bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Culture and Interpersonal Violence Research
Authors: Yoshioka Marianne R. , Choi Deborah Y.
Published: February 2005

This article addresses the importance of culture within the context of domestic violence. It takes the position that to work more effectively with diverse cultural groups, the development of a full continuum of services that includes eliminating the violence and keeping families together is required. The authors believe that intervention models developed in the fields of HIV/AIDS may provide important examples for future work.
Nature-Nurture Interplay
Authors: Koenen Karestan C.
Published: February 2005

The past two decades have seen an explosion in research in the fields of violence and trauma and behavior genetics. These two fields came into direct conflict when Lisabeth Fisher DiLalla and Irving I. Gottesman outlined a fundamental conceptual limitation of trauma and violence research: that rather than being causal, the well-documented relationship between exposure to trauma or violence and later negative outcomes could be explained by gene-environment correlation. In the past decade, researchers have addressed this limitation by studying the effects of trauma and violence using genetically informative designs. This report briefly discusses the gains made from this research approach and the promising future for genetically informative trauma and violence research.
Measuring Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Authors: Waltermaurer Eve
Published: February 2005

With the goal of understanding the true extent of intimate partner violence (IPV), researchers have put tremendous effort over the past 20 years developing, revising, and assessing IPV screening instruments. The enhancements made in IPV instrumentation reflect our improved understanding of the nature of IPV. Unfortunately, as is often the case with progress, we are presently at the stage where IPV researchers have an arsenal of multiple IPV screens that are, in some cases, slightly different, whereas in others, the differences are sizeable. This article explores the evolution and variation of a sample of IPV screens. To further progress in IPV research, we must make conscious decisions concerning the best tool for our individual research. Simultaneously, we must enhance our understanding of how these IPV screening instruments overlap so that comparisons of IPV prevalence or incidence across time and population are possible.
The Discovery of Acquaintance Rape
Authors: Fisher Bonnie S. , Cullen Francis T. , Daigle Leah E.
Published: February 2005

Over the past 20 years, research has uncovered the many types of sexual victimizations women experience. Findings regarding the victim-offender relationship in such incidents have undoubtedly been among the most striking. Particularly salient is the revelation that the sexual abuse of and violence against women—including rape—most often are perpetrated not by a stranger but by someone known to the victim. Without the innovation and implementation of victimization surveys with behaviorally specific questions, this knowledge may have remained unknown. Instead, armed with such knowledge, prevention and education efforts can be fashioned to address sexual victimizations committed by someone known to the victim. In this article, we address these issues related to key developments in sexual victimization research.
Twenty Years of Progress in the Study of Trauma
Authors: MacIntosh Heather B. , Whiffen Valerie E.
Published: February 2005

In this article, the authors argue that studies investigating the nature of traumatic memory have made the greatest contribution to trauma research in the past 20 years. Neuroimaging studies provide empirical support for the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder and have important implications for the treatment of trauma survivors. In the future, the authors hope to see an empirically derived model of trauma that incorporates both mediating and moderating factors to predict outcome.
Refocusing on Women
Authors: Goodman Lisa , Epstein Deborah
Published: February 2005

A key question facing researchers of intimate partner violence is how the real-life contexts of victims’ lives should affect state policy. The bulk of recently adopted and much touted criminal justice reforms have taken the form of relatively inflexible, one-size-fits-all mandatory responses focused on counseling, restraining, and punishing batterers. Even the protection order system relies far more heavily on batterer treatment programs than on victim support to prevent future violence. Together, these reforms have largely sacrificed the contextualized, woman-centered focus from which the antidomestic violence movement originated. Recently, however, a small body of research has emerged indicating that responding flexibly to victims’ needs and providing them with advocacy and broad social support could be a more successful strategy for keeping women safe. These data highlight the importance of expanding victim-centered resources and reincorporating a particularized perspective into current policy and practice. Development of this literature should guide future reform efforts.
Twenty Years of Progress in Addressing Domestic Violence
Authors: Shepard Melanie
Published: February 2005

The past 20 years have seen great strides in addressing violence against women by their male partners. Although the author cannot point to one single intervention or set of interventions as being the most effective, institutional reforms that have included coordinated community responses have had a positive impact. During the next 10 years, researchers must learn how to address the obstacles that prevent institutional responses from being more effective in addressing the needs of victims.
Trauma and Violence Research
Authors: Jasinski Jana L.
Published: February 2005

Thirty years after the first national estimates of intimate partner violence were published, the field has reached such a level of maturity that complex questions can be posed and sophisticated research studies can be designed to answer them. Out of this body of research, one of the most important things that researchers have learned is that violence and trauma are experienced in different ways by different individuals and as a result, require different types of prevention and intervention approaches. With this greater understanding of the problems of violence and trauma, together with a commitment to inclusive and practical research, the field is poised to move forward toward the ultimate goal of violence prevention.
Improving Violence Intervention Outcomes by Integrating Alcohol Treatment
Authors: Stuart Gregory L.
Published: February 2005

