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Complexity, communication between cells, and identifying the functional components of living systems: some observations.

The concept of 'complexity' has become very important in theoretical biology. It is a many faceted concept and too new and ill defined to have a universally accepted meaning. This review examines the development of this concept from the point of view of its usefulness as a criteria for the study of living systems to see what it has to offer as a new approach. In particular, one definition of complexity has been put forth which has the necessary precision and rigor to be considered as a useful categorization of systems, especially as it pertains to those we call 'living'. This definition, due to Robert Rosen, has been developed in a number of works and involves some deep new concepts about the way we view systems. In particular, it focuses on the way we view the world and actually practice science through the use of the modelling relation. This mathematical object models the process by which we assign meaning to the world we perceive. By using the modelling relation, it is possible to identify the subjective nature of our practices and deal with this issue explicitly. By so doing, it becomes clear that our notion of complexity and especially its most popular manifestations, is in large part a product of the historical processes which lead to the present state of scientific epistemology. In particular, it is a reaction to the reductionist/mechanistic view of nature which can be termed the 'Newtonian Paradigm'. This approach to epistemology has dominated for so that its use as a model has become implicit in most of what we do in and out of science. The alternative to this approach is examined and related to the special definition of complexity given by Rosen. Some historical examples are used to emphasize the dependence of our view of what is complex in a popular sense on the ever changing state of our knowledge. The role of some popular concepts such as chaotic dynamics are examined in this context. The fields of artificial life and related areas are also viewed from the perspective of this rigorous view of complexity and found lacking. The notion that in some way life exists 'at the edge of chaos' is examined from the perspective of the second law of thermodynamics given by Schneider and Kay. Finally, the casual elements in complex systems are explored in relation to complexity. Rosen has shown that a clear difference in causal relations exists between complex and simple systems and that this difference leads to a uniquely useful definition of what we mean by 'living'. Rosen makes it very clear that the class of systems which are complex is a much larger class than those which we call living. For that reason, the focus of this review will be on complexity as a stepping stone towards the deeper question of what makes a system alive.

Animals↗

Hyper-tension: a folk illness with a medical name.

Individual illness belief systems form a cognitive structure which lies beneath the cultural and social aspect of health care in a community. Popular belief systems are different from, yet linked to, expert belief systems. Popular illness terms often help support a stable cultural milieu by linking concepts of causes and significance of types of illness problems with a set of health care seeking choices; as well as linking typical physical and psychological symptoms with associated social problems. This study presents an example of how illness beliefs perform these functions in urban, mainstream America. One hundred and seventeen people with biomedically defined hypertension were interviewed following the Explanatory Models format. The belief held by 72% of this sample was that they had 'Hyper-Tension,' a physical illness characterized by excessive nervousness caused by untoward social stress. The data are used to derive a composite diagram of the cognitive domain of 'Hyper-Tension' in American which demonstrates the various options people have for interpreting their experiences and choosing appropriate therapeutic actions. They use this illness belief system to justify otherwise unwarranted social behavior and to assume various aspects of the sick role. This popular model is compared and contrasted with the professional model of the disease 'hypertension' and with other less frequent models which were observed in this sample.

Adult↗

Cultural adaptability as an attribute of therapies: the case of Morita psychotherapy.

Morita psychotherapy, a form of therapy developed in Japan some sixty years ago, has survived extensive changes in Japanese society, and is now enjoying popularity in the United States. This gives us an opportunity to look closely at the concept of 'cultural fit' between an important therapeutic technique and its social milieu, and to speculate about recent changes in American culture that may account for the growing popularity of Moritism. In contrast to Western style 'talking therapies' like psychoanalysis, Morita psychotherapy is relatively group-centered, ritualistic, and behavioristic. On would expect to find these features in a Japanese therapy, but their acceptance in America suggests that previously popular Western techniques may not be optimum for handling certain problems of the post-industrial American. McLuhan, Peacock, Douglas, and others have suggested some emerging traits of Western character that might shed some light on this question.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Behavior patterns of socially rejected and neglected preadolescents: the roles of social approach and aggression.

Sociometric nominations were used to select groups of popular, average, rejected, and neglected third- and fifth-grade children. In two studies, the peer interactive behaviors of these children were naturalistically observed in their classrooms and on the playground. In contrast to popular children, rejected children displayed fewer task-appropriate behaviors and more task-inappropriate and aggressive behaviors. Whereas rejected children prosocially approached peers as frequently as did popular children, peer responses to the approaches of rejected children were more likely to be negative. Neglected children, on the other hand, displayed relatively few task-inappropriate and aggressive behaviors, and socially approached peers infrequently. Their approaches also met with frequent rebuff by peers. The findings were discussed in terms of the behavioral bases of sociometric status. Suggestions were made for clinical researchers interested in behavioral change with rejected and neglected children.

