bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Bias Correction Adjustments for the DETECT Procedure
Authors: Nandakumar Ratna , Yu Feng , Zhang Yanwei
Published: October 2010

DETECT is a nonparametric methodology to identify the dimensional structure underlying test data. The associated DETECT index, Dmax, denotes the degree of multidimensionality in data. Conditional covariances (CCOV) are the building blocks of this index. In specifying population CCOVs, the latent test composite θ TT is used as the conditional variable. In estimating the CCOVs, the total test score of all items in the test ( T) or the rest score of remaining items ( S) are generally used as estimates of the latent composite θ TT . However, estimated CCOVs are biased when using T or S as a proxy for θ TT. Some type of correction is needed to adjust this bias. This study was an investigation of different ways to estimate the DETECT index based on the conditional scores T and S, and additional bias adjustments, resulting in six different estimates, D1 through D6. These six indices were investigated in simulated settings, varying the test length, sample size, and the degree of multidimensionality (108 in all). The results showed that indices D1, D2, and D5 are not acceptable as they displayed highly inflated Dmax values. No statistically significant differences were found between indices D3 and D6. Overall comparison of indices D3 with D4 showed that even though they differed significantly in Dmax values, there was no practically meaningful difference between the performance of these two indices. For these reasons, it is recommended that the current index D3 be retained even though index D4 displayed slightly better results in the current study.
What Do Adolescents Think About Teen Parenting?
Authors: Herrman Judith W. , Waterhouse Julie K.
Published: October 2010

Unexpected increases in the teen birth rates have stimulated a renewed focus on the prevention of teen pregnancy. Although many adults believe there are certain costs associated with teen parenting, the attitudes of teens toward the parenting experience are not known. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine teens’ thoughts on how their lives would change if they experienced a teen birth in the areas of relationships, vocation, and life impacts. The Thoughts on Teen Parenting Survey (TTPS), designed to measure demographic variables and perspectives on the costs and rewards of teen parenting, was administered to 695 high school students. The survey yielded a composite score, subscale scores, and aggregate data measuring teen thoughts on the consequences of the teen parenting experience. Findings may be used to identify teens at risk for pregnancy, develop interventions, and evaluate prevention strategies based on the insights of teens.
Regional Differences in Physical Appearance Identity Among Young Adult Women in Thailand
Authors: Rongmuang Daravan , McElmurry Beverly J. , McCreary Linda L. , Park Chang G. , Miller Arlene G. , Corte Colleen
Published: October 2010

Physical appearance concerns lead to serious health compromising behaviors among women in Thailand. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in physical appearance identity among young women in four regions of Thailand based on 30 physical appearance characteristics generated and validated in two previous samples of young Thai women. Using Q methodology, 200 Thai young women sorted the physical appearance characteristics in terms of importance. Across-region differences exist for the most important physical appearance characteristics. Regional differences in physical appearance identity may explain the variety of behaviors used by Thai women to enhance their physical appearance. Further research should focus on regional factors that contribute to these aspects of physical appearance becoming a dominant source of self-definition so that effective prevention strategies can be developed and targeted to women at high risk.
Licensed Nurses Disciplined in Oregon Between September 1996 and June 2008
Authors: Hudson Marilyn L. , Droppers Oliver J.
Published: October 2010

This study is undertaken to better identify the types of errors being made by nurses in Oregon, to have a more thorough understanding of who is making the errors, and to examine how the Board is sanctioning nurses through Board (Board of Nursing) discipline. Results show that older nurses, and a disproportionately high number of male nurses, are being disciplined. RNs tend to be disciplined more for substance abuse and LPNs for substandard or inadequate care or for unprofessional conduct. RNs tend to be reprimanded more often than other licensure types, and LPNs receive more licensure suspensions. It may be helpful for administrators and nurse managers to use the information for staff education and development decisions. It may also inform Oregon nursing regulators, charged with protecting the public, when developing strategies aimed at ensuring equity and consistency in Board actions.
Effects of hygrothermal environmental conditions on compressive strength of CFRP stitched laminates
Authors: Cheng Xiaoquan  , Baig Yasir , Li Zhonghai
Published: October 2010

Experimental and analytical investigation was conducted to understand the hygrothermal properties of uniweave T300/QY9512 laminates. Tests were performed under hygrothermal and room temperature environment separately. Effect of stitching parameters upon strength performance of laminates was predicted using FEM model. Compressive strength of laminates, under different environmental conditions, was also predicted. Test results have shown that hygrothermal environment condition has a severe effect on the compressive strength of laminates and the reduction in compression strength for stitched laminates reached up to 50%. Stitching might improve the compressive strength of laminates depending upon the environmental conditions and lay-up sequence of stitched laminates.
Computational analysis of temperature effect in composite bolted joints for aeronautical applications
Authors: Santiuste Carlos , Barbero Enrique , Henar Miguélez María
Published: October 2010