There is extensive empirical and theoretical support for a link between alcohol use and intimate partner violence. Recent innovations in the assessment of these constructs have shown a strong temporal link between alcohol use and intimate partner violence. The majority of men participating in batterer intervention programs have alcohol problems, and these men are at very high risk for violence recidivism. Research has shown substantial decreases in partner violence among alcoholics subsequent to obtaining alcohol treatment. It is likely that violence outcomes could be significantly improved by incorporating alcohol treatment as a standard component of batterer intervention programs.
Intimate Partner Violence and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Women
Authors: Woods Stephanie J.
Published: February 2005

This article presents a review of knowledge regarding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women experiencing intimate partner violence. Knowledge related to the prevalence and predictors of PTSD in battered women, the association between PTSD and physical health, and the emerging science regarding PTSD and physiological and immune parameters is addressed. Primary recommendations for future research includes the need for longitudinal and intervention research that incorporates a range of psychosocial and physiologic health outcomes.
Contributions to the Study of Violence and Trauma
Authors: Carr Alan
Published: February 2005

The prevention of future violence through engaging violent adolescents in multisystemic therapy and the treatment of trauma with exposure therapy are two of the most important scientific advances in the field of interpersonal violence in the past 20 years. A particularly significant methodological innovation is the development of reliable and valid measures of childhood and adult attachment because attachment deficits and their remediation are central to understanding and treating perpetrators of violence. In the coming decades, we need to refine existing treatment programs to make them effective for cases currently classified as treatment resistant. This will involve psychotherapy process research on the interaction between therapeutic mechanisms of change and unique personal vulnerabilities of treatment-resistant cases.
Advances and Future Directions in the Study of Children’s Neurobiological Responses to Trauma and Violence Exposure
Authors: Bevans Katherine , Cerbone Arleen B. , Overstreet Stacy
Published: February 2005

One of the most exciting developments to emerge from the field in the past 20 years is the increasing attention to neurobiological responses to violence and trauma exposure. Although researchers have yet to identify a consensual pattern of neurobiological response to violence and trauma exposure, it does appear that some type of alteration in the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis is likely. This article briefly reviews the multiple moderating factors that help account for the divergent patterns in HPA function as well as methodological advances that will continue to improve the assessment of HPA function in youth exposed to violence and trauma.
Combating Child Homicide
Authors: Boudreaux Monique C. , Lord Wayne D.
Published: February 2005

High-profile media coverage of crimes against children has heightened public awareness of critical child safety needs and issues. However, numerous research studies in the area of child homicide have illustrated the importance of the power of science to correct false perceptions and misinformation, improving how to best serve and protect our children. Age-based analyses of childhood crime patterns have vastly improved how law enforcement and social service practitioners identify, investigate, and resolve child victimization cases. Future protective efforts must involve multiagency and multidisciplinary collaboration. Law enforcement, social service clinicians, educators, and academicians should jointly develop and implement pragmatic and effective prevention, detection, and resolution programs and policies.
The Computer Expert in Mixed-Gendered Collaborative Writing Groups
Authors: Wolfe Joanna , Alexander Kara Poe
Published: February 2005

When mixed-gendered student teams collaborate on technical writing tasks, a single male often emerges as the group computer expert. The effects of this trend on perceptions of workload are unknown. This article reports the results of a study in which 12 mixed-gendered teams answered questionnaires on the division and perceptions of labor in their teams. Detailed case studies of four teams supplement the questionnaires. Findings suggest that computer work was highly visible, highly valued, and dominated by men. By contrast, writing was less visible and selectively recognized. Some men were credited with strong writing skills even though they did not produce writing for the project. Moreover, some students explicitly leveraged their computer expertise to avoid writing; furthermore, these computer experts rarely shared technical expertise with others in the context of the team project.
Gender, Age, and the MBA: An Analysis of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Career Benefits
Authors: Simpson Ruth , Sturges Jane , Woods Adrian , Altman Yochanan
Published: February 2005

Against the background of an earlier study, this article presents the findings of a Canadian-based survey of career benefits from the MBA. Results indicate first that gender and age interact to influence perceptions of career outcomes and second that both men and women gain intrinsic benefits from the MBA. However, intrinsic benefits vary by gender: Men in the study were more likely to gain confidence from having a fuller skill set, whereas women were more likely to gain confidence from feelings of self-worth. In addition, men emphasized how they had learned to give up control, whereas women argued that they had gained a voice in the organization. The role of the MBA in career self-management and in the acquisition of key skills is examined, as well as the implications for the design of programs in meeting the varied needs of men and women in different age groups.
The Great Case-Teaching-Notes Debate
Authors: Lundberg Craig C. , Winn Joan
Published: February 2005