Achievement↗

Validation of a role-play measure of children's social skills.

A videotape-administered role-play test of children's social skills was developed and its psychometric properties tested. Performance criteria for the test were derived from popular children's ratings of the effectiveness of different role-play responses. The test was administered to 157 fourth- and fifth-grade boys and girls who had been classified as popular, average, neglected, or rejected, on the basis of sociometric testing. The test evidenced good interrater, test-retest, and internal consistency reliabilities. Children's role-play performance correlated significantly with teacher ratings of social competence and with peer-liking ratings. Neglected children performed more poorly on the role-play test than popular children. When differences in intelligence among social status groups were statistically controlled, social status groups did not differ on the role-play test. Results of the discriminant analyses support the conclusion that teacher ratings are better than role-play tests for identifying rejected children, whereas role-play tests and measures of intelligence appear more accurate than teacher ratings for identifying neglected children.

Child↗

The initial social encounters of high and low social effectiveness school-aged children.

The initial social encounters of 30 pairs of unacquainted high/high, high/low, and low/low popularity status third- and fourth-grade boys and girls were observed in an analogue free-play setting. Pairwise comparisons revealed that the dyads did not differ according to pairing on the exchange of global play information. The low/low popularity dyads, as compared to the high/high and the high/low popularity dyads, exchanged significantly less personal information as indexed by both the patterns and the content of personal information exchange. Analyses revealed no differences between the high/high and high/low dyads on the patterns and content of personal information exchange. However, as compared to the high/high dyads, the high/low dyads and the low/low dyads were less likely to evidence a pattern of initial steps in their social encounters that began with greeting and introduction and that was followed by the exchange of play information. The observations of the high/high dyads were considered as a model for developing social skills training programs designed to facilitate acquaintanceship development, and the need for further research on the processes underlying peer pairing and the components of social skillfulness was discussed.

Child↗

[Two consecutive pregnancies in a type 1 diabetic under treatment with insulin Lispro].

BACKGROUND: Glucose control is mandatory in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes to keep the incidence of malformations and complications low. Insulin Lispro is a new and popular fast-acting insulin analog used for intensified insulin therapy. Although popular among young patients, this drug has not been licensed for use in pregnancy due to a possibly increased risk of fetal malformations. CASE REPORT: Retrospectively, the case of a 34-year-old woman with diabetes type 1, gravid III and para III, which carried her second and third child full time under Lispro treatment, was analyzed. We performed an interview of the patient and her doctors. Additionally, the pregnancy documents along with the examination documents of the children, our patient files, and the blood glucose documentation were investigated. Contrary to the first pregnancy which was carried out in the absence of Lispro (first degree hip dysplasia), both subsequent pregnancies were completely normal despite continuous Lispro therapy. HbA(1c) values in the range of 4.9-5.9% showed an adequate glucose control throughout these pregnancies. CONCLUSION: This case supports the hypothesis that insulin Lispro which is highly popular among young patients can safely and effectively be used in pregnancies. In order to be able to adequately assess possible risks associated with this application, additional cases need to be documented and analyzed.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗

Refinements of vertical scar mammaplasty: circumvertical skin excision design with limited inferior pole subdermal undermining and liposculpture of the inframammary crease.

Vertical scar mammaplasty, first described by Lötsch in 1923 and Dartigues in 1924 for mastopexy, was extended later to breast reduction by Arié in 1957. It was otherwise lost to surgical history until Lassus began experimenting with it in 1964. It then was extended by Marchac and de Olarte, finally to be popularized by Lejour. Despite initial skepticism, vertical reduction mammaplasty is becoming increasingly popular in recent years because it best incorporates the two concepts of minimal scarring and a satisfactory breast shape. At the moment, vertical scar techniques seem to be more popular in Europe than in the United States. A recent survey, however, has demonstrated that even in the United States, it has surpassed the rate of inverted T-scar breast reductions. The technique, however, is not without major drawbacks, such as long vertical scars extending below the inframammary crease and excessive skin gathering and "dog-ear" at the lower end of the scar that may require long periods for resolution, causing extreme distress to patients and surgeons alike. Efforts are being made to minimize these complications and make the procedure more user-friendly either by modifying it or by replacing it with an alternative that retains the same advantages. Although conceptually opposed to the standard vertical design, the circumvertical modification probably is the most important maneuver for shortening vertical scars. Residual dog-ears often are excised, resulting in a short transverse scar (inverted T- or L-scar). The authors describe limited subdermal undermining of the skin at the inferior edge of the vertical incisions with liposculpture of the inframammary crease, avoiding scar extension altogether. Simplified circumvertical drawing that uses the familiar Wise pattern also is described.