This study focuses on the analysis of influence of temperature and bolt torque on aeronautical joint behavior. A single-lap joint, according to ASTM D5961, with a titanium bolt and composite plates was considered. A numerical model based on FEM was developed to evaluate the stress in both bolt and composite plates. Load—displacement curves, stress fields, and induced damage showed, significantly, the influence of temperature combined with torque level on the joint. It was found that in the plate, both maximum and minimum levels of torque considered produced damage above critical threshold. This fact should be accounted for, during the design process of the joint.
Evaluation of hybridizing talc and surface-treated kaolin on the properties of PP hybrid composites
Authors: Ariffin A. , Mansor AS , Jikan SS , Mohd. Ishak ZA
Published: October 2010

In this article, the effects of kaolin surface treatment on mechanical, morphological, and thermal behavior of PP/talc/ kaolin hybrid composites with different filler ratio were studied. Kaolin was pre-treated with QAC and SHMP, in order to eradicate the attraction of kaolin interparticle forces. It was found that both types of treatments enhanced the toughness of the composite remarkably. Although the tensile and flexural strength of the treated composites reduced with increasing amount of kaolin, it was still acceptably higher than the untreated composite. The enhancement of flexural modulus of the treated composites was attributed to the improvement of filler dispersion as observed by SEM results. In the light of the results achieved, the QAC proved to be more effective as dispersant for kaolin filler. This finding was further confirmed by thermal analysis and MFI study which shows that the properties of QAC-treated kaolin composites were comparable to the properties of talc-filled PP composite.
Planning and the Self-Organization of Marketplaces
Authors: Morales Alfonso
Published: October 2010

The number of marketplaces in the United States is growing rapidly. This growth belies the long history of marketplaces and signals their reemergence as tools of planning practice. This article examines ways to plan marketplaces and how those strategies can help achieve various direct and indirect objectives of merchants, planners, and other professionals. The empirical case involves Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market and how merchants in this large, ethnically heterogeneous public market self-organized the allocation of vending space. The article concludes with implications for public participation in public service provision, planning, and community economic development.
Ambient particulate matter on DNA damage in HepG2 cells
Authors: Liping Jiang  , Hong Dai  , Qinghua Sun  , Chengyan Geng  , Yue Yang  , Tao Wu  , Xiaoou Zhang  , Laifu Zhong
Published: October 2010

Ambient particulate matter (PM) has been reported to be associated with increased respiratory, cardiovascular, and malignant lung diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the variability of the DNA-damage induced by thoracic particles (PM 10) sampled in different locations and seasons (2006) in Dalian, China, in human hepatoma G2 (HepG2) cells. Significant differences in percentage of tail DNA induced by the extractable organic matter of PM10 were revealed between summer and winter seasons and among monitoring sites in single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay. The percentage of tail DNA in HepG2 cells significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner after exposure to 7.5 and 30 μg/mL extractable organic matter of PM10 for 1 hour. In order to clarify the underlying mechanisms, we evaluated the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production with the 2, 7-dichloro-fluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay. Significantly increased level of ROS was observed in HepG2 cells at higher concentrations (15 and 30 μg/mL). Significantly increased levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were also shown in HepG2 cells. In this study, the accumulation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 protein induced by the extractable organic matter of PM10 was detected by western blotting in HepG2 cells, and the protein expression of NF-κB p65 significantly increased after the treatment with 30 μg/mL extractable organic matter of PM10 for 24 hours. These results indicate that the extractable organic matter of PM10 causes DNA strand breaks in HepG2 cells, and significant differences in percentage of tail DNA in dependence on locality and season are revealed. The extractable organic matter of PM10 exerts DNA damage effects in HepG2 cells, probably through oxidative DNA damage induced by intracellular ROS, increase of 8-OHdG formation, and protein expression of NF-κB p65.
Toxic effect of PBDE-47 on thyroid development, learning, and memory, and the interaction between PBDE-47 and PCB153 that enhances toxicity in rats
Authors: Ping He  , Aiguo Wang  , Qiang Niu  , Lijuan Guo  , Tao Xia  , Xuemin Chen
Published: October 2010

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are widespread environmental contaminants. There are potential interactive effects between PBDEs and PCBs, as these compounds share similar structures. The developmental neurotoxicity of 2, 2', 4, 4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-47) and the interaction of PBDE-47 with 2, 2', 4, 4', 5, 5'-hexachlorobipheny (PCB153) were investigated herein, as the dominant congener forms of PBDEs and PCBs, respectively. SD rats were exposed to a single oral dose of PBDE-47 (1, 5, and 10 μg/g) and/or PCB153 (5 μg/g) on post-natal day (PND) 10. Concentrations of PBDE-47, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in serum; organ-to-body weight ratios; as well as long-term learning and memory were measured in 2-month-old rats. The present study found that some doses of PBDE-47 decreased the organ-to-body weight ratios of the thyroid and uterus, decreased the concentration of T4 in serum, and increased the organ-to-body weight ratio of the ovaries (p < 0.05). PCB153 could increase the action of PBDE-47 during combined exposure, but this interaction was not found between PBDE-47 and PCB153. In a Morris water maze experiment, the latency periods were significantly prolonged and time ratios were obviously depressed in all PBDE-47-treated groups compared to the control (p < 0.05); furthermore, significant interactions between PBDE-47 and PCB153 were observed (p < 0.05). In conclusion, PBDE-47 may depress thyroid development as well as the long-term learning and memory capabilities in adult rats exposed to PBDE-47 on PND 10. PCB153 can interact with PBDE-47, resulting in an increase in developmental neurotoxicity.
Comparison of combinatory effects of PCBs (118, 138, 153 and 180) with 17 β-estradiol on proliferation and apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells
Authors: Ptak Anna , Mazur Karolina , Gregoraszczuk Ewa L
Published: October 2010

