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The impact of political conflict on moral maturity: a cross-national perspective.

This cross-national study of moral reasoning among adolescents in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, addresses the problem of possible moral truncation in Northern Ireland due to the political conflict. The Sociomoral Reflection Measure-Short Form (SRM-SF; Gibbs et al. (1992) Moral Maturity: Measuring the Development of Sociomoral Reflection. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Erlbaum. was presented to a proportionate stratified sample of 14-15 year olds (n = 613) from three locations including a small town, large town and city in each country to control for urbanization. This adolescent sample consisted of participants from both of Northern Ireland's religious communities and was matched for age and sex. Analysis of the results suggested that despite the violent atmosphere over the last 30 years, the Northern Irish adolescents were not developmentally delayed in moral terms as previously feared (Fraser (1972) Special Education,61, 6-8; Fields (1973). A Society on the Run: A Psychology of Northern Ireland. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin; (1976) Northern Ireland: Society Under Siege. New Brunswick and London: Transaction Books; Lyons (1973) The Northern Teacher, 19-30)

Adolescent↗

Multiple DNA-protein interactions governing high-precision DNA transactions.

The precise association of DNA-binding proteins with localized regions of DNA is crucial for regulated replication and expression of the genome. For certain DNA transactions, the requirement for precision in localization and control is extremely high. High-precision events amenable to detailed biochemical analysis are the initiation of DNA replication and site-specific recombination by bacteriophage lambda and Escherichia coli. Recent experiments indicate that site-localization and control in these reactions involves the association of DNA-bound proteins to generate organized nucleoprotein structures in which the DNA is folded or wound. These specialized nucleoprotein structures are likely to provide the requisite accuracy for site localization and the necessary regulated reactivity to direct the DNA transaction. Multiple DNA-protein interactions are also required for controlled transcription of the eukaryotic genome. Distant upstream regulator and enhancer sequences may define protein-binding sites that form part of a reactive nucleoprotein structure capable of initiating transcription.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Contribution of trans-acting factor alleles to normal physiological variability: vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism and circulating osteocalcin.

Osteocalcin, the most abundant noncollagenous protein in bone, is a marker of bone turnover in normal and disease states. Its synthesis is induced by calcitriol, the active hormonal form of vitamin D, through the vitamin D receptor and a specific vitamin D-responsive element in the osteocalcin gene promoter. Serum concentrations of osteocalcin are under strong genetic influence. To ascertain whether variability in circulating osteocalcin levels may reflect allelic variation in the vitamin D receptor gene, we have analyzed the relationship between frequent restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs, detected by endonucleases Bsm I, EcoRV, and Apa I) that define human vitamin D receptor alleles and serum osteocalcin in a cohort of normal subjects. In 91 Caucasian subjects, RFLPs in the vitamin D receptor gene predicted circulating osteocalcin levels (P less than 0.0001) independent of age or menopause effects. Since the osteocalcin gene and the vitamin D receptor gene are encoded on different chromosomes, the interaction between these two genes occurs in trans. Thus, common alleles of this trans-acting factor, the vitamin D receptor, are functionally different and contribute to "normal" physiological variability in osteocalcin levels. Preliminary analysis in monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs indicates that the greater diversity in lumbar spine density between the dizygotic pairs can be explained by divergence in vitamin D receptor alleles. Variations in this receptor and other transacting factor genes may confound physiological studies of regulation of target genes and will need to be considered in future human and animal studies. This approach to genetic analysis provides a paradigm for the study of functional variation in trans-acting factors and the role such variation may play in the generation and evolution of physiological diversity.

Alleles↗

Roles of MAP kinases in the regulation of bone matrix gene expressions in human osteoblasts by oscillatory fluid flow.

