bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hand function after nerve repair
Authors: Lundborg G. , Rosén B.
Published: January 2007

Treatment of injuries to major nerve trunks in the hand and upper extremity remains a major and challenging reconstructive problem. Such injuries may cause long‐lasting disabilities in terms of lost fine sensory and motor functions. Nowadays there is no surgical repair technique that can ensure recovery of tactile discrimination in the hand of an adult patient following nerve repair while very young individuals usually regain a complete recovery of functional sensibility. Post‐traumatic nerve regeneration is a complex biological process where the outcome depends on multiple biological and environmental factors such as survival of nerve cells, axonal regeneration rate, extent of axonal misdirection, type of injury, type of nerve, level of the lesion, age of the patient and compliance to training. A major problem is the cortical functional reorganization of hand representation which occurs as a result of axonal misdirection. Although protective sensibility usually occurs following nerve repair, tactile discriminative functions seldom recover – a direct result of cortical remapping. Sensory re‐education programmes are routinely applied to facilitate understanding of the new sensory patterns provided by the hand. New trends in hand rehabilitation focus on modulation of central nervous processes rather than peripheral factors. Principles are being evolved to maintain the cortical hand representation by using the brain capacity for visuo‐tactile and audio‐tactile interaction for the initial phase following nerve injury and repair (phase 1). After the start of the re‐innervation of the hand (phase 2), selective de‐afferentation, such as cutaneous anaesthesia of the forearm of the injured hand, allows expansion of the nerve‐injured cortical hand representation, thereby enhancing the effects of sensory relearning. Recent data support the view that training protocols specifically addressing the relearning process substantially increase the possibilities for improved functional outcome after nerve repair.
“Without Hysteria or Unnecessary Disturbance”: Desegregation at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama, 1948–1954
Authors: Padgett Charles S.
Published: January 2007

Spring Hill College is Alabama's oldest institution of higher learning, one year older than the University of Alabama. Founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, the Catholic bishop of Mobile, it has been run by the Jesuits since 1847. When it desegregated in September, 1954, the four-year liberal arts college claimed 1,000 students, including its evening division in downtown Mobile. The desegregation of Spring Hill College (SHC) came just before the increased Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and White Citizens Council activity which led the backlash to the Supreme Court'sBrown v. Board of Educationdecision. Although volumes have been written about resistance to desegregation in the Deep South, almost no published research exists on the peaceful desegregation of white southern colleges, which anticipated and complied with Supreme Court rulings. This essay will place SHC's unique story in the context of the desegregation of higher education in the South and of race relations in Mobile, Alabama, in the decade before massive resistance. It will examine models for desegregation of Catholic colleges before theBrowndecision and, finally, will detail SHC's desegregation as a gradual process that occurred between 1948 and 1954.
Reappraisals of the Academy Movement
Authors: Tolley Kim , Beadie Nancy
Published: January 2007

The presence of academies in the United States spans roughly three centuries. Originating in the colonial era, academies spread across the country by mid-nineteenth century. Such institutions generally served students between the ages of eight and twenty-five, providing a relatively advanced form of schooling that was legally incorporated to ensure financial support beyond that available through tuition alone. According to one contemporary source, by 1850 more than 6,100 incorporated academies existed in the United States, with enrollments nine times greater than those of the nation's colleges. Nineteenth-century supporters portrayed academies as exemplars of the nation's commitment to enlightenment and learning; opponents argued that they were harmful to the public interest. Those in favor of a large-scale system of public high schools dismissed academies as irrelevant and outmoded institutions. The culmination of this controversy is well known, because it is reiterated in every secondary text on the history of American education. As a widespread system of public higher schooling supplanted the academies in the twentieth century, private and independent schools dropped out of the mainstream of American educational discourse. The following essays seek to recover something of the long history of academies in the United States and to reconsider the historical significance of these institutions in society.
Restoring Teachers to Their Rights: Soviet Education and the 1936 Denunciation of Pedology
Authors: Ewing E. Thomas
Published: January 2007

In early 1937, one-third of sixth graders in a school near Leningrad were not passing their Russian-language course. Their teacher, Tomsinskaia, told the school director that the failures were due to circumstances beyond her control: children had received inadequate preparation in previous grades, textbooks were in short supply, and pupils had “weak reading habits.” Other teachers in the Krasnosel'skii district offered similar justifications for pupils' poor performance. Sakhanova claimed that low levels of achievement were due to “bad home conditions.” Velichko asserted that her seventeen failing pupils all suffered from inherited conditions such as “mental retardation,” “underdevelopment,” or “congenital laziness.” Semenovskii, who had completed higher education and considerable teaching experience, admitted he had no explanation why one-half of his pupils were failing every year.
Competitive Examinations and the Culture of Masculinity in Oxbridge Undergraduate Life, 1850-1920
Authors: Deslandes Paul R.
Published: January 2007