We analyzed whether polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) interfere with the activity of 17 β-estradiol in the proliferation and apoptosis of the MCF-7 cell line. MCF-7 cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) without phenol red supplemented with 5% charcoal-treated fetal bovine serum (CD-FBS) for 3 days with 10 nM 17 β-estradiol or 0.1 µM, 0.5 µM and 1 µM of the tested PCB congeners (118, 138, 153 and 180), or both. Cell proliferation was determined by measuring 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation, and cell apoptosis was measured by caspase-9 activity. From the PCB congeners tested, PCB138 and 153 had the highest stimulatory effects on basal cell proliferation as well as the highest inhibitory actions on basal caspase-9 activity. The proliferative and anti-apoptotic actions of PCB138 and 153 were still observed in the presence of 17 β-estradiol, while the actions of PCB118 and 180 were reversed. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest the possibility that PCB138 and 153 contribute to the action of endogenous 17 β-estradiol on cell proliferation and apoptosis in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7.
Transgender Theory: Embodying Research and Practice
Authors: Nagoshi Julie L. , Brzuzy Stephan/ie
Published: October 2010

Transgender theory is an emerging theoretical orientation on the nature of gender and gender identity in understanding the lived experiences of transgender and transsexual individuals. It is distinct in emphasizing the importance of physical embodiment in gender and sexual identity. Transgender theory integrates this embodiment with the self and socially constructed aspects of identity through the lived experiences of those with intersecting identities. Thus, it provides a theoretical basis for reconciling feminist and queer theoretical scholarship with social work practice and advocacy, with regard not only to issues of working with transgenders but also to larger issues of group identity and social oppression. This article describes the emergence of transgender theory from feminist and queer theories that used social constructivist approaches to challenge essentialist ideas that maintained the oppression of certain gender and sexual identities. Transgender theory is also applied to specific issues of understanding, working with, and empowering transgender persons and building coalitions between them and other socially oppressed groups.
Toward a Continuum of Intersectionality Theorizing for Feminist Social Work Scholarship
Authors: Mehrotra Gita
Published: October 2010

In interdisciplinary feminist scholarship, intersectionality has been a primary framework for thinking about multiple identities and the interconnectedness of various systems of oppression in women’s lives. This article suggests that to understand this multiplicity more effectively, feminist social work scholars need to develop and use a continuum of different theorizations of intersectionality, with various epistemological bases, that can be strategically applied, depending on the goals of a particular project or practice context. To articulate the experience of diverse groups of women throughout the world, these paradigms must go beyond the usual triumvirate of U.S.-based race, class, and gender to include migration, colonization, sexuality, ability, and other processes of oppression and identity. Drawing on postcolonial, queer, and transnational feminist perspectives, the article offers queer diasporic scholarship as an example of an interdisciplinary approach for conceptualizing the multiplicity of queer South Asian women’s experiences.
Psychotropic Drugs and Falls in the Elderly People: Updated Literature Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Bloch Frédéric , Thibaud Marie , Dugué Benoit , Brèque Cyril , Rigaud Anne-Sophie , Kemoun Gilles
Published: October 2010

Objective: To carry out meta-analyses on psychotropic drugs and to provide an update of the risk of falling in the elderly people related to psychotropic drugs. Design: Meta-analyses of studies on psychotropic drugs. Results: 177 studies are included, of which 71 have data on risk factors associated with psychotropic drugs. The odds ratio and 95% Cl for associations between use of psychotropic drugs and fall are 1.78 and 1.57-2.01, respectively. This result is statistically heterogeneous. This heterogeneity disappears in the group of very old participants for each class. Conclusion: Our study confirms the association between falls in the elderly people and psychotropic drugs. These results are similar to those of former meta-analyses but with different methods. It shows that these meta-analyses on psychotropic drugs have a small impact on prescribing habits. They only give evidence to support the association between psychotropic drugs and falls even if there is no proven link.
Altering Context Speech Rate Can Cause Words to Appear or Disappear
Authors: Dilley Laura C. , Pitt Mark A.
Published: October 2010