Teaching notes, sometimes called an instructor’s manual, are routinely required to accompany written teaching cases that are submitted to case journals and case writing conferences. Although the content and organization of these notes have become fairly standardized, the literature on the case method contains relatively little discussion concerning the merits and limitations of case notes. It seems widely assumed by case writers that case notes are both essential and positively useful. This article is a modified transcript of an interactive presentation debating the merits of case notes that typically accompany teaching cases.
Problem-Based Learning: Can it Improve Managerial Thinking?
Authors: Smith Gerald F.
Published: February 2005

Problem-based learning (PBL), widely employed in medical schools, has much to offer management education as well. This article presents a comparative analysis of PBL’s likely benefits for medical and management education. Its considerable value notwithstanding, researchers have argued that PBL does not develop medical students’ problem-solving skills. The article considers PBL’s likely effects on the problem-solving skills of business students and proposes an augmentation that should significantly improve student thinking.
Being in the Classroom
Authors: Ramsey V. Jean , Fitzgibbons Dale E.
Published: February 2005

This article distinguishes among classroom experiences based on doing something to students (emphasis on teaching), doing something with students (emphasis on teaching and learning), and being with students (emphasis on learning). Being moments and being classes result from states of mind rather than pedagogical techniques. Thus, redefinitions are offered for how learning occurs, the role of the teacher and students, and the nature of classroom interactions in being classes. The authors’ hopes for the readers are that they will increase the being moments in their classrooms and that when they are in a doing mode, it will be from a perspective of awareness and informed choice rather than default.
Some Aspects of the Dynamical Behavior of the Impact Damper
Authors: Peterka F. , Blazejczyk-Okolewska B.
Published: February 2005

In this paper we show some aspects of the dynamical behavior of a two-degrees-of-freedom system forced with an external harmonic force, which impacts cause a reduction of the vibration amplitude of the basic system. The purpose of the presented investigations is to determine the coefficient of restitution and the damping coefficient of the fender that ensure the required degree of a reduction in these vibrations. The regions of existence bifurcation diagrams and motion trajectories of different kinds of impact motion are presented and analyzed. The impact damper of vibrations is compared with a linear damper. The investigations have been conducted by means of numerical simulations.
Linearizing the Equations of Motion for Multibody Systems Using an Orthogonal Complement Method
Authors: Minaker B. , Frise P.
Published: February 2005

The equations of motion of a multibody system are linearized and reduced to independent coordinates, using an orthogonal complement method. The orthogonal complement is used to eliminate the terms that result from a variation of the constraint forces. The resulting equations contain the derivative of the constraint Jacobian with respect to the coordinate vector in the stiffness matrix. The technique is suitable for a computer implementation. Examples are used to illustrate the process.
What Would MacGyver Do? The Meaning(s) of Resistance and Survival
Authors: Jordan Jan
Published: February 2005

Drawing on interviews conducted with victims of New Zealand serial rapist, Malcolm Rewa, this article highlights the limitations of the terms resistance and survival as they are typically applied to women’s responses to rape attacks. Although acknowledging that formulations that stress women’s abilities to resist and their capacities to survive have been critically important in challenging popular notions of women as passive victims, the women’s accounts presented here suggest a need to question whether such formulations are adequate to reflect the complexity and diversity of women’s responses to sexual assaults. A preliminary attempt is also made to explore the implications associated with embracing expanded understandings of what resistance and survival might mean.
Sexual Abuse of Vulnerable Young and Old Women
Authors: Roberto Karen A. , Teaster Pamela B.
Published: February 2005

Aggregated data from 125 substantiated Adult Protective Services cases of sexually abused women were collected during a 5-year period. Women older than 59 years represented 63% of the cases. Regardless of age, the most common types of abuse involved sexualized kissing and fondling and unwelcome sexual interest in the women’s body. Most identified perpetrators were older males. Family members were most likely to abuse women living in the community, whereas women living in facilities usually experienced abuse by another resident. Perpetrators were prosecuted and convicted in six cases. About 12% of the women continued to be at risk of further sexual abuse.
Trauma Exposure and Sexual Revictimization Risk
Authors: Casey Erin A. , Nurius Paula S.
Published: February 2005

Although research demonstrates a link between child sexual abuse and sexual revictimization in adolescence or adulthood, less is known about specific mechanisms that increase women’s vulnerability to reassault. This study examined experiential and outcome differences between survivors of a single assault, survivors of ongoing abuse by a single perpetrator, and survivors of multiple assaults by different offenders. Multiply victimized women differed from survivors of a single assault or of ongoing abuse on psychological distress, health, and nonsexual trauma variables. Revictimization by new perpetrators was predicted by an earlier age during a first sexual assault and by nonsexual trauma in childhood.
Revisiting Unwanted Sexual Experiences on Campus
Authors: Banyard Victoria L. , Plante Elizabeth G. , Cohn Ellen S. , Moorhead Cari , Ward Sally , Walsh Wendy
Published: February 2005

