bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children with Minimal Conductive Hearing Impairment: Speech Comprehension in Noise
Authors: Keogh Tegan , Kei Joseph , Driscoll Carlie , Khan Asaduzzaman
Published: May 2009

Based on a study sample of 1071 primary school children (5.3–11.7 years), 10.2% of the children were found to have conductive hearing loss in 1 or both ears. Binaural speech comprehension scores of a subset of 540 children were analyzed. The results showed that children with bilateral conductive hearing loss had the lowest mean scores of 60.8–69.3% obtained under noise conditions. These scores were significantly lower than the corresponding scores of 69.3–75.3% obtained by children with possible middle ear disorders but no apparent hearing loss, 70.5–76.5% obtained by children with a unilateral conductive hearing loss and 72.0–80.3% obtained by their normally hearing peers. This study confirms that young children, who are known to have poorer speech understanding in noise, show further disadvantage when a bilateral conductive hearing loss is present.
Cardiovascular Inflammation and Lesion Cell Apoptosis
Authors: Yang Zhaoqing , Gagarin Dmitry , St. Laurent Georges , Hammell Neil , Toma Ian , Hu Chien-an , Iwasa Ayaka , McCaffrey Timothy A.
Published: May 2009

Objective—

Increasing evidence suggests that chronic inflammation contributes to atherogenesis, and that acute inflammatory events cause plaque rupture, thrombosis, and myocardial infarction. The present studies examined how inflammatory factors, such as interferon-γ (IFNγ), cause increased sensitivity to apoptosis in vascular lesion cells.

Methods and Results—

Cells from the fibrous cap of human atherosclerotic lesions were sensitized by interferon-γ (IFNγ) to Fas-induced apoptosis, in a Bcl-X
L
reversible manner. Microarray profiling identified 72 INFγ-induced transcripts with potential relevance to apoptosis. Half could be excluded because they were induced by IRF-1 overexpression, which did not sensitize to apoptosis. IFNγ treatment strongly reduced Mcl-1, phospho-Bcl-2 (ser70), and phospho-Bcl-X
L
(ser62) protein levels. Candidate transcripts were modulated by siRNA, overexpression, or inhibitors to assess the effect on IFNγ-induced Fas sensitivity. Surprisingly, siRNA knockdown of PSMB8 (LMP7), an “immunoproteasome” component, reversed IFNγ-induced sensitivity to Fas ligation and prevented Fas/IFNγ-induced degradation of Mcl-1, but did not protect p-Bcl-2 or p-Bcl-X
L
. Proteasome inhibition markedly increased Mcl-1, p-Bcl-2, and p-Bcl-X
L
levels after IFNγ treatment.

Conclusions—

Although critical for antigen presentation, the immunoproteasome appears to be a key link between inflammatory factors and the control of vascular cell apoptosis and may thus be an important factor in plaque rupture and myocardial infarction.
Synergistic Activation of Vascular TRPC6 Channel by Receptor and Mechanical Stimulation via Phospholipase C/Diacylglycerol and Phospholipase A
2
/ω-Hydroxylase/20-HETE Pathways
Authors: Inoue Ryuji , Jensen Lars J. , Jian Zhong , Shi Juan , Hai Lin , Lurie Andrew I. , Henriksen Freja H. , Salomonsson Max , Morita Hiromitsu , Kawarabayashi Yasuhiro , Mori Masayuki , Mori Yasuo , Ito Yushi
Published: May 2009

TRPC6 is a non–voltage-gated Ca
2+
entry/depolarization channel associated with vascular tone regulation and remodeling. Expressed TRPC6 channel responds to both neurohormonal and mechanical stimuli, the mechanism for which remains controversial. In this study, we examined the possible interactions of receptor and mechanical stimulations in activating this channel using the patch clamp technique. In HEK293 cells expressing TRPC6, application of mechanical stimuli (hypotonicity, shear, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol) caused, albeit not effective by themselves, a prominent potentiation of cationic currents (
I
TRPC6
) induced by a muscarinic receptor agonist carbachol. This effect was insensitive to a tarantula toxin GsMTx-4 (5 μmol/L). A similar extent of mechanical potentiation was observed after activation of
I
TRPC6
by GTPγS or a diacylglycerol analog 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-
sn
-glycerol (OAG). Single TRPC6 channel activity evoked by carbachol was also enhanced by a negative pressure added in the patch pipette. Mechanical potentiation of carbachol- or OAG-induced
I
TRPC6
was abolished by small interfering RNA knockdown of cytosolic phospholipase A
2
or pharmacological inhibition of ω-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid into 20-HETE (20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid). Conversely, direct application of 20-HETE enhanced both OAG-induced macroscopic and single channel TRPC6 currents. Essentially the same results were obtained for TRPC6-like cation channel in A7r5 myocytes, where its activation by noradrenaline or Arg8 vasopressin was greatly enhanced by mechanical stimuli via 20-HETE production. Furthermore, myogenic response of pressurized mesenteric artery was significantly enhanced by weak receptor stimulation dependently on 20-HETE production. These results collectively suggest that simultaneous operation of receptor and mechanical stimulations may synergistically amplify transmembrane Ca
2+
mobilization through TRPC6 activation, thereby enhancing the vascular tone via phospholipase C/diacylglycerol and phospholipase A
2
/ω-hydroxylase/20-HETE pathways.
Patent Foramen Ovale in Cryptogenic Stroke
Authors: Alsheikh-Ali Alawi A. , Thaler David E. , Kent David M.
Published: May 2009

Background and Purpose—

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is significantly associated with cryptogenic stroke (CS). However, even in patients with CS, a PFO can be an incidental finding. We sought to estimate the probability that a PFO in a patient with CS is incidental.