Speech is produced over time, and this makes sensitivity to timing between speech events crucial for understanding language. Two experiments investigated whether perception of function words (e.g., or, are) is rate dependent in casual speech, which often contains phonetic segments that are spectrally quite reduced. In Experiment 1, talkers spoke sentences containing a target function word; slowing talkers’ speech rate around this word caused listeners to perceive sentences as lacking the word (e.g., leisure or time was perceived as leisure time). In Experiment 2, talkers spoke matched sentences lacking a function word; speeding talkers’ speech rate around the region in which the function word had been embedded in Experiment 1 caused listeners to perceive a function word that was never spoken (e.g., leisure time was perceived as leisure or time). The results suggest that listeners formed expectancies based on speech rate, and these expectancies influenced the number of words and word boundaries perceived. These findings may help explain the robustness of speech recognition when speech signals are distorted (e.g., because of a casual speaking style).
Warding Off the Evil Eye
Authors: van de Ven Niels , Zeelenberg Marcel , Pieters Rik
Published: October 2010

The fear of being envied makes people act prosocially, in an attempt to ward off the potentially destructive effects of envy. In three experiments, people who were in a superior position and could be envied were more likely than control participants to give time-consuming advice to a potentially envious person or to help a potentially envious person pick up erasers she had accidentally scattered. However, helping behavior increased only if envy was likely to be malicious rather than benign. People who were better off did not increase their helping behavior toward people in general, but increased their helping only toward the potentially envious. This finding is consistent with the idea that the better off act more prosocially as an appeasement strategy. The fear of being envied serves useful group functions, because it triggers prosocial behavior that is likely to dampen the potentially destructive effects of envy and simultaneously helps to improve the situation of people who are worse off.
Gesture Changes Thought by Grounding It in Action
Authors: Beilock S.L. , Goldin-Meadow S.
Published: October 2010

When people talk, they gesture. We show that gesture introduces action information into speakers’ mental representations, which, in turn, affect subsequent performance. In Experiment 1, participants solved the Tower of Hanoi task (TOH1), explained (with gesture) how they solved it, and solved it again (TOH2). For all participants, the smallest disk in TOH1 was the lightest and could be lifted with one hand. For some participants (no-switch group), the disks in TOH2 were identical to those in TOH1. For others (switch group), the disk weights in TOH2 were reversed (so that the smallest disk was the heaviest and could not be lifted with one hand). The more the switch group’s gestures depicted moving the smallest disk one-handed, the worse they performed on TOH2. This was not true for the no-switch group, nor for the switch group in Experiment 2, who skipped the explanation step and did not gesture. Gesturing grounds people’s mental representations in action. When gestures are no longer compatible with the action constraints of a task, problem solving suffers.
Yes We Can!
Authors: Stewart Tracie L. , Latu Ioana M. , Branscombe Nyla R. , Denney H. Ted
Published: October 2010

We investigated the effect of differential perceived efficacy to reduce racial inequality (in the context of increased awareness of illegitimate in-group advantages) on White Americans’ intergroup attitudes and antidiscrimination behavior. White American university students read a passage describing the underrepresentation of African Americans in their university’s faculty and then wrote letters to the university administration in support of appointing more African Americans to the faculty. We experimentally varied feedback concerning efficacy to change institutional racism. Before writing their letters, participants were told that there was a low, moderate, or high chance that their efforts would be effective. Later in the experiment, participants’ perceived efficacy to influence their university system was measured. Intergroup attitudes improved and antidiscrimination actions increased among participants with higher perceived efficacy in comparison with participants with low perceived efficacy. Collective guilt partially mediated the effects of efficacy beliefs on antidiscrimination actions and fully mediated the effects of efficacy beliefs on intergroup attitudes.
Serial and Free Recall in Children Can Be Improved by Training
Authors: Melby-Lervåg Monica , Hulme Charles
Published: October 2010

Children were assigned to three groups given training on unfamiliar words—phoneme-awareness training, rhyme training, and vocabulary training—and an untrained control group. Before and after training, we assessed the children’s performance on serial- and free-recall tasks with these words, as well as their ability to define the words, manipulate phonemes in them, and generate rhymes for them. We found that phoneme-awareness training improved serial recall substantially and improved free recall to a lesser extent. In contrast, vocabulary training produced a substantial increase in free recall and a lesser increase in serial recall. These effects on recall were specific and did not generalize to untrained words. Rhyme training produced increases in rhyming skills but no increase in either serial or free recall. We argue that serial and free recall depend on common memory mechanisms, but serial recall relies more on phonological codes and free recall relies more on semantic codes.
Learned Liking Versus Inborn Delight
Authors: Booth David A. , Higgs Suzanne , Schneider Jennifer , Klinkenberg Isabelle
Published: October 2010