The current study examines patterns of stability and change in reports of unwanted sexual experiences in one campus community in two similar cohorts of undergraduates studied 12 years apart. A sample of 417 women completed a questionnaire in 2000, and this sample is compared to a sample of 524 women who completed the same questionnaire in 1988. Results indicate a reported decrease in unwanted sexual contact but indicate stability in reported rates of unwanted intercourse. Across forms of unwanted sexual experiences, more patterns of similarity than difference in abuse characteristics, such as relationship to perpetrator and location of the experience, are noted.
Shakedown, Integrity and Design of Elastic Plastic Damaged Structures as Subjected to Cyclic Loading
Authors: Druyanov B. , Roman I.
Published: February 2005

A method for direct design (i.e. without detailed investigation of the deformation process) of structures of elastic plastic isotropically damaged materials as subjected to cyclic loading is developed. The material is assumed to be stable. Shakedown and integrity conditions provide the possibility of obtaining the interval of safe values of a parameter ( b); in design for which the structure preserves its safety. The damage process is assumed to be coupled with the plastic deformation development. Features of the post-adaptation stage lead to a min-max problem of mathematical programming, whose solution provides a relation between the limit values of the damage and hardening parameters. As the hardening parameter is assumed to be bounded, this relation issues in upper and lower bounds for the local actual limit values of the damage parameter admitted by the yield condition for the given loading program. The bounds result in a priori necessary and sufficient conditions of integrity. As the bounds depend on b the integrity conditions impose constraints to its safe values. A method for computing the purely elastic damaged response of the structure to the prescribed loading program is proposed. An example of the application of the developed method is given.
On the Derivation of the Equation for the Deflection of Thin Beams
Authors: Tiersten H. F.
Published: February 2005

It is shown that the usual derivation of the equation for the deflection of thin beams that employs the well-known equation for the radius of curvature of a plane curve in known Cartesian coordinates is inconsistent with the assumption of an unstrained neutral axis. A derivation is presented that is consistent with that assumption and it is shown that with the inconsistent derivation, the lowest-order nonlinear description obtained softens the beam while the equivalent description obtained with the consistent derivation stiffens the beam. This latter nonlinear description gives the lowest order nonlinear correction to the Euler buckling load that results from the general Kirchhoff solution.
Exact Solutions for Periodic Interfacial Wedge Disclination Dipoles in a Hexagonal Bicrystal
Authors: Zhou K. , Wu M. S.
Published: February 2005

In this paper, exact closed-form solutions for the elastic stress and strain energy density of an infinite, periodic array of interfacial wedge disclination dipoles in a hexagonal bicrystal with arbitrary in-plane c-axis orientations are derived by the method of image dislocations. These solutions are shown to be of the form of the logarithm of hyperbolic and trigonometric functions of complex parameters. The strain energy of the dipole array is also calculated by numerical integration of the density field. The results show that the stress, strain energy density and strain energy all depend significantly on the orientational and material inhomogeneities, and the importance of using an anisotropic bicrystal model over a homogeneous model for calculations is emphasized. For bicrystals with symmetric c-axis orientations, it is also shown that the strain energy of the dipole array can be a strong function of the orientations, with the maximum and minimum at specific orientations that depend on the bicrystal materials.
Some Notes on the Linear Viscoelasticity of Functionally Graded Materials
Authors: Jin Z. H.
Published: February 2005

This work discusses the elastic-viscoelastic correspondence principle and the related issues in linear viscoelasticity of functionally graded materials (FGMs). It is clarified that the correspondence principle is directly applicable to certain boundary value problems of viscoelastic FGMs with closed-form solutions, and for general boundary value problems, the correspondence principle holds only for FGMs with variables separable relaxation moduli (moduli in separable form in space and time). For the relaxation moduli of an FGM to be variables separable, the time-dependence of the relaxation moduli in shear and dilatation should be identical. This imposes a rather severe restriction on the application of the correspondence principle to FGMs because engineering materials usually exhibit significantly different relaxation behavior in shear and dilatation. As an application of the correspondence principle, the stress and displacement fields near a stationary crack tip in a viscoelastic FGM are obtained. The paper also presents general stress intensity factor formulae for the crack problems of FGMs with separation of variables solutions.
Identification and characterization of undifferentiated mast cells in mouse bone marrow
Authors: Jamur Maria Célia , Grodzki Ana Cristina G. , Berenstein Elsa H. , Hamawy Majed M. , Siraganian Reuben P. , Oliver Constance
Published: February 2005