Methods—

A systematic search identified 23 case-control studies examining the prevalence of PFO in patients with CS versus control subjects with stroke of known cause. Using simple assumptions and Bayes’ theorem, we calculated the probability a PFO is incidental in patients with CS. Random effects meta-analyses estimated the odds ratio (OR) of a PFO in CS versus control subjects in different age populations, with or without atrial septal aneurysms, and were used to summarize across studies the probability that a PFO in CS is incidental.

Results—

The summary OR (95% CIs) for PFO in CS versus control subjects was 2.9 (CI, 2.1 to 4.0). The corresponding ORs for young and old patients (< or ≥55 years) were 5.1 (3.3 to 7.8) and 2.0 (>1.0 to 3.7), respectively. The corresponding probabilities that a PFO in patients with CS is incidental were 33% (28% to 39%) in age-inclusive studies, 20% (16% to 25%) in younger patients, and 48% (34% to 66%) in older patients. These probabilities were much lower when an atrial septal aneurysm was present.

Conclusions—

In patients with otherwise CS, approximately one third of discovered PFOs are likely to be incidental and hence not benefit from closure. This probability is sensitive to patient characteristics such as age and the presence of an atrial septal aneurysm, suggesting the importance of patient selection in therapeutic decision-making.
Visual Object Representations Can Be Formed outside the Focus of Voluntary Attention: Evidence from Event-related Brain Potentials
Authors: Müller Dagmar , Winkler István , Roeber Urte , Schaffer Susann , Czigler István , Schröger Erich
Published: May 2009

There is an ongoing debate whether visual object representations can be formed outside the focus of voluntary attention. Recently, implicit behavioral measures suggested that grouping processes can occur for task-irrelevant visual stimuli, thus supporting theories of preattentive object formation (e.g., Lamy, D., Segal, H., & Ruderman, L. Grouping does not require attention. Perception and Psychophysics, 68, 17–31, 2006; Russell, C., & Driver, J. New indirect measures of “inattentive” visual grouping in a change-detection task. Perception and Psychophysics, 67, 606–623, 2005). We developed an ERP paradigm that allows testing for visual grouping when neither the objects nor its constituents are related to the participant's task. Our paradigm is based on the visual mismatch negativity ERP component, which is elicited by stimuli deviating from a regular stimulus sequence even when the stimuli are ignored. Our stimuli consisted of four pairs of colored discs that served as objects. These objects were presented isochronously while participants were engaged in a task related to the continuously presented fixation cross. Occasionally, two color deviances occurred simultaneously either within the same object or across two different objects. We found significant ERP differences for same- versus different-object deviances, supporting the notion that forming visual object representations by grouping can occur outside the focus of voluntary attention. Also our behavioral experiment, in which participants responded to color deviances—thus, this time the discs but, again, not the objects were task relevant—showed that the object status matters. Our results stress the importance of early grouping processes for structuring the perceptual world.
A Climatology and Case Study of Continental Cold Season Dense Fog Associated with Low Clouds
Authors: Westcott Nancy E. , Kristovich David A. R.
Published: May 2009

This study focuses on dense fog cases that develop in association with low clouds and sometimes precipitation. A climatology of weather conditions associated with dense fog at Peoria, Illinois, for October–March 1970–94 indicated that fog forming in the presence of low clouds is common, in 57% of all events. For events associated with low pressure systems, low clouds precede dense fog in 84% of cases. Therefore, continental fogs often do not form under the clear-sky conditions that have received the most attention in the literature. Surface cooling is usually observed prior to fog on clear nights. With low cloud bases, warming or no change in temperature is frequent. Thus, fog often forms under conditions that are not well understood, increasing the difficulty of forecasting fog. The possible mechanisms for fog development under low cloud-base conditions were explored for an event when dense fog covered much of Illinois on 7 November 2006. Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) and rawinsonde observations indicated that evaporating precipitation aloft was important in moistening the lower atmosphere. Dense fog occurred about 6 h following light precipitation at the surface. The surface was nearly saturated following precipitation, but relative cooling was needed to overcome weak warm air advection and supersaturate the lower atmosphere. Surface (2 m) temperatures were near or slightly cooler than ground temperatures in most of the region, suggesting surface sensible heat fluxes were not important in this relative cooling. Sounding data indicated drying of the atmosphere above 800 hPa. Infrared satellite imagery indicated deep clouds associated with a low pressure system moved east of Illinois by early morning, leaving only low clouds. It is hypothesized that radiational cooling of the low cloud layer was instrumental in promoting the early morning dense fog.
A Sea State–Dependent Spume Generation Function
Authors: Mueller James A. , Veron Fabrice
Published: May 2009