As the primary means through which academic success was measured and professional credentials were established, competitive examinations for university degrees and civil service appointments became a frequently discussed topic among the Victorian and Edwardian elite in Great Britain. Students and dons (the term for college fellows with teaching and pastoral responsibilities) at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as a whole range of outside observers, regularly commented on the importance of these exercises during the seven decades that passed between the curricular and administrative reforms of the 1850s and the conclusion of World War I, years in which these ancient institutions achieved their modern form and functioned, in the words of Jan Morris, as “power house [s]” and “conscious instruments of Victorian national greatness.” In an 1863Student's Guide to the University of Cambridge, for example, J.R. Seeley, a famous Cambridge don and historian, celebrated the invigorating, youthful, and competitive nature of the Tripos (or Honors) examinations in a lengthy discussion of academic life: “Into these [examinations] flock annually the ablest young men … who during their University course have received all the instruction that the best Tutors, and all the stimulus that a competition well known to be severe, can give…. The contest is one into which the cleverest lads in the country enter [and] it may safely be affirmed that even the lowest place in these Triposes is justly called anhonour.” By the 1860s, when Seeley first penned these comments, competitive examinations had become, in the words of one contemporary observer, “matters of … much interest and importance not only to those whose future success in life depended upon them, but to the public in general.” Public interest was further fueled, throughout this period, by numerous articles in the periodical press that discussed and debated the general value of competitive examinations and by the regular publication of test results in widely circulated, national newspapers such as theTimes.
Crafting a Delta Chinese Community: Education and Acculturation in Twentieth-Century Southern Baptist Mission Schools
Authors: de Sánchez Sieglinde Lim
Published: January 2007

During Reconstruction between one-fourth and one-third of the southern African-American work force emigrated to northern and southern urban areas. This phenomenon confirmed the fears of Delta cotton planters about the transition from slave to wage labor. Following a labor convention in Memphis, Tennessee, during the summer of 1869, one proposed alternative to the emerging employment crisis was to introduce Chinese immigrant labor, following the example of countries in the Caribbean and Latin America during the mid nineteenth century. Cotton plantation owners initially hoped that Chinese “coolie” workers would help replace the loss of African-American slave labor and that competition between the two groups would compel former slaves to resume their submissive status on plantations. This experiment proved an unmitigated failure. African Americans sought independence from white supervision and authority. And, Chinese immigrant workers proved to be more expensive and less dependable than African-American slave labor. More importantly, due to low wages and severe exploitation by planters, Chinese immigrants quickly lost interest in agricultural work.
The Introduction of the “New Education” in Queensland, Australia
Authors: Meadmore Peter
Published: January 2007

Reformist educational discourses of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, usually referred to as the “new education” or progressive education, emanated from the industrialized countries of the United States and Western Europe. They emerged partly as a response to social and economic conditions but also as an attempt by educationists to ameliorate the regimentation and pedagogical limitations of nineteenth-century schooling. A considerable degree of cross-pollination of ideas across different countries occurred through visits, study, and the exchange of publications between educationists, allowing an international focus to emerge. The various discourses that constituted progressive education were at times confusing, even contradictory, and the use of these umbrella-type categories masked and distorted the diversity of pedagogical practices. These discourses also found their way into the Southern Hemisphere including British colonies such as Australia.
The Birth of the Citizenship Schools: Entwining the Struggles for Literacy and Freedom
Authors: Levine David P.
Published: January 2007

In a 1981 interview, civil rights leader Andrew Young commented, “If you look at the black elected officials and the people who are political leaders across the South now, it's full of people who had their first involvement in civil rights in the Citizenship Training Program.” Informally known as Citizenship Schools, this adult education program began in 1958 under the sponsorship of Tennessee's Highlander Folk School, which handed it over to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1961. By the time the project ended in 1970, approximately 2500 African Americans had taught these basic literacy and political education classes for tens of thousands of their neighbors. The program never had a high profile, but civil rights leaders and scholars assert that it helped to bring many people into the movement, cultivated grassroots leaders, and increased black participation in voting and other civic activities.
Liberation and Frustration: Fifty Years after Brown
Authors: Altenbaugh Richard J.
Published: January 2007

The point which we must aim at is to obtain admission for our children into the nearest school house and the best schoolhouse in our respective neighborhoods.