Sequential immunomagnetic isolation with 2 monoclonal antibodies was used to purify and characterize an undifferentiated mast cell in adult mouse bone marrow that had not been previously recognized. This cell represents 0.02% of the cells in the bone marrow, is CD34+, CD13+, and c-kit+, and does not express FcϵRI. However, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) the cell contains message for the α and β subunits of FcϵRI, mast cell–specific proteases, and carboxypeptidase A. Morphologically, this cell has a large nucleus, little cytoplasm, few cytoplasmic organelles, and no cytoplasmic granules. In vitro, in the presence of interleukin-3 (IL-3) and stem cell factor (SCF) these cells differentiate only into a granulated mast cell that now expresses CD13, c-kit, mast cell–specific gangliosides, FcϵRI, and binds immunoglobulin E (IgE). When injected into lethally irradiated mice, these cells are able to reconstitute the mast cell population in the spleen.
Cell death of bioenergetically compromised and transcriptionally challenged CLL lymphocytes by chlorinated ATP
Authors: Balakrishnan Kumudha , Stellrecht Christine M. , Genini Davide , Ayres Mary , Wierda William G. , Keating Michael J. , Leoni Lorenzo M. , Gandhi Varsha
Published: February 2005

Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) acts as a key survival factor for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. In addition, dissipation of cellular bioenergy may impose a lethal effect on these quiescent cells. Previously, in multiple myeloma cell lines we demonstrated that halogenated adenosine (8-Cl-Ado) was phosphorylated to triphosphate (8-Cl–adenosine triphosphate [ATP]), which preferentially incorporated into mRNA and inhibited RNA synthesis by premature transcription termination. Furthermore, 8-Cl-ATP accumulation was associated with a decline in cellular bioenergy. Based on these actions, we hypothesized that 8-Cl-Ado would be ideal to target CLL lymphocytes. In the present study we demonstrate that leukemic lymphocytes incubated with 8-Cl-Ado display time- and dose-dependent increase in the accumulation of 8-Cl-ATP, with a parallel depletion of the endogenous ATP pool. Inhibition of global RNA synthesis resulted in a significant decline in the expression of transcripts with a short half-life such as MCL1. Consistent to this, protein expression of MCL-1 but not B-cell lymphoma–2 (BCL-2) was decreased. Furthermore, 8-Cl-ATP induced programmed cell death, as suggested by caspases activation, cleavage of caspase 3, and PARP (poly–adenosine diphosphate [ADP]–ribose polymerase), and increased DNA fragmentation. In conclusion, 8-Cl-Ado induces apoptosis in CLL lymphocytes by targeting cellular bioenergy as well as RNA transcription and translation of key survival genes such as MCL1.
Leukotrienes enhance the bactericidal activity of alveolar macrophages against Klebsiella pneumoniae through the activation of NADPH oxidase
Authors: Serezani Carlos H. C. , Aronoff David M. , Jancar Sonia , Mancuso Peter , Peters-Golden Marc
Published: February 2005

Leukotrienes (LTs) are lipid mediators that participate in inflammatory diseases and innate immune function. We sought to investigate the importance of LTs in regulating the microbicidal activity of alveolar macrophages (AMs) and the molecular mechanisms by which this occurs. The role of LTs in enhancing AM microbicidal activity was evaluated pharmacologically and genetically using in vitro challenge with Klebsiella pneumoniae. Exogenous LTs increased AM microbicidal activity in a dose- and receptor-dependent manner, and endogenous production of LTs was necessary for optimal killing. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was more potent than cysteinyl LTs. An important role for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADPH) oxidase in LT-induced microbicidal activity was indicated by the fact that bacterial killing was abrogated by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI; 10 μM) and in AMs derived from gp91phox-deficient mice. By contrast, LT-induced microbicidal activity was independent of the generation of nitric oxide. LTs increased H2O2 production, and LTB4 was again the more potent agonist. Both classes of LTs elicited translocation of p47phox to the cell membrane, and LTB4 induced phosphorylation of p47phox in a manner dependent on protein kinase C-δ (PKC-δ) activity. In addition, the enhancement of microbicidal activity by LTs was also dependent on PKC-δ activity. Our results demonstrate that LTs, especially LTB4, enhanceAM microbicidal activity through the PKC-δ-dependent activation of NADPH oxidase.
Statistical model of natural stimuli predicts edge-like pooling of spatial frequency channels in V2
Authors: Hyvärinen Aapo , Gutmann Michael , Hoyer Patrik O
Published: February 2005

Background

It has been shown that the classical receptive fields of simple and complex cells in the primary visual cortex emerge from the statistical properties of natural images by forcing the cell responses to be maximally sparse or independent. We investigate how to learn features beyond the primary visual cortex from the statistical properties of modelled complex-cell outputs. In previous work, we showed that a new model, non-negative sparse coding, led to the emergence of features which code for contours of a given spatial frequency band.

