Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Processes Underlying (process + underlying)
Selected AbstractsEmergence of representational activity during the early drawing stage: process analysisJAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001Kyoko Yamagata This study analyzed the process underlying the emergence of representational drawing. Eighty-seven children aged 1,3 years were asked to color or draw either a simple picture (P) or a contour for an object (DC) in a shared task. After that, they were asked to draw their mother on a blank sheet of paper in a no drawn contour task (NC). Whereas 1½- and 2-year-olds were more successful in the P task than in the DC task, the 2½- and 3-year-olds were successful in both. The 2-year-olds were better in the DC than the NC task. The results show that 1½- and 2-year-olds can extract the component parts of a drawing even though they cannot produce them and children over 2½ years old can organize these components into a drawing by themselves. These findings indicate that representational drawing is based on the extraction of the component parts and the acquisition of the drawing ability to combine the parts into a drawing and that the beginnings of representational drawing are found in 1½- and 2-year-old children. [source] Pathways to Collective Protest: Calculation, Identification, or Emotion?JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ISSUES, Issue 4 2009A Critical Analysis of the Role of Group-Based Anger in Social Movement Participation The dual-pathway model of collective action proposes two motivational pathways to collective protest, one is based on cost,benefit calculations and another is based on collective identification. The present research examined the role of feelings of group-based anger as an additional path. Study 1, a field study in the context of students' protest in Germany (N= 201), provided evidence for a unique effect of anger. Study 2, a laboratory experiment (N= 182), examined the desire to release aggressive tension as a psychological process underlying this effect. As hypothesized, analyses confirmed that anger affected participants' willingness to protest only to the extent that this behavior provided the opportunity of cathartic reduction in aggressive tensions. Moreover, an experimental manipulation providing an alternative means to release tension reduced the relationship between anger and willingness to protest to nonsignificance. The implications of these findings for reconceptualizing the role of anger in collective protest are discussed. [source] Differences in consumer attributions of blame between men and women: The role of perceived vulnerability and empathic concernPSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 2 2004Daniel Laufer This article explores differences in blame attributions between men and women in a consumer context. The first experiment finds that women blame a company more than men for a product harm crisis. A second experiment replicates these results in a different product harm crisis and suggests the process underlying these differences. The results of tests of mediation suggest that women blame a company more than men for a product harm crisis because they feel more personally vulnerable to a similar crisis occurring to them. The tests of mediation also show that empathic concern is not the reason driving the differences between men and women in consumer attributions of blame despite observed differences on this personality trait. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Stem cells in pathobiology and regenerative medicine,THE JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2009MR Alison Abstract This issue of the Journal of Pathology contains 16 articles largely dealing with the role of tissue-specific adult stem cells in the pathogenesis of disease, notably cancer. These authoritative reviews begin by describing the current knowledge regarding the identity and molecular regulation of normal tissue-specific stem cells, before itemizing their role in the aetiology and progression of disease. Fundamental concepts regarding the stem cell niche have been gleaned from studies of germ line stem cells in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans, and these are described in detail in this issue. Somatic cell reprogramming, a process underlying not only therapeutic cloning but also the production of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, is further discussed. Much attention is given to embryonic stem (ES) and iPS cells within the scientific community; this issue of the Journal of Pathology redresses this imbalance by illustrating the pivotal role of adult stem cells in much of human disease. Copyright © 2008 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] How Adolescents Come to See Themselves as More Responsible Through Participation in Youth ProgramsCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2009Dustin Wood This qualitative study was aimed at developing theory about the process underlying the development of responsibility grounded in accounts of youth who reported experiencing this change. A total of 108 high-school-aged (M = 16.5) youth from 11 programs were interviewed about their experiences within the program, and 24 reported becoming more responsible through their participation. The youth's accounts suggested that this process was driven largely by successfully fulfilling program expectations. This process was driven by youth's adherence to their commitments and their consideration of the consequences of their actions on others. Youth mentioned changes in responsibility most frequently in three programs, which appeared to differ from the remaining programs in having more structure and placing greater ownership and accountability on youth. [source] Neural correlates of successful and partial inhibitions in children: An ERP studyDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 7 2009Lucy Cragg Abstract This experiment used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural processes underlying the development of response inhibition in a modified version of the go/no-go paradigm [Cragg and Nation [2008] Developmental Science 11(6): 819,827]. N2 and P3 ERP components on correct go trials and partial and successful inhibitions were compared in 7- and 9-year-old children. A larger N2 effect on successful inhibitions was found in 9-year-olds compared to 7-year-olds at fronto-central electrodes. N2 amplitude was positively related to behavioral performance in the 7-year-olds suggesting it may reflect inhibitory processes; however, this relationship was not present in the 9-year-olds. Age differences were also apparent in the go P3, perhaps indicating differences in stimulus processing. The no-go P3 component was larger on successful than partial inhibitions. In contrast, there was no difference in N2 amplitude between partial and successful inhibitions. A significant difference was found in N2 latency however. This suggests that inhibitory processes are similar in both cases but initiated earlier on successful inhibitions. N2 latency was also shorter in 9-year-olds than 7-year-olds supporting an increase in the efficiency of response inhibition with age. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 51: 533,543, 2009. [source] A hierarchical competing systems model of the emergence and early development of executive functionDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2009Stuart Marcovitch The hierarchical competing systems model (HCSM) provides a framework for understanding the emergence and early development of executive function , the cognitive processes underlying the conscious control of behavior , in the context of search for hidden objects. According to this model, behavior is determined by the joint influence of a developmentally invariant habit system and a conscious representational system that becomes increasingly influential as children develop. This article describes a computational formalization of the HCSM, reviews behavioral and computational research consistent with the model, and suggests directions for future research on the development of executive function. [source] What are you looking at?DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008Infants' neural processing of an adult's object-directed eye gaze Previous research suggests that by 4 months of age infants use the eye gaze of adults to guide their attention and facilitate processing of environmental information. Here we address the question of how infants process the relation between another person and an external object. We applied an ERP paradigm to investigate the neural processes underlying the perception of the direction of an adult's eye gaze in 4-month-old infants. Infants showed differential processing of an adult's eye gaze, which was directed at a simultaneously presented object compared to non-object-directed eye gaze. This distinction was evident in two ERP components: The Negative component, reflecting attentional processes, and the positive slow wave, which is involved in memory encoding. The implications of these findings for the development of joint attention and related social cognitive functions are discussed. [source] Pathways to cannabis abuse: a multi-stage model from cannabis availability, cannabis initiation and progression to abuseADDICTION, Issue 3 2009Nathan A. Gillespie ABSTRACT Aims Although previous twin studies have modeled the association between drug initiation and abuse, none has included the obvious risk factor of drug availability. Our aim is to determine whether the genetic and environmental risk factors for cannabis availability also generate variation in cannabis initiation and/or progression to DSM-IV symptoms of abuse. Design We used multi-stage modeling, also known as causal-common-contingent (CCC) analysis, to partition the genetic and environmental factors into common and stage-specific components. Participants This report is based on data collected from 1772 adult males from the Mid Atlantic Twin Registry. Measurements The twins participated in two structured interviews which included clinical and non-clinical measures of cannabis abuse as well as retrospective assessments of perceived cannabis availability between ages 8 and 25 years. Findings Cannabis availability explained almost all the shared environmental risks in cannabis initiation and abuse. The influence of availability on the symptoms of abuse was indirect and mediated entirely by cannabis initiation. Conclusion These findings have begun to elucidate the causal processes underlying the liability to drug use and abuse in terms of putative risk factors. Specifically, our results show that the latent shared environmental factors in cannabis initiation and abuse can be explained by measured aspects of the shared environment,those responsible for variation in cannabis availability. [source] MUSEUM SPECIMENS AND PHYLOGENIES ELUCIDATE ECOLOGY'S ROLE IN COEVOLUTIONARY ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MITES AND THEIR BEE HOSTSEVOLUTION, Issue 6 2007Pavel B. Klimov Coevolutionary associations between hosts and symbionts (or parasites) are often reflected in correlated patterns of divergence as a consequence of limitations on dispersal and establishment on new hosts. Here we show that a phylogenetic correlation is observed between chaetodactylid mites and their hosts, the long-tongued bees; however, this association manifests itself in an atypical fashion. Recently derived mites tend to be associated with basal bee lineages, and vice versa, ruling out a process of cospeciation, and the existence of mites on multiple hosts also suggests ample opportunity for host shifts. An extensive survey of museum collections reveals a pattern