Frederick Douglass (1859)
“An Educated and Intelligent People Cannot be Enslaved”: The Struggle for Common Schools in Antebellum Spartanburg, South Carolina
Authors: Eelman Bruce W.
Published: January 2007

As the political conflict over slavery's fate in the West intensified through the summer of 1849, Peter M. Wallace, editor of the SpartanburgCarolina Spartan, vowed that he was “utterly opposed now and forever to all political compromises” on the issue of slavery. Significantly, Wallace connected the success of such southern resistance to the improvement of South Carolina's free schools. TheCarolina Spartan'scolumns, the editor explained, “will be open to the advocates of a more liberal but judicious appropriation of the public money” for common schooling because “an educated and intelligent people, cannot be enslaved.” Wallace was one of many antebellum Spartanburg leaders who linked schooling with southern nationalism and used slavery as a metaphor for dependence on northern institutions. In the process, these men espoused what historians often view as a very un-southern idea—liberal government support for public education—and contrasted it with an image central to the definition of southern white republicanism—the ignorant slave.
Survey on the Listeria Contamination of Ready‐to‐Eat Food Products and Household Environments in Vienna, Austria
Authors: Wagner M. , Auer B. , Trittremmel C. , Hein I. , Schoder D.
Published: January 2007

Qualitative and quantitative contamination of ready‐to‐eat food‐stuffs with the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes was studied in 1586 samples collected from 103 supermarkets (n = 946) and 61 households (n = 640) in Vienna, Austria. Seventeen groups of ready‐to‐eat foods were classified into three risk categories for contamination (CP1–CP3). Three to four samples were randomly collected at the retail level from each CP. Regarding the households, the sampling procedure was started with food items of CP1, and if not available, was continued with sampling of food items of CP2 and finally of CP3. Additionally, 184 environmental samples (swabs from the kitchen area, dust samples from the vacuum cleaner) and faecal samples (household members and pet animals) were included. One‐hundred and twenty‐four (13.1%) and 45 (4.8%) samples out of 946 food samples collected from food retailers tested positive for Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes, respectively, with five smoked fish samples exceeding the tolerated limit of 100 CFU/g food. Food‐stuffs associated with the highest risk of contamination were twice as frequently contaminated with L. monocytogenes as food‐stuffs associated with a medium risk of contamination. Products showing the highest contamination rate were fish and seafood (19.4%), followed by raw meat sausages (6.3%), soft cheese (5.5%) and cooked meat products/patés (4.5%). The overall contamination rate of foods collected at the household level was more than two times lower. Only 5.6% and 1.7% of 640 food‐stuffs analysed tested positive for Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes, respectively. However, CP1 foods were rarely collected. Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing of the collected L. monocytogenes isolates revealed a high degree of diversity between the isolates, with some exceptions. PFGE typing of isolates harvested from green‐veined cheese revealed a match among strains, although the manufacturer seemed to be distinguishable. Typing of household strains revealed an epidemiological link within one family. In this case, food‐stuffs and the kitchen environment were contaminated by an indistinguishable isolate. In addition, the same isolate was collected from a pooled faecal sample of the household members suggesting that consumption of even low contaminated food items (<100 CFU/g) results in Listeria shedding after the passage through the gut.
Generalized Fatal Cowpox virus Infection in a Cat with Transmission to a Human Contact Case
Authors: Schulze C. , Alex M. , Schirrmeier H. , Hlinak A. , Engelhardt A. , Koschinski B. , Beyreiß B. , Hoffmann M. , Czerny C.‐P.
Published: January 2007

A 4‐month‐old female domestic shorthair cat was infected by a virus of the Poxvirus family. The animal developed a severe pneumonia and generalized ulcerating lesions of the skin. Histologically, typical eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies indicative of an Orthopoxvirus (OPV) infection were present. The lung showed grey‐white to haemorrhagic nodular lesions with a central zone of complete necrosis of alveolar and bronchial tissue. Electron microscopy from skin and lung nodules revealed typical square‐shaped OPV particles. Cultivation of the virus on chorio‐allantoic membranes of embryonated chicken eggs resulted in haemorrhagic plaques. Restriction enzyme analysis, PCR and sequencing of the D8L gene identified the OPV isolate as a typical Cowpox virus. It was transmitted by the cat to a human contact person who developed a local nodular dermatitis at the inoculation site in association with signs of general infection and had an increase of OPV‐specific neutralizing antibodies in paired serum samples.
Effect of Lamivudine on the Plasma and Intracellular Pharmacokinetics of Apricitabine, a Novel Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor, in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Holdich T. , Shiveley L. A. , Sawyer J.
Published: January 2007