Results

We applied ordinary independent component analysis to modelled outputs of complex cells that span different frequency bands. The analysis led to the emergence of features which pool spatially coherent across-frequency activity in the modelled primary visual cortex. Thus, the statistically optimal way of processing complex-cell outputs abandons separate frequency channels, while preserving and even enhancing orientation tuning and spatial localization. As a technical aside, we found that the non-negativity constraint is not necessary: ordinary independent component analysis produces essentially the same results as our previous work.

Conclusion

We propose that the pooling that emerges allows the features to code for realistic low-level image features related to step edges. Further, the results prove the viability of statistical modelling of natural images as a framework that produces quantitative predictions of visual processing.
Evaluating the role of quality assessment of primary studies in systematic reviews of cancer practice guidelines
Authors: Brouwers Melissa C , Johnston Mary E , Charette Manya L , Hanna Steve E , Jadad Alejandro R , Browman George P
Published: February 2005

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of study quality assessment of primary studies in cancer practice guidelines.

Methods

Reliable and valid study quality assessment scales were sought and applied to published reports of trials included in systematic reviews of cancer guidelines. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between quality scores and pooled odds ratios (OR) for mortality and need for blood transfusion.

Results

Results found that that whether trials were classified as high or low quality depended on the scale used to assess them. Although the results of the sensitivity analyses found some variation in the ORs observed, the confidence intervals (CIs) of the pooled effects from each of the analyses of high quality trials overlapped with the CI of the pooled odds of all trials. Quality score was not predictive of pooled ORs studied here.

Conclusions

Had sensitivity analyses based on study quality been conducted prospectively, it is highly unlikely that different conclusions would have been found or that different clinical recommendations would have emerged in the guidelines.
Assessment of the proliferative, apoptotic and cellular renovation indices of the human mammary epithelium during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle
Authors: Navarrete Maria Alicia H , Maier Carolina M , Falzoni Roberto , Quadros Luiz Gerk de Azevedo , Lima Geraldo R , Baracat Edmund C , Nazário Afonso CP
Published: February 2005

Introduction

During the menstrual cycle, the mammary gland goes through sequential waves of proliferation and apoptosis. In mammary epithelial cells, hormonal and non-hormonal factors regulate apoptosis. To determine the cyclical effects of gonadal steroids on breast homeostasis, we evaluated the apoptotic index (AI) determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining in human mammary epithelial cells during the spontaneous menstrual cycle and correlated it with cellular proliferation as determined by the expression of Ki-67 during the same period.

Methods

Normal breast tissue samples were obtained from 42 randomly selected patients in the proliferative (n = 21) and luteal (n = 21) phases. Menstrual cycle phase characterization was based on the date of the last and subsequent menses, and on progesterone serum levels obtained at the time of biopsy.

Results

The proliferation index (PI), defined as the number of Ki-67-positive nuclei per 1,000 epithelial cells, was significantly larger in the luteal phase (30.46) than in the follicular phase (13.45; P = 0.0033). The AI was defined as the number of TUNEL-positive cells per 1,000 epithelial cells. The average AI values in both phases of the menstrual cycle were not statistically significant (P = 0.21). However, the cell renewal index (CRI = PI/AI) was significantly higher in the luteal phase (P = 0.033). A significant cyclical variation of PI, AI and CRI was observed. PI and AI peaks occurred on about the 24th day of the menstrual cycle, whereas the CRI reached higher values on the 28th day.

Conclusions

We conclude that proliferative activity is dependent mainly on hormonal fluctuations, whereas apoptotic activity is probably regulated by hormonal and non-hormonal factors.
A model study of light control systems operating with Electrochromic Windows
Authors: Gugliermetti F , Bisegna F
Published: February 2005

Luminous environment apects related to the integration of control systems with ElectroChromic (EC) windows for non-residential buildings are analyzed. On/off and linear control strategies to reverse the EC transparency from the bleached to the coloured state, integrated with dimming and on/off artificial light control systems, are investigated as regards visual aspects. Different EC window systems are compared with a double sheet glass system equipped with different internal shading for some Italian cities in typical Mediterranean geographic areas. An integrated energy analysis program, IENUS (Integrated Energy Use Simulation), that simulates hourly thermal and luminous aspects on the base of TMYs (Typical Meteorological Years) is used as a work tool.
The potential of simplified concepts for daylight harvesting
Authors: Leslie RP , Raghavan R , Howlett O , Eaton C
Published: February 2005

Daylighting systems offer tremendous potential for reducing the energy consumption of electric lighting, but their usage has been inhibited by high costs and imperfect performance of current technologies. This paper presents predictions of energy savings for two proposed daylighting technologies, a daylight-sensing switch and an automatic blinds system, which employ simple, inexpensive components and designs. Assumptions of solar irradiance, blind position, blind operation behaviour, and light switching behaviour were combined with illuminance data and daylight factors to develop an algorithm for calculating the potential energy usages of six different systems in commercial private offices and open plan offices. Results show that the combined usage of the proposed technologies perform with an average annual energy saving of 24% compared with manual switching and blinds operation in Albany, New York. Compared with a photosensor-operated dimming system, the proposed technologies combined show better performance during summer months. Comparisons were also made for the systems in six US climatic regions.
Useful daylight illuminance: a new paradigm for assessing daylight in buildings
Authors: Nabil A , Mardaljevic J
Published: February 2005