of infrequent host shifts at a higher taxonomic level, and yet, frequent shifts at a lower level, which suggests that ecological constraints structure the coevolutionary history of the mites and bees. Certain bee traits, particularly aspects of their nesting behavior, provide a highly predictive framework for the observed pattern of host use, with 82.1% of taxa correctly classified. Thus, the museum survey and phylogenetic analyses provide a unique window into the central role ecology plays in this coevolutionary association. This role is apparent from two different perspectives,as (a) a constraining force evident in the historical processes underlying the significant correlation between the mite and bee phylogenies, as well as (b) by the highly nonrandom composition of bee taxa that serve as hosts to chaetodactylid mites. [source] SEXUAL CONFLICT AND CRYPTIC FEMALE CHOICE IN THE BLACK FIELD CRICKET, TELEOGRYLLUS COMMODUSEVOLUTION, Issue 4 2006Luc F. Bussiégre Abstract The prevalence and evolutionary consequences of cryptic female choice (CFC) remain highly controversial, not least because the processes underlying its expression are often concealed within the female reproductive tract. However, even when female discrimination is relatively easy to observe, as in numerous insect species with externally attached spermatophores, it is often difficult to demonstrate directional CFC for certain male phenotypes over others. Using a biological assay to separate male crickets into attractive or unattractive categories, we demonstrate that females strongly discriminate against unattractive males by removing their spermatophores before insemination can be completed. This results in significantly more sperm being transferred by attractive males than unattractive males. Males respond to CFC by mate guarding females after copulation, which increases the spermatophore retention of both attractive and unattractive males. Interestingly, unattractive males who suffered earlier interruption of sperm transfer benefited more from mate guarding, and they guarded females more vigilantly than attractive males. Our results suggest that postcopulatory mate guarding has evolved via sexual conflict over insemination times rather than through genetic benefits of biasing paternity toward vigorous males, as has been previously suggested. [source] Feeding signals to the hungry mindEXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 8 2009Nina Balthasar Obesity, due to its associated co-morbidities, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is at the forefront of today's health care concerns. Our need for novel, multifaceted approaches to tackle the global increase of waistlines is urgent, and understanding the physiological processes underlying our vulnerability to weight gain is an important one of them. Evidence for considerable heritability of body weight indicates genetic influences in the susceptibility to our obesogenic environment. Here, we will focus on neurons in brain structures such as the hypothalamus, which sense the body's metabolic state and, through an intricate cascade of events, elicit an appropriate response. We will explore the use of genetically modified mouse models in the investigation of physiological functions of genes and pathways in neuronal regulation of metabolic balance. Use of these techniques allows us to make manipulations at the molecular level (e.g. in the neuronal metabolic sensing mechanism) and combine this with systems-level physiological analysis (e.g. body weight). Recent technological advances also enable the investigation of the contributions of genes to the co-morbidities of obesity, such as obesity-induced hypertension. Reviewing examples of improvements as well as large gaps in our knowledge, this lecture aims to incite interest in whole body physiological research. [source] Classical reward conditioning in Drosophila melanogasterGENES, BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2007Y-C. Kim Negatively reinforced olfactory conditioning has been widely employed to identify learning and memory genes, signal transduction pathways and neural circuitry in Drosophila. To delineate the molecular and cellular processes underlying reward-mediated learning and memory, we developed a novel assay system for positively reinforced olfactory conditioning. In this assay, flies were involuntarily exposed to the appetitive unconditioned stimulus sucrose along with a conditioned stimulus odour during training and their preference for the odour previously associated with sucrose was measured to assess learning and memory capacities. After one training session, wild-type Canton S flies displayed reliable performance, which was enhanced after two training cycles with 1-min or 15-min inter-training intervals. Higher performance scores were also obtained with increasing sucrose concentration. Memory in Canton S flies decayed slowly when measured at 30 min, 1 h and 3 h after training; whereas, it had declined significantly at 6 h and 12 h post-training. When learning mutant t,,h flies, which are deficient in octopamine, were challenged, they exhibited poor performance, validating the utility of this assay. As the Drosophila model offers vast genetic and transgenic resources, the new appetitive conditioning described here provides a useful tool with which to elucidate the molecular and cellular underpinnings of reward learning and memory. Similar to negatively reinforced conditioning, this reward conditioning represents classical olfactory conditioning. Thus, comparative analyses of learning and memory mutants in two assays may help identify the molecular and cellular components that are specific to the unconditioned stimulus information used in conditioning. [source] Consolidation of CS and US representations in associative fear conditioningHIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 5 2004Paul