to their war-affected former home countries. The case of Sri Lanka , and the Tamil and Sinhalese diasporas in the West , is used to illustrate how contemporary armed conflicts are increasingly waged in an international arena. Active diaspora groups have enabled an extension of nationalist mobilization, hostilities and polarization across the globe. Diaspora actors take part in propaganda work and fundraising in support of the belligerent parties in Sri Lanka, while the polarization between Sinhalese and Tamils is to a large extent replicated in the diaspora. However, there are also examples of diaspora groups that challenge war and militarism, for instance by calling for non-violent conflict resolution, condemning atrocities by both sides, and engaging in cross-ethnic dialogue. The article also argues that diaspora engagement in reconstruction of war-torn areas can be a double-edged sword, as it can reproduce , or reduce , grievances and inequalities that fuel the conflict. By discussing the many ways in which diasporas engage in homeland politics, the article challenges simplified understandings of diasporas as either,warriors'or,peace workers' in relation to their homeland conflicts. [source] The place of the unconscious in mental health nursingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 1 2004Marie Crowe ABSTRACT:,This paper acknowledges the concept of the unconscious in psychiatric discourse and explores the importance of this for mental health nursing practice. Mental health nursing practice has always been strongly influenced by psychiatric discourse because of its dominance in the clinical setting. The most recent edition of the American Psychiatry Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual has signalled that the concept of the unconscious is re-emerging in psychiatric discourse. This re-emergence provides the opportunity for mental health nurses to re-affirm or develop their psychotherapeutic skills in the nurse,patient relationship. The psychotherapeutic relationship could focus on ways for the patient to find meaning in their lives that recognize and value difference and multiple ways of being. [source] Multiple meanings of self harm: A critical reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2003Margaret McAllister ABSTRACT: The issue of self harm is a popular inclusion in various contemporary journals focusing on health and in particular women's health. This paper seeks to condense, critically analyse and more simply explain selected literature in order to raise awareness of the multiple ways of understanding self harm. Raised awareness may be a useful strategy in thinking about self harm in novel ways and thus providing alternate pathways for responding to the individual and society. [source] Participation in Urban Contention and DeliberationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF URBAN AND REGIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010HILARY SILVER Abstract Participation is a popular buzzword in contemporary urban studies. For some, it implies a deepening of democratic deliberation; for others, it represents grassroots resistance to powerful elites and neoliberalization. Rather than seeing participation as either consensus-building or conflicts of interest, as either a top-down or bottom-up process, the evidence suggests that it can be all of these. By adopting a more dynamic, pragmatic, and empirically informed perspective, seemingly opposite normative conceptions of democratic participation may be theorized as different ,moments' in the democratic process. Bottom-up mobilization may coincide with and complement top-down initiatives, each dominating different political phases of policymaking, implementation and monitoring. Case studies from Belfast, Berlin, Durban, Philadelphia and São Paulo illustrate the approach and provide insight into the urban as a social laboratory in which other scales of social life and multiple ways to perform democracy are constructed. Résumé La participation est un terme qui revient très souvent dans les études urbaines contemporaines. Pour certains, elle implique une réflexion démocratique approfondie, pour d'autres, une résistance des citoyens face à la puissance des élites et au néolibéralisme. Si la participation peut être vue comme un moyen de bâtir des consensus ou l'expression de conflits d'intérêts, ou comme un processus imposé par le haut ou bien par la base, les faits suggèrent qu'elle peut être tout cela. En adoptant une perspective pragmatique plus dynamique reposant sur des éléments empiriques, des concepts normatifs de la participation apparemment opposés sont susceptibles d'être formulés en tant que "moments" différents du processus démocratique. La mobilisation par la base peut venir en coïncidence et complément d'initiatives imposées par le haut, chaque forme dominant des phases politiques distinctes dans la prise de décision, la mise en ,uvre et le suivi. Des études de cas portant sur Belfast, Berlin, Durban, Philadelphie et São Paulo illustrent la démarche et font apparaître l'urbain comme un laboratoire où s'élaborent d'autres dimensions de la vie sociale et de multiples modalités d'exercice de la démocratie. [source] Functions of Christian Prayer in the Coping ProcessJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 1 2008MARY K. BADE This research project sought to examine the