We investigated the effects of oscillatory flow in regulating the gene expressions of type I collagen (COL1, the main component of human bone tissues) and osteopontin (OPN, the key gene for calcium deposition) in human osteoblast-like (MG-63) cells, and the roles of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in this regulation. The cells were subjected to oscillatory flow (0.5 +/- 4 dyn/cm(2)) or kept under static condition for various time periods (15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, and 16 h). Oscillatory flow caused significant up-regulations of both COL1 and OPN gene expressions over the 16 h of study, and a transient activation of MAPKs was starting at 15 min and declining to basal level in 2 h. The flow-induction of COL1 was blocked by an ERK inhibitor (PD98059) and reduced by a JNK inhibitor (SP600125), whereas that of OPN was abolished by PD98059. Analysis of the cis-elements in the COL1 and OPN promoters suggests the involvement of transacting factors Elk-1 and AP-1 in the transcription regulation. The ERK inhibitor (PD98059) blocked Elk-1 phosphorylation, as well as COL1 and OPN gene expression. The JNK inhibitor (SP600125) abolished c-jun phosphorylation and COL1 expression. These results suggest that the flow-induction of OPN was mediated through the ERK-Elk1-OPN pathway, and that COL1 was regulated by both the ERK-Elk1-COL1 and JNK-c-JUN-COL1 pathway.

Bone Matrix↗

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation reactions in the regulation of nuclear functions.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is a post-translational modification of proteins. During this process, molecules of ADP-ribose are added successively on to acceptor proteins to form branched polymers. This modification is transient but very extensive in vivo, as polymer chains can reach more than 200 units on protein acceptors. The existence of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymer was first reported nearly 40 years ago. Since then, the importance of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis has been established in many cellular processes. However, a clear and unified picture of the physiological role of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation still remains to be established. The total dependence of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis on DNA strand breaks strongly suggests that this post-translational modification is involved in the metabolism of nucleic acids. This view is also supported by the identification of direct protein-protein interactions involving poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (113 kDa PARP), an enzyme catalysing the formation of poly(ADP-ribose), and key effectors of DNA repair, replication and transcription reactions. The presence of PARP in these multiprotein complexes, in addition to the actual poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of some components of these complexes, clearly supports an important role for poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation reactions in DNA transactions. Accordingly, inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis by any of several approaches and the analysis of PARP-deficient cells has revealed that the absence of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation strongly affects DNA metabolism, most notably DNA repair. The recent identification of new poly(ADP-ribosyl)ating enzymes with distinct (non-standard) structures in eukaryotes and archaea has revealed a novel level of complexity in the regulation of poly(ADP-ribose) metabolism.

Animals↗

Intermediate sanctions flow charts.

In this Article, the author presents and explains two flow charts that facilitate the analysis of the intermediate sanctions provisions. The first chart guides one in determining whether a particular transaction is subject to the sanctions. The second assists in calculating the monetary amount of any applicable sanction.

Algorithms↗

Transposon tagging and molecular analysis of the maize regulatory locus opaque-2.

Genetic analyses suggested that the opaque-2 (o2) locus in maize acts as a positive, transacting, transcriptional activator of the zein seed storage-protein genes. Because isolation of the gene is requisite to understanding the molecular details of this regulation, transposon mutagenesis with the transposable element suppressor-mutator (Spm) was carried out, and three mutable o2 alleles were obtained. One of these alleles contained an 8.3-kilobase autonomous Spm, another a 6.8-kilobase nonautonomous Spm, and the third an unidentified transposon that is unrelated to Spm. A DNA sequence flanking the autonomous Spm insertion was verified to be o2-specific and provided a probe to clone a wild-type allele. Northern blots indicated that the gene is expressed in wild-type endosperm but not in leaf tissues or in endosperms homozygous for a mutant allele of the O2 gene. A transcript was detected in endosperms homozygous for mutations at opaque-7 and floury-2, an indication that O2 expression is independent of these two other putative regulators of zein synthesis.

Alleles↗

Transaction costs, externalities and information technology in health care.

This paper discusses some of the economic issues which underpin the rationale for investment in information and communications technologies (ICTs). Information imperfections lead to significant transaction costs (search, negotiating and monitoring) which in turn confer a negative externality on parties involved in exchange. This divergence in private and social costs leads to a degree of resource misallocation (efficiency loss) which, uncorrected, results in a sub-optimal outcome. Traditional solutions to this problem are to rely upon direct government action to reduce the costs of transacting between market agents, or to employ tax/subsidy measures and other legislative action to achieve the desired market outcome. Three key policy questions are raised in the context of the NHS purchaser/provider relationship. Firstly, what is the optimum level of transaction costs; secondly, can ICTs assist in lowering the level of transaction costs to the optimum level; thirdly, who should bear the investment cost in reducing the level of transaction costs? The issue of property rights in different information systems is discussed and raises interesting policy questions about how much investment should be undertaken centrally rather than devolved to a more local level. In some ways this economic framework offers a post hoc justification of why different ICT systems have been introduced at various levels of the NHS. Essentially this reduces to the problem of externalities: providing good information confers a positive externality: not providing relevant, timely and accurate information confers a negative externality, by increasing further the level of transaction costs. The crucial role which ICT systems can play lies in attempting to reduce the level of transaction costs and driving the market towards what Dahlman has described as the transaction-cost-constrained equilibrium.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