The uncertainty of the sea spray generation function continues to obscure spray-mediated momentum and scalar fluxes, especially for intense wind conditions. Most previous studies assume a constant form (spectral shape) for the droplet distribution, even though a shift to smaller drops with increased wind forcing is expected. In this paper, a new generation function for spume drops is derived, but unlike previous studies, both its form and magnitude change with wind forcing. Fairly good agreement is found between this spume generation function and the limited data available. A potential explanation for the vast size differences among previous spume generation studies is also provided by distinguishing the drops formed at the surface from the drops transported vertically where measurements are routinely made.
The Role of Momentum Transport in the Motion of a Quasi-Idealized Mesoscale Convective System
Authors: Mahoney Kelly M. , Lackmann Gary M. , Parker Matthew D.
Published: May 2009

Momentum transport is examined in a simulated midlatitude mesoscale convective system (MCS) to investigate its contribution to MCS motion. Momentum budgets are computed using model output to quantify the role of specific processes in determining the low-level wind field in the system’s surface-based cold pool. Results show that toward the leading convective line of the MCS and near the leading edge of the cold pool, the momentum field is most strongly determined by the vertical advection of the storm-induced perturbation wind. Across the middle rear of the system, the wind field is largely a product of the pressure gradient acceleration and, to a lesser extent, the vertical advection of the background environmental (i.e., base state) wind. The relative magnitudes of the vertical advection terms in an Eulerian momentum budget suggest that, for gust-front-driven systems, downward momentum transport by the MCS is a significant driver of MCS motion and potentially severe surface winds. Results further illustrate that the contribution of momentum transport to MCS speed occurs mainly via the enhancement of the cold pool propagation speed as higher-momentum air from aloft is transported into the surface-based cold pool.
Struggling to organize across national borders: The case of global resource management in professional service firms
Authors: Boussebaa Mehdi
Published: May 2009

A growing body of research has challenged the commonly accepted view that multinationals have evolved into globally integrated networks, demonstrating instead that such organizations are sites of conflict between competing rationalities emerging from distinctive national institutional contexts. However, this research has neglected professional service firms (PSFs) in spite of them often being held as exemplars of the integrated network model. This article redresses this imbalance by focusing, in particular, on how PSFs seek to coordinate the horizontal flow of their human resources as a mechanism of inter-unit knowledge sharing. Drawing upon interviews in four PSFs, I show that these organizations have developed resource management systems that cannot simply be reduced to national institutional contexts. However, I also demonstrate that the process of resource management is subject to inter-unit conflicts that undermine its raison d'être. I argue that these tensions are symptomatic of both the Anglo-American model of multinational management and cross-national differences in market conditions.
Culture, Context, or Behavioral Control?
Authors: Chan Cheri C. Y. , Brandone Amanda C. , Tardif Twila
Published: May 2009

Joint book reading provides an ecological context for examining processes involved in the emergence of cultural differences in noun and verb use. Tardif, Gelman, & Xu (1999) found that English- and Mandarin-speaking mothers differed in their relative use of nouns and verbs during joint book reading with their 20-month-olds: Mandarin-speaking mothers produced more main verbs and fewer common nouns than did English-speaking mothers. We sought to clarify the source and specificity of these differences by reexamining these transcripts. Results indicated that cross-linguistic differences in noun and verb use do not arise from cross-cultural variation in behavioral control alone; differences persisted in picture-related conversations. Moreover, in both cultures, mothers' focus on objects and actions shifted in response to the nature of the pictures being discussed. Results are considered in terms of the relationship between culture-specific patterns of book reading, scene perception, and language acquisition.
Lack of Pharmacokinetic Drug Interactions Following Concomitant Administration of Telavancin with Aztreonam or Piperacillin/Tazobactam in Healthy Participants
Authors: Wong Shekman L. , Sörgel Fritz , Kinzig Martina , Goldberg Michael R. , Kitt Michael M. , Barriere Steven L.
Published: May 2009