This paper introduces a new paradigm to assess daylight in buildings called ‘useful daylight illuminance’, or UDI. The UDI paradigm preserves much of the interpretive simplicity of the conventional daylight factor approach. In contrast to daylight factors however, UDI is founded on an annual time-series of absolute values for illuminance predicted under realistic skies generated from standard meteorological datasets. Achieved UDI is defined as the annual occurrence of illuminances across the work plane where all the illuminances are within the range 100-2000 lux. These limits are based on reports of occupant preferences and behaviour in daylit offices with user-operated shading devices. The degree to which UDI is not achieved because illuminances exceed the upper limit is indicative of the potential for occupant discomfort. The relation between achieved UDI and annual energy consumption for lighting is examined.
The photometry of hollow light guides
Authors: Rosemann A , Kloss S-H , Müller T , Aydinli S , Kaase H
Published: February 2005

Light-pipes described in this paper guide light along an axis allowing it to escape from its surface for illumination purposes. Light is coupled into them by a beamer luminaire. The performance of a hollow light guide very much depends on the quality of the materials used to guide the light. The luminous characteristics of these materials influence a light-pipe’s overall performance. The first section of this paper describes measurement techniques for light incidence resolved measurements on materials. Common co-ordinate systems for describing the geometry and a data format to store the data are shown. The second section of this paper deals with light-pipe goniophotometry. A goniophotometer for light-pipes has been constructed at the Technical University of Berlin. To evaluate the results measurements are compared to these from a real installation.
Daylighting high-density residential buildings with light redirecting panels
Authors: Edmonds I
Published: February 2005

This paper describes the use of light redirecting panels to improve the daylighting inside highly obstructed rooms at the lower levels of high-density residential developments in dense cities such as Hong Kong. Light redirecting panels are described and a simple design rule for the application of panels to highly obstructed windows, panel tilt angle-one half the obstruction angle, is derived. Scale model measurements demonstrate redirecting panels improve daylight factors by up to three times before discomfort glare becomes a limitation. Average ratio of daylight factors is a more useful measure of improved daylighting than the conventionally used average daylight factor.
Does a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse Affect Sexual Outcomes in Breast Cancer Survivors?
Authors: Wyatt Gail E. , Loeb Tamra Burns , Desmond Katherine A. , Ganz Patricia A.
Published: February 2005

Purpose

Little is known about a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in breast cancer survivors and its relationship to sexual functioning after cancer. As part of a larger survey study examining sexuality and intimacy in breast cancer survivors, we conducted in-person interviews with a subsample of participants.

Methods

A total of 147 women in Los Angeles, CA, and Washington, DC, completed a structured interview that addressed sexual socialization and a history of sexual abuse. Trained female interviewers conducted the interviews. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to examine the prevalence of CSA, and its potential impact on sexual health and functioning.

Results

One in three women reported at least one CSA incident. Among women who had experienced CSA, 71% reported a single incident, and 22% reported a penetrative form of sexual contact. In multivariate regression analyses examining physical and psychological aspects of sexuality and body image, CSA was not a significant predictor of physical discomfort. However, a history of penetrative CSA was a significant predictor of psychological discomfort (P = .02).

Conclusion

The prevalence of CSA in this sample was similar to the general population literature on this topic. In this small sample, a past history of CSA did not contribute significantly to the physical discomforts associated with sexual intimacy after breast cancer; however, our findings suggest that a past history of penetrative CSA is associated with increased psychological discomfort, and may warrant additional examination in future research.
Clinical Role of Multidrug Resistance Protein 1 Expression in Chemotherapy Resistance in Early-Stage Breast Cancer: The Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group
Authors: Filipits Martin , Pohl Gudrun , Rudas Margaretha , Dietze Otto , Lax Sigurd , Grill Renate , Pirker Robert , Zielinski Christoph C. , Hausmaninger Hubert , Kubista Ernst , Samonigg Hellmut , Jakesz Raimund
Published: February 2005

Purpose

The multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) is expressed in human breast cancer cells and may contribute to the clinical drug resistance of breast cancer patients. Therefore, we determined the impact of MRP1 expression on the clinical outcome of adjuvant therapy in patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Patients and Methods

Immunostaining for MRP1 was performed on tissue sections from 516 premenopausal, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients with stage I and II disease. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the effect of MRP1 expression on survival and to test for interaction between MRP1 expression and treatment.