In this study, we separated for the first time the learned liking for a particular level of sweetness in a familiar drink from the infantile delight in sweetness as such (“the sweeter, the better”). It is widely assumed that sensing a liked food or drink evokes a pleasurable experience, but the only psychological evidence for this assumption has been tongue movements that are elicited specifically by sweet taste in animals and human neonates. We found that adults felt such movements in response to drinking juice at both their personally preferred level of sweetness and levels they deemed so sweet as to be undrinkable. Yet only the intolerably strong level of sweetness elicited enjoyment of the experienced movements, elevation of mood, and a sense of smiling. Hence, the pleasure that adults experience during ingestion could be exclusively linked with the congenital sweetness reflex that sends mother’s milk down an infant’s throat.
In the Mood for Adaptation
Authors: van Steenbergen Henk , Band Guido P.H. , Hommel Bernhard
Published: October 2010

Cognitive conflict plays an important role in tuning cognitive control to the situation at hand. On the basis of earlier findings demonstrating emotional modulations of conflict processing, we predicted that affective states may adaptively regulate goal-directed behavior that is driven by conflict. We tested this hypothesis by measuring conflict-driven control adaptations following experimental induction of four different mood states that could be differentiated along the dimensions of arousal and pleasure. After mood states were induced, 91 subjects performed a flanker task, which provided a measure of conflict adaptation. As predicted, pleasure level affected conflict adaptation: Less pleasure was associated with more conflict-driven control. Arousal level did not influence conflict adaptation. This study suggests that affect adaptively regulates cognitive control. Implications for future research and psychopathology are discussed.
Does Facial Processing Prioritize Change Detection?
Authors: Wilford Miko M. , Wells Gary L.
Published: October 2010

There is broad consensus among researchers both that faces are processed more holistically than other objects and that this type of processing is beneficial. We predicted that holistic processing of faces also involves a cost, namely, a diminished ability to localize change. This study ( N = 150) utilized a modified change-blindness paradigm in which some trials involved a change in one feature of an image (nose, chin, mouth, hair, or eyes for faces; chimney, porch, window, roof, or door for houses), whereas other trials involved no change. People were better able to detect the occurrence of a change for faces than for houses, but were better able to localize which feature had changed for houses than for faces. Half the trials used inverted images, a manipulation that disrupts holistic processing. With inverted images, the critical interaction between image type (faces vs. houses) and task (change detection vs. change localization) disappeared. The results suggest that holistic processing reduces change-localization abilities.
Culturally Contingent Situated Cognition
Authors: Miyamoto Yuri , Wilken Brooke
Published: October 2010

Interpersonal influence and interpersonal adjustment play crucial roles in structuring social interactions. However, not much is known about whether their consequences are culturally contingent. We hypothesized that in order to effectively influence others, people need to employ a perceptual style that serves their cultural imperative. Specifically, we predicted that in the United States, interpersonal influence fosters an analytic, context-independent perceptual style that helps people focus on their goal; however, in Japan, where the cultural imperative is to attend to other people and fit into social contexts, this pattern may be absent or reversed. In two studies, we tested this hypothesis by measuring interpersonal interactions (Study 1) and then by manipulating interpersonal interactions (Study 2). Overall, the findings support a culturally contingent situated-cognition approach, which highlights not only interpersonal underpinnings of perceptual styles but also the role that culture plays in ascribing meaning to interpersonal interactions.
Dimensionality of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in Cardiac Patients
Authors: Emons Wilco H. M. , Sijtsma Klaas , Pedersen Susanne S.
Published: October 2010

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) measures anxiety and depressive symptoms and is widely used in clinical and nonclinical populations. However, there is some debate about the number of dimensions represented by the HADS. In a sample of 534 Dutch cardiac patients, this study examined (a) the dimensionality of the HADS using Mokken scale analysis and factor analysis and (b) the scale properties of the HADS. Mokken scale analysis and factor analysis suggested that three dimensions adequately capture the structure of the HADS. Of the three corresponding scales, two scales of five items each were found to be structurally sound and reliable. These scales covered the two key attributes of anxiety and (anhedonic) depression. The findings suggest that the HADS may be reduced to a 10-item questionnaire comprising two 5-item scales measuring anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Beyond the reach of traditional analyses: using Rasch to evaluate the DASH in people with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Cano SJ , Barrett LE , Zajicek JP , Hobart JC
Published: October 2010

Background: Few upper limb functioning patient rating scales have been used in multiple sclerosis (MS) research and none developed specifically for people with MS.

Objectives: In this study, we examined the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) to determine its utility as a useful, scientifically robust and clinically meaningful tool in MS.

Methods: DASH data from 300 people with MS underwent two independent phases of psychometric analyses: (1) a traditional psychometric analysis (including data quality, scaling assumptions, reliability and validity); and (2) a Rasch analysis (including response option thresholds ordering, tests of fit, spread of item locations, residual correlations, and person separation index).

Results: Overall, the traditional psychometric analysis supported the DASH as a reliable and valid measure of upper limb function in people with MS. However, several issues were raised by the Rasch analysis that questioned the validity of the DASH, including misfit in 13/30 items, disordered item response option thresholds for 9/30 items, and six pairs of items with high residual correlations (>0.60).