multiple functions that prayer serves in the coping process for members of Christian groups. We used concept mapping to describe and organize a small group of participants' perceptions concerning the functions of prayer when coping with personal difficulties, as well as examined the frequency and perceived effectiveness of these prayer functions. The number and variety of items generated by participants indicates that prayer can be used in multiple ways to deal with personal problems. Inspection of these items and the resulting concept map yielded three bipolar dimensions that describe a variety of prayer functions: approach/avoidance; internal focus/external focus; and deferring/self-directing. The arrangement of items also corresponded roughly to a three-factor structure found in several existing coping measures. Participants reported that the most effective prayer functions involve seeking guidance and expressing gratitude. [source] Coping variables that mediate the relation between intimate partner violence and mental health outcomes among low-income, African American womenJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 12 2006Michelle D. Mitchell Coping variables that mediate the relation between intimate partner violence (IPV) and mental health outcomes among African American women were investigated. The study sample included 143 economically disadvantaged African American women ranging in age from 21 to 64 years old who were receiving services at an urban public health system. Sixty-five had experienced IPV within the past year and 78 had never experienced IPV. Results indicated that (a) the IPV status,depressive symptoms link was mediated by multiple ways of coping, spiritual well-being, and social support; (b) the IPV status,anxiety symptoms link was mediated by multiple ways of coping, social support, and ability to access resources; and (c) the IPV status,parenting stress link was mediated by multiple ways of coping, spiritual well-being, and social support. Implications of these findings for clinical practice with abused women are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 1503,1520, 2006. [source] Consuming the authentic Gettysburg: How a tourist landscape becomes an authentic experienceJOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 2 2008Athinodoros Chronis While authenticity pervades everyday consumption in museums, restaurants, theme parks, gift shops, and heritage attractions, among other commercial milieus, academic work on the concept of authenticity remains vague both in terms of its definition and its marketing relevance. In this study, we unpack the concept of authenticity in a Civil War battlefield and we provide insight as to its theoretical relevance for consumption. Our findings elucidate the distinction between authenticity as a product feature and authenticity as an experience. We show that consumer perceptions of a site's authenticity are articulated in five distinct ways: object related, factual, locational, personage, and contextual. We also point out the contribution of each notion of perceived authenticity in sparking consumer imagination and connecting them with the Civil War narrative. We suggest avenues that marketing managers can use to stage authenticity in a commercial environments at both substantive communicative levels. Our study reveals consumers as active agents who participate in the marketplace construction of authenticity in multiple ways. It is also shown that authenticity partakes in the construction of a national imaginary as a negotiated, collective act. We also provide insight as to the distinction between "authentic" and "inauthentic" commercial sites and the way in which even fictitious sites can be perceived as authentic. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mechanisms of exclusion of native coastal marsh plants by an invasive grassJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2006TODD E. MINCHINTON Summary 1Determining the mechanisms by which invasive species exclude natives is critical for conserving and restoring native populations in impacted habitats. In recent decades the grass Phragmites australis has been aggressively invading coastal marshes of North America, with monocultures often replacing diverse assemblages of plants. 2Our objective was to quantify how P. australis modifies the abiotic (soil and light conditions) and biotic (litter and shoots) environment and to determine the mechanisms by which it excludes two common forbs, the annual chenopod Atriplex patula var. hastata and the perennial aster Solidago sempervirens, from the highest tidal elevations of a brackish marsh in southern New England, USA. 3In a 3-year field experiment we added seeds of both forb species to stands of P. australis, where we manipulated shoots and litter in an orthogonal design, and to uninvaded marsh areas dominated by the rush Juncus gerardi, where we manipulated the shoots of the marsh vegetation. In general, seedling establishment and the number of plants surviving until the end of the growing season were substantially greater in areas not invaded by P. australis, and both shoots and litter limited the abundance of forbs within stands. 