This randomized crossover study in healthy participants assessed pharmacokinetic interactions between telavancin, aztreonam, and piperacillin/tazobactam. Part 1: 11 participants received telavancin 10 mg/kg, aztreonam 2 g, or a combination of telavancin 10 mg/kg + aztreonam 2 g intravenously on 3 separate days. Part 2: 12 participants received telavancin 10 mg/kg, piperacillin/tazobactam 4.5 g, or a combination of telavancin 10 mg/kg + piperacillin/tazobactam 4.5 g intravenously on 3 separate days. Blood and urine drug concentrations were measured up to 48 hours posttreatment. Drug interactions were assessed by equivalence analysis of noncompartmental pharmacokinetic parameters, focusing on area under plasma concentration‐time curves (AUC), log transformed; if the antilog of the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for the mean log AUC difference was within equivalence bounds (0.70, 1.43), the effect of coadministration on the pharmacokinetics of the respective drug was deemed not clinically significant. Plasma concentration‐time curves for all treatment pairs were nearly superimposable with comparable values for pharmacokinetic parameter estimates. In equivalence analyses, 90% CI for the mean difference in log AUC in each comparison fell within the predefined clinical equivalence limits and bioequivalence limits (0.80, 1.25). Administration of aztreonam or piperacillin/tazobactam with telavancin had no clinically significant effect on the pharmacokinetic disposition of any of these drugs.
Intestinal Dipeptide Absorption Is Preserved During Thermal Injury and Cytokine Treatment
Authors: Foster David R. , Gonzales Jeffrey P. , Amidon Gordon L. , Welage Lynda S.
Published: May 2009

Background:Intestinal barrier function is impaired during thermal injury; however, the effects of thermal injury on the absorption of dietary peptides are not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of thermal injury on dipeptide absorption in rats and to describe the influence of inflammatory cytokines on the expression of the oligopeptide transporter PEPT1 and dipeptide permeability in cultured intestinal cells (Caco‐2 cells).Methods:Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to 30% body surface area burn (n = 7) or sham (n = 8) groups. Twenty‐four hours following burn/sham, the proximal jejunum was cannulated. The jejunal segment was perfused with buffer containing the dipeptide glycylsarcosine (Gly‐Sar), and intestinal permeability (Peff) was calculated. For in vitro experiments, Caco‐2 cells were grown on permeable supports and treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐6, and IL‐10 (10 ng/mL) alone and in combination for 48 hours. The effective apical‐to‐basolateral permeabilities (Peff) of Gly‐Sar were measured, and PEPT1 expression was determined using reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction.Results:Gly‐SarPeffwas similar in burn and sham rats (6.67 ± 2.27 × 10‐5vs 7.58 ± 2.20× 10‐5cm/s, respectively,P= .45). In Caco‐2 cells, cytokine treatment did not alter PEPT1 expression (P= .954) or thePeffof Gly‐Sar (P= .806).Conclusions: Intestinal absorption of the dipeptide Gly‐Sar is preserved 24 hours following thermal injury in rats. Likewise, PEPT1 expression and peptide absorption are preserved following treatment with TNF‐α, IL‐6, and IL‐10 in Caco‐2 monolayers. These findings imply that intestinal dipeptide absorption may be preserved during burn injury. This may lead to new strategies to optimize enteral protein delivery in burn patients.
A new age in the history of philosophy
Authors: Dussel Enrique
Published: May 2009

This article argues the following points. (1) It is necessary to affirm that all of humanity has always sought to address certain `core universal problems' that are present in all cultures. (2) The rational responses to these `core problems' first acquire the shape of mythical narratives. (3) The formulation of categorical philosophical discourses is a subsequent development in human rationality, which does not, however, negate all mythical narratives. These discourses arose in all the great urban neolithic cultures (even if only in initial form). (4) Modern European philosophy confused its economic, political and cultural domination, and the resulting crises in other philosophical traditions, with a Eurocentric universality claim, which must be questioned. (5) In any case there are formal universal aspects in which all regional philosophies can coincide, and which respond to the `core problems' at an abstract level. (6) All of this impels entry into a new age of inter-philosophical dialogue, respectful of differences and open to learning from the useful discoveries of other traditions. (7) A new philosophical project must be developed that is capable of going beyond Eurocentric philosophical modernity, by shaping a global trans- modern pluriverse, drawing upon the `discarded' (by modernity) own resources of peripheral, subaltern, postcolonial philosophies.
What do patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer want from their treatment?
Authors: Dorman S. , Hayes J. , Pease N.
Published: May 2009

Brain metastases are a common complication of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Prognosis is poor and the effectiveness of whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is uncertain for patients with moderate performance status. Studies on WBRT effectiveness have thus far used outcome measures, such as survival, performance status and cognitive function. The aim of this study was to study what patients with recently diagnosed brain metastases from NSCLC want from their treatment. We carried out semistructured interviews with nine patients with brain metastases from NSCLC, for whom the benefit of WBRT is uncertain. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used. Themes identified included quality versus quantity of life, factors contributing to quality of life (including family, mobility and normality), ‘Go for it!’ — the desire to try anything, the desire for a cure or ‘magic wand’, fear and other factors (including family in decision making, information or lack of information, relationship with professionals, experience of steroids and radiotherapy including adverse effects). Quality of life is important to patients, but many are keen to try any treatment which might prolong their life. Understanding patients’ values regarding treatment and goals of treatment can help clinicians discuss these issues with patients and provide appropriate information and can aid selection of appropriate outcome measures.
Sexual Assault and Rape Perpetration by College Men
Authors: Voller Emily K. , Long Patricia J.
Published: May 2009