W. Frankland Abstract Much attention has been paid to the associative processes that are necessary to fuse together representations of the various components of an episodic memory. In the present study, we focus on the processes involved in the formation of lasting representations of the individual components that make up a fear-conditioning episode. In one-trial contextual fear conditioning experiments, weak conditioning to context occurs if the shock is delivered immediately following placement of the animal in a novel conditioning apparatus, a phenomenon known as the immediate shock deficit. We show that the immediate shock deficit in mice may be alleviated by pre-exposure to either the context or shock. In using this approach to temporally dissect a contextual fear-conditioning task into its constituent representational and associative processes, we are able to examine directly the processes that are important for formation of lasting representations of the context conditioned stimulus (CS) or unconditioned stimulus (US). Our data indicate that the formation of a lasting representation of the context or shock engages protein synthesis-dependent processes. Furthermore, genetic disruption of cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), a transcription factor that regulates the synthesis of new proteins required for long-term memory, disrupts the formation of lasting context memories. We go on to show that the stress hormone epinephrine modulates the consolidation of a context memory, and reverses consolidation deficits in the CREB-deficient mice. Finally we show that disrupting either NMDA or calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) function impairs consolidation of context memories. Together, these data suggest that this approach is particularly suited for the characterization of molecular and cellular processes underlying the formation of stimulus representations. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Late acquisition of literacy in a native languageHUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 1 2007Jubin Abutalebi Abstract With event-related functional MRI (fMRI) and with behavioral measures we studied the brain processes underlying the acquisition of native language literacy. Adult dialect speakers were scanned while reading words belonging to three different conditions: dialect words, i.e., the native language in which subjects are illiterate (dialect), German words, i.e., the second language in which subjects are literate, and pseudowords. Investigating literacy acquisition of a dialect may reveal how novel readers of a language build an orthographic lexicon, i.e., establish a link between already available semantic and phonological representations and new orthographic word forms. The main results of the study indicate that a set of regions, including the left anterior hippocampal formation and subcortical nuclei, is involved in the buildup of orthographic representations. The repeated exposure to written dialect words resulted in a convergence of the neural substrate to that of the language in which these subjects were already proficient readers. The latter result is compatible with a "fast" brain plasticity process that may be related to a shift of reading strategies. Hum Brain Mapp, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Genome-wide gene expression differences in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis from endoscopic pinch biopsies: Insights into distinctive pathogenesisINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 7 2007Feng Wu PhD Abstract Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with variable, overlapping clinical features and complex pathophysiologies. Methods: To identify pathogenic processes underlying these disease subtypes, we used single endoscopic pinch biopsies to elucidate patterns of gene expression in active and inactive areas of UC and CD and compared these to infectious colitis and healthy control samples. Results: Unsupervised classification of a total of 36 samples yielded promising separation between the affected IBD, unaffected IBD, non-IBD colitis, and normal control samples, suggesting each sample type had a distinctive gene expression pattern. Genes differentially expressed in the CD samples compared to in the controls were related to IFN,-inducible TH1 processes (IFITM1, IFITM3, STAT1, and STAT3) and antigen presentation (TAP1, PSME2, PSMB8). The most noticeable change in the UC samples was reduced expression of genes regulating biosynthesis, metabolism, and electrolyte transport (HNF4G, KLF5, AQP8, ATP2B1, and SLC16A). Twenty-five percent of genes down-regulated in the UC samples were also down-regulated in the infectious colitis samples. Unaffected biopsy samples of IBD patients also registered differences expression of genes compared to in the normal controls. Of these differentially expressed genes, only 2 were up-regulated, PSKH1, a regulator of mRNA processing, and PPID, a suppressor of apoptosis. Conclusions: The study shows that the gene expression patterns of IBD, CD in particular, are quite different from those of infectious colitis, highlighting distinctive expression of genes and pathways in UC and CD. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007) [source] Phylogeographic analysis detects congruent biogeographic patterns between a woodland agamid and Australian wet tropics taxa despite disparate evolutionary trajectoriesJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2010Danielle L. Edwards Abstract Aim, To test the congruence of phylogeographic patterns and processes between a woodland agamid lizard (Diporiphora australis) and well-studied Australian wet tropics fauna. Specifically, to determine whether the biogeographic history of D. australis is more consistent with a history of vicariance, which is common in wet tropics fauna, or with a history of dispersal with expansion, which would be expected for species occupying woodland habitats that expanded with the increasingly drier conditions in eastern Australia during the Miocene,Pleistocene. Location, North-eastern Australia. Methods, Field-collected and museum tissue samples from across the entire distribution of D. australis were used to compile a comprehensive phylo-geographic dataset based on c. 1400 bp of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), incorporating the ND2 protein-coding gene. We used phylogenetic methods to assess biogeographic patterns within D. australis and relaxed molecular clock analyses were conducted to estimate divergence times. Hierarchical Shimodaira,Hasegawa tests were used to test alternative topologies representing vicariant, dispersal and mixed dispersal/vicariant biogeographic hypotheses. Phylogenetic analyses were combined with phylogeographic analyses to gain an insight into the evolutionary processes operating within D. australis. Results, Phylogenetic analyses identified six major mtDNA clades within D. australis, with phylogeographic patterns closely matching those seen in many wet tropics taxa. Congruent phylogeographic breaks were observed across the Black Mountain Corridor, Burdekin and St Lawrence Gaps. Divergence amongst clades was found to decrease in a north,south direction, with a trend of increasing population expansion in the south. Main conclusions, While phylogeographic patterns in D australis reflect those seen in many rain forest fauna of the wet tropics, the evolutionary processes underlying these patterns appear to be very different. Our results support a history of sequential colonization of D. australis from north to south across major biogeographic barriers from the late Miocene,Pleistocene. These patterns are most likely in response to expanding woodland habitats. Our results strengthen the data available for this iconic region in Australia by exploring the understudied woodland habitats. In addition, our study shows the importance of thorough investigations of not only the biogeographic patterns displayed by species but also the evolutionary processes underlying such patterns. [source] Prospects and challenges for parametric models in historical biogeographical inferenceJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 7 2009Richard H. Ree Abstract In historical biogeography, phylogenetic trees have long been used as tools for addressing a wide range of inference problems, from explaining common distribution patterns of species to reconstructing ancestral geographic ranges on branches of the tree of life. However, the potential utility of phylogenies for this purpose has yet to be fully realized, due in part to a lack of explicit conceptual links between processes underlying the evolution of geographic ranges and processes of phylogenetic tree growth. We suggest that statistical approaches that use parametric models to forge such links will stimulate integration and propel hypothesis-driven biogeographical inquiry in new directions. We highlight here two such approaches and describe how they represent early steps towards a more general framework for model-based historical biogeography that is based on likelihood as an optimality criterion, rather than having the traditional reliance on parsimony. The development of this framework will not be without significant challenges, particularly in balancing model complexity with statistical power, and these will be most apparent in studies of regions with many component areas and complex geological histories, such as the Mediterranean Basin. [source] Changing trends in gastrointestinal disease in the Asia,Pacific regionJOURNAL OF DIGESTIVE DISEASES, Issue 4 2007KL GOH The new millennium has seen distinct changes in the pattern of gastrointestinal disease in the Asia,Pacific region. These changes are important as more than half of the world's population come from the region and therefore impact significantly on the global disease burden. The highest incidence of gastric cancer (GCA) has been reported from Asia and GCA remains a very important cancer. However time-trend studies have shown a decrease in GCA incidence in several countries in Asia. A rise in cardio-esophageal cancers as seen in the West has not been reported. On the other hand, colorectal cancer has been steadily increasing in Asia with age-standardized incidence rates of some countries approaching that of the West. The pattern of acid-related diseases has also changed. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a fast emerging disease with an increasing prevalence of reflux esophagitis and reflux symptoms. The prevalence of peptic ulcer disease has at the same time declined in step with a decrease in H. pylori infection. Many of the changes taking place mirror the Western experience of several decades ago. Astute observation of the epidemiology of emerging diseases combined with good scientific work will allow a clearer understanding of the key processes underlying these changes. With rapid modernization, lifestyle changes have been blamed for an increase in several diseases including gastroesophageal reflux disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and colorectal cancer. A worrying trend has been the increase in obesity among Asians, which has been associated with an increase in metabolic diseases and various gastrointestinal cancers. Conversely, an improvement in living conditions has been closely linked to the decrease in GCA and H. pylori prevalence. [source] Tempo and mode in evolution: phylogenetic inertia, adaptation and comparative methodsJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2002S. P. Blomberg Abstract Before the Evolutionary Synthesis, ,phylogenetic inertia' was associated with theories of orthogenesis, which claimed that organisms possessed an endogenous perfecting principle. The concept in