4Forbs surviving within stands of P. australis grew larger and produced more seeds than those in uninvaded areas, indicating that changes to the soil resulting from invasion do not preclude the survival of established forbs. This was confirmed by a glasshouse study where the performance of forbs in soil collected from within stands of P. australis was better than in soil from areas dominated by J. gerardi. 5Similar to many invasive grasses in terrestrial communities, P. australis excludes native forbs through competition, modifying the biotic environment of the marsh at both the ground (litter) and above-ground (shoots) levels. Our results suggest that successful invaders, such as P. australis, are likely to be the ones that can engineer habitats in multiple ways and limit populations of native species across several critical stages of their life history. [source] Mating triggers dynamic immune regulations in wood ant queensJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009G. CASTELLA Abstract Mating can affect female immunity in multiple ways. On the one hand, the immune system may be activated by pathogens transmitted during mating, sperm and seminal proteins, or wounds inflicted by males. On the other hand, immune defences may also be down-regulated to reallocate resources to reproduction. Ants are interesting models to study post-mating immune regulation because queens mate early in life, store sperm for many years, and use it until their death many years later, while males typically die after mating. This long-term commitment between queens and their mates limits the opportunity for sexual conflict but raises the new constraint of long-term sperm survival. In this study, we examine experimentally the effect of mating on immunity in wood ant queens. Specifically, we compared the phenoloxidase and antibacterial activities of mated and virgin Formica paralugubris queens. Queens had reduced levels of active phenoloxidase after mating, but elevated antibacterial activity 7 days after mating. These results indicate that the process of mating, dealation and ovary activation triggers dynamic patterns of immune regulation in ant queens that probably reflect functional responses to mating and pathogen exposure that are independent of sexual conflict. [source] Current trends in quantitative proteomicsJOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 12 2009Monica H. Elliott Abstract It was inevitable that as soon as mass spectrometrists were able to tell biologists which proteins were in their samples, the next question would be how much of these proteins were present. This has turned out to be a much more challenging question. In this review, we describe the multiple ways that mass spectrometry has attempted to address this issue, both for relative quantitation and for absolute quantitation of proteins. There is no single method that will work for every problem or for every sample. What we present here is a variety of techniques, with guidelines that we hope will assist the researcher in selecting the most appropriate technique for the particular biological problem that needs to be addressed. We need to emphasize that this is a very active area of proteomics research,new quantitative methods are continuously being introduced and some ,pitfalls' of older methods are just being discovered. However, even though there is no perfect technique,and a better technique may be developed tomorrow,valuable information on biomarkers and pathways can be obtained using these currently available methods Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evidence-based practice: implications and concernsJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2008BEd (Hons), PETER NOLAN BA (Hons) Aims, The aim of this paper was to undertake a brief critical appraisal of evidence-based practice (EBP) as it is currently perceived in health care settings. Background, The past two decades have seen EBP become increasingly important in health care planning, clinical thinking, and choice of treatments. It is based on scientific rationalism and adherents claim that decisions based on EBP are superior to those based on other approaches to care. Concerns are now being expressed that positivistic approaches to health care fail to take into account people's preferences, their internal resources and their personal understandings of health and wellbeing. It has been argued that there may be multiple types of evidence, all of which have a part to play in the formulation and execution of health care. Methods, After a literature search, this paper argues that whereas EBP may be useful in treating conditions that have a biological cause, it may be less helpful in understanding and treating conditions that have their origins in the social, psychological or spiritual domains. Results, The nature, strengths and limitations of evidence-based practice is discussed in this paper. Nurses are encouraged to develop the critical skills of evaluating EBP in the lives and experiences of the people they care for. Conclusions, Evidence-based practice has a part to play in improving the treatment provided for patients. Nonetheless, nurses should be aware of other kinds of evidence, and appreciate that any single approach to determining care, no matter how popular, is likely to lead to a service that does not truly meet the complex individual needs of patients. Implications for nursing management, In order for evidence-based practice to be safe, the nursing workforce must be able to evaluate the strength and relevance of