Cicatrix↗

Identification and detection of genetic relatedness among important varieties of pea (Pisum sativum L.) grown in India.

Among the cool season legume crops grown in India and the Indian sub-continent, peas are very popular and preferred by the growers as well as consumers for various uses. The third largest area in pea cultivation is occupied by India after Canada and Russia. Among the important and popular varieties of peas that are grown in India, several are from exotic background. But very little work has been done to carry out the genetic diversity present in the widely adapted Indian pea varieties using DNA markers. Twenty-four most popular and widely adapted varieties were subjected to RAPD analysis to find out the genetic relatedness among them using 60 decamer primers. All the primers used in our study were found to be polymorphic and seven of them showed 100% polymorphism. Out of 579 amplified products, 433 showed polymorphism (74.8%). On an average, 9.65 bands were amplified per primer. Cluster analysis based on Jaccard's similarity coefficient using UPGMA grouped all the tall type varieties together, whereas, dwarf types formed two different clusters based upon their pedigree. The arithmetic mean heterozygosity (Hav) value and marker index (MI) was found to be 0.496 and 4.787, respectively, thus this indicated the efficiency of RAPD as a marker system. Moreover, the calculated value of probability of identical match by chance suggested that about 10(53) genotypes can be unambiguously distinguish by employing 60 RAPD primers.

DNA Fingerprinting↗

Childhood peer reputation as a predictor of competence and symptoms 10 years later.

This study examined the differential developmental significance of multiple domains of peer reputation in childhood for current and future competence and symptoms. Participants were 205 children from a normative school cohort who completed assessments in grades 3-6 and then again 10 years later. Through re-analysis of original data from the Revised Class Play (RCP; N=612), new narrow-band subscales were examined as distinct correlates and predictors of competence in age-relevant developmental tasks and psychological well being as indexed by internalizing symptoms. Findings support the differentiation of peer exclusion, withdrawal, and sadness within the broad sensitive-isolated domain of reputation, as well as the distinctive meaning of reputations for Popularity-Leadership and Prosocial Behavior within the broad Sociable-Leader domain. When the Sensitive-Isolated predictors were considered, academic and job competence at the 10-year follow-up were predicted uniquely and negatively by peer exclusion, problems in the social and romantic domains were predicted distinctively by withdrawal from peers, and internalizing symptoms were uniquely predicted by childhood reputation as Sad-Sensitive. When the Sociable-Leader predictors were considered, academic and (for ethnic minority youth) job success was predicted by a Prosocial reputation, social success was forecasted by Popularity-Leadership, and romantic competence was predicted positively by Popularity-Leadership and negatively by Prosocial reputation. Negative academic and job outcomes were also predicted by a childhood reputation as Aggressive-Disruptive. Results are discussed in relation to conceptualizing and measuring peer social competence and its relation to later adaptation.

Achievement↗

Peer standing and substance use in early-adolescent grade-level networks: a short-term longitudinal study.

Two competing hypotheses were tested concerning the associations between current alcohol and cigarette use and measures of individual, group and network peer standing in an ethnically-diverse sample of 156 male and female adolescents sampled at two time points in the seventh grade. Findings lent greater support to the person hypothesis, with early regular substance users enjoying elevated standing amongst their peers and maintaining this standing regardless of their maintenance of or desistance from current use later in the school year. In the fall semester, users (n=20, 13%) had greater social impact, were described by their peers as more popular, and were more central to the peer network than abstainers (i.e., those who did not report current use).Conversely, in the spring semester, there were no differences between users (n=22, 13%) and abstainers in peer ratings of popularity or social impact. Notably, the spring semester users group retained fewer than half of the users from the fall semester. Further, students who had reported current use in the fall, as a group, retained their positions of elevated peer standing in the spring, compared to all other students, and continued to be rated by their peers as more popular and as having greater social impact. We discuss the findings in terms of the benefit of employing simultaneous systemic and individual measures of peer standing or group prominence, which in the case of peer-based prevention programs, can help clarify the truly influential from the "pretenders" in the case of diffusion of risk-related behaviors.