A sample of 521 college men completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and an expanded version of the Sexual Experiences Survey to examine whether variation in the Big Five personality traits in a normal, college population provides any insight into the nature of sexual assault and rape perpetrators. Rape perpetrators reported lower levels of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness when compared to both sexual assault perpetrators and nonperpetrators, and lower levels of Extraversion when compared to nonperpetrators. Rape perpetrators also endorsed lower levels of tendermindedness, excitement-seeking, warmth, positive emotions, feelings, altruism, competence, and dutifulness, and higher levels of vulnerability. Contrary to expectation, overall personality profiles followed remarkably comparable patterns for sexual assault and nonperpetrators, suggesting that sexual assault perpetrators were more similar to nonperpetrators than to rape perpetrators. Findings suggest that individuals who perpetrate sexual offenses, particularly rape, differ from nonperpetrators on dimensions of normal personality. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
Perceptions of Neighborhood Problems, Fear of Crime, and Resulting Behavioral Precautions
Authors: Lane Jodi
Published: May 2009

Researchers rarely study perceptions of disorder, fear of crime, and behavioral precautions among youths, especially juvenile offenders. This study examines perceptions of neighborhood disorder, fear of general and gang crimes, and resulting precautionary behaviors while on the street among a sample of 149 incarcerated youths in Florida. The results show that neither girls nor boys perceived neighborhood disorder. Most are also not afraid. There are few significant differences between girls and boys on disorder and precautionary behaviors, but no significant differences on fear. These unexpected results may be due to sample characteristics, pointing to the need for more research.
How We Think and Talk About Facilitation
Authors: Kato Fumitoshi
Published: May 2009

Over the past few years, the notion of ‘facilitation’ has been increasingly gaining attention and acceptance in Japan, especially in the context of education and training. Today, Japanese educators think and talk about facilitation, even if it is not yet clear what facilitation is. Interestingly enough, the term facilitation does not exist in the Japanese language. Even so, the term fa-shi-ri-tei-shon somehow seems important to use, and by ‘importing’ and using it, we feel more comfortable talking about certain aspects of our communication processes. Without it we may not feel able to say anything about these aspects of communication processes. Conceiving of the act of facilitation as utilizing a set of tools enables research and writing on facilitation to examine its outcomes or effectiveness rather than being limited to considerations of it as a process. This article introduces and applies the idea of social construction of technology in order to examine the notion of facilitation.
Counting the Countless
Authors: Bijleveld Catrien , Morssinkhof Aafke , Smeulers Alette
Published: May 2009

Rape is regularly committed during a period of collective violence such as war. The article discusses the Rwandan genocide during which rape was used with the deliberate intent to destroy in whole or in part the Tutsi community. Rape is not often studied in such particular contexts, so little is known about its prevalence in genocide; as a consequence, the comprehensive impact of genocidal incidents remains underaddressed. We estimate the prevalence of rape victimization (i.e., the number of women raped) during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. In doing so, we apply a methodology in which we use conservative victimization estimates, disaggregating between victims who were killed and victims who survived. We arrive at an estimated lower bound of a little more than 350,000 female rape victims, most of whom were Tutsi. We discuss the importance of arriving at reliable estimates, the methodology, and implications for future research.
Pleomorphic Adenoma With Mucinous and Squamous Differentiation: A Mimicker of Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
Authors: Guo S.P. , Cheuk Wah , Chan John K. C.
Published: May 2009

Pleomorphic adenoma with foci of squamous and mucinous differentiation can potentially be misdiagnosed as low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The circumscribed borders of the tumor, gradual merging of mucoepidermoid foci into areas typical of pleomorphic adenoma, and presence of keratinization are features against the latter diagnosis.
The TT Genotype of the C677T Polymorphism in the Methylentetrahydrofolate Reductase as a Risk Factor in Thrombotic Microangiopathies: Results From a Pilot Study
Authors: Sucker Christoph , Kurschat Christine , Farokhzad Firuseh , Hetzel Gerd R. , Grabensee Bernd , Maruhn-Debowski Beate , Loncar Robert , Scharf Rudiger E. , Zotz Rainer B.
Published: May 2009

In this study, we assessed the potential role of the TT genotype of the gene of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase for the manifestation of thrombotic microangiopathies, enrolling 40 affected patients (mean age [± standard deviation] 35 ± 11 years). As a result, the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677TT genotype was more prevalent in patients with thrombotic microangiopathies compared with controls (adjusted odds ratio = 2.58, 95% confidence interval = 1.2-5.7, P = .018), particularly in those suffering from the hemolytic uremic syndrome. A hemolytic more severe clinical course of thrombotic microangiopathies in carriers of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677TT genotype was not observed. In summary, our findings suggest a significant influence of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genotype on the manifestation of thrombotic microangiopathies. The 677 TT genotype of this polymorphism appears to be a risk factor for manifestation of these rare thrombotic disorders, possibly explained by endothelial activation and increased oxidative stress.
A Crisis Like No Other? Anti-Americanism at the Time of the Iraq War
Authors: Chiozza Giacomo
Published: May 2009