the modern literature dates to Simpson (1944), who used ,evolutionary inertia' as a description of pattern in the fossil record. Wilson (1975) used ,phylogenetic inertia' to describe population-level or organismal properties that can affect the course of evolution in response to selection. Many current authors now view phylogenetic inertia as an alternative hypothesis to adaptation by natural selection when attempting to explain interspecific variation, covariation or lack thereof in phenotypic traits. Some phylogenetic comparative methods have been claimed to allow quantification and testing of phylogenetic inertia. Although some existing methods do allow valid tests of whether related species tend to resemble each other, which we term ,phylogenetic signal', this is simply pattern recognition and does not imply any underlying process. Moreover, comparative data sets generally do not include information that would allow rigorous inferences concerning causal processes underlying such patterns. The concept of phylogenetic inertia needs to be defined and studied with as much care as ,adaptation'. [source] Abdominal aortic aneurysm and cytomegalovirus infectionJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 4 2008Anders Nyberg Abstract Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is regarded traditionally as a consequence of atherosclerosis. Several microorganisms have been suggested as possible contributing factors for the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm. The relevance of CMV in the processes underlying the development, expansion, and rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm is unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether CMV infection is related to abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. One hundred nineteen patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and 36 matched controls without abdominal aortic aneurysm were investigated prospectively by CMV serology. Patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm have similar levels of IgG antibodies against CMV as patients with nonruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, small abdominal aortic aneurysm, and controls without abdominal aortic aneurysm. In conclusion, this study fails to demonstrate a connection between CMV infection and abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. J. Med. Virol. 80:667,669, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Impact of clinical leadership development on the clinical leader, nursing team and care-giving process: a case studyJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 6 2008BERNADETTE DIERCKX de CASTERLÉ phd Aim, This study explored the dynamics related to a leadership development programme and their impact on the clinical leader, the nursing team and the care-giving process. Background, While there is a growing conviction about the need to invest in transformational leadership in nursing, further insight into the true complexity of leadership development and, more specifically, how leadership can make a difference in nursing and patient outcomes is essential. Method, A single instrumental case study was conducted in a unit of a large academic hospital where a Clinical Leadership development Project (CLP) was implemented successfully. We used mixed methods with multiple sources of data to capture the complexity of leadership development. Data were collected through individual interviews, focus groups and observation of participants. A purposive sample of 17 participants representing a wide variety of team members has permitted data saturation. The data were categorized and conceptualized and finally organized into a framework describing leadership development on the unit and its impact on the leader, the nursing team and the care-giving process. Results, Leadership development is an ongoing, interactive process between the clinical leader and the co-workers. The head nurse became more effective in areas of self-awareness, communication skills, performance and vision. The nursing team benefited because more effective leadership promoted effective communication, greater responsibility, empowerment and job clarity. Improved clinical leadership seemed also to influence patient-centred communication, continuity of care and interdisciplinary collaboration. Conclusions, The results of the study give more insight into the processes underlying the leader's progress towards attaining a transformational leadership style and its impact on the team members. The impact of leadership on the care-giving process, however, remains difficult to describe. Implications for nursing management, The interactive nature of leadership development makes CLP a challenge for the leader as well for the team members. Through its impact on the leader and the nursing team, CLP is a valuable instrument for improving work environments of nurses, contributing positively to patient-centred care. [source] Developmental Considerations for Substance Use Interventions From Middle School Through CollegeALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2005Elizabeth J. D'Amico This article summarizes a symposium organized by Dr. Elizabeth D'Amico and presented at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism in Vancouver, Canada. The four presentations illustrate the importance of creating substance use interventions that are developmentally appropriate for youth. They represent innovative approaches to working with preteens, teenagers, and young adults. Dr. D'Amico's paper describes her research on the development of a voluntary brief intervention targeting alcohol use among middle school students. Findings indicated that by using school and community input, she was able to obtain a diverse a sample of youth across grades, sex, ethnicity, and substance use status. Dr. Ellickson's paper describes her research on Project