Apricitabine is a novel deoxycytidine analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor. In vitro apricitabine competes with other deoxycytidine analogues for intracellular phosphorylation mediated by deoxycytidine kinase. The topic of this study, the effect of concomitant administration of apricitabine and lamivudine on the plasma and intracellular pharmacokinetics of the two compounds, was investigated in healthy volunteers. Participants (
n
= 21; age, 18 to 30 years) received apricitabine at 600 mg twice daily, lamivudine at 300 mg once daily, and the two treatments in combination for 4 days each in random order. Plasma, urine, and intracellular pharmacokinetics were assessed on day 4 of each treatment period. Apricitabine was rapidly absorbed after oral administration, with peak concentrations being attained after a mean of 1.76 h. Coadministration with lamivudine had no significant effect on the plasma and urine pharmacokinetics of apricitabine. However, the formation of apricitabine triphosphate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was markedly reduced after the coadministration of apricitabine and lamivudine than after the administration of apricitabine alone: the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 12 h for apricitabine triphosphate during combination treatment was ca. 15% of that seen after the administration of apricitabine alone. In contrast, apricitabine had no effect on the plasma pharmacokinetics of lamivudine or on the formation of lamivudine triphosphate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These results are consistent with in vitro findings that lamivudine inhibits the intracellular phosphorylation of apricitabine. In conjunction with similar in vitro observations for emtricitabine and apricitabine, these results suggest that apricitabine should not be coadministered with other deoxycytidine analogues for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection.
The Second Extracellular Loop of CCR5 Contains the Dominant Epitopes for Highly Potent Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Monoclonal Antibodies
Authors: Zhang Jun , Rao Eileen , Dioszegi Marianna , Kondru Rama , DeRosier Andre , Chan Eva , Schwoerer Stephan , Cammack Nick , Brandt Michael , Sankuratri Surya , Ji Changhua
Published: January 2007

Six mouse anti-human CCR5 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that showed potent antiviral activities were identified from over 26,000 mouse hybridomas. The epitopes for these mAbs were determined by using various CCR5 mutants, including CCR5/CCR2B chimeras. One mAb, ROAb13, was found to bind to a linear epitope in the N terminus of CCR5. Strikingly, the other five mAbs bind to epitopes derived from extracellular loop 2 (ECL2). The three most potent mAbs, ROAb12, ROAb14, and ROAb18, require residues from both the N-terminal (Lys171 and Glu172) and C-terminal (Trp190) halves of ECL2 for binding; two other mAbs, ROAb10 and ROAb51, which also showed potent antiviral activities, require Lys171 and Glu172 but not Trp190 for binding. Binding of the control mAb 2D7 completely relies on Lys171 and Glu172. Unlike 2D7, the novel mAbs ROAb12, ROAb14, and ROAb18 do not bind to the linear peptide 2D7-2SK. In addition, all three mAbs bind to monkey CCR5 (with Arg at position 171 instead of Lys); however, 2D7 does not. Since five of the six most potent CCR5 mAbs derived from the same pool of immunized mice require ECL2 as epitopes, we hypothesize that CCR5 ECL2 contains the dominant epitopes for mAbs with potent antiviral activities. These dominant epitopes were found in CCR5 from multiple species and were detected in large proportions of the total cell surface CCR5. mAbs recognizing these epitopes also showed high binding affinity. A homology model of CCR5 was generated to aid in the interpretation of these dominant epitopes in ECL2.
Bioinformatic Identification of Tandem Repeat Antigens of the
Leishmania donovani
Complex
Authors: Goto Yasuyuki , Coler Rhea N. , Reed Steven G.
Published: January 2007

With large amounts of parasite gene sequence available, additional bioinformatic tools to screen these sequences for identifying genes encoding antigens are needed. Proteins containing tandem repeat (TR) domains are often B-cell antigens, and antibody responses toward TR domains of the proteins are dominant in human infected with certain parasites. We hypothesized that antigens of serological significance could be identified with a search for TR domains. Here we show the result of bioinformatic screening of the gene sequence database of the parasitic protozoan
Leishmania infantum
. Of 8,191 genes scanned, 64 genes contained TR domains. Of the 64 genes, 22 encoded previously characterized antigens; the remaining 42 genes were previously uncharacterized. By using sera from Sudanese visceral leishmaniasis patients, we confirmed that the TR domains of LinJ11.0070, LinJ25.1100, LinJ27.0400, and LinJ29.0110, which were from the 42 uncharacterized proteins, are also antigenic. The results suggest the validity of this approach for identifying leishmanial antigens of serological significance.
Leishmania-Derived Murine Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein 1 Enhances the Recruitment of a Restrictive Population of CC Chemokine Receptor 2-Positive Macrophages
Authors: Conrad Sean M. , Strauss-Ayali Dalit , Field Ann E. , Mack Matthias , Mosser David M.
Published: January 2007

