bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association Analysis for MAOA Gene Polymorphism with Long-Latency Auditory Evoked Potentials in Healthy Females
Authors: Yu Younger W.-Y. , Tsai Shih-Jen , Hong Chen-Jee , Chen Tai-Jui , Yang Chih-Wei
Published: November 2004

The components of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) have been demonstrated to be heritable and to be influenced by different neurotransmitter activities such as serotonin or dopamine. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) is a mitochondrial enzyme involved in the degradation of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. We examined the potential association of the functional 30-bp repeat MAOA gene-linked polymorphism region (MAOA-LPR) in 234 normal young Chinese females. The results demonstrated that there is no association for MAOA-LPR polymorphism and AEP components. Our negative findings suggested that this genetic polymorphism does not play a major role in the modulation of AEPs in normal young females, but we could not exclude that other polymorphisms of the MAOA gene affect AEP components. Further exploration of the other polymorphisms of the MAOA gene and multiple interactions of the polymorphisms in various neurotransmitter systems may be needed in future studies.
Decreased Levels of Dopamine D3 Receptor mRNA in Schizophrenic and Bipolar Patients
Authors: Vogel Matthias , Pfeifer Silvia , Schaub Rainer T. , Grabe Hans-Jörgen , Barnow Sven , Freyberger Harald J. , Cascorbi Ingolf
Published: November 2004

Previous studies found an elevation of the dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) mRNA as determined in peripheral lymphocytes in schizophrenic patients. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis of elevated DRD3 mRNA in schizophrenia compared to bipolar disorder. Twenty-four patients, 13 schizophrenic and 11 bipolar, were included according to DSM-IV criteria. Psychometric measures were conducted using the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and Young Mania Rating Scale. mRNA was isolated from lymphocytes of venous blood samples and DRD3 mRNA was quantified using real-time reverse transcription PCR. We found a decrease in DRD3 mRNA in 13 schizophrenic (p = 0.009) and 11 bipolar (p = 0.023) patients as compared to controls. Medication history and severity of positive symptoms did not significantly influence DRD3 expression. Higher levels of DRD3 mRNA were correlated with negative schizophrenic symptoms. Interestingly, after treatment of patients with antipsychotics, DRD3 mRNA levels increased to similar levels as those of healthy controls. Bipolar patients, however, showed a slower increase in DRD3 mRNA levels after 3 weeks of therapy. Our findings suggest that the expression of DRD3 mRNA is reduced in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, supporting the hypothesis of distorted homeostasis of dopamine receptor subtypes in psychotic disorder. The observed diminution was not specific for schizophrenia but also for bipolar disorder requiring further analysis of the regulatory factors involved in dopamine receptor subtype expression.
Evaluation of the Prophylactic Efficacy of Amitriptyline and Citalopram, Alone or in Combination, in Patients with Comorbidity of Depression, Migraine, and Tension-Type Headache
Authors: Rampello Liborio , Alvano Alessandro , Chiechio Santina , Malaguarnera Mariano , Raffaele Rocco , Vecchio Ignazio , Nicoletti Francesco
Published: November 2004

Antidepressants are used to treat chronic daily headache disorders such as migraine and chronic tension-type headache (TTH), which are often associated with depression and anxiety. Here, we studied the efficacy and tolerability of amitriptyline and citalopram, given alone or in combination, in patients with ‘triple’ comorbidity of depression, TTH, and migraine. Eighty-eight patients were enrolled in the study and randomly divided into two groups. The first group received amitriptyline and the second citalopram for 16 weeks. Patients were assessed at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 16. The two drugs were equally efficacious in relieving depressive symptoms, although amitriptyline was more efficacious than citalopram in reducing migraine and TTH attacks. Patients who did not respond to monotherapy (<30% of improvement in the clinical scores) were treated with a combination of the two drugs for 16 additional weeks. In these selected patients, the combined treatment produced a substantial improvement in depression, migraine and TTH without producing major side effects such as those commonly related to the ‘serotonergic’ syndrome. The results indicate that a combined therapy with amitriptyline and citalopram may be particularly beneficial for patients with TTH, migraine and comorbid depression that do not respond to monotherapy.
Involvement of the Noradrenergic System in Performance on a Continuous Task Requiring Effortful Attention
Authors: Li G.Y. , Ueki H. , Kawashima T. , Sugataka K. , Muraoka T. , Yamada S.
Published: November 2004

To determine the effects of noradrenergic neuronal activity on performance in continuous tasks requiring effortful attention, the performance of 23 male students in the Uchida-Kraepelin test (UKT) was examined. The UKT requires continuous arithmetic addition of single-digit figures for 25 min. The relationship of performance with saliva levels of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (sMHPG) was analyzed. Saliva samples were taken before, during and after test performance, and sMHPG levels determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. There was no significant change in mean sMHPG as a result of test performance. However, when initial effort was calculated, defined as number of items completed during the 1st min subtracted from the average completed per minute in the 1st and the 2nd halves (blocks) of the test, significant correlations with sMHPG (p = 0.0002 for the 1st block and p < 0.0001 for the 2nd block) were found. Thus the data indicate that noradrenergic neuronal activity affects the performance on continuous tasks requiring effortful attention.
Psychiatric Conditions in an Evolutionary Context
Authors: Fabrega Jr Horacio
Published: November 2004