ALERT, a school-based prevention program for middle school youth. Her findings indicate that Project ALERT worked for students at all levels of risk (low, moderate, and high) and for all students combined. Dr. Wagner's Teen Intervention Project was a randomized clinical trial to test the efficacy of a standardized Student Assistance Program for treating middle and high school students with alcohol and other drug problems. The study provided a unique opportunity to begin to examine how development may impact response to an alcohol or other drug intervention. Dr. Turrisi's paper examined processes underlying the nature of the effects of a parent intervention on college student drinking tendencies. Findings suggested that the parent intervention seems to have its impact on student drinking by reducing the influence of negative communications and decreasing the susceptibility of influences from closest friends. Dr. Kim Fromme provided concluding remarks. [source] Indirect facilitation and competition in tree species colonization of sub-Mediterranean grasslandsJOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 3 2006Georges Kunstler Abstract: Questions: In the absence of herbivores, what is the importance of shrub facilitation for the colonization of grasslands by Fagus sylvatica and Quercus pubescens? Is there an indirect facilitative effect of shrubs on tree seedlings by limiting herb competition? Location: Causse du Larzac, southern Massif Central, France. Methods: We conducted field experiments on the facilitative role of shrubs in seedling emergence and survival, in relation to potential negative effects of shading and the presence of herbs. The effects of shade and herbs on allocation and root morphology were analysed in a pot experiment. Results: According to these experiments, the establishment of both tree species was facilitated by shrubs, but the two species differed in the processes underlying this facilitation. Shade directly facilitates the emergence rate of both species. Shade also indirectly facilitates Fagus survival by limiting herb competition. No indirect facilitation of Quercus survival was detected. These differences reflect variation in the tolerance of herb competition by seedlings of the two species. The tolerance of herb competition by Quercus seedlings allows regeneration over a wide area under each shrub and some regeneration events in grasslands at low grazing intensity. In contrast, for Fagus, only a narrow area under each shrub is suitable; regeneration is zero in grassland. The high tolerance of herb competition by Quercus seedlings may result from the avoidance of root competition. Conclusions In grasslands with severe drought stress, and almost obligatory shrub facilitation for tree seedling regeneration, the tolerance of herb competition may alter the precise role of facilitation in the colonization process. [source] Multi-wavelength fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy: a new approach to the study of endogenous fluorescence in living cells and tissuesLASER PHYSICS LETTERS, Issue 3 2009D. Chorvat Jr. Abstract The study of biological systems in their real environmental conditions is crucial to decipher the true image of structures and processes underlying their functionality. In this regard, development of non-invasive optical techniques that do not require labelling, such as the investigation of tissue endogenous fluorescence, is particularly important and, as reflected in the increasing number of contributions published recently on this subject, was recognized by many leading groups. Multi-spectral and lifetime detection of fluorescence provides an effective experimental tool to discriminate between multiple naturally-occurring fluorophores in living tissues. At the same time, however, data analysis allowing us to understand the spectral, temporal and spatial information gathered, describing individual molecules involved in the autofluorescence of intact biological systems, represents a tough scientific challenge that has not yet been fully resolved. In this review, we discuss the latest advances in technologies that record and assess spectrally-resolved fluorescence lifetime data as well as their biological and clinical applications. We show how these methods provide efficient sensing of molecules correlated with changes in the mitochondrial metabolic redox state in pathological conditions and/or of cell ultrastructures in diseased tissue, based on the presence of oxidation/reductionsensitive fluorophores and/or cell-specific chromophores. Future directions are also outlined. (© 2009 by Astro Ltd., Published exclusively by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA) [source] The Solid State Postcondensation of PET, 1MACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS & ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2004Barbara Gantillon Abstract Summary: A review of the processes underlying the solid state postcondensation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is presented. Fundamental aspects of the reactions are treated, and it is shown that the rate of polycondensation in the solid state depends on the relative rates of two types of diffusion. On the one hand, the diffusion of reaction by-products (physical diffusion) controls the rate of the forward reactions. And on the other hand the diffusion of end-groups (chemical diffusion) allows the reaction to proceed. The transesterification of BHET to form PET. [source] Isolation of polymorphic microsatellite markers for British Euphrasia L.MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 4 2003G. C. French Abstract Euphrasia species in Britain attract a large amount of conservation attention due to the recognition of numerous endemic taxa in what is essentially a species-poor flora. To develop a set of research tools to investigate the evolutionary processes underlying this