This article tests a series of hypotheses that probe whether the crisis over Iraq has profoundly altered the popular perceptions of the United States abroad. Using survey data from Britain, France, Germany and Russia, this article shows that attitudes towards the United States were primarily shaped by the approval of President George W. Bush and of the American people themselves. More specific misgivings about the use of US power in the world entered into the cognitive calculus only as secondary factors. For substantial portions of the mass publics a dim view of the American people overshadowed all other considerations in the formation of a negative view of the United States. This finding suggests that a change of US administration would not be sufficient per se to alter popular attitudes towards the United States. For that to occur, views of the American people would have to improve as well.
English School, American Style: Testing the Preservation-seeking Quality of the International Society
Authors: Mendelsohn Barak
Published: May 2009

This article addresses criticism that the English School fails to test empirically the validity of its main claims. The article takes a neglected yet highly significant aspect of the international society, its preservation-seeking quality, and tests it. It hypothesizes that if the international society truly exists and is inclined to act in order to guarantee its survival, its members should respond to threats to the existence of the society with rigorous collective action atypical of `normal politics'. To validate the hypothesis, the article examines the way in which members of the international society have responded to the systemic threat posed by the al Qaeda-led jihadi movement, focusing on the regime to suppress the financing of terrorism. Subsequently, the article lauds the theoretical contribution of the English School to understanding systemic threats, as well as its unique exposition of the war on terrorism.
Chaco reloaded
Authors: Van Dyke Ruth M.
Published: May 2009

Archaeologists have recently begun to address the ways in which past peoples revived, referenced, utilized, and amended their own, more distant pasts for diverse social and political ends. Social memory refers to shared ideas about the past. Monumental architecture entails the discursive construction of memory. Memory can be grounded in direct connections to immediate ancestors, or it can involve tenuous links to remote antiquity. In the terrain between, ideas about the past are both replicated and distorted. The concepts of citation and translation help clarify these processes. In the Southwest USA, architects in diverse temporal and social contexts invoked the memory of the prominent ritual center Chaco Canyon. At the twelfth-century site of Aztec, builders cited Chacoan architecture to legitimate ritual and political organization. In the thirteenth century in the Four Corners region, builders translated Chacoan ideas into McElmo-style towers to stabilize and transform a world in chaos.
Verbal Marital Conflict and Male Domination in the Family as Risk Factors of Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Vives-Cases Carmen , Gil-González Diana , Carrasco-Portiño Mercedes
Published: May 2009

A systematic review was performed to analyse the characteristics and quality of the studies that consider the relationship between verbal marital conflict and/or male domination in the family and violent behaviour by men towards their partner. Only 11 articles were identified between 1986 and 2006. Most of them find a positive association between male domination in the family and/or verbal marital conflict and violence towards the woman in the couple. However, limitations such as misclassification bias, recall bias, selection bias, external validity and the problem of consistency (overestimation of effect) were acknowledged by authors of this studies. In eight of the 11 studies reviewed, preventive measures or interventions to deal with the problem were recommended. More and better empirical evidence is required in order to provide suitable measures to address the issue of verbal marital conflict and male domination and its influence on IPV.
James Carey, the American University, and the General Moral and Intellectual Point of View
Authors: Adam G. Stuart
Published: May 2009

The author describes how James Carey viewed and then judged the American university, its curriculum, and the forms of scholarship it rewards. Carey believed that the university had ceased to be an autonomous institution and, following the lead of the Canadian theorist Harold Innis, argued that its culture had been penetrated by interests representing the state, corporate commitments, and the professions. He said the modern curriculum fosters the formation of experts rather than citizens. The essay concludes with an analysis of how Carey sought to reconnect university education to democratic life and to what he called the “general moral and intellectual point of view.”
How to Study Communication: Notes on a Method
Authors: Waite C.
Published: May 2009

Carey's call for a uniquely American form of cultural studies challenged the dominant paradigm of media effects research in the late 1970s. Even today, his work cannot be easily categorized. How then can we replicate his method in order to teach his way of doing scholarship? The discipline of communication has the potential to reveal how the structures of cities, of print, of voice, of digital media, as well as the structure of our ideas all privilege certain experiences over others. His configured style was a methodological choice that indicated by implication what had been relatively invisible within our discipline. What we can know through the progression of a linear argument and what one can discern through an emergent configural pattern will differ. These two approaches illustrate different ways of knowing. The challenge is to learn to recognize this crucial difference, as it relates to our choice of methodologies.
Endovascular Stent Graft Treatment of Acute Thoracic Aortic Transections Due to Blunt Force Trauma
Authors: Bjurlin Marc A. , Tanquilut Eugene M. , Subram Aswath , Kalkounos Peggy , Merlotti Gary J.
Published: May 2009