Conclusion: Rasch analysis highlights areas for potential improvement for the use of the DASH. Our findings further support our previous arguments that traditional psychometric methods provide weak scale evaluations and can mislead clinicians as to the reliability and validity of outcome measures.
Inappropriately Appropriated or Innovatively Indigenized?: Neighborhood Unit Concept in Post-independence India
Authors: Vidyarthi Sanjeev
Published: October 2010

This article traces the long-term development of the neighborhood unit concept in Indian planning practice and literature. By concentrating on the role and actions of post-independence planners, this article also explains the steps through which they reconciled neighborhood unit’s perceived foreign-ness with its imagined potential for national development. It concludes that while planners assimilated the concept in planning practice rather successfully, their efforts eventually mattered little because a host of urban actors gradually transformed the built neighborhoods to the extent that they represent a distinct form of urbanism today.
Oscillatory MEG Motor Activity Reflects Therapy-Related Plasticity in Stroke Patients
Authors: Wilson Tony W. , Fleischer Anne , Archer Darlene , Hayasaka Satoru , Sawaki Lumy
Published: October 2010

Background. A goal of stroke rehabilitation is to harness the capacity of the brain to reorganize following neurological damage and enable restoration of function. Objective. To understand how neural oscillatory motor responses change following a therapeutic intervention and to illuminate whether these neurophysiological alterations correlate with improvements on behavioral measurements. Methods. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to evaluate plasticity in motor networks following 2 weeks of intensive task-oriented therapy, which was paired with sham or peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS). Patients completed unilateral finger tapping before and 3 weeks after therapy as whole-head MEG data were acquired. MEG data were imaged using beamforming, and the resulting event-related synchronizations and desynchronizations (ERSs/ERDs) were subjected to region-of-interest (ROI) analyses. For each ROI, the authors compared the baseline and postintervention MEG response amplitude, volume, and peak location for premovement β ERD, movement-onset γ ERS, and postmovement β ERS. Results. Following therapy, all patients showed reduced postmovement β ERS response amplitudes in bilateral precentral gyri and reduced γ ERS amplitudes in the precentral gyrus of the affected hemisphere. This latter response also distinguished treatment groups, as the posttherapy γ reduction was greater in patients who received PNS. Finally, both β and γ response amplitudes were significantly correlated with improvement on several behavioral indices of motor function. Discussion. These case-series data indicate that oscillatory MEG responses may be useful in gauging plasticity in motor cortices following therapy in stroke patients.
Mesencephalic Corticospinal Atrophy Predicts Baseline Deficit but Not Response to Unilateral or Bilateral Arm Training in Chronic Stroke
Authors: Globas Christoph , Lam Judith M. , Zhang Weihong , Imanbayev Anuar , Hertler Benjamin , Becker Clemens , Whitall Jill , McCombe-Waller Sandy , Mori Susumu , Hanley Daniel F. , Luft Andreas R.
Published: October 2010

Objective. Stroke survivors with motor deficits often have pyramidal tract atrophy caused by degeneration of corticospinal fibers. The authors hypothesized that the degree of atrophy correlates with severity of motor impairment in patients with chronic stroke and predicts the response to rehabilitation training. Methods. They performed a post hoc analysis of 42 hemiparetic patients (>6 months) who had been randomized to either 6 weeks of bilateral arm training with rhythmic auditory cueing (BATRAC) or dose-matched therapeutic exercise (DMTE). Arm function was measured using the Fugl-Meyer (FM) and modified Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT). Structural MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) on the pontine level measured corticospinal tract (CST) atrophy by planimetric measurement of the mesencephalon (mesencephalic atrophy ratio) and fractional anisotropy (FA), respectively. Voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM) was used to determine the lesions associated with highest degrees of atrophy. The predictive value of CST atrophy for impairment and training response was analyzed. Results. CST atrophy predicted baseline motor arm function measured by the FM and WMFT. The authors found only a trend for the correlation with FA. No measure of atrophy predicted response to either BATRAC or DMTE. CST atrophy was higher with larger lesions and those that affected the CST. VLSM identified internal capsule lesions as being associated with highest CST atrophy. Conclusion. Larger lesions, internal capsule lesions, and those overlapping the pyramidal tract are associated with greater CST atrophy. CST atrophy explains in part the variability of baseline deficits but does not seem to predict the response to BATRAC or unilateral arm training on upper-extremity function.
The effect of ambient air pollution on exhaled nitric oxide in the Children's Health Study
Authors: Berhane K. , Zhang Y. , Linn W.S. , Rappaport E.B. , Bastain T.M. , Salam M.T. , Islam T. , Lurmann F. , Gilliland F.D.
Published: October 2010

We assessed the effect of daily variations in ambient air pollutants on exhaled nitric oxide fraction (FeNO) using data from a cohort of school children with large differences in air pollutant exposures from the Children's Health Study.