Psychiatric conditions and the institutions and practices that modern society has evolved to handle them originated during the nineteenth century in Anglo European societies. They are products of a historically contingent and culture specific formulation of a class of social problems of behavior that came to the fore in relation to intellectual and political economic changes of those societies. However, such problems have a long ancestry. They are intrinsic to human species and the social and cultural systems that its members have evolved since their emergence. This article reviews intellectual quandaries raised by evolutionary study of psychiatric conditions, those of crossing the human/animal divide and crossing historically contingent cultures; and of framing history of psychiatry in terms of social and cultural evolution. The biological architecture underlying psychiatric conditions and the breakthroughs that indigenous psychiatry of different types of societies underwent in formulating signs and symptoms are discussed.
Effect of Angiotensin II on Glomerular Structure in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats
Authors: Nicholas Susanne B. , Mauer Michael , Basgen John M. , Aguiniga Elsa , Chon Yun
Published: November 2004

Background/Aims: The streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat is a widely used animal model of human diabetic nephropathy. In this model, diabetic nephropathy progresses without significant elevation in blood pressure. Therefore, studies have examined the effect of hypertension in STZ spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). This study investigated angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertension in diabetic nephropathy in the STZ-diabetic rat independent of deleterious genetic effects in SHR. Methods: Animals were divided as follows: nondiabetic controls (ND; n = 18); diabetic (STZ: 65 mg/kg; n = 16); Ang II-induced hypertensive ND (Ang II: 120 ng/kg/min; n = 9), and hypertensive diabetic rats (n = 18). Systolic blood pressure was measured by the tail-cuff method prior to STZ injection and then weekly. After 3 months, plasma creatinine, and 24-hour urine albumin and creatinine were measured and kidneys harvested for morphometry. Results: Ang II infusion increased systolic blood pressure in diabetic and ND rats. When combined with diabetes, Ang II increased albumin excretion rate (14-fold, p < 0.05), plasma creatinine (1.5-fold, p < 0.005) worsened creatinine clearance (37%, p < 0.002) and increased glomerular basement membrane width (1.2-fold, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Ang II caused moderate hypertension and accelerated diabetic nephropathy and glomerular structural changes. The Ang II-infused STZ-diabetic rat is an excellent model to study the deleterious glomerular effects of hypertension on diabetes independent of genetic traits.
Excretion of Vitamin A in Urine of Women during Normal Pregnancy and Pregnancy Complications
Authors: Raila Jens , Wirth Kerstin , Chen Frank , Büscher Ulrich , Dudenhausen Joachim W. , Schweigert Florian J.
Published: November 2004

Background/Aims: The renal function, including the excretion of low-molecular-weight proteins, changes during pregnancy and may cause a urinary excretion of retinol-binding protein (RBP). Whether it is accompanied by a substantial loss of vitamin A (retinol) has not been established yet. We therefore determined the excretion of retinol and RBP in urine of pregnant women. Methods: The study involved analyses of urine samples from 40 healthy pregnant women and 29 women with pregnancy complications during the third trimester. Analyses of plasma and urine of 7 healthy women and 5 women with pregnancy complications were also carried out 6 weeks antepartum, at time of delivery and 1 week postpartum. Results: Urinary retinol was higher in women who suffered from pregnancy disorders with an influence on maternal metabolism (p < 0.01). RBP was excreted at substantial concentrations in the urine of all 69 women, but there were no differences between the groups. Women with a concomitant excretion of retinol had higher levels of urinary RBP than those without a retinol excretion (p < 0.05). Differences in plasma retinol and RBP were not significant. Conclusion: The excretion of urinary retinol may increase significantly during pregnancy complications, which needs further clarification to which extent this condition may negatively affect the vitamin A status in such women.
Molecular Mechanism of Oxalate-Induced Free Radical Production and Glutathione Redox Imbalance in Renal Epithelial Cells: Effect of Antioxidants
Authors: Rashed Tanvir , Menon Mani , Thamilselvan Sivagnanam
Published: November 2004