Results

MRP1 expression independently predicted shorter relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients treated with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF; RFS: hazard ratio [HR] = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.88; P = .002; OS: HR = 1.82; 95% CI, 1.10 to 3.01; P = .02), but it did not predict shorter RFS and OS in patients who received tamoxifen plus goserelin (RFS: HR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.31; P = .9; OS: HR = 0.68; 95% CI, 0.40 to 1.15; P = .1). Tests for interaction between MRP1 expression and treatment were statistically significant for both RFS (P = .04) and OS (P = .006).

Conclusion

Our data suggest that MRP1 expression plays an important role in the clinical resistance to adjuvant CMF chemotherapy but does not seem to affect response to adjuvant endocrine treatment with tamoxifen plus goserelin. Thus, MRP1 may be a useful marker for the selection of patients with early-stage breast cancer for the appropriate adjuvant therapy after prospective confirmatory evaluation.
Prospective Evaluation of the Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity Profile of Docetaxel in the Elderly
Authors: ten Tije Albert J. , Verweij Jaap , Carducci Michael A. , Graveland Wilfried , Rogers Theresa , Pronk Tatjana , Verbruggen M.P. , Dawkins Fitzroy , Baker Sharyn D.
Published: February 2005

Purpose

To prospectively study the pharmacokinetics and toxicity profile of docetaxel in elderly patients with cancer.

Patients and Methods

Docetaxel was administered at a dose 75 mg/m2 once every 3 weeks to 25 elderly cancer patients aged ≥ 65 years and 26 cancer patients aged younger than 65 years. Pharmacokinetic studies and toxicity assessments were performed during the first cycle of therapy.

Results

Of 51 patients treated, 20 aged ≥ 65 years (median, 71 years; range, 65 to 80 years) and 20 aged younger than 65 years (median, 53 years; range, 26 to 64 years) were assessable for pharmacokinetic studies, and 39 were assessable for toxicity. Patient characteristics were similar (P ≥ .15) between the two cohorts. Mean docetaxel clearance was not altered in the elderly versus younger patients: 30.1 L/h (standard deviation [SD] 18.3 L/h) v 30.0 L/h (SD, 14.8 L/h; P = .98). The percentage of patients with grade 4 and febrile neutropenia was higher in the elderly (63% and 16%, respectively) versus younger (30% and 0%, respectively) cohort, although this observation did not reach a level of statistical significance (P = .056). From logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for a patient aged 65 years was 1.98 for developing grade 4 neutropenia compared with a patient aged 50 years (P = .091).

Conclusion

Docetaxel plasma pharmacokinetics are unaltered in elderly patients. Patients aged ≥ 65 years appear to be more sensitive to docetaxel-induced neutropenia.
Should 5-Hydroxytryptamine-3 Receptor Antagonists Be Administered Beyond 24 Hours After Chemotherapy to Prevent Delayed Emesis? Systematic Re-Evaluation of Clinical Evidence and Drug Cost Implications
Authors: Geling Olga , Eichler Hans-Georg
Published: February 2005

Purpose

5-Hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor antagonists (5-HT3 antagonists) are effective for preventing acute chemotherapy-induced emesis but the benefits of continuing administration of these agents beyond 24 hours after chemotherapy (delayed emesis) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to provide estimates of clinical efficacy and drug acquisition cost associated with administering 5-HT3 antagonists beyond 24 hours, as monotherapy or as added to dexamethasone.

Methods

This analysis is based on the Cancer Care Ontario Practice Guidelines Initiative meta-analysis of the efficacy of 5-HT3 antagonists. Results from the clinical trials covered in that meta-analysis were reanalyzed to provide estimates of absolute risk reductions (ARR) and numbers needed to treat (NNT) for 5-HT3 antagonists, as monotherapy or as adjunct treatment. Numbers of 5-HT3 antagonist unit doses per successfully treated patient were also calculated.

Results

Five studies (comprising 1,716 assessable patients) compared a 5-HT3 antagonist with placebo; five studies (2,240 patients) compared a combination of a 5-HT3 antagonist and dexamethasone with dexamethasone monotherapy. ARR for monotherapy was only 8.2% (95% CI, 3.0% to 13.4%). On average, 74 5-HT3 antagonist doses must be administered to 12 patients (NNT, 12.2; 95% CI, 7.5 to 33.4) not receiving dexamethasone to protect one patient from delayed emesis. In those patients receiving dexamethasone as standard antiemetic treatment in the delayed phase, the addition of a 5-HT3 antagonist did not significantly improve control of delayed emesis as compared with dexamethasone monotherapy (ARR, 2.6%; 95% CI, −0.6% to 5.8%).

Conclusion

Neither clinical evidence nor considerations of cost effectiveness justify using 5-HT3 antagonists beyond 24 hours after chemotherapy for prevention of delayed emesis.