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Research Foundation (research + foundation)
Selected AbstractsThe role of Lay Review Committees in diabetes researchDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 4 2003David P. Stenger Abstract Type 1 diabetes is unique among disease entities in having a large voluntary health nonprofit organization (the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) that employs the process of review by laypersons (following a review by scientists) in selecting the recipients of its funding awards to individual investigators/trainees: grants, career-development awards, fellowships, and ,innovative grants.' Therefore, that organization can be a suitable model on which an examination of lay review can be based. This paper summarizes (1) the history of how lay review originated and (2) this foundation's experience with it, (3) assesses the impact of the procedure on the discipline of diabetes science, and (4) examines the role it might play in the future, given the current state of that discipline. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Blood morphine levels in naltrexone-exposed compared to non-naltrexone-exposed fatal heroin overdosesADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2003DIANE ARNOLD-REED The aim of this study was to investigate the association between prior exposure to naltrexone and increased risk of fatal heroin overdose using a review of toxicology reports for heroin-related fatalities between July 1997 to August 1999 for two groups: those treated with oral naltrexone and those who were not treated. Additional information for the oral naltrexone group was obtained from clinic files. Naltrexone-treated deaths were identified from the patient database at the Australian Medical Procedures Research Foundation (AMPRF), Perth, Western Australia (WA) through the Western Australian Department of Health, Data Linkage Project. Non-treated cases were identified from the database at the Forensic Science Laboratory, State Chemistry Centre (WA). We identified and investigated blood morphine concentrations following 21 fatal heroin overdoses with prior exposure to naltrexone and in 71 non-naltrexone-exposed cases over the same time period. The proportion of deaths where heroin use was a major contributing factor was little different in the non-naltrexone compared to the naltrexone-exposed group. Furthermore, in ,acute opiate toxicity' deaths, blood morphine levels were lower in non-naltrexone-exposed compared with naltrexone-exposed cases. Although there was a higher number of deaths designated as rapid (i.e. occurring within 20 minutes) in the naltrexone-exposed (89%) compared with the non-exposed group (72%) this was not statistically significant. Other drug use in relation to heroin-related fatalities is discussed. Findings do not support the hypothesis that prior exposure to naltrexone increases sensitivity to heroin toxicity. [source] Characterization of mouse marrow stromal cellsJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2002S. S Liour Neural transplantation is a promising therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's, Huntington's, Alzeheimer's, as well as mucopolysaccharidoses. However, neural transplantation is an invasive procedure in the early stages of research and development. In contrast, bone marrow transplantation has been used in medical treatment of immune and hematological disorders and genetic diseases. A increasing number of research reports suggest that cells derived from bone marrow, particularly mesenchymal stem cells, cannot only migrate into brains of recipient rodents after IV administration, but also differentiate into neurons and glia, to facilitate the functional recovery of rats after stroke or brain trauma. The lack of exclusive cell markers for mesenchymal stem cells makes them difficult to study. We isolated mouse marrow stromal cells and studied the expression of markers, particularly glycosphingolipids on their cell surface. Bone marrow was aspirated from femurs of two-month-old mice, and the stromal cells were propagated in attached cultures. Immuncytochemical analysis suggested that most stromal cells were immunopositive for antibodies against IGFR, flk-1, and CD44. Analysis of the glycosphingolipid composition by HPTLC revealed that GM3, GM2, GM1, and GD1a were the major gangliosides expressed in stromal cell in culture. Glucosylceramide, lactosylceramide, and paragloboside were the major neutral glycolipids expressed in these cells. Combinations of these cell surface markers may prove useful in the isolation and characterization of mesenchymal stem cells. Acknowledgements:, Supported by grants from NIH NS11853 and the Children's Medical Research Foundation. [source] Symposium 10: Differentiation Plasticity of Stem CellsJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 2002S. S. Liour The major role of radial glial cells in neuronal development is to provide support and guidance for neuronal migration. In vitro, neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes have also been generated from neural stem cells and embryonic stem cells, but the generation of radial glial cells in vitro has not yet been reported. Since radial glial cells can lead to neurons and astrocytes during brain development, neurogenesis and gliogenesis of stem cells in vitro may at least in part also utilize the same mechanisms. To test this hypothesis, we utilized five different clones of embryonic (ES) and embryonal carcinoma (EC) stem cell lines to investigate the differentiation of radial glial cells during in vitro neural differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that radial glial cells can be generated from ES/EC cell lines. These ES/EC cell-derived radial glial cells are similar in morphology to radial glial cells in vivo. They also express several cytoskeletal markers that are