Background: Peroxidation of renal cells is a critical event in the nucleation and formation of calcium oxalate crystals under hyperoxaluric conditions. We previously demonstrated that oxalate-induced peroxidative injury is one of the major mechanisms in promoting crystal attachment to renal epithelial cells. Methods: In this study we have demonstrated that the mechanism of oxalate-induced peroxidative injury is through the induction of TGF-β1 and glutathione (GSH) redox imbalance in LLC-PK1 cells. Results: LLC-PK1, renal epithelial cells exposed to oxalate had significantly higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) production; higher TGF-β1 levels, as measured by ELISA (1.89 ± 0.035 fold increase) or Western blot (1.65 ± 0.01 fold increase); increased malondialdehyde formation; increased LDH release, and loss of cell viability. In addition, oxalate exposure significantly decreased GSH content, glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities, and increased oxidized GSH content. Treatment with vitamin E, neutralizing anti-TGF-β antibody, or diphenylene iodium, an inhibitor of NAD(P)H oxidase, significantly inhibited oxalate-induced ROS production and prevented peroxidative injury and cytolysis. Vitamin E, catalase, or desferoxamine treatment also significantly restored the oxalate-induced cellular GSH redox status toward the control level, and vitamin E treatment significantly attenuated the oxalate-mediated increase in TGF-β1 protein in cultured LLC-PK1 cells. Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate that the mechanism of oxalate-induced free radical production in renal tubular epithelial cells is through the activation of NAD(P)H oxidase via cytokine TGF-β1 induction. These results also provide direct evidence that antioxidant therapy might prevent calcium oxalate nucleation and kidney stone formation by preventing oxalate-mediated peroxidative injury and GSH redox imbalance.
Antioxidant Status of Neonates Exposed in utero to Tobacco Smoke
Authors: Fayol L. , Gulian J.M. , Dalmasso C. , Calaf R. , Simeoni U. , Millet V.
Published: November 2004

To investigate the influence of maternal smoke exposure on neonatal and maternal antioxidant status, 39 mothers who were active smokers, 14 mothers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), 17 controls, and their newborns were included in a prospective, controlled study. Plasma total antioxidant capacity, measured as total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and concentrations of specific antioxidants were measured in cord and in maternal blood. A similar, significant increase in ceruloplasmin concentration was observed in neonates born to actively smoking mothers and in those born to ETS exposed mothers. Uric acid and TRAP concentrations were significantly increased in ETS-exposed newborns and their mothers, compared to newborns and mothers from the active smoking and no-exposure groups with a trend towards increased uric acid, TRAP and FRAP concentrations being observed in the active smokers group. Neonatal and maternal antioxidant concentrations correlated significantly, except for ceruloplasmin. Cord blood vitamin A, E and C concentrations were unaffected by smoke exposure. These results show that maternal active smoking as well as ETS exposure significantly affect neonatal and maternal antioxidant status.
Geographic Origin as a Determinant of Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness and Brachial Artery Flow-Mediated Dilation
Authors: Juonala Markus , Viikari Jorma S.A. , Kähönen Mika , Taittonen Leena , Rönnemaa Tapani , Laitinen Tomi , Mäki-Torkko Noora , Mikkilä Vera , Räsänen Leena , Åkerblom Hans K. , Pesonen Erkki , Raitakari Olli T.
Published: November 2004

Objective—

People living in eastern Finland have ≈40% higher coronary heart disease mortality rates than western Finns. Whether this is because of genetic or environmental factors is unknown. We examined the effect of geographic family origin on subclinical atherosclerosis among young Finns.

Methods and Results—

As part of a longitudinal follow-up study, we measured carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in 2264 and brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in 2109 white adults, aged 24 to 39 years. Subjects from eastern Finland had greater IMT and lower FMD compared with western subjects. These differences accentuated when the subjects’ family origin (grandparents’ birthplace) was taken into account and remained significant after adjusting for several environmental factors. Among subjects with all grandparents born in eastern or western Finland, IMTs were (mean±SEM) 0.592±0.003 versus 0.565±0.005 mm (
P
<0.0001), respectively. The corresponding FMD values were 7.61±0.15% versus 8.75±0.26%;
P
<0.01. The number of grandparents born in eastern Finland was directly related to IMT (
P
<0.0001) and inversely to FMD (
P
<0.05).

Conclusions—

Young adults originating from eastern Finland have greater carotid IMT and lower brachial FMD than western Finns. Consistent with a hereditable component predisposing to or protecting from atherosclerosis, these differences accentuated when subjects’ family origin was taken into account.
Physiological Growth Synergizes With Pathological Genes in Experimental Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Syed Faisal , Odley Amy , Hahn Harvey S. , Brunskill Eric W. , Lynch Roy A. , Marreez Yehia , Sanbe Atsushi , Robbins Jeffrey , Dorn Gerald W.
Published: November 2004

Hundreds of signaling molecules have been assigned critical roles in the pathogenesis of myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure based on cardiac phenotypes from α-myosin heavy chain–directed overexpression mice. Because permanent ventricular transgene expression in this system begins during a period of rapid physiological neonatal growth, resulting phenotypes are the combined consequences of transgene effects and normal trophic influences. We used temporally-defined forced gene expression to investigate synergy between postnatal physiological cardiac growth and two functionally divergent cardiomyopathic genes. Phenotype development was compared various times after neonatal (age 2 to 3 days) and adult (age 8 weeks) expression. Proapoptotic Nix caused ventricular dilation and severe contractile depression in neonates, but not adults. Myocardial apoptosis was minimal in adults, but was widespread in neonates, until it spontaneously resolved in adulthood. Unlike normal postnatal cardiac growth, concurrent left ventricular pressure overload hypertrophy did not synergize with Nix expression to cause cardiomyopathy or myocardial apoptosis. Prohypertrophic Gαq likewise caused eccentric hypertrophy, systolic dysfunction, and pathological gene expression in neonates, but not adults. Thus, normal postnatal cardiac growth can be an essential cofactor in development of genetic cardiomyopathies, and may confound the interpretation of conventional α-MHC transgenic phenotypes.
Tropospheric Ozone in Louisiana and Synoptic Circulation
Authors: Rohli Robert V. , Russo Michelle M. , Vega Anthony J. , Cole John B.
Published: November 2004

Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a pollutant of increasing concern in many urban areas in the United States. There is an increasing need to understand the geographical and meteorological properties associated with O3, particularly because of the changing criteria that are being implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to monitor O3. This research examines the relationship between O3 mixing ratios in Louisiana and surface and low-tropospheric synoptic circulation patterns. Results suggest that local conditions and synoptic influences are both important in determining the behavior of observed O3 in Louisiana during this period in which “exceedance” frequencies decreased until 2000–01, at which time they increased again. Furthermore, the expected pattern of surface anticyclonic activity, low-tropospheric ridging, weak pressure gradients, and subsidence from the lower troposphere is found to be associated with anomalously high O3, both at most local sites in the state and on days with anomalously high O3 statewide. More surprising, however, is the tendency for high O3 to be associated with low surface pressure in the Great Plains, perhaps in advance of a midlatitude wave cyclone to the north. This and other surface patterns may be linked to advection from the southeastern Texas urban–industrial corridor. A temporally increasing tendency for surface and lower-tropospheric ridging over the 1994–2001 study period provides at least a partial explanation for the absence of a frequency decline in statewide anomalously high ozone days during a time of increasing public awareness and concern for meeting the O3 standard.
Large-Eddy Simulation of Flow and Pollutant Transport in Street Canyons of Different Building-Height-to-Street-Width Ratios
Authors: Liu Chun-Ho , Barth Mary C. , Leung Dennis Y. C.
Published: November 2004

This study employs a large-eddy simulation technique to investigate the flow, turbulence structure, and pollutant transport in street canyons of building-height-to-street-width (aspect) ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 at a Reynolds number of 12 000 and a Schmidt number of 0.72. When the approaching wind is perpendicular to the street axis, a single primary recirculation is calculated for the street canyons of aspect ratios 0.5 and 1.0, and two vertically aligned, counterrotating primary recirculations are found for the street canyon of aspect ratio 2.0. Two to three secondary recirculations are also calculated at the corners of the street canyons. A ground-level passive pollutant line source is used to simulate vehicular emission. The turbulence intensities, pollutant concentration variance, and pollutant fluxes are analyzed to show that the pollutant removal by turbulent transport occurs at the leeward roof level for all aspect ratios. Whereas the ground-level pollutant concentration is greatest at the leeward corner of the street canyons of aspect ratios 0.5 and 1.0, the ground-level pollutant concentration in a street canyon of aspect ratio 2.0 occurs at the windward corner and is greater than the peak concentrations of the other two cases. Because of the smaller ground-level wind speed and the domination of turbulent pollutant transport between the vertically aligned recirculations, the ground-level air quality is poor in street canyons of large aspect ratios. The retention of pollutant in the street canyons is calculated to be 95%, 97%, and 99% for aspect ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0, respectively.
Numerical Estimations of Horizontal Advection inside Canopies
Authors: Park Young-San , Paw U Kyaw Tha
Published: November 2004

Local advection of scalar quantities such as heat, moisture, or carbon dioxide occurs not only above inhomogeneous surfaces but also within roughness elements on these surfaces. A two-dimensional advection–diffusion equation is applied to examine the fractionation of scalar exchange into horizontal advection within a canopy and vertical turbulent eddy transport at the canopy top. Simulations were executed with combinations of various wind speeds, eddy diffusivities, canopy heights, and source strengths. The results show that the vertical turbulent fluxes at the canopy top increase along the fetch and approach a limit at some downstream distance. The horizontal advection in the canopy is maximum at the edge of canopy and decreases exponentially along the fetch. All cases have the same features, except the absolute quantities depend on the environmental conditions. When the horizontal axis is normalized by using the dimensionless variable xK/uh2, horizontal diffusion is negligible, and the upwind concentration profile is constant, the curves of horizontal advection and vertical flux collapse into single, unique lines, respectively (x is the horizontal distance from the canopy edge, K is the eddy diffusivity, u is the wind speed, and h is the canopy height). The ratios of horizontal advection to the vertical turbulent flux also collapse into one universal curve when plotted against the dimensionless variable xK/uh2, irrespective of source strength. The ratio R shows a power-law relation to the dimensionless distance [R = a(xK/uh2)−b, where a and b are constant].
Phase Alignment of the Tropical Stratospheric QBO in the Annual Cycle
Authors: Hampson John , Haynes Peter
Published: November 2004