research findings, and be able to understand that there are different kinds of evidence which should be called upon in order to respond sensitively and appropriately to the preferences of patients. A responsive workforce embraces multiple ways of thinking, respects different paradigms of care, and is able to respond to and respect the forms of care people value and seek. [source] Predicting Treatment Seekers' Readiness to Change Their Drinking Behavior in the COMBINE StudyALCOHOLISM, Issue 5 2009Carlo C. DiClemente Background:, Initial motivation and readiness to change (RTC) are complex constructs and have been important but inconsistent predictors of treatment attendance and drinking outcomes in studies of alcoholism treatment. Motivation can be described in multiple ways as simply the accumulation of consequences that push change, a shift in intentions, or engagement in various tasks that are part of a larger process of change. Method:, Using baseline data from participants in the COMBINE Study, this study reevaluated the psychometric properties of a 24-item measure of motivation derived from the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale that yielded 4 subscales representing attitudes and experiences related to tasks of stages of Precontemplation, Contemplation, Action, and Maintenance Striving as well as a second-order factor score representing a multidimensional view of RTC drinking. A variety of hypothesized predictors of readiness and the stage subscales were examined using multiple regression analyses to better understand the nature of this measure of motivation. Results:, Findings supported the basic subscale structure and the overall motivational readiness score derived from this measure. RTC drinking behavior was predicted by baseline measures of perceived stress, drinking severity, psychiatric comorbidity, self-efficacy, craving, and positive treatment outcome expectancies. However, absolute values were small, indicating that readiness for change is not explained simply by demographic, drinking severity, treatment, change process, or contextual variables. Conclusion:, This measure demonstrated good psychometric properties and results supported the independence as well as convergent and divergent validity of the measured constructs. Predictors of overall readiness and subscale scores indicate that a variety of personal and contextual factors contribute to treatment seekers' motivation to change in an understandable but complex manner. [source] Clinical formulation for mental health nursing practiceJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 10 2008M. Crowe rn phd There are problems for mental health nurses in using psychiatric diagnoses as outcomes of their nursing assessments and nursing diagnoses present similar issues. However, there is a need in practice to link the assessment to nursing interventions in a meaningful way. This paper proposes that the clinical formulation can be regarded as central to providing this cohesion. The formulation does not merely organize the assessment findings but is also an interpretation or explanation, made in consultation with the client, of what meaning can be attributed to the issues explored in the assessment process. Because this interpretation is dependent on both the client's and the nurse's explanatory frameworks, there are multiple ways of developing the formulation. It is also an evolving and dynamic statement of understanding. A case example is provided in the paper to illustrate how the same case can be interpreted in different ways and the implications this has for the nursing interventions provided. [source] Situating Stress: Lessons from Lay Discourses on DiabetesMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2005NANCY E. SCHOENBERG In response to the serious toll diabetes takes on health and resources, researchers increasingly are examining physical and psychological pathways that affect and are affected by diabetes, including stress. Although biomedical researchers and practitioners are beginning to recognize the association between stress and diabetes onset and management, laypersons have long-standing and extensive insights into the multiple ways in which stress is associated with the diabetes disease process. In this article, we examine lay perspectives on stress and diabetes among a multiethnic sample of 80 adults. Participants suggest varying arenas in which stress intersects with diabetes, including stress as implicated in the origin of diabetes, as a threat to maintaining glycemic control, as a challenge to self-management, and as a precursor to and a consequence of diabetes complications. An improved understanding of such perspectives may enhance appropriate disease management and develop a more valid conceptualization of stress in research efforts. [source] Structural features of a zinc binding site in the superantigen strepococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A (SpeA1): Implications for MHC class II recognitionPROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 6 2001Matthew Baker Abstract Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A (SpeA) is produced by Streptococcus pyogenes, and has been associated with severe infections such as scarlet fever and Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS). In this study, the crystal structure of SpeA1 (the product of speA