TransgenicLeishmaniaparasites that encode the murine chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) were generated. These parasites transcribed MCP-1 mRNA and secreted MCP-1 protein. Infection of BALB/c, C57BL/6, or MCP-1 knockout (KO) mice with these parasites resulted in minimal lesion development with fewer parasites in the infected foot, lymph node, and spleen compared to wild-type-infected mice. In contrast, transgenic parasites caused substantial lesions with relatively high numbers of parasites in CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) KO mice, indicating that the parasites are viable and healthy and that the lack of lesion development is CCR2 dependent. Prior infection of mice with transgenic parasites offered no protection to subsequent wild-typeL. majorchallenge, suggesting that the transgenic parasites are controlled by an early innate immune response. Consistent with innate immunity, flow cytometry of cells from the ears of mice infected with transgenic parasites revealed an increase in the number of CCR2-positive macrophages by day 7 postinfection. The enumeration of transgenic parasites in ear lesions demonstrated a significant reduction in parasite numbers, which coincided with the increased CCR2-positive macrophage migration. CCR2-positive macrophages isolated from ears of mice infected with transgenic parasites contained virtually no parasites. In vitro studies revealed that optimal parasite killing required the recruitment of CCR2-positive macrophages, followed by stimulation with a combination of both MCP-1 and gamma interferon (IFN-γ). This work suggests that the parasite-derived MCP-1 can recruit a restrictive population of CCR2-positive macrophages into lesions that can be optimally stimulated by MCP-1 and IFN-γ to efficiently killLeishmaniaparasites.
ACTION FOR (FREE) OPEN STRING MODES IN AdS SPACE USING THE LOOP VARIABLE APPROACH
Authors: SATHIAPALAN B.
Published: January 2007

The loop variable technique (for open strings in flat space) is a gauge-invariant generalization of the renormalization group method for obtaining equations of motion. Unlike the beta functions, which are only proportional to the equations of motion, here it gives the full equation of motion. In an earlier paper, a technique was described for adapting this method to open strings in gravitational backgrounds. However, unlike the flat space case, these equations cannot be derived from an action and are therefore not complete. This is because there are ambiguities in the method that involve curvature couplings that cannot be fixed by appealing to gauge invariance alone but need a more complete treatment of the closed string background. An indirect method to resolve these ambiguities is to require symmetricity of the second derivatives of the action. In general this will involve modifying the equations by terms with arbitrarily high powers of curvature tensors. This is illustrated for the massive spin-two field. It is shown that in the special case of an AdS or dS background, the exact action can easily be determined in this way.
A NOTE ON THE COLLAPSE OF SMALL DATA SELF-GRAVITATING MASSLESS COLLISIONLESS MATTER
Authors: DAFERMOS MIHALIS
Published: January 2007

In this note, we show that small-data asymptotically flat spherically-symmetric solutions to the Einstein–Vlasov system for massless particles are causally geodesically complete and decay appropriately. This extends previous results of Rein and Rendall in the massive case.
Cystic Disease of the Kidney
Authors: Wilson Patricia D , Goilav Beatrice
Published: January 2007

This review focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the development of human renal cystic diseases. A pathological, clinical, and pathophysiological overview is given. Initial analysis of the cell biology of inappropriate hyperproliferation accompanied by fluid secretion of cyst-lining epithelia has been followed by the elucidation of fundamental defects in epithelial polarity, cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, and apoptosis, all of which are discussed. Identification of the genes and proteins responsible for several renal cystic diseases has led to a more complete understanding of defects in renal developmental programming, differentiation, and morphogenesis, all of which underlie cystic diseases of the kidney.
Multiple Biomarkers and the Risk of Incident Hypertension
Authors: Wang Thomas J. , Gona Philimon , Larson Martin G. , Levy Daniel , Benjamin Emelia J. , Tofler Geoffrey H. , Jacques Paul F. , Meigs James B. , Rifai Nader , Selhub Jacob , Robins Sander J. , Newton-Cheh Christopher , Vasan Ramachandran S.
Published: January 2007