Endovascular stent graft treatment of acute thoracic aortic transections is an encouraging minimally invasive alternative to open surgical repair. Between 2006 and 2008, 16 patients with acute thoracic aortic transections underwent evaluation at our institution. Seven patients who were treated with an endovascular stent graft were reviewed. The mean Glasgow Coma Score was 13.0, probability of survival was .89, and median injury severity score was 32. The mean number of intensive care unit days was 7.7, mean number of ventilator support days was 5.4, and hospital length of stay was 10 days. Mean blood loss was 285 mL, and operative time was 143 minutes. Overall mortality was 14%. Procedure complications were a bleeding arteriotomy site and an endoleak. Endovascular treatment of traumatic thoracic aortic transections appears to demonstrate superior results with respect to mortality, blood loss, operative time, paraplegia, and procedure-related complications when compared with open surgical repair literature.
Clinical and pharmacoeconomic profile of COPD patients with FEV1 50—60% predicted: pilot study on the impact of the extended indication of ICS/LABA
Authors: Dal Negro Roberto Walter , Bonadiman Luca , Turati Claudio , Turco Paola
Published: May 2009

Background: The use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting β2 adrenergics (LABA) in fixed combination (ICS/LABA) was recently extended to COPD patients with a baseline FEV1 50—60% predicted, thus broadening the original guideline indications (GOLD 2006) that limited their use only to stages III and IV.

Method: The present study was carried out to assess the clinical profile of this new subset of patients, with a view to providing data for future studies on the impact of this novel extension of ICS/LABA use in COPD.

Results: Data from the present observational cross-sectional study suggest that COPD patients with FEV1 50—60% predicted depict a dichotomic condition: actually, even though resembling milder patients in terms of frequency and severity of their respiratory symptoms, they are much more similar to severer patients in terms of rate of hospital admissions and resource consumption (p50.01). In other words, this subset of patients seems to represent a peculiar condition in the evolutional phase of COPD during which therapeutic treatment should be intensified in order to slow down the disease progression effectively. Nevertheless, independently of the severity, the general therapeutic approach to COPD was found to be greatly inadequate when compared to GOLD guidelines, particularly in terms of appropriateness.

Conclusions: These findings should pave the way for future studies aimed to long-term monitoring of main outcomes and to evaluate the overall impact of earlier ICS/LABA use on disease progression and lung function decline in COPD.
Atrial fibrillation: cure or treat?
Authors: Forleo Giovanni B. , Tondo Claudio
Published: May 2009

Controversies exist with regard to the optimal management of atrial fibrillation (AF). Restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm is a desirable goal in AF patients because the prevention of recurrences may improve cardiac function, relieve symptoms and should reduce the likelihood of adverse events. Pharmacological therapy for AF has been disappointing with unacceptable rates of AF recurrence and other proarrhythmic sequelae. Recent studies suggested that potential benefit of sinus-rhythm maintenance with respect to mortality may have been neutralized by harmful effects of currently available antiarrhythmic therapies. Because of the inefficacy and dangers with nonablative therapies currently available for maintaining sinus rhythm, alternative treatments are certainly desirable. Curative treatment of atrial fibrillation with catheter ablation is now a legitimate option for a large number of patients. In several studies AF ablation has consistently been demonstrated to be superior to antiarrhythmic medications for the maintenance of sinus rhythm. Nevertheless, many aspects of the therapy are still controversial and large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this approach.
Microarray-based classifiers and prognosis models identify subgroups with distinct clinical outcomes and high risk of AML transformation of myelodysplastic syndrome
Authors: Mills Ken I. , Kohlmann Alexander , Williams P. Mickey , Wieczorek Lothar , Liu Wei-min , Li Rachel , Wei Wen , Bowen David T. , Loeffler Helmut , Hernandez Jesus M. , Hofmann Wolf-Karsten , Haferlach Torsten
Published: May 2009

The diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) currently relies primarily on the morphologic assessment of the patient's bone marrow and peripheral blood cells. Moreover, prognostic scoring systems rely on observer-dependent assessments of blast percentage and dysplasia. Gene expression profiling could enhance current diagnostic and prognostic systems by providing a set of standardized, objective gene signatures. Within the Microarray Innovations in LEukemia study, a diagnostic classification model was investigated to distinguish the distinct subclasses of pediatric and adult leukemia, as well as MDS. Overall, the accuracy of the diagnostic classification model for subtyping leukemia was approximately 93%, but this was not reflected for the MDS samples giving only approximately 50% accuracy. Discordant samples of MDS were classified either into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or “none-of-the-targets” (neither leukemia nor MDS) categories. To clarify the discordant results, all submitted 174 MDS samples were externally reviewed, although this did not improve the molecular classification results. However, a significant correlation was noted between the AML and “none-of-the-targets” categories and prognosis, leading to a prognostic classification model to predict for time-dependent probability of leukemic transformation. The prognostic classification model accurately discriminated patients with a rapid transformation to AML within 18 months from those with more indolent disease.
Association between modelled traffic-related air pollution and asthma score in the ECRHS
Authors: Jacquemin B. , Sunyer J. , Forsberg B. , Aguilera I. , Bouso L. , Briggs D. , de Marco R. , García-Esteban R. , Heinrich J. , Jarvis D. , Maldonado J. A. , Payo F. , Rage E. , Vienneau D. , Künzli N.
Published: May 2009

The aim of our analysis was to study the association between air pollution and asthma among adults. For this goal, a previously developed “asthma score” was used.