This paper investigates the occurrence of phase alignment of the tropical stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) with the annual cycle. First, updating previous studies, observational results are shown for NCEP reanalysis data and Singapore radiosondes: both datasets show strong phase alignment of the QBO at 24.5 km. Phase alignment is investigated in a 3D mechanistic stratospheric model including explicit large-scale planetary waves, forced by a lower boundary geopotential anomaly, and a simple equatorial wave parameterization. The model simulates a QBO-like oscillation, with the period depending on the lower boundary momentum flux of the parameterized waves. Phase alignment is manifested in two different ways. First, simulated oscillations of both integer and noninteger year periods are shown to lock on to a certain phase of the annual cycle. Second, when the magnitude of the lower boundary momentum flux is varied about a range implying oscillation period close to 2 yr, the period of the resulting oscillation is exactly 2 yr for a finite range of such magnitude. Analysis of the 3D model results suggest that the the phase alignment is due largely to the annual cycle in tropical upwelling. This hypothesis is supported by simulations with a 1D equatorial model including both parameterized waves and seasonally varying upwelling. The oscillations in this model show significant phase alignment when the upwelling parameters are tuned to correspond to the 3D model, although the phase alignment is weaker than that seen in the 3D model.
Speciation of Organic Aerosols in the Tropical Mid-Pacific and Their Relationship to Light Scattering
Authors: Crahan Kathleen K. , Hegg Dean A. , Covert David S. , Jonsson Haflidi , Reid Jeffrey S. , Khelif Djamal , Brooks Barbara J.
Published: November 2004

Although the importance of the aerosol contribution to the global radiative budget has been recognized, the forcings of aerosols in general, and specifically the role of the organic component in these forcings, still contain large uncertainties. In an attempt to better understand the relationship between the background forcings of aerosols and their chemical speciation, marine air samples were collected off the windward coast of Oahu, Hawaii, during the Rough Evaporation Duct project (RED) using filters mounted on both the Twin Otter aircraft and the Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) research platform. Laboratory analysis revealed a total of 17 species, including 4 carboxylic acids and 2 carbohydrates that accounted for 74% ± 20% of the mass gain observed on the shipboard filters, suggesting a possible significant unresolved organic component. The results were correlated with in situ measurements of particle light scattering (σsp) at 550 nm and with aerosol hygroscopicities. Principal component analysis revealed a small but ubiquitous pollution component affecting the σsp and aerosol hygroscopicity of the remote marine air. The Princeton Organic-Electrolyte Model (POEM) was used to predict the growth factor of the aerosols based upon the chemical composition. This output, coupled with measured aerosol size distributions, was used to attempt to reproduce the observed σsp. It was found that while the POEM model was able to reproduce the expected trends when the organic component of the aerosol was varied, due to large uncertainties especially in the aerosol sizing measurements, the σsp predicted by the POEM model was consistently higher than observed.
Relative Importance of Northern Hemisphere Circulation Modes in Predicting Regional Climate Change
Authors: Rauthe Monika , Paeth Heiko
Published: November 2004

The Northern Hemisphere annular mode (NAM), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and Aleutian low (AL) are known to be the most prominent components of Northern Hemisphere (NH) near-surface climate variability. In a tremendous number of studies, the impact of these circulation features on regional climate has been demonstrated. More recently, research has gone into the connection between the NAO and NAM and into the physical meaning of the latter. However, the relevance of those circulation modes for climatological issues may also be inferred from another nondynamical point of view: their statistical relationship to various climate parameters. This study comprises two steps: 1) qualifying and quantifying the relative importance of NH circulation modes with respect to twentieth-century near-surface temperature and precipitation, using stepwise multiple regression with cross validation; and 2) using predictor–predictand relationships to access the contributions of each circulation mode to regional climate change in the middle of the twenty-first century, given multimodel predictions of the circulation modes' responses to increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) and sulfate aerosol (SUL) concentrations.

Altogether, the NAM, NAO, and AL account locally for up to 75% of the total interannual temperature and rainfall variability over NH continents. Over the major part of the NH, the NAM appears to be the most important predictor. In some parts of the North Atlantic, temperature and rainfall are more closely linked to the NAO, while the North Pacific is clearly dominated by the AL dynamics. In general, the NAO and AL have a more regionally confined influence.

Climate change experiments mostly predict an intensification of the NAM and AL under GHG+SUL forcing, while the NAO response is much less consistent with different models and generally undergoes no long-term changes. This leads to substantial contributions to temperature and rainfall anomalies, especially over the NH landmasses. Temperature changes amount to ±1 K over large parts of Russia, North America, and the North Pacific. The major precipitation changes occur over the North Pacific, the North Atlantic, and Scandinavia. This circulation-induced contribution accounts for a considerable part of total expected change in these regions. Given its distinct trend, the NAM plays the main role, except over the Pacific Ocean and North America, where the AL is driving regional climate anomalies. Thus, whether physically relevant or not, the NAM is an appropriate statistical indicator of NH regional climate change.
Varied Expressions of the Hemispheric Circulation Observed in Association with Contrasting Polarities of Prescribed Patterns of Variability*
Authors: Quadrelli R. , Wallace J. M.
Published: November 2004

The low-frequency (>5 day period) variability observed within four different subsets of the climatology (H1, L1, H2, and L2) as defined by the high and low index polarities of the two leading principal components (PCs) of the sea level pressure field is compared, with emphasis on distinctive flow configurations and teleconnection patterns. The analysis is based on wintertime 500-hPa height, sea level pressure, and 1000–500-hPa thickness fields derived from the NCEP–NCAR reanalyses for the period of record, 1958–99.