An understanding of mechanisms underlying the development of essential hypertension is critical for designing prevention and treatment strategies. Selected biomarkers may be elevated before the onset of hypertension, but previous studies are limited by cross-sectional designs or a focus on single biomarkers. We prospectively studied 1456 nonhypertensive individuals who had baseline measurement of 9 biomarkers: C-reactive protein (inflammation); fibrinogen (inflammation and thrombosis); plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (fibrinolytic potential); aldosterone, renin, B-type natriuretic peptide, and N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide (neurohormonal activity); homocysteine (renal function and oxidant stress); and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (glomerular endothelial function). Incident hypertension, defined as blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg or antihypertensive therapy, developed in 232 participants over a mean follow-up of 3 years. After adjustment for clinical risk factors, the biomarker panel was significantly associated with incident hypertension (
P
=0.002). Three (of 9) biomarkers were significantly related to incident hypertension on backward elimination (multivariable-adjusted odds ratios, per SD increment in biomarker): C-reactive protein (1.26; 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.51), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (1.28; 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.57), and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (1.21; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.43). The incidence of hypertension was 4.5, 6.4, and 9.9 per 100 person years for participants with 0, 1, and ≥2 elevated biomarkers, respectively (elevation defined as ≥1 SD above the mean). The threshold of ≥2 elevated biomarkers for predicting hypertension was associated with high specificity (0.92) but low sensitivity (0.15). Biomarkers of inflammation, reduced fibrinolytic potential, and low-grade albuminuria are jointly associated with the incidence of hypertension. These data support the premise that abnormalities in multiple biological pathways antedate the onset of overt hypertension.
Increased Expression of Syndecan-1 Protects Against Cardiac Dilatation and Dysfunction After Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Vanhoutte Davy , Schellings Mark W.M. , Götte Martin , Swinnen Melissa , Herias Veronica , Wild Martin K. , Vestweber Dietmar , Chorianopoulos Emmanuel , Cortés Víctor , Rigotti Attilio , Stepp Mary-Ann , Van de Werf Frans , Carmeliet Peter , Pinto Yigal M. , Heymans Stephane
Published: January 2007

Background—

The cell-associated proteoglycan syndecan-1 (Synd1) closely regulates inflammation and cell-matrix interactions during wound healing and tumorigenesis. The present study investigated whether Synd1 may also regulate cardiac inflammation, matrix remodeling, and function after myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods and Results—

First, we showed increased protein and mRNA expression of Synd1 from 24 hours on, reaching its maximum at 7 days after MI and declining thereafter. Targeted deletion of Synd1 resulted in increased inflammation and accelerated, yet functionally adverse, infarct healing after MI. In concordance, adenoviral gene expression of Synd1 protected against exaggerated inflammation after MI, mainly by reducing transendothelial adhesion and migration of leukocytes, as shown in vitro. Increased inflammation in the absence of Synd1 resulted in increased monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression, increased activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9, and decreased activity of tissue transglutaminase, associated with increased collagen fragmentation and disorganization. Exaggerated inflammation and adverse matrix remodeling in the absence of Synd1 increased cardiac dilatation and impaired systolic function, whereas gene overexpression of Synd1 reduced inflammation and protected against cardiac dilatation and failure.

Conclusions—

Increased expression of Synd1 in the infarct protects against exaggerated inflammation and adverse infarct healing, thereby reducing cardiac dilatation and dysfunction after MI in mice.
Associations of Gestational Age and Intrauterine Growth With Systolic Blood Pressure in a Family-Based Study of 386 485 Men in 331 089 Families
Authors: Lawlor Debbie A. , Hübinette Anna , Tynelius Per , Leon David A. , Smith George Davey , Rasmussen Finn
Published: January 2007

Background—

We conducted a family-based study to explore mechanisms underlying the associations of birth weight and gestational age with systolic blood pressure measured at 17 to 19 years of age.

Methods and Results—

A record linkage study of 386 485 singleton-born men from 331 089 families was undertaken. Birth weight was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure within siblings, with a mean difference (adjusted for age at examination, examination center, and year of examination) within siblings per 1-SD difference in birth weight of −0.21 mm Hg (95% CI, −0.33 to −0.08) and between nonsiblings of −0.12 (95% CI, −0.16 to −0.08). Gestational age was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure within siblings (−0.18 mm Hg; 95% CI, −0.25 to −0.11, per week of gestational age) and between nonsiblings (−0.26 mm Hg; 95% CI, −0.29 to −0.24). Adjustment for socioeconomic position and maternal characteristics did not alter these within- or between-family associations. Furthermore, the associations were not affected by adjustment for paternal height, body mass index, or systolic blood pressure.