diversification, a membrane enrichment procedure has been used to isolate five polymorphic microsatellite loci from Euphrasia nemorosa (Pers.) Wallr. These loci amplify polymorphic products in several other British Euphrasia species. [source] Physiology and molecular aspects of Verticillium wilt diseases caused by V. dahliae and V. albo-atrumMOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006EMILIE F. FRADIN SUMMARY Introduction:,Verticillium spp. are soil-borne plant pathogens responsible for Verticillium wilt diseases in temperate and subtropical regions; collectively they affect over 200 hosts, including many economically important crops. There are currently no fungicides available to cure plants once they are infected. Taxonomy:, Kingdom: Fungi, phylum: Ascomycota, subphylum, Pezizomycotina, class: Sordariomycetes, order: Phyllachorales, genus: Verticillium. Host range and disease symptoms:, Over 200 mainly dicotyledonous species including herbaceous annuals, perennials and woody species are host to Verticillium diseases. As Verticillium symptoms can vary between hosts, there are no unique symptoms that belong to all plants infected by this fungus. Disease symptoms may comprise wilting, chlorosis, stunting, necrosis and vein clearing. Brown vascular discoloration may be observed in stem tissue cross-sections. Pathogenicity:,Verticillium spp. have been reported to produce cell-wall-degrading enzymes and phytotoxins that all have been implicated in symptom development. Nevertheless, evidence for a crucial role of toxins in pathogenicity is inconsistent and therefore not generally accepted. Microsclerotia and melanized mycelium play an important role in the disease cycle as they are a major inoculum source and are the primary long-term survival structures. Resistance:, Different defence responses in the prevascular and the vascular stage of Verticillium wilt diseases determine resistance. Although resistance physiology is well established, the molecular processes underlying this physiology remain largely unknown. Resistance against Verticillium largely depends on the isolation of the fungus in contained parts of the xylem tissues followed by subsequent elimination of the fungus. Although genetic resistance has been described in several plant species, only one resistance locus against Verticillium has been cloned to date. Useful website:,http://cbr-rbc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/services/cogeme/ [source] Soft rot erwiniae: from genes to genomesMOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Ian K. Toth SUMMARY The soft rot erwiniae, Erwinia carotovora ssp. atroseptica (Eca), E. carotovora ssp. carotovora (Ecc) and E. chrysanthemi (Ech) are major bacterial pathogens of potato and other crops world-wide. We currently understand much about how these bacteria attack plants and protect themselves against plant defences. However, the processes underlying the establishment of infection, differences in host range and their ability to survive when not causing disease, largely remain a mystery. This review will focus on our current knowledge of pathogenesis in these organisms and discuss how modern genomic approaches, including complete genome sequencing of Eca and Ech, may open the door to a new understanding of the potential subtlety and complexity of soft rot erwiniae and their interactions with plants. Taxonomy: ,The soft rot erwiniae are members of the Enterobacteriaceae, along with other plant pathogens such as Erwinia amylovora and human pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Yersinia spp. Although the genus name Erwinia is most often used to describe the group, an alternative genus name Pectobacterium was recently proposed for the soft rot species. Host range:,Ech mainly affects crops and other plants in tropical and subtropical regions and has a wide host range that includes potato and the important model host African violet ( Saintpaulia ionantha ). Ecc affects crops and other plants in subtropical and temperate regions and has probably the widest host range, which also includes potato. Eca , on the other hand, has a host range limited almost exclusively to potato in temperate regions only. Disease symptoms: ,Soft rot erwiniae cause general tissue maceration, termed soft rot disease, through the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes. Environmental factors such as temperature, low oxygen concentration and free water play an essential role in disease development. On potato, and possibly other plants, disease symptoms may differ, e.g. blackleg disease is associated more with Eca and Ech than with Ecc. Useful websites: ,http://www.scri.sari.ac.uk/TiPP/Erwinia.htm, http://www.ahabs.wisc.edu:16080/pernalab/erwinia/index.htm, http://www.tigr.org/tdb/mdb/mdbinprogress.html, http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/E_carotovora/. [source] 1918: Three perspectives on race and human variationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Rachel Caspari Abstract Race was an important topic to the physical anthropologists of 1918, but their views were not monolithic. Multiple perspectives on race are expressed in the first volume of the AJPA, which encompass biological determinism and assumptions about evolutionary processes underlying the race concept. Most importantly, many of the significant alternative approaches to the study of human variation were already expressed in 1918. This paper examines race from the different perspectives of three key contributions to the first volume of the AJPA: papers from Hrdli,ka, Hooton, and Boas. The meaning of race derived from this work is then discussed. Despite new understandings gained through the neo-Darwinian synthesis and the growth of genetics, the fundamentals of the modern discussions of race were already planted in 1918. Am J Phys Anthropol 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||