characteristics of radial glial cells in vivo. The processes of these in vitro -generated radial glial cells are organized into scaffolds that appear to support the migration of newly generated neurons in culture. Like radial glial cells in vivo, they appear to differentiate subsequently into astrocytes. Differentiation of radial glial cells may be a common pathway during in vitro neural differentiation of ES cells. This novel in vitro model system may facilitate the investigation of regulation of radial glial cell differentiation and its biological function. Acknowledgements:, Supported by USPHS Grant NS11853 and a grant from the Children's Medical Research Foundation. [source] SPECIAL ARTICLE: A review of the International Brain Research Foundation novel approach to mild traumatic brain injury presented at the International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain InjuryJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 9 2010MSN (Doctoral Student), Mary Zemyan Polito CRNP Abstract "The International Conference on Behavioral Health and Traumatic Brain Injury" held at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, NJ., from October 12 to 15, 2008, included a presentation on the novel assessment and treatment approach to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) by Philip A. DeFina, PhD, of the International Brain Research Foundation (IBRF). Because of the urgent need to treat a large number of our troops who are diagnosed with mTBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the conference was held to create a report for Congress titled "Recommendations to Improve the Care of Wounded Warriors NOW. March 12, 2009." This article summarizes and adds greater detail to Dr. DeFina's presentation on the current standard and novel ways to approach assessment and treatment of mTBI and PTSD. Pilot data derived from collaborative studies through the IBRF have led to the development of clinical and research protocols utilizing currently accepted, valid, and reliable neuroimaging technologies combined in novel ways to develop "neuromarkers." These neuromarkers are being evaluated in the context of an "Integrity-Deficit Matrix" model to demonstrate their ability to improve diagnostic accuracy, guide treatment programs, and possibly predict outcomes for patients suffering from traumatic brain injury. [source] (647) Evaluation of the Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Transdermal Fentanyl in the Treatment of Noncancer Pain: The Interim AnalysisPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2000Article first published online: 25 DEC 200 Authors: K Milligan, South Cleveland Hospital, L Haazen and L Bijnens, Janssen Research Foundation Aim of Investigation: To document long-term efficacy and safety of transdermal (TTS) fentanyl for the management of noncancer pain. Methods: The study was an open-label, international, multi-center, phase III trial in 532 patients (mean age 51.5 years) with a median pain duration of 6 years. Two hundred sixty-two patients (50%) had neuropathic pain and 367 (70%) had predominantly somatic, nociceptive pain. TTS-fentanyl was started at an equi-analgesic dose to the pretrial opioid, and given for 12 months. Main outcome measures were weekly assessment of pain control, global treatment satisfaction and quality of life scores. Results: At interim analysis, 120 patients had completed the trial, 211 were continuing treatment, and 201 patients had discontinued. The mean dose of TTS-fentanyl increased from 48 ,g/h to 105 ,g/h over 12 months, with most increases occurring in the first months. During treatment the number of subjects reporting very good, good, or moderate pain control remained stable at 65% (range 61% to 75%). Global satisfaction (very good or good) was also stable at 42% (range 38% to 46%). Eighty-six percent of patients reported preference for TTS-fentanyl over their previous treatment, stating the main reason as better pain relief. SF-36 scores improved from baseline for physical pain and physical summary measurements. The most frequently occurring adverse events were nausea (28%), sonmolence (17%), constipation (15%), vomiting (15%), and increased sweating (14%). Conclusions: Long-term treatment with TTS-fentanyl provides a stable degree of pain control in the majority of patients with moderate-to-severe noncancer pain. It was preferred by the majority of subjects to their previous medication and favorably improved their quality of life. Acknowledgments: Supported by the Janssen Research Foundation. [source] Preface: phys. stat. sol. (c) 1/10PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 10 2004Eun-Kyung Suh The Fifth International Symposium on Blue Laser and Light Emitting Diodes (ISBLLED-2004) was held in Gyeongju, Korea from 15,19 March 2004. Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the thousand-year Silla kingdom (57 B.C. to 935 A.D.) provided additional pleasure to the participants as an exceptional open-air museum with antique treasures scattered all around the city. During the last decade we have witnessed remarkable developments in wide-gap semiconductors and light emitting devices in the spectral range from the visible to deep UV. The purpose of the Symposium was to provide a forum for intensive discussion on the issues and main progress especially in optoelectronic devices, material growth and characterization, and quantum structures of wide bandgap semiconductors. A total of 243 papers including 220 contributed and 23 invited ones were presented and discussed by 487 participants from 17 countries world-wide. Among them, 154 manuscripts were submitted and reviewed by the usual evaluation process of physica status solidi. Some were rejected or withdrawn, and finally 139 papers are published in the special issues of physica status solidi (a), (b), and (c). We gratefully acknowledge the referees for their careful