allele 1) in the presence of 2.5 mM zinc was determined at 2.8 Å resolution. The protein crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P21212, with four molecules in the crystallographic asymmetric unit. The final structure has a crystallographic R -factor of 21.4% for 7,031 protein atoms, 143 water molecules, and 4 zinc atoms (one zinc atom per molecule). Four protein ligands,Glu 33, Asp 77, His 106, and His 110,form a zinc binding site that is similar to the one observed in a related superantigen, staphylococcoal enterotoxin C2. Mutant toxin forms substituting Ala for each of the zinc binding residues were generated. The affinity of these mutants for zinc ion confirms the composition of this metal binding site. The implications of zinc binding to SpeA1 for MHC class II recognition are explored using a molecular modeling approach. The results indicate that, despite their common overall architecture, superantigens appear to have multiple ways of complex formation with MHC class II molecules. [source] An empirical analysis of the practices and therapeutic power of mood-alleviative consumption in FinlandPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 10 2002Harri T. Luomala This article tackles empirically the phenomenon of mood-alleviative consumption in Finland. In an attempt to advance consumer-behavior theory development toward building a theory or model of mood-alleviative consumption, empirical insights derived from Finnish consumers concerning the practices and therapeutic power of mood-alleviative consumption activities are offered. A phenomenological analysis identified eight types of therapeutic power stemming from different mood-alleviative consumption activities: distraction, self-indulgence, stimulated elaboration, outcomes of mood-alleviative activities, recharging, discharging, retreat, and activation. It was also discovered that certain mood-alleviative consumer behaviors can be therapeutic in multiple ways simultaneously, that different persons may experience the same mood-alleviative consumer behavior therapeutically differently, and that certain mood-alleviative consumption activities are more typically engaged in by women, whereas certain other mood-alleviative consumption activities are more typically pursued by men. The article is concluded by a discussion highlighting theoretical implications and suggestions for further research. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Sexual dysfunction in uraemic patients undergoing haemodialysis: predisposing and related conditionsANDROLOGIA, Issue 3 2010R. Leão Summary Chronic kidney disease and sexual dysfunction are common entities in clinical practice in haemodialysis (HD) units. This article is a review of some articles that focus on sexual dysfunction in patients undergoing HD and its possible relationship in multiple ways. [source] Front and Back Covers, Volume 26, Number 5.ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 5 2010October 2010 Front and back cover caption, volume 26 issue 5 Front cover RETHINKING SUICIDE BOMBING The body is a key focus for anthropological research and analysis. The cover photographs highlight the way multiple aspects of life, including political life, are mapped onto the body, and the emergence of a collective, as well as individual, identity through these experiences. The front cover shows a young Palestinian boy staring at an Israeli guard's gun, inches from his face, while waiting at the Abu Dis checkpoint in East Jerusalem. Although the scene is calm, the photograph captures an implicit violence (any step out of line can and will be punished) and reveals the daily reality of political and structural violence in the lives of Palestinians. In this image, the child can be seen as an individual who may experience personal trauma as a result of these daily encounters with violence. But he can also be seen as representing a collective Palestinian body which, under the occupation, is humiliated and forced into a childlike position, with daily decisions, including over movement, entirely in the control of Israeli forces. In her article in this issue, Natalia Linos calls on anthropology to offer a critical analysis of suicide bombing and examine the central role of the body in this act. She posits that in a context of political and structural violence that encroaches on both individual and group identity, suicide attacks may be considered an extreme form of reclaiming the violated body through self-directed violence. Through suicide attacks in public spaces, the body may be used to contest physical barriers imposed by an oppressor, resist power imbalances, and reclaim authority over one's body as well as geographical space. Back cover ASSEMBLING BODIES The back cover shows a South African ,body map', on display at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) until 6 November 2010 as part of the exhibition ,Assembling bodies: Art, science and imagination', reviewed in this issue. This self-portrait by Babalwa depicts her life as an activist and epitomizes the ethical and political negotiations that surround definition and treatment of particular bodies in contemporary South Africa. Babalwa was a member of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which successfully campaigned for the widespread availability of antiretroviral treatment therapies. Her self-portrait is