Persons aged 25–44 yrs were randomly selected (1991–1993) and followed up (2000–2002) within the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS I and II, respectively). The asthma score was defined from 0 to 5, based on the positive answers to the following symptoms reported for the last 12 months: wheeze/breathlessness, chest tightness, dyspnoea at rest, dyspnoea after exercise and woken by dyspnoea. Participants' home addresses were linked to outdoor modelled NO2estimates for 2001. Negative binomial regression was used to model the asthma score.

The score from ECRHS II was positively associated with NO2(ratio of the mean asthma score (RMS) 1.23, 95% CI 1.09–1.38, for an increase of 10 μg·m−3). After excluding participants with asthma and symptoms at baseline, the association remained (RMS 1.25, 95% CI 1.05–1.51), and was particularly high among those reporting a high score in ECRHS II. The latter probably reflects incident cases of asthma.

Our results suggest that traffic-related pollution causes asthma symptoms and possibly asthma incidence in adults. The asthma score offers an alternative with which to investigate the course and aetiology of asthma in adults.
Information criterion-based clustering with order-restricted candidate profiles in short time-course microarray experiments
Authors: Liu Tianqing , Lin Nan , Shi Ningzhong , Zhang Baoxue
Published: May 2009

Background

Time-course microarray experiments produce vector gene expression profiles across a series of time points. Clustering genes based on these profiles is important in discovering functional related and co-regulated genes. Early developed clustering algorithms do not take advantage of the ordering in a time-course study, explicit use of which should allow more sensitive detection of genes that display a consistent pattern over time. Peddada et al. [1] proposed a clustering algorithm that can incorporate the temporal ordering using order-restricted statistical inference. This algorithm is, however, very time-consuming and hence inapplicable to most microarray experiments that contain a large number of genes. Its computational burden also imposes difficulty to assess the clustering reliability, which is a very important measure when clustering noisy microarray data.

Results

We propose a computationally efficient information criterion-based clustering algorithm, called ORICC, that also takes account of the ordering in time-course microarray experiments by embedding the order-restricted inference into a model selection framework. Genes are assigned to the profile which they best match determined by a newly proposed information criterion for order-restricted inference. In addition, we also developed a bootstrap procedure to assess ORICC's clustering reliability for every gene. Simulation studies show that the ORICC method is robust, always gives better clustering accuracy than Peddada's method and saves hundreds of times computational time. Under some scenarios, its accuracy is also better than some other existing clustering methods for short time-course microarray data, such as STEM [2] and Wang et al. [3]. It is also computationally much faster than Wang et al. [3].

Conclusion

Our ORICC algorithm, which takes advantage of the temporal ordering in time-course microarray experiments, provides good clustering accuracy and is meanwhile much faster than Peddada's method. Moreover, the clustering reliability for each gene can also be assessed, which is unavailable in Peddada's method. In a real data example, the ORICC algorithm identifies new and interesting genes that previous analyses failed to reveal.
Effect of continuous light on diurnal rhythms in Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142
Authors: Elvitigala Thanura , Stöckel Jana , Ghosh Bijoy K , Pakrasi Himadri B
Published: May 2009

Background

Life on earth is strongly affected by alternating day and night cycles. Accordingly, many organisms have evolved an internal timekeeping system with a period of approximately 24 hours. Cyanobacteria are the only known prokaryotes with robust rhythms under control of a central clock. Numerous studies have been conducted to elucidate components of the circadian clock and to identify circadian-controlled genes. However, the complex interactions between endogenous circadian rhythms and external cues are currently not well understood, and a direct and mathematical based comparison between light-mediated and circadian-controlled gene expression is still outstanding. Therefore, we combined and analyzed data from two independent microarray experiments, previously performed under alternating light-dark and continuous light conditions inCyanothecesp. ATCC 51142, and sought to classify light responsive and circadian controlled genes.

Results

Fourier Score-based methods together with random permutations and False Discovery Rates were used to identify genes with oscillatory expression patterns, and an angular distance based criterion was applied to recognize transient behaviors in gene expression under constant light conditions. Compared to previously reported mathematical approaches, the combination of these methods also facilitated the detection of modified amplitudes and phase-shifts of gene expression. Our analysis showed that the majority of diurnally regulated genes, essentially those genes that are maximally expressed during the middle of the light and dark period, are in fact light responsive. In contrast, most of the circadian controlled genes are up-regulated during the beginning of the dark or subjective dark, and are greatly enriched for genes associated with energy metabolism. Many of the circadian controlled and light responsive genes are found in gene clusters within theCyanothecesp. ATCC 51142 genome. Interestingly, in addition to cyclic expression patterns with a period of 24 hours, we also found several genes that oscillate with an ultradian period of 12 hours, a novel finding among cyanobacteria.

Conclusion

We demonstrate that a combination of different analytical methods significantly improved the identification of cyclic and transient gene expression inCyanothecesp. ATCC 51142. Our analyses provide an adaptable and novel analytical tool to study gene expression in a variety of organisms with diurnal, circadian and ultradian behavior.