review. The papers are grouped into 7 categories. The subheadings and the number of papers in each are as follows: Optoelectronic devices, 43; Growth and characterization, 45; Nano and quantum structures, 21; Contacts, 8; Zinc oxide, 9; Indium nitride and indium rich InGaN, 6; Others, 7. The special session of the Symposium, "The LED Highlight", designed partially to meet the challenging targets of the technology, i.e., energy savings and clean environment preservation, drew much attention and is edited as a special coloured section in this issue. The next symposium is scheduled for Montpellier, France, in 2006. We wish the organizers of that symposium the best of luck and hope to see all of the ISBLLED-2004 participants again at ISBLLED-2006. ISBLLED-2004 was sponsored by The Research Society for the Wide-gap Semiconductors, Korean Physical Society, Office of Naval Research, Korea Science and Engineering Foundation, Korea Research Foundation, Korea Association for Photonics Industry Development, Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development, and Korea Photonics Technology Institute. We would like to thank Ms. E. S. Hwang for her devotion to the preparation and the Proceedings of the symposium including the manuscript handling for publication. [source] Collaborative Research Centre of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Semiconductor Nanometer Devices Fundamentals , Concepts , RealisationsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 8 2004Markus C. Amann This Special Issue is a collection of Review Articles written by the members of the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 348 of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Its aims were the development of new methods for nanometer-scale structuring of semiconductors, the experimental and theoretical investigations of such nanostructures, and the design and prototyping of novel devices for high frequency, optical and optoelectronic applications. This required coordinated research efforts by physicists and electrical engineers into both basic physical phenomena and device oriented questions. [source] Preface: phys. stat. sol. (c) 1/8PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 8 2004Markus C. Amann In this special issue of physica status solidi (c) we have included 10 invited papers reviewing the current state-of-the-art and the progress achieved in materials science, semiconductor theory, novel physical mechanisms and advanced device concepts in the field of nanostructured electronic and optoelectronic semiconductor devices. All of these papers were written by previous members of the Collaborative Research Centre 348 "Nanometer-Halbleiterbauelemente: Grundlagen , Konzepte , Realisierungen" (Nanometer Semiconductor Devices: Fundamentals , Concepts , Realisations), which was funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) during the period from 1991 to 2003. In these twelve years, the researchers in this programme have carried an intense activity directed towards two main objectives. First of all, Fundamentals and Concepts of nanostructure devices and their technology were explored theoretically and experimentally including the effects of low-dimensional structures on carrier transport, optical properties and spin, as well as the enabling epitaxial and nanostructure technologies such as the cleaved-edge-overgrowth technique and the self-assembled growth of quantum dots. A second field of interest was focused towards the design and development of Novel Semiconductor Devices exploiting nanostructure technology. This comprises optical detectors and memories with nanometer lateral dimensions, microwave detectors and sources up to the 300 GHz regime, innovative tunable and surface-emitting semiconductor lasers for the wavelength range 0.9 to 2 ,m, and nitride-based resonant tunnelling diodes. Some of the device innovations have meanwhile become commercial products proving also the practical importance of this research area. The articles in this special issue relate to the projects of the last three-years' funding period from 2000 to 2003 and are organized along these two topical areas. We would like to thank the numerous reviewers for their valuable comments and the editorial staff of physica status solidi (c) for their extremely helpful support. The funding by the German Research Foundation over the full project time and the continued monitoring and advice by its representatives Dr. Klaus Wehrberger and Dr. Peter Heil are gratefully acknowledged by all previous members and co-workers of this Collaborative Research Centre. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Priority Programme of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Group III-Nitrides and Their Heterostructures: Growth, Characterization and ApplicationsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 6 2003Friedhelm Bechstedt This Special Issue contains a series of Review Articles on several aspects of epitaxy, materials science, and applications of group-III nitride films and heterostructures, written by participants of the Priority Programme (SPP) 1032 of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Main topics included are deposition and structure, electronic and optical properties as well as devices and device issues. [source] ,Fair Value' for Financial Instruments: How Erasing Theory is Leading to Unworkable Global Accounting Standards for Performance ReportingAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 21 2000JOANNE HORTON The LASC is pursuing proposals for accounting for financial instruments that are conceptually flawed and unworkable in practice. "Fair value" has been elevated to a catch-all concept to resolve measurement issues objectively. Adoption of fair value, as cuwently interpreted by standard-setters (eg, by the FASB in Concepts Statement No. 7, issued in February 2000), threatens