“Spaghetti diagrams” display specified contours for ensembles of individual 10-day mean charts extracted from the four different subsets of the climatology. In L1, 10-day mean maps (weak zonal flow at latitudes ∼55°N) exhibit larger undulations in the barotropic component of the flow than those in H1, implying larger particle displacements and deeper penetration of Arctic air masses, particularly into Europe and the eastern United States. Maps in H2 and L2, separated in accordance with the Pacific–North American (PNA)-like second mode, exhibit quite different kinds of planetary wave patterns. The L2 subset (characterized by a retracted Pacific jet) exhibits greater variability over the Gulf of Alaska and over northern Europe.

Cold air outbreaks in Europe occur more frequently in L1 than H1, and over western North America, they occur more frequently in L2 than H2. The cold anomalies associated with low polarities of both PCs are observed more frequently than expected based on linear correlation; within the individual subsets of the climatology there are suggestions of multiple circulation regimes; teleconnection patterns for the subsets of the climatology are also discernibly different. These results constitute evidence of nonnormal or nonlinear behavior of 5- and 10-day mean fields and provide indications of how the intraseasonal variability depends on the mean state of the flow in which it is embedded.
Annual Variation of Midlatitude Precipitation
Authors: Chen Tsing-Chang , Huang Wan-Ru , Takle Eugene S.
Published: November 2004

Annual variation of midlatitude precipitation and its maintenance through divergent water vapor flux were explored by the use of hydrological variables from three reanalyses [(NCEP–NCAR, ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA), and Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS-1)] and two global precipitation datasets [Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) and Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP)]. Two annual variation patterns of midlatitude precipitation were identified:Tropical–midlatitude precipitation contrast: Midlatitude precipitation along storm tracks over the oceans attains its maximum in winter and its minimum in summer opposite to that over the tropical continents.Land–ocean precipitation contrast: The annual precipitation variation between the oceans and the continent masses exhibits a pronounced seesaw.The annual variation of precipitation along storm tracks of both hemispheres follows that of the convergence of transient water vapor flux. On the other hand, the land–ocean precipitation contrast in the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes is primarily maintained by the annual seesaw between the divergence of stationary water vapor flux over the western oceans and the convergence of this water vapor flux over the eastern oceans during winter. The pattern is reversed during the summer. This divergence–convergence exchange of stationary water vapor flux is coupled with the annual evolution of upper-level ridges over continents and troughs over the oceans.
Biogeochemical and Biophysical Responses of the Land Surface to a Sustained Thermohaline Circulation Weakening
Authors: Higgins Paul A. T.
Published: November 2004

Biotic responses to climate change may constitute significant feedbacks to the climate system by altering biogeochemistry (e.g., carbon storage) or biophysics (i.e., albedo, evapotranspiration, and roughness length) at the land surface. Accurate projection of future climate change depends on proper accounting of these biological feedbacks. Similarly, projections of future climate change must include the potential for nonlinear responses such as thermohaline circulation (THC) weakening, which is increasingly evident in paleoclimate reconstructions and model experiments. This article uses offline simulations with the Integrated Biosphere Simulator (IBIS) to determine long-term biophysical and biogeochemical responses to climate patterns generated by the third Hadley Centre Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere General Circulation Model (HadCM3) under forced THC weakening. Total land surface carbon storage decreases by 0.5% in response to THC weakening, suggesting that the biogeochemical response would not constitute a significant climate feedback under this climate change scenario. In contrast, large regional and local changes in leaf area index (LAI) suggest that biophysical responses may constitute significant feedbacks to at least local and regional climate. Indeed, the LAI responses do lead to changes in midday direct and diffuse beam albedo over large regions of the land surface. As a result, there are large local and regional changes in the land surface's capacity to absorb solar radiation. Changes in energy partitioning between sensible and latent heat fluxes also occur. However, the change in latent heat flux from the land surface is primarily attributable to changes in precipitation that occur under forced THC weakening and not a result of the subsequent changes in vegetation.
Regional Model Simulations of Marine Boundary Layer Clouds over the Southeast Pacific off South America. Part II: Sensitivity Experiments*
Authors: Wang Yuqing , Xu Haiming , Xie Shang-Ping
Published: November 2004

The sensitivity of a regional climate model to physical parameterizations and model resolution is investigated in terms of its simulation of boundary layer stratocumulus (SCu) clouds over the southeast Pacific. Specifically, the physical schemes being tested include shallow cumulus convection, subgrid vertical mixing, cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC), and drizzle.