Based on a cohort of 2,240 school children from 13 Southern Californian communities, cumulative lagged average regression models were fitted to determine the association betweenFeNOand ambient air pollution levels from central site monitors with lags of up to 30 days prior toFeNOtesting.

Daily 24-h cumulative lagged averages of particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm (PM2.5; over 1–8 days) and particles with a 50% cut-off aerodynamic diameter of 10 µm (PM10; over 1–7 days), as well as 10:00–18:00 h cumulative lagged average of O3(over 1–23 days) were significantly associated with 17.42% (p<0.01), 9.25% (p<0.05) and 14.25% (p<0.01) higherFeNOlevels over the interquartile range of 7.5 μg·m−3, 12.97 μg·m−3and 15.42 ppb, respectively. The effects of PM2.5, PM10and O3were higher in the warm season. The particulate matter effects were robust to adjustments for effects of O3and temperature and did not vary by asthma or allergy status.

In summary, short-term increases in PM2.5, PM10and O3were associated with airway inflammation independent of asthma and allergy status, with PM10effects significantly higher in the warm season.
Tuberculosis and noncommunicable diseases: neglected links and missed opportunities
Authors: Creswell J. , Raviglione M. , Ottmani S. , Migliori G.B. , Uplekar M. , Blanc L. , Sotgiu G. , Lönnroth K.
Published: October 2010

Globally, the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is declining very slowly, and the noncommunicable disease (NCD) burden for many countries is steadily increasing. Several NCDs, such as diabetes mellitus, alcohol use disorders and smoking-related conditions, are responsible for a significant proportion of TB cases globally, and in the European region, represent a larger attributable fraction for TB disease than HIV. Concrete steps are needed to address NCDs and their risk factors. We reviewed published studies involving TB and NCDs, and present a review and discussion of how they are linked, the implications for case detection and management, and how prevention efforts may be strengthened by integration of services. These NCDs put patients at increased risk for developing TB and at risk for poor treatment outcomes. However, they also present an opportunity to provide better care through increased case-detection activities, improved clinical management and better access to care for both TB and NCDs. Hastening the global decline in TB incidence may be assisted by strengthening these types of activities.
Atelectasis and survival after bronchoscopic lung volume reduction for COPD
Authors: Hopkinson N.S. , Kemp S.V. , Toma T.P. , Hansell D.M. , Geddes D.M. , Shah P.L. , Polkey M.I.
Published: October 2010

Bronchoscopic therapies to reduce lung volumes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are intended to avoid the risks associated with lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) or to be used in patient groups in whom LVRS is not appropriate. Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) using endobronchial valves to target unilateral lobar occlusion can improve lung function and exercise capacity in patients with emphysema. The benefit is most pronounced in, though not confined to, patients where lobar atelectasis has occurred. Few data exist on their long-term outcome.

19 patients (16 males; mean±sdforced expiratory volume in 1 s 28.4±11.9% predicted) underwent BLVR between July 2002 and February 2004. Radiological atelectasis was observed in five patients. Survival data was available for all patients up to February 2010.

None of the patients in whom atelectasis occurred died during follow-up, whereas eight out of 14 in the nonatelectasis group died (Chi-squared p = 0.026). There was no significant difference between the groups at baseline in lung function, quality of life, exacerbation rate, exercise capacity (shuttle walk test or cycle ergometry) or computed tomography appearances, although body mass index was significantly higher in the atelectasis group (21.6±2.9versus28.4±2.9 kg·m−2; p<0.001).

The data in the present study suggest that atelectasis following BLVR is associated with a survival benefit that is not explained by baseline differences.
Clinical management of tuberculosis and HIV-1 co-infection
Authors: Schutz C. , Meintjes G. , Almajid F. , Wilkinson R.J. , Pozniak A.
Published: October 2010

In many parts of the world the commonest serious opportunistic infection that occurs in HIV-1 infected persons is tuberculosis (TB). HIV-1 co-infection modifies the natural history and clinical presentation, and adversely affects the outcome of TB. Severe disseminated disease is well-recognised but it is increasingly appreciated that early disease characterised by very few or no symptoms is also common. Immunodiagnostic methods to ascertain latent TB in HIV-1 infected persons are compromised in sensitivity.

Chemoprevention of HIV-1-associated TB is effective, its benefits are restricted to those which have evidence of immune sensitisation and appear short-lived in areas of high TB burden. Although promising advances in the microbiological diagnosis of TB have recently occurred, the diagnosis of HIV-1-associated TB remains difficult because of more frequent presentation as sputum negative or extrapulmonary disease.

