Detection of hepatitis G virus from serum and liver of a patient with long-term liver dysfunction after autologous bone marrow transplantation

Long-term effects after blood or bone marrow transplantation (BMT) are emerging as an important issue, as more patients are included in BMT programmes and as this procedure becomes more successful. Long-term liver dysfunction, mainly due to chronic graft-versus-host disease or hepatitis C virus infection, is a well-known complication. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of liver disease in this patient group is sometimes difficult and, despite adequate studies, it may remain undetected. A novel hepatitis-associated virus, hepatitis G virus (HGV), has recently been identified. The virus belongs to the Flaviviridae family and is known to be parenterally transmitted, although there is no clear evidence to implicate this agent in causing acute or chronic hepatitis. We report a patient who developed mild, but persistent, abnormalities in transaminases for 2 years after an autologous BMT. HGV RNA was detected in both serum and liver. HGV RNA persisted in serum for at least 8 months. No other known hepatitis virus was found. This report provides the first direct evidence of a patient with long-term liver abnormalities after a BMT in whom the only known hepatitis virus isolated was the HGV.     

Constructing inferences during narrative text comprehension.

Describes a constructionist theory that accounts for the knowledge-based inferences that are constructed when readers comprehend narrative text. Readers potentially generate a rich variety of inferences when they construct a referential situation model of what the text is about. The proposed constructionist theory specifies that some, but not all, of this information is constructed under most conditions of comprehension. The distinctive assumptions of the constructionist theory embrace a principle of search (or effort) after meaning. According to this principle, readers attempt to construct a meaning representation that addresses the reader's goals, that is coherent at both local and global levels, and that explains why actions, events, and states are mentioned in the text. This study reviews empirical evidence that addresses this theory and contrasts it with alternative theoretical frameworks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of CSCW systems

Over the last decade, computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) has emerged as an identifiable research area that focuses on the role of the computer in group work. CSCW is a generic term which combines the understanding of the nature of group working with the enabling technologies of computer networking, systems support and applications. The paper examines the classes of system which have emerged to support cooperative working. A framework for characterising and describing CSCW systems is presented and four major classes of cooperative system identified. Each of these classes of cooperative system are examined highlighting their general characteristics and applicability to CSCW.     

Delay-insensitive codes — an overview

The problem of delay-insensitive data communication is described. The notion of delay-insensitive code is defined, giving precise conditions under which delay-insensitive data communication is feasible. Examples of these codes are presented and analyzed. It appears that delay-insensitive codes are equivalent with antichains in partially ordered sets and with all unidirectional error-detecting codes. Tom Verhoeff received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in mathematics from Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, in 1985. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Computing Science of the same university. His main research interests are parallel computations, especially formalisms for their specification and design, and their implementation as delay-insensitive VLSI circuits.     

John Rickman, Wilfred Ruprecht Bion, and the origins of the therapeutic community.

The history of psychiatric therapeutic communities is complex and obscure. Nevertheless, one can make a reasonable case for saying that the first true therapeutic community was created at Northfield Military Hospital, Birmingham, England, in 1945. That community had its origins in the thought and practice of two British psychoanalysts, John Rickman and Wilfred Ruprecht Bion. Accordingly, in the present article their careers and the social and intellectual influences bearing on them are discussed. The article then continues by describing Rickman's work as a military psychiatrist, Bion's prototype of a therapeutic community, and the therapeutic community that was eventually created at Northfield. It is hoped that the article will provide some of the groundwork for an adequate history of the therapeutic community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Influence of Immigration on Global City Housing Markets: The Canadian Perspective

Current demographic trends in Canada include population aging and declining household growth. These trends generally result in falling housing demand and stable or declining house prices. Housing markets in Canada's major cities, however, have been characterized by increases in demand and prices in recent years; due in large part to the influence of arriving immigrants. The destinations of 76 percent of international immigrants to Canada are the three global cities—Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal—where they have a very significant effect on housing demand, particularly as under current immigration policy many of those arriving come with considerable wealth. Their influence, however, is much broader and includes the growth of exclusive, prosperous immigrant neighbourhoods, new architectural designs and other neighbourhood changes. Not all immigrants, however, arrive with wealth. Many are poor, live in less attractive neighbourhoods and pay unrealistic amounts of their inadequate incomes for poor quality housing. Some end up homeless on the street. The role of immigrants in housing markets is an important consideration for urban and housing policy.