[Every day life experiences of healthy and mobility impaired elderly patients].

Studies on the everyday life of the elderly often deal with visible behavior. In this study, the subjective experience of the everyday living environment was investigated, paying special consideration to the role of mobility impairment. Two approaches, one oriented toward the subject's experience of the home environment, another oriented toward the environmental specifics of the individual's favorite place, were employed. Is the experience of living at home different for individuals with various levels of competence? Which aspects are perceived to be the most important? 84 men and women aged 62-92 years (M = 77 years) participated in the study. 42 persons were generally healthy; the other 42 subjects suffered from severe mobility impairment. The experience of the everyday environment was assessed in semistructured interviews at home. A content analysis of the data gathered using the person-oriented approach resulted in five experiential categories. Differences between healthy and mobility impaired adults were found in the experience of cognitive, biographical, and spatial dimensions of the living environment. Similarities were found in the experience of emotional, social, and behavioral dimensions of one's home. Competence loss played an important role in how the subjects experienced living at home, yet even the mobility impaired experienced their home as an environment which could be shaped. The environment-oriented approach showed that the favorite place of mobility impaired persons was characterized by higher spatial density. Finally, an examination of four home environment profiles using cluster analysis illustrated the connection between both person- and environment-oriented approaches and offered insights into a transactional perspective of person and environment. Even though the subjective experience of one's home environment is not easily quantifiable in terms of maintaining everyday competence, it nonetheless imparts meaning to the elderly person's daily life.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Risk and protective factors affecting the adjustment of siblings of children with chronic disabilities.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the adjustment of nondisabled siblings of handicapped children. METHOD: In a 3-year longitudinal study, 46 siblings of children with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), 45 siblings of children with Down syndrome, and 46 siblings of developmentally normal children (serving as controls) were examined at time 1 using the sibling, primary caretaker, and teacher as informants. Both direct and indirect variables related to sibling adjustment were considered. RESULTS: Significantly more difficulties were found in the siblings of children with PDD compared with the other two groups. Different correlates of adjustment were present in the siblings of the disabled compared with nondisabled children, and mediating factors differed in parent and teacher reports of internalizing difficulties in siblings of children with PDD. Marital satisfaction, lack of parental depression, a cohesive family, and a warm, nonconflictual sibling relationship were protective for normal control and Down syndrome siblings but not for PDD siblings. CONCLUSION: Findings underline the risks for the siblings of children with PDD and suggest the importance of a transactional mechanism rather than identification of single risk or protective factors in predicting sibling adjustment. Subsequent data analysis in this longitudinal study will assist in defining these mechanisms and allow for improved intervention strategies.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Neuropsychological effects of lead in children: interactions with social background variables.

Following a short and selective summary of findings from psychological studies on lead-induced cognitive dysfunction in man, our own studies in lead-exposed children are briefly described in more detail. These studies, run in the cities of Duisburg and Stolberg, were based on tooth lead levels as the principal indicator of long-term cumulative lead exposure. From a comprehensive sample of neuropsychological outcome measures, only few significant findings emerged, namely lead-related deficits of visual-motor integration and of reaction performance, but not of general intelligence. Without exception, the observed lead effects were small compared to those of social background. An interesting interaction was found between lead exposure and social background for visual-motor integration and for reaction performance: for both these measures, but not for intelligence, the degree of association between performance deficit and lead exposure was more pronounced in socially disadvantaged children than in those from a more middle-class background. This finding was tentatively discussed within a transactional model of development. The common practice of simply controlling the effects of confounding social factors by analysis of covariance or related techniques appears doubtful in this context.