Management of co-infected patients can be complex because of overlapping drug toxicities and interactions. Nevertheless consensus is developing that antiretroviral therapy should be provided as soon as practicable after starting TB treatment in HIV-1 co-infected persons. This has the consequence of increasing the frequency of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, the pathogenesis and management of which is poorly defined.
Terguride ameliorates monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats
Authors: Dumitrascu R. , Kulcke C. , Königshoff M. , Kouri F. , Yang X. , Morrell N. , Ghofrani H.A. , Weissmann N. , Reiter R. , Seeger W. , Grimminger F. , Eickelberg O. , Schermuly R.T. , Pullamsetti S.S.
Published: October 2010

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease characterised by vasoconstriction and remodelling of the pulmonary vasculature. The serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) pathway has been shown to play a major role in the pathogenesis of PAH, but pharmacological modulation of this pathway for treatment of PAH is, to date, at a pre-clinical level. Terguride is a 5-HT receptor (5-HTR) antagonist that is well tolerated and clinically approved for ovulation disorders.

Immunohistochemistry against 5-HTR2A/Bon human lungs revealed their localisation to the vascular smooth muscle layer and quantitative RT-PCR showed 5-HTR2Bupregulation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) isolated from PAH patients. Proliferation and migration of cultured primary human PASMC were dose-dependently blocked by terguride. Therapeutic 5-HT signalling inhibition was 1) demonstrated in isolated, ventilated and perfused rat lungs and 2) by chronic terguride treatment of rats with monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertension in a preventive or curative approach.

Terguride inhibited proliferation of PASMCs and abolished 5-HT-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction. Chronic terguride treatment prevented dose-dependently the development and progression of MCT-induced PAH in rats. Thus, terguride represents a valuable novel therapeutic approach in PAH.
Effects of intermittent hypoxia on erythropoietin, soluble erythropoietin receptor and ventilation in humans
Authors: Brugniaux J.V. , Pialoux V. , Foster G.E. , Duggan C.T.C. , Eliasziw M. , Hanly P.J. , Poulin M.J.
Published: October 2010

Erythropoietin (EPO) and soluble EPO receptors (sEPOR) have been proposed to play a central role in the ventilatory acclimatisation to continuous hypoxia in mice.

In this study, we demonstrated for the first time in humans (n = 9) that sEPOR is downregulated upon daytime exposure to 4 days of intermittent hypoxia (IH; 6 h·day−1, cycles of 2 min of hypoxia followed by 2 min of reoxygenation; peak end-tidal oxygen tension (PET,O2) 88 Torr, nadirPET,O245 Torr), thereby allowing EPO concentration to rise. We also determined the strength of the association between these haematological adaptations and alterations in the acute hypoxic ventilatory response (AHVR).

We observed a nadir in sEPOR on day 2 (-70%), concomitant with the peak in EPO concentration (+50%). Following exposure to IH, tidal volume (VT) increased, respiratory frequency remained unchanged, and minute ventilation (V′E) was increased. There was a negative correlation between EPO and sEPOR (r = -0.261; p = 0.05), and between sEPOR andVT(r = -0.331; p = 0.02). EPO was positively correlated withV′E(r = 0.458; p = 0.001).

In conclusion, the downregulation of sEPOR by IH modulates the subsequent EPO response. Furthermore, the alterations in AHVR and breathing pattern following IH appear to be mediated, at least in part, by the increase in EPO.
MetAssimulo:Simulation of Realistic NMR Metabolic Profiles
Authors: Muncey Harriet J , Jones Rebecca , De Iorio Maria , Ebbels Timothy MD
Published: October 2010

Background

Probing the complex fusion of genetic and environmental interactions, metabolic profiling (or metabolomics/metabonomics), the study of small molecules involved in metabolic reactions, is a rapidly expanding 'omics' field. A major technique for capturing metabolite data is 1H-NMR spectroscopy and this yields highly complex profiles that require sophisticated statistical analysis methods. However, experimental data is difficult to control and expensive to obtain. Thus data simulation is a productive route to aid algorithm development.

Results

MetAssimulo is a MATLAB-based package that has been developed to simulate 1H-NMR spectra of complex mixtures such as metabolic profiles. Drawing data from a metabolite standard spectral database in conjunction with concentration information input by the user or constructed automatically from the Human Metabolome Database, MetAssimulo is able to create realistic metabolic profiles containing large numbers of metabolites with a range of user-defined properties. Current features include the simulation of two groups ('case' and 'control') specified by means and standard deviations of concentrations for each metabolite. The software enables addition of spectral noise with a realistic autocorrelation structure at user controllable levels. A crucial feature of the algorithm is its ability to simulate both intra- and inter-metabolite correlations, the analysis of which is fundamental to many techniques in the field. Further, MetAssimulo is able to simulate shifts in NMR peak positions that result from matrix effects such as pH differences which are often observed in metabolic NMR spectra and pose serious challenges for statistical algorithms.

Conclusions

No other software is currently able to simulate NMR metabolic profiles with such complexity and flexibility. This paper describes the algorithm behind MetAssimulo and demonstrates how it can be used to simulate realistic NMR metabolic profiles with which to develop and test new data analysis techniques. MetAssimulo is freely available for academic use at http://cisbic.bioinformatics.ic.ac.uk/metassimulo/.