Adolescent↗

Appropriate utilization and cost control of the hospital laboratory: panel testing and repeat orders.

Analysis of hospital laboratory utilization shows a bi-exponential relationship between the many different test combinations ordered and their frequency of use. This suggests two opposite strategies to reduce test volume. Policy could discourage use of the most popular request combinations to reduce volume, or policy could discourage use of the least popular request combinations to reduce order variety. Analysis of biochemical test orders further suggests that the largest part of test requests is associated with a small number of pathophysiological issues, namely those involving electrolytes, fluid balance, blood lipids, heart, liver, kidney or bone disease. Therefore, efficiency results when a limited number of standard test panels addressing these issues reduce order variety by discouraging infrequently used test combinations. Standard panels can be developed from an analysis of the most popular existing orders, accepting some degree of discrepancy among otherwise overlapping requests. This empiric approach avoids sterile debate about the composition of ideal panels. Since the resources of the laboratory, the mix of patients served and local medical tradition affect test orders, each institution providing health care must develop the standard panels best suited to its needs. Analysis of standing repeat orders suggests they are often used to anticipate potential pathology in stable patients. Therefore, economy results when test volume is reduced by discouraging series of futile repeat tests with unchanging normal results. Unfortunately, an empiric approach to regulate repeat orders is not available and only a more cumbersome process to build a locally agreed upon consensus between providers and users of laboratory services offers itself as a promising solution.

Alabama↗

Planning for primary health care in Nicaragua: a study in revolutionary process.

Recent changes in the political economy of Nicaragua have resulted in significant advances in public health. The improvements are due to changes in the health system which include comprehensive health planning, regionalization of health services and popular participation in health education and mass drug administration programs. Traditional structural approaches to the study of national health systems can benefit from an analysis of the process of change. The research reported herein focuses upon struggles between instructional actors who would professionalize primary health care and those who promote popular participation in the planning and execution of primary care programs. An analysis of decision-making within the Sistema Nacional Unico de Salud illustrates the process whereby a health system undergoes structural change from within. The Nicaraguan case suggests that the changing configuration of health systems is a dynamic process and the result of negotiation among several constituencies amid changing conditions in the world system. The role of a government seeking to democratize health delivery within a socialist political economy is to create and promote constituencies for the popular model and thereby institutionalize the debate.

Delivery of Health Care↗

'If this is what it's doing to our washing, what is it doing to our lungs?' Industrial pollution and public understanding in north-east England.

An epidemiological study of the impact of industrial pollution from a cokeing works in north-east England on the health of a population resident nearby uncovered strong but localised public concern about the possible dangers of air pollution. This paper discusses these popular concerns in the context of empirical findings from the study which examined evidence of ill-health alongside evidence on air quality levels. The substantive issues this paper examines relate to local variations in popular beliefs about health risks, and the relation between such beliefs and measurable differences in health states and status. The methodological issues addressed centre on the difficulties of interpreting this relationship between popular beliefs and concerns, on the one hand, and health experience, or apparent health experience, on the other.

Adult↗

Cognate ligand domain mapping for enzymes.

Here, we present an automatic assignment of potential cognate ligands to domains of enzymes in the CATH and SCOP protein domain classifications on the basis of structural data available in the wwPDB. This procedure involves two steps; firstly, we assign the binding of particular ligands to particular domains; secondly, we compare the chemical similarity of the PDB ligands to ligands in KEGG in order to assign cognate ligands. We find that use of the Enzyme Commission (EC) numbers is necessary to enable efficient and accurate cognate ligand assignment. The PROCOGNATE database currently has cognate ligand mapping for 3277 (4118) protein structures and 351 (302) superfamilies, as described by the CATH and (SCOP) databases, respectively. We find that just under half of all ligands are only and always bound by a single domain, with 16% bound by more than one domain and the remainder of the ligands showing a variety of binding modes. This finding has implications for domain recombination and the evolution of new protein functions. Domain architecture or context is also found to affect substrate specificity of particular domains, and we discuss example cases. The most popular PDB ligands are all found to be generic components of crystallisation buffers, highlighting the non-cognate ligand problem inherent in the PDB. In contrast, the most popular cognate ligands are all found to be universal cellular currencies of reducing power and energy such as NADH, FADH2 and ATP, respectively, reflecting the fact that the vast majority of enzymatic reactions utilise one of these popular co-factors. These ligands all share a common adenine ribonucleotide moiety, suggesting that many different domain superfamilies have converged to bind this chemical framework.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

Could the peer group explain school differences in pupil smoking rates? An exploratory study.