Achievement↗

The logic in ecological: II. The logic of design.

The utility of ecological studies is considered in terms of the salience of their designs and is exemplified in four levels: obligate and apt; optional and apt; optional, not apt but convenient; and maladroit (neither obligate, apt, nor justifiable by convenience). Ecological studies are obligate when they are the only choice available, either because of the question asked (as in testing differences between groups and discovering group effects), or where there are "dependent happenings" (as in transactions involving more than one individual), or because individual data are lacking. Apt studies are logically appropriate; analysis and results are not extrapolated beyond necessity or without precautions. Obligate studies enforced by lack of individual data may be apt or less than apt. Optional ecological studies may be apt or, if less than apt, they may yet be convenient. Maladroit studies are neither obligate, apt, nor convenient. Each class of study is illustrated by examples ordered according to a standard design hierarchy.

Ecology↗

Bridging clinical information systems and grid middleware: a Medical Data Manager.

This paper describes the effort to deploy a Medical Data Management service on top of the EGEE grid infrastructure. The most widely accepted medical image standard, DICOM, was developed for fulfilling clinical practice. It is implemented in most medical image acquisition and analysis devices. The EGEE middleware is using the SRM standard for handling grid files. Our prototype is exposing an SRM compliant interface to the grid middleware, transforming on the fly SRM requests into DICOM transactions. The prototype ensures user identification, strict file access control and data protection through the use of relevant grid services. This Medical Data Manager is easing the access to medical databases needed for many medical data analysis applications deployed today. It offers a high level data management service, compatible with clinical practices, which encourages the migration of medical applications towards grid infrastructures. A limited scale testbed has been deployed as a proof of concept of this new service. The service is expected to be put into production with the next EGEE middleware generation.

Databases as Topic↗

Linkages between coping and psychological outcome in the spinal cord lesioned: development of SCL-related measures.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. OBJECTIVES: To investigate relationships between coping and mental well-being with clinical relevance to spinal cord lesion (SCL). SETTING: The Gothenburg Spinal Injuries Unit in Sweden. METHODS: The study sample comprised 274 persons. From in-depth interviews, literature reviews, and the transactional theory of stress and coping, items reflecting coping and psychological outcome, respectively were generated. Principal components factor analysis, multi-trait analysis, and structural equation modelling were used. RESULTS: The coping scale comprised three factors: Acceptance (i.e. revaluation of life values); Fighting spirit (i.e. efforts to behave independently); Social reliance (i.e. a tendency towards dependent behaviour). The outcome scale included the factors: Helplessness (i.e. feeling perplexed, out of control and low self-esteem); Intrusion (i.e. bitterness and brooding); Personal growth (i.e. positive outcomes of life crisis). Acceptance showed a positive relation to Personal growth and was inversely related to both Helplessness and Intrusion. Fighting spirit had a weak negative association to Helplessness and a weak positive association to Personal growth. Social reliance was positively related to Helplessness and Intrusion. Only Social reliance showed any association to neurological status. Those lesioned 1-4 years reported more Helplessness, Intrusion, Social reliance, and less Acceptance than those lesioned >or=5 years. CONCLUSION: Coping is related to psychological outcome in SCL. Our situational coping measure may be a candidate to assess intervention effects.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Building the information infrastructure required for managed care.

PURPOSE: To describe the information used by health care purchasers, policymakers, and administrators when making the decisions required in a managed-care environment and what the profession must do to develop an information infrastructure to demonstrate its contribution to patient outcomes. SCOPE: Managed care has created a competitive environment for all health care organizations in which they must offer the best value for their dollar. The purchasing processes germane to managed care rely heavily on information for the selection of cost-effective providers and the provision of efficient care. Information used in these processes is derived from transaction systems that largely describe physician and other health care worker's services, but not nursing care. Data analysis by computers requires that data be obtained using a standardized language. Currently, nursing lacks a unified approach to the use of a standardized nursing language. CONCLUSIONS: Individual nurses, nurse managers, executives, and educators should strive to develop an information infrastructure that will overcome barriers. Nurses should both adopt a unified approach to a standardized language, and develop a nationwide information infrastructure that will demonstrate nursing's contribution to patient outcomes.

Contract Services↗

Toward best practice: leveraging the electronic patient record as a clinical data warehouse.