As described in Part I, the model with standard settings captures the major features of the boundary layer in the region, including a well-mixed marine boundary layer, a capping temperature inversion, SCu clouds, and the boundary layer regime transition from the well-mixed layer near the coast of South America to a decoupled cloud layer over warmer water to the west. Turning off the shallow cumulus parameterization results in a dramatic increase in the simulated SCu clouds while the boundary layer structure becomes unrealistic, losing the decoupled regime over warm water. With reduced penetrative mixing at the top of shallow cumuli, the simulated SCu clouds are somewhat increased while the boundary layer structure remained largely unchanged. Reducing the CDNC increases the size of cloud droplets and reduces the cloud albedo but has little effect on the vertical structure of the boundary layer and clouds. Allowing more drizzle decreases boundary layer clouds considerably. It is also shown that the simulated depth of the boundary layer and its decoupling is highly sensitive to the model horizontal and vertical resolutions. Insufficient horizontal or vertical resolutions produce a temperature inversion and cloud layer too close to the sea surface, a typical problem for global general circulation models.

Implications of these results for global and regional modeling of boundary layer clouds and the areas that need more attention in future model development are discussed.
Observations of the Temporal Evolution and Spatial Structure of the Gap Flow in the Wipp Valley on 2 and 3 October 1999
Authors: Weissmann Martin D. , Mayr G. J. , Banta R. M. , Gohm A.
Published: November 2004

The investigation of gap flow in the Wipp Valley (GAP project) is one of the objectives of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP). The valley runs south–north across the Brenner Pass, from Italy to Austria. The pass is the lowest one of the main Alpine ridge and is therefore a favorable location for a gap flow, which is called foehn. Based on the extensive dataset of MAP, this study gives a detailed analysis of foehn on 2 and 3 October 1999 [intensive observation period 5 (IOP 5)]. The foehn event began as a gap flow that was separated from midlevel winds by a strong temperature inversion during the night of 1–2 October 1999. On the next night (2– 3 October) the inversion dissipated, and the gap flow was combined with strong midlevel cross-ridge flow on 3 October 1999. This study shows that the existence of a temperature inversion above the gap flow has a crucial impact on the flow structure. Another emphasis of the study was the investigation of the small-scale flow structure downstream of the gap. Jumplike features and regions with flow reversals, which were interpreted as “rollers” (reversed rotors), could be observed in the Wipp Valley. A jet layer with a wavy structure indicated a gravity wave in the southern part of the valley. In the northern part the flow showed strong asymmetry with wind speeds nearly twice as strong on the eastern side as on the western one.
Mentoring School Leaders: Professional Promise or Predictable Problems?
Authors: Daresh John
Published: November 2004

This article provides an overview of the use of mentoring programs as a tool to be used in the preservice preparation, induction, and ongoing in-service education of school administrators. Typical practices are described, along with the assumed value found in mentoring. In addition, the limitations and potential problems are identified. The article concludes with a consideration of some of the policy implications related to the adoption of mentoring and possible future research that may be carried out in this area.
Synergy between Diversity and Similarity in Group-Idea Generation
Authors: Miura Asako , Hida Misao
Published: November 2004

This article is a report of two experiments that were conducted to investigate the creative performance of groups during idea-generation sessions. The hypothesis was that groups in which higher levels of both member diversity and similarity of thought categories were combined would show greater gains in creative performance. In Study 1, the participants (n = 168) were assigned to 56 three-person groups and performed an inventive creativity task. The results supported the hypothesis. Forty-one three-person groups, which consisted solely of female participants (n = 123) performed an ameliorative creativity task in Study 2. The hypothesis was again confirmed. These results suggest that a form of synergy between diversity and similarity operates in group creativity.
Structure and Process in Reconciliation-Transformation Workshops
Authors: Bargal David
Published: November 2004

This article presents a detailed blueprint for conducting reconciliation-transformation workshops among Jewish and Palestinian youth. The workshops are based on interventions that deal with intragroup and intergroup dynamics. Conflict management workshops, which at one time utilized small group interventions to create a bridge between two conflicting parties, are no longer effective. The recent escalation of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has resulted in a vicious cycle of deaths and casualties on both sides. Thus, in the attempt to generate a dialogue between the two groups, reconciliation-transformation measures should be used as a means of reducing the cognitive distortions, anger, hostility, fear, grief, victimization, and humiliation that have developed. The workshop structure and process proposed in the article reflect the ideal design based on interdisciplinary knowledge and experience gained from efforts to build peace in other conflictual contexts such as those of South Africa and South America.
The Silent Heart of News
Authors: Hemmingway Emma Louise
Published: November 2004

A cultural analysis of television newsgathering and production that explores the spatial organization of the newsroom and the temporal manipulation of “real” events to create news is lacking in organizational sociology and media and cultural studies. This article explores the relationship between the “event” taking place “in the world” and the production process that enables the communication of that event to an audience through the televisual process. Using Bakhtin’s literary device of the chronotope, a cultural reading of news production is examined where a constant redefinition of “real” time and space takes place to interiorize the outside world into the production machine of the newsroom. The article explores professional relationships between journalists working in the separate newsgathering and news production zones of a BBC regional newsroom and illustrates their individual manipulations of the temporal and spatial parameters of the news event as it happens.
Prefrontal Abnormality of Schizophrenia Revealed by DNA Microarray: Impact on Glial and Neurotrophic Gene Expression
Authors: SUGAI TETSUJI , KAWAMURA MEIKO , IRITANI SHUJI , ARAKI KAZUAKI , MAKIFUCHI TAKAO , IMAI CHINA , NAKAMURA RYOSUKE , KAKITA AKIYOSHI , TAKAHASHI HITOSHI , NAWA HIROYUKI
Published: November 2004