one of a series of life-sized body maps made by members of the Bambanani Womens Group in 2003, as part of a project documenting the lives of women with HIV/AIDS. The body maps and associated narratives trace the co-existence of multiple ways of understanding and experiencing bodies and disease in these women's lives. The imagery , referring to family and friends, political life, biomedical science, anatomical details, moral pollution and religious beliefs , suggests many bodies existing within a single corporeal form. In addition to revealing individual subjectivities, the body maps also highlight the shifting dynamics of sociality. Behind each self-portrait is the outline of another shadowy form, a reminder of the help received and the potential for future support. [source] Tie2 receptor tyrosine kinase, a major mediator of tumor necrosis factor ,,induced angiogenesis in rheumatoid arthritisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 9 2003Laura M. DeBusk Objective Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease and an angiogenic disease. However, the molecular mechanisms promoting angiogenesis in RA are not clearly identified. Our objective was to study the role of an endothelium-specific receptor tyrosine kinase, Tie2, in angiogenesis of inflammatory arthritis. Methods Expression of Tie2 and its ligand, angiopoietin 1 (Ang1), in human synovium was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. A novel synovium vascular window model was established to study the role of Tie2 in angiogenesis in vivo. Primary cultured endothelial cells and synoviocytes were used to study tumor necrosis factor , (TNF,),induced Tie2 and Ang1 expression. Results Tie2 was implicated in pathologic angiogenesis. We observed that Tie2 and Ang1 were elevated in human RA synovium. Using a novel collagen-induced arthritis synovial window model, we demonstrated that Tie2 signaling regulated arthritis angiogenesis in vivo. We also showed that Tie2 mediated TNF,-induced angiogenesis in a mouse cornea assay. In addition, we observed that TNF, can regulate Tie2 activation in multiple ways that may involve interactions between endothelial cells and synoviocytes. TNF, up-regulates Tie2 in endothelial cells through nuclear factor ,B, and it up-regulates Ang1 in synoviocytes. These findings suggest paracrine regulation of angiogenesis between endothelial cells and synoviocytes. Conclusion This study demonstrates that Tie2 regulates angiogenesis in inflammatory synovium. Tie2 signaling is an important angiogenic mediator that links the proinflammatory cytokine TNF, to pathologic angiogenesis. [source] THE DEATH OF BIOETHICS (AS WE ONCE KNEW IT)BIOETHICS, Issue 5 2010RUTH MACKLIN ABSTRACT Fast forward 50 years into the future. A look back at what occurred in the field of bioethics since 2010 reveals that a conference in 2050 commemorated the death of bioethics. In a steady progression over the years, the field became increasingly fragmented and bureaucratized. Disagreement and dissension were rife, and this once flourishing, multidisciplinary field began to splinter in multiple ways. Prominent journals folded, one by one, and were replaced with specialized publications dealing with genethics, reproethics, nanoethics, and necroethics. Mainstream bioethics organizations also collapsed, giving way to new associations along disciplinary and sub-disciplinary lines. Physicians established their own journals, and specialty groups broke away from more general associations of medical ethics. Lawyers also split into three separate factions, and philosophers rejected all but the most rigorous, analytic articles into their newly established journal. Matters finally came to a head with global warming, the world-wide spread of malaria and dengue, and the cost of medical treatments out of reach for almost everyone. The result was the need to develop plans for strict rationing of medical care. At the same time, recognition emerged of the importance of the right to health and the need for global justice in health. By 2060, a spark of hope was ignited, opening the door to the resuscitation of bioethics and involvement of the global community. [source] Morphological flexibility across an environmental gradient in the epiphytic orchid, Tolumnia variegata: complicating patterns of fitnessBOTANICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2010MARIELY MORALES Deceit-pollinated orchid species show substantial variation in floral traits, which may be maintained by genetic drift or various forms of selection, or may reflect phenotypic plasticity. We explored how much plasticity occurs in both vegetative and floral traits of Tolumnia variegata (Oncidiinae, Orchidaceae) across two different light environments in Puerto Rico using data from a reciprocal transplant experiment. We also examined how fruit set, a measure of reproductive success and a surrogate for fitness, is associated with this morphological variation, and whether it changes over time. Tolumnia variegata responded to environmental variables in multiple ways. Vegetative characters were more plastic than those associated with sexual reproduction. Transplant effects accounted for significant variation in flower length, lip length, number of inflorescences, peduncle length, leaf length and the total number of ramets, but responses were not always consistent among years. Phenotypic selection on morphological characters was dependent on plant location. The trends detected were complex, and often inconsistent across years, probably as a result of wetter and drier years than average. Overall fruit set was quite variable among plants, averaging 15%, with no significant differences among sun and shade plants. Although reproductive success was similar among sites, habitat heterogeneity and annual variation had an effect on morphological expression, which sometimes modified the trajectories of phenotypic selection. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 163, 431,446. [source] Surfactant protein D inhibits mite-induced alveolar macrophage and dendritic cell activations through TLR signalling and DC-SIGN expressionCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 1 2010C-F Liu Summary Background Surfactant protein D (SP-D), a secreted pattern recognition molecule associated with pulmonary innate immunity, has been shown to mediate the clearance of pathogens in multiple ways. However, how SP-D interacts with alveolar macrophages (AMs) and dendritic cells (DCs) during allergen exposure remains unclear. Objective This study was performed to characterize the immunomodulatory effects of SP-D on mite allergen (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Der p)-induced inflammatory signalling in AMs and DCs. Methods Murine AM, alveolar macrophage cell line derived from BALB/c mice (MH-S cells), and human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC) were used as model systems. The production of nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-,, expression of surface Toll-like receptors (TLRs), and expression of the C-type lectin receptor known as dendritic cell (DC)-specific ICAM-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) were measured as a function of pretreatment with SP-D and subsequent exposure to Der p. Der p-dependent cellular activations that were modified by SP-D in these model systems were then identified. Results Pretreatment of MH-S cells with SP-D reduced Der p-dependent production of NO, TNF-,, and the downstream activations of IL-1 receptor-associated kinase, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase, and nuclear factor-,B. SP-D interacted with CD14 such that CD14 binding to Der p was inhibited and Der p-induced signalling via TLRs was blocked. DC-SIGN expression was suppressed by Der p in MH-S and MDDC; this down-regulation of DC-SIGN expression was prevented by pretreatment with SP-D. Conclusions These results indicated that the inhibition of Der p-induced activation of MH-S and MDDC by SP-D is mediated through suppression of the CD14/TLR signalling pathway and maintenance of DC-SIGN expression, which may protect allergen-induced airway inflammation. Cite this as: C-F Liu, M. Rivere, H-J Huang, G. Puzo and J-Y Wang, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 111,122. [source] Allegiance Effects in Assessment: Unresolved Questions, Potential Explanations, and Constructive RemediesCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, Issue 4 2008Scott O. Lilienfeld The provocative results of Blair, Marcus, and Boccaccini (2008) suggest that the allegiance effect, previously suggested in psychotherapy outcome studies, may apply to studies of actuarial risk assessment. Despite this finding, the mechanisms of the effect, particularly in assessment research, are unknown and warrant further investigation. We discuss the file drawer effect, selective reporting, and "data massaging" as three potential explanations for allegiance effects in the assessment domain. Furthermore, we offer four suggestions for minimizing allegiance effects and their impact: routinely coding for allegiance in meta-analytic studies, operationalizing allegiance in multiple ways, encouraging collaborations among authors with differing allegiances, and creating study registries to track all dependent variables measured in studies. [source] Modeling How, When, and What Is Learned in a Simple Fault-Finding TaskCOGNITIVE SCIENCE - A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL, Issue 5 2008Frank E. Ritter Abstract We have developed a process model that learns in multiple ways while finding faults in a simple control panel device. The model predicts human participants' learning through its own learning. The model's performance was systematically compared to human learning data, including the time course and specific sequence of learned behaviors. These comparisons show that the model accounts very well for measures such as problem-solving strategy, the relative difficulty of faults, and average fault-finding time. More important, because the model learns and transfers its learning across problems, it also accounts for the faster problem-solving times due to learning when examined across participants, across faults, and across the series of 20 trials on an individual participant basis. The model shows how learning while problem solving can lead to more recognition-based performance, and helps explain how the shape of the learning curve can arise through learning and be modified by differential transfer. Overall, the quality of the correspondence appears to have arisen from procedural, declarative, and episodic learning all taking place within individual problem-solving episodes. 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