to drive out a long-understood, theory-based approach to the rationales for cuwent value accounting , founded on "deprival value" , that has recently been comprehensively restated in Accounting Theory Monograph 10, issued by the Australian Accounting Research Foundation in 1998, and reaffirmed in the UK Accounting Standards Board's Statement of Principles for Financial Repovting, issued in December 1999. [source] Verbundverhalten von vorgespannten Litzen in UHPCBETON- UND STAHLBETONBAU, Issue 6 2010Teil 1: Versuche zur Verbundfestigkeit und zur Übertragungslänge Spannbeton; Versuche; Bewehrung; Baustoffe Abstract Ultra-Hochfester Beton (UHPC = Ultra-High Performance Concrete) ist hervorragend geeignet für vorgespannte Bauteile. Um eine sichere und dennoch wirtschaftliche Bemessung von vorgespannten Trägern mit sofortigem Verbund vornehmen zu können, muss das Verankerungsverhalten der Litzen bekannt sein. Die hohen Verbundfestigkeiten führen zu kurzen Übertragungslängen und verbessern dadurch die Querkrafttragfähigkeit. Bei Vorspannung mit sofortigem Verbund ist eine Mindestbetondeckung entscheidend, um Längsrisse im Verankerungsbereich zu vermeiden, die einen erheblichen Verlust an Verbundfestigkeit und im Extremfall ein Verankerungsversagen zur Folge haben. In diesem Beitrag, der im Rahmen des von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft geförderten Schwerpunktprogramms SPP 1182 entstand, werden die Untersuchungsergebnisse zum Verbundverhalten von Litzen in UHPC vorgestellt. Teil 1 behandelt die experimentellen Untersuchungen und Teil 2 die Herleitung eines Verbundmodells zur Berechnung der Übertragungslänge. Bond Behavior of prestressed Strands in UHPC. Part 1: Tests on Bond Strength and Transfer Length Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is an appropriate construction material for pretensioned girders. To ensure an economic and safe design a detailed knowledge of the behavior of pretensioned strands in the anchorage zone is essential. The dimension of the bond anchorage zone favors the cost-effective design of pretensioned girders, especially when the shear resistance is decisive. However, a minimum concrete cover has to be maintained to avoid splitting cracks in the transmission zone, since they lead to an uncontrolled increase in transfer length and may cause a premature anchorage failure. This paper, which resulted from the priority program SPP 1182 funded by the German Research Foundation, presents the results of investigations on the bond behavior of strands in UHPC. Part 1 deals with the experimental investigations and in part 2 a bond model is derived to design the transfer length. [source] The Blout Laboratory at Harvard Medical School from 1957 to 1972,BIOPOLYMERS, Issue 5 2008Elizabeth R. Simons Abstract Elkan R. Blout's laboratory at the Children's Cancer Research Foundation and Harvard Medical School pioneered many approaches to the synthesis, conformation and structural studies of polypeptides, biopolymers and selected proteins. Here the early days (1957,1972) of his research group are remembered. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 89: 336,337, 2008. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The "Published Online" date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com [source] Continuing education meets the learning organization: The challenge of a systems approach to patient safetyTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 4 2000John M. Eisenberg MD Director Abstract Since the release of the report of the Institute of Medicine on medical errors and patient safety in November 1999, health policy makers and health care leaders in several nations have sought solutions that will improve the safety of health care. This attention to patient safety has highlighted the importance of a learning approach and a systems approach to quality measurement and improvement. Balanced with the need for public disclosure of performance, confidential reporting with feedback is one of the prime ways that nations such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia have approached this challenge. In the United States, the Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force has convened federal agencies that are involved in health care quality improvement for a coordinated initiative. Based on an investment in a strong research foundation in health care quality measurement and improvement, there are eight key lessons for continuing education if it is to parlay the interest in patient safety into enhanced continuing education and quality improvement in learning health care systems. The themes for these lessons are (1) informatics for information, (2) guidelines as learning tools, (3) learning from opinion leaders, (4) learning from the patient, (5) decision support systems, (6) the team learning together, (7) learning organizations, and (8) just-in-time and point-of-care delivery. [source] Policy entrepreneurship for poverty reduction: bridging research and policy in international developmentJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2005Julius Court Bridging research and policy is a topic of growing practical and scholarly interest in both North and South. Contributions by four experienced practitioners and in four papers by researchers illustrate the value of existing frameworks and add four new lessons: the need for donors and research foundations to foster research capacity and to protect it from political interference; the need for researchers to use detailed case material in order to inform high-level policy debates within and across national boundaries, often by working in cross-country teams; the importance of presenting research results in such a way that they cannot be over-simplified; and the value of creating alliances between researchers and civil society advocacy groups. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||