Conclusions—

Our present findings suggest that the inverse associations of birth weight and gestational age with systolic blood pressure are not explained by confounding resulting from family socioeconomic position or other factors that are shared by siblings. Variations in maternal metabolic or vascular health during pregnancy or placental implantation and function may explain these associations.
Incorporating In Vitro Information on Drug Metabolism Into Clinical Trial Simulations to Assess the Effect of CYP2D6 Polymorphism on Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics: Dextromethorphan as a Model Application
Authors: Dickinson Gemma L. , Rezaee Saeed , Proctor Nicholas J. , Lennard Martin S. , Tucker Geoffrey T. , Rostami‐Hodjegan Amin
Published: January 2007

In vitro–in vivo extrapolation of clearance, embedded in a clinical trial simulation, was used to investigate differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of dextromethorphan between CYP2D6 poor and extensive metabolizer phenotypes. Information on the genetic variation of CYP2D6, as well as the in vitro metabolism and pharmacodynamics of dextromethorphan and its active metabolite dextrorphan, was integrated to assess the power of studies to detect differences between phenotypes. Whereas 6 subjects of each phenotype were adequate to achieve 80% power in showing pharmacokinetic differences, the power required to detect a difference in antitussive response was less than 80% with 500 subjects in each study arm. Combining in vitro–in vivo extrapolation with a clinical trial simulation is useful in assessing different elements of study design and could be used a priori to avoid inconclusive pharmacogenetic studies.
The Influence of Parental Support Among Incarcerated Adolescent Offenders
Authors: Jones Shayne , Cauffman Elizabeth , Piquero Alex R.
Published: January 2007

According to the general theory of crime, parents play a prominent role in the development of self-control among their children. However, the evidence regarding the effects of parenting on antisocial behavior beyond the acquisition of self-control is equivocal, perhaps because of how parenting has been conceptualized. Also, there is contradictory evidence regarding the moderating effect of self-control on the relationship between parenting and antisocial behavior. The current analysis addresses these issues by exploring the interrelationships between parental support, impulse control, and consideration of others among an incarcerated sample of adolescents. Findings indicate that the relationship between parental support and antisocial behavior remains after controlling for self-control. Additionally, parental support is more influential in reducing antisocial behavior among those low in impulse control but less influential in affecting those who are low in consideration of others.
The Third Culture
Authors: Metzger Gustav
Published: January 2007

Metzger’s presentation develops from his concept of ‘The Third Culture’. This is an extension of C.P. Snow’s Two Cultures - that of the artist and that of the scientist - and the divisions between them. Metzger argues that this division has been replaced by a great deal of interaction; but that there is now a Third Culture which straddles generations, classes and income groups. It is exemplified by protesters at the world summits and represents a response of people who are aware that the tools and technologies which are used to control us can also be manipulated in ways that could make oppressive regimes lose their grip. If technologies of control can be subverted, however, it is also important that the ambivalent nature of technology is recognized. Metzger points to two threats to the continued existence of humanity - species extinction and destruction from asteroid impact - the former a consequence of technology, the latter requiring technological innovation.
Politicizing Honneth’s Ethics of Recognition
Authors: Deranty Jean-Philippe , Renault Emmanuel
Published: January 2007

This article argues that Axel Honneth’s ethics of recognition offers a robust model for a renewed critical theory of society, provided that it does not shy away from its political dimensions. First, the ethics of recognition needs to clarify its political moment at the conceptual level to remain conceptually sustainable. This requires a clarification of the notion of identity in relation to the three spheres of recognition, and a clarification of its exact place in a politics of recognition. We suggest that a return to Hegel’s mature theory of subjectivity helps specify the relationship between the normative demand for autonomous identity and its realization in and through politics.
Transforming Power: Expanding the Inheritance of Michel Foucault in Organizational Studies
Authors: Dixon Maria A.
Published: January 2007

Although critical scholars have used the work of Michel Foucault to theorize about organizational power for almost 20 years now, many such scholars see his work as limiting and regulate his ideas to theoretical explorations of domination and resistance. Leaning heavily on the work of Jones (2002), I argue that Foucault’s work has broader usefulness when developed through the process of reinheritance. I illustrate how a reinheritance reading of Foucault’s work on power provides new insights into the enactment of power in organizational life. Such a reinheritance of Foucault broadens organizational theorizing on power to move it beyond domination and discipline and on to pleasure, desire, and choice. Furthermore, my expanded reading of Foucault’s work permits the exploration of relational constructs that are predominately voluntary, nontask related, and pleasurable, yet nonetheless powerful in organizational life.
Constructing time and prioritizing activities in parent–child Interaction
Authors: Wingard Leah
Published: January 2007