Abstract: DNA microarrays with isotope labeling from gene‐specific primers enable sensitive detection of rare mRNAs, including neurotrophin and cytokine mRNAs in the brain. Using high‐quality RNA from postmortem brains, gene‐expression profiles covering 1373 genes were assessed in the dorsoprefrontal cortex of schizophrenic patients and compared with those of nonpsychiatric subjects. Statistical analysis of the DNA microarray data confirmed the findings of a previous GeneChip study by Hakak et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 98, pp. 4746‐4751, 2001). The highest frequency of mRNA expression alterations occurred in oligodendrocyte‐ and astrocyte‐related genes in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenic patients, followed by the category for the genes for growth factors/neurotrophic factors and their receptors. Whether each mRNA signal represents the expression of the individual genes or homologous genes in the category remains to be determined, however. To control for potential medication effects on patients, RNA from cynomolgus monkeys that were treated with haloperidol for 3 months was also subjected to DNA microarray analysis. A few genes overlapped between the gene‐expression profiles of the monkeys and patients. The present profiling study suggests a potential biological link between abnormal neurotrophic signals and impaired glial functions in schizophrenic pathology.
Changes in Expression of the Mouse Homologues of KIAA Genes after Subchronic Methamphetamine Treatment
Authors: YAMAMOTO H , IMAI K , TAKAMATSU Y , KAMEGAYA E , HARA Y , SHIMADA K , YAMAMOTO T , SHEN H‐W , HAGINO Y , KOBAYASHI H , IDE S , SORA I , KOGA H , IKEDAA K
Published: November 2004

Abstract: Amphetamine abuse may be associated with adaptive changes in gene expression in the brain. In the present study, a newly developed cDNA array system comprising mouse KIAA (mKIAA) cDNA clones was used to examine the gene expression affected by chronic methamphetamine treatment. Approximately 800 mKIAA clones were blotted onto a nylon membrane and hybridized with 33P‐labeled cDNA derived from mRNAs isolated from the whole brains of mice that had been treated daily with saline or methamphetamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) for 2 weeks. The arrays displayed robust hybridization for almost all transcripts. The results obtained from five experiments were averaged, each performed with triplicate samples. Several clones were chosen as positive candidates for methamphetamine‐induced changes; however, only Per2 and mKIAA0099 genes showed a significantly increased expression (P < .05). Subsequently, with the focus on the period‐related proteins, the expression of these proteins in various parts of the rat brain were assessed by immunoblot analysis. Chronic administration of methamphetamine (8 mg/kg, i.p., for 10 days) caused increased Per2 protein expression in the hippocampus. Interestingly, chronic methamphetamine treatment at a lower dose (4 mg/kg, i.p., for 10 days) induced an increase in SCN circadian oscillatory protein (SCOP) expression, also in the hippocampus. These data suggest that long‐lasting alterations of the period‐related gene expressions in the hippocampus might play an important role in methamphetamine addiction.
Effect of Methamphetamine on Cognition and Repetitive Motor Behavior of Mice Deficient for Dopamine D2 and D3 Receptors
Authors: GLICKSTEIN SARA B. , SCHMAUSS CLAUDIA
Published: November 2004

Abstract: Mice deficient for dopamine D2 and D3 receptors exhibit blunted D1‐receptor responses to agonist stimulation. This blunted D1‐receptor activity is prominent in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and results in a significantly impaired performance of the mutants in a test for spatial working memory. A single dose of methamphetamine (METH; 5 mg/kg i.p.), however, elicits a long‐lasting increase in agonist‐stimulated D1 receptor activity in the mPFC. In D2 mutants, this increase reaches wild‐type levels, and the working memory of METH‐treated mutants is completely rescued. In D3 mutants, however, the METH‐induced increase in D1‐receptor activity remains below wild‐type levels and does not result in improved working memory performance.

D2 and D3 mutants also differ in their locomotor responses to METH. Repeated administration of this drug (5 mg/kg administered three times at 2‐h intervals) leads to a transition from horizontal hyperlocomotion to excessive orofacial stereotypy (taffy pulling) only in wild type and D3 mutants. In both genotypes, this transition is accompanied by a change in the relative ratios of striatal neuronal activation in two neurochemically distinct compartments, with striosomal neuronal activation exceeding that of the striatal matrix during stereotypy. Both the stereotypic response to METH and the associated predominant activation of neurons located in striosomes require D2‐receptor expression. These studies indicate a differential requirement for D1‐ and D2‐like receptor activation in mediating the effects of METH on cognitive and motor function.