Toward a New Definition of Community Partnership: A Three-Dimensional Approach

We propose a new definition of partnership, which emphasizes the role and meaning of power in creating partnership. Following a case study of change processes within a kibbutz community undergoing lifestyle changes, The proposed definition focuses on three dimensions of partnership: (a) the overt dimension, in which partnership is manifested through daily community life such as organizational structure, rules and norms; (b) the covert dimension, which focuses on symbolic rites of partnership and "non-events"; (c) the latent dimension, which expresses internalized partnership and influences participants' consciousness through socialization and world views.partnership, community partnership, power, decision-making processes, kibbutz, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

The highly conserved Escherichia coli transcription factor YhaJ regulates aromatic compound degradation

The aromatic compound 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), a common impurity in 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) production, has been suggested as a tracer for the presence of TNT-based landmines due to its stability and high volatility. We have previously described an Escherichia coli bioreporter capable of detecting the presence of DNT vapors, harboring a fusion of the yqjF gene promoter to a reporter element. However, the DNT metabolite which is the direct inducer of yqjF, has not yet been identified, nor has the regulatory mechanism of the induction been clarified. We demonstrate here that the YhaJ protein, a member of the LysR type family, acts as a transcriptional regulator of yqjF activation, as well as of a panel of additional E. coli genes. This group of genes share a common sequence motif in their promoters, which is suggested here as a putative YhaJ-box. In addition, we have linked YhaJ to the regulation of quinol-like compound degradation in the cell, and identified yhaK as playing a role in the degradation of DNT

On Benjamin-Feir instability and evolution of a nonlinear wave with finite-amplitude sidebands

In the past decade it became customary to relate the probability of appearance of extremely steep (the so-called freak, or rogue waves) to the value of the Benjamin-Feir Index (BFI) that represents the ratio of wave nonlinearity to the spectral width. This ratio appears naturally in the cubic Schrödinger equation that describes evolution of unidirectional narrow-banded wave field. The notion of this index stems from the Benjamin-Feir linear stability analysis of Stokes wave. The application of BFI to evaluate the evolution of wave fields, with non-vanishing amplitudes of sideband disturbances, is investigated using the Zakharov equation as the theoretical model. The present analysis considers a 3-wave system for which the exact analytical solution of the model equations is available

Clinical and pathophysiological aspects of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Objective: The pathogenesis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) involves impaired bile acid and estrogen/progesterone metabolism and excretion based on genetic and environmental factors. In this thesis we evaluated different pathophysiological and clinical aspects of ICP, i.e., serum levels of vitamin D, the morphology of ICP placentas, maternal and fetal outcomes in ICP at a time of active management, and ICP-associated pregnancy conditions. Methods: In Paper I, we performed an observational study and compared the levels of active vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3) in women with ICP and normal pregnancies. In Paper II we examined in a prospective case-control study morphological differences of placentas from untreated and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treated ICP, respectively, and normal pregnancies, by using stereology and systematic random sampling. In paper III, we estimated in a nationwide cohort study of more than 1.2 million singleton births in Sweden between 1997 and 2009 the actual prevalence of ICP and its association with adverse pregnancy and fetal outcomes, using data of the Swedish Medical Birth Registry (MBR). In Paper IV, we assessed in a hospital based retrospective cohort study the risk of emergency cesarean section (CS) and fetal asphyxia in ICP women with spontaneous and induced onset of labor at gestational weeks 37-39, by linkage of the MBR and a local obstetrical database. Results: We report for the first time that women with ICP have lower levels of active vitamin D. We also show that ICP substantially affects the morphology of the placenta, with increased surface capillary area and syncytial knots. These changes were not observed in UDCA-treated ICP. In our nationwide population based study, we found a previously unknown strong association of ICP with gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and large for gestational age, and that ICP bears an increased risk of moderate prematurity but not of stillbirth at a time of active management. We found that induction of labor in women with ICP in gestational weeks 37-39 in a tertiary Swedish hospital did not increase the risks of emergency CS or fetal asphyxia. Conclusions: Decreased levels of active vitamin D may contribute to the pathogenesis of ICP. ICP causes morphological changes in the placenta that might be improved by treatment with UDCA. Induction of labor in ICP does not increase the rate of emergency CS. The low risk of stillbirths at a time of modern management of ICP is reassuring but the strong association of ICP with gestational diabetes and preeclampsia needs consideration, e.g., by oral glucose tolerance testing and proper management of possibly coexisting conditions