This article analyzes the discourse that middle-class parents and their children use to prioritize their next possible actions and activities in planning the course of their day. The analysis starts by showing how the availability of time is socially constructed in face-to-face interaction and how planning for activities entails temporally ordering possible actions and activities. The analysis then considers two verbal practices for accomplishing the prioritizing of some actions and activities over others which are termed appending and prepending activities. The analyses suggest that interactions like these between parents and children are important for socializing children into time management and planning. Furthermore, the data exemplify the tensions that sometimes exist in families as parents and children negotiate time and assert their activity priorities and are indicative of the ‘time crunch’ that parents and children experience in managing competing activities in their everyday lives.
A Gripper Actuated by a Pair of Differential SMA Springs
Authors: Shaoze Yan  , Xiajie Liu  , Feng Xu  , Jinhui Wang
Published: January 2007

This article presents a gripper actuated by a pair of differential shape memory alloy (SMA) springs. The mechanical structure of the gripper includes a pair of fingers, a coupler, a tension rod, a slider, and a frame. An experimental setup of the SMA gripper is established. The SMA actuator is heated by the electric current and cooled by fans. Thermal resistance sensors are used to measure the temperature of the SMA springs and a slide rheostat is used to sense the output displacement of the actuator. In order to evaluate the potential of the SMA actuator for application to the proposed gripper, three types of tests are performed as follows: influence of the cooling methods, heating current, and action frequency on the characteristics of the SMA actuator and the gripper. The experimental results show that the output displacement amplitude can increase by increasing the heating current and decreasing the action frequency. A good cooling method can increase the cyclic output displacement amplitude and the bandwidth of the SMA actuator. A proportional-integral (PI) controller is presented to control the output position of the gripper, and a two-phase control method is developed to reduce the overshooting of the system. Position control experiments for the SMA gripper are performed, and the experimental results demonstrate that a good position control performance of the gripper is obtained by using the proposed controller.
Simultaneous Extension and Shear Piezoelectric Actuation for Active Vibration Control of Sandwich Beams
Authors: Trindade Marcelo A.
Published: January 2007

Piezoelectric materials are widely used as distributed means for sensing and/or actuating a structure's response, either by bonding them to the surfaces of a structure or embedding them into a laminate structure. Surface-mounted actuators are normally poled in thickness direction so that they work in the extension mode, while embedded actuators are more effective when poled in the longitudinal direction and thus working in the thickness-shear mode. It has been shown that embedded shear actuators may lead to less problems of actuators damage and debonding, minor dependence on actuators position, and length and smaller stresses in the actuators. It has also been observed that the surface-mounted extension actuators are generally more effective for very flexible host structures while embedded shear actuators are more effective for stiffer structures. These and other distinctive features of extension and shear actuators may be exploited to study their simultaneous use and to design a combined extension—shear actuated beam. Hence, this work presents the results of a numerical investigation of active vibration control using simultaneous extension and shear piezoelectric actuation for a clamped—clamped sandwich beam. The analysis is carried out using a laminate/ sandwich beam finite element model combined to an optimal control with limited input. Results show that simultaneous use of extension and shear actuators is very promising since their actuation mechanisms are complementary. In particular, a good damping performance was obtained over an increased frequency-range with very localized actuators.
Family Characteristics of Anxious ADHD Children
Authors: Kepley Hayden O. , Ostrander Rick
Published: January 2007

Objective: To investigate the family environments of children in a community sample with ADHD and co-occurring anxiety.

Method: Family Environment Scale, Behavioral Assessment System for Children, and Structured Clinical Interview are administered to parents of children with ADHD with and without anxiety.

Results: ADHD families are uniformly less cohesive and expressive and possess more conflict than families representing the community sample. In contrast to community or nonanxious ADHD families, anxious ADHD families do not encourage independence and tend to be distinctly less assertive, self-sufficient, and autonomous. Although anxious and nonanxious ADHD children tend to have a uniformly high incidence of maternal ADHD, mothers of anxious ADHD children tend to display a much higher incidence of substance/alcohol abuse than either nonanxious or community participants.

Conclusion: Findings are consistent with the notion that an insular, dependent, and somewhat controlling family environment characterizes