Schools differ in the proportion of their pupils who smoke. Such differences transcend pupil intake characteristics and relate to the internal life of the school. Although adolescents' smoking behaviour has been associated with that of their peers, little consideration has been given to whether peer structures and processes contribute to school differences in pupil smoking rates. In two relatively deprived Scottish schools, one with a higher and one with a lower rate of pupil smoking, 13 and 15 year-olds were surveyed. Sociometric data and information on pupils' smoking behaviour and views were gathered. Twenty-five single-sex discussion groups were then held with a sub-sample of the 13 year-olds in order to explore in detail their views on smoking, smokers and fellow pupils. Findings showed that in the higher smoking school, pupils were more often in groups, smokers were identified as popular, and attitudes (especially among non-smoking females) were more pro-smoking. In the lower smoking school, by contrast, there were more isolates and dyads, there were no popular smokers and attitudes (especially among non-smoking females) were much less pro-smoking. Thus, evidence suggests peer group structures and related influences could be one explanation for school differences in smoking, and that the popularity of smokers together with the views of non-smoking females may be particularly important in creating such differences.

Adolescent↗

A ten-year analysis of surgical education research.

BACKGROUND: Surgical education peer-reviewed publications have markedly increased over the last decade. The purpose of this study was to review the surgical education literature published over the last 10 years and address the following questions: What subjects in surgical education tend to be studied? What are the most to least commonly employed research designs and statistics? Has there been a change in how research data are collected? Where are these studies published? METHODS: A literature search encompassing surgical education papers published between January 1988 and August 1998 was performed. Four investigators coded qualifying abstracts on journal type, subject of research, data collection methods, research design, and statistics. Each investigator was asked to code 10 articles at the start of the study to assess interrater reliability. RESULTS: A total of 420 abstracts were evaluated. Interrater reliability yielded percent agreements ranging from 82% to 96%. Curriculum and teaching were the most frequent topics studied (40%), followed by assessment (23%) and program evaluation (18%). Most research designs used were descriptive (41%). Experimental design has progressively increased from 2% in 1988-89 to 16% in 1998. A total of 551 statistical methods were accounted for in the 420 abstracts. The most common statistical analyses used were descriptive statistics (32%). The predominant mode of data collection was through testing or direct observations (34%). Survey instruments followed closely as a popular data collection method at 27%. The majority of papers were published in peer-reviewed surgical journals (64%),followed by medical education journals (22%) and "other" journals (14%). CONCLUSIONS: An analysis of the surgical education literature demonstrates the growing emphasis on the use of educational research to explore relevant issues and problems. Descriptive research is most popular, with an increasing trend in experimental research. Publication of educational research in peer-reviewed surgical journals is becoming more popular. This study informs those interested in the surgical education research literature of current trends, and what they need to know for a more critical appraisal of this body of literature.

Clinical Competence↗

Color and translucency changes during and after curing of esthetic restorative materials.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate various types of contemporary resin composites and glass ionomer restorative materials for color differences that occur during light curing and after submersion in water. Additionally, translucency was evaluated through the use of a translucency parameter for each of these materials at these times. METHODS: A translucency parameter was calculated from observed colors of 2 mm thick layers of light, medium and dark shades of popular restorative materials on black and white backings. The colors of these materials were also calculated, based on Kubelka-Munk theory, for layers on a B2 shade backing. Repeated measures analyses of variance were used to identify statistically significant factors for color differences and translucency parameters. RESULTS: A statistically significant interaction was found between the products, shades and time intervals or times studied for both color difference and translucency parameter. There is relatively high variability in both lightness and translucency changes among these popular products, with some products increasing and others decreasing in these parameters with curing and subsequent water submersion. SIGNIFICANCE: Kubelka-Munk theory can be used to calculate the color of a layer of material on a backing other than those used to determine the Kubelka-Munk coefficients, thereby increasing the efficiency of research into the optical properties of esthetic restorative materials. The relatively large optical changes which occur as popular esthetic restorative materials are cured and subsequently submersed in water indicate that these changes should be taken into account during any initial clinical appearance match at placement of the unset material.

Analysis of Variance↗