Automating clinical and administrative processes via an electronic patient record (EPR) gives clinicians the point-of-care tools they need to deliver better patient care. However, to improve clinical practice as a whole and then evaluate it, healthcare must go beyond basic automation and convert EPR data into aggregated, multidimensional information. Unfortunately, few EPR systems have the established, powerful analytical clinical data warehouses (CDWs) required for this conversion. This article describes how an organization can support best practice by leveraging a CDW that is fully integrated into its EPR and clinical decision support (CDS) system. The article (1) discusses the requirements for comprehensive CDS, including on-line analytical processing (OLAP) of data at both transactional and aggregate levels, (2) suggests that the transactional data acquired by an OLTP EPR system must be remodeled to support retrospective, population-based, aggregate analysis of those data, and (3) concludes that this aggregate analysis is best provided by a separate CDW system.

Benchmarking↗

Molecular genetic analysis of cold-regulated gene transcription.

Chilling and freezing temperatures adversely affect the productivity and quality of crops. Hence improving the cold hardiness of crop plants is an important goal in agriculture, which demands a clear understanding of cold stress signal perception and transduction. Pharmacological and biochemical evidence shows that membrane rigidification followed by cytoskeleton rearrangement, Ca(2+) influx and Ca(2+)-dependent phosphorylation are involved in cold stress signal transduction. Cold-responsive genes are regulated through C-repeat/dehydration-responsive elements (CRT/DRE) and abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive element cis elements by transacting factors C-repeat binding factors/dehydration-responsive element binding proteins (CBFs/DREBs) and basic leucine zippers (bZIPs) (SGBF1), respectively. We have carried out a forward genetic analysis using chemically mutagenized Arabidopsis plants expressing cold-responsive RD29A promoter-driven luciferase to dissect cold signal transduction. We have isolated the fiery1 (fry1) mutant and cloned the FRY1 gene, which encodes an inositol polyphosphate 1-phosphatase. The fry1 plants showed enhanced induction of stress genes in response to cold, ABA, salt and dehydration due to higher accumulation of the second messenger, inositol (1,4,5)- triphosphate (IP(3)). Thus our study provides genetic evidence suggesting that cold signal is transduced through changes in IP(3) levels. We have also identified the hos1 mutation, which showed super induction of cold-responsive genes and their transcriptional activators. Molecular cloning and characterization revealed that HOS1 encodes a ring finger protein, which has been implicated as an E3 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme. HOS1 is present in the cytoplasm at normal growth temperatures but accumulates in the nucleus upon cold stress. HOS1 appears to regulate temperature sensing by the cell as cold-responsive gene expression occurs in the hos1 mutant at relatively warm temperatures. Thus HOS1 is a negative regulator, which may be functionally linked to cellular thermosensors to modulate cold-responsive gene transcription.

Acclimatization↗

Expression cloning of a GM3-specific alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase (GD3 synthase).

A cDNA encoding a GM3-specific alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase (GD3 synthase) was obtained from an expression cDNA library of human melanoma cell line WM266-4 by enrichment of Namalwa KJM-1 cells highly expressing GD3 using an anti-GD3 antibody and a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Selection of B-cell line Namalwa cells expressing transfected cDNAs in the presence of anti-GD3 monoclonal antibody KM641 gave a cDNA (pAMo-GD3) encoding a protein with a type II transmembrane topology as found for mammalian glycosyltransferases. The following evidence confirms that the cDNA encodes an alpha-2,8-sialyltransferase, which specifically converts GM3 to GD3. (i) Transfection of pAMo-GD3 into Namalwa KJM-1 cells leads to the appearance of GD3 and a GD3 synthase activity. (ii) Northern blot analysis revealed a correlation between the expression of this gene and GD3 in several cell lines. (iii) The putative COOH-terminal active domain of this cloned enzyme fused with protein A has been purified with IgG-Sepharose beads and has been shown to possess GD3-synthesizing activity, excluding the possibility that the cloned cDNA encodes a transacting factor inducing a GD3 synthase. The deduced primary sequence also contains the "sialyl motif" conserved among all the sialyltransferases cloned to date. The polymerase chain reaction analysis reveals that this gene is located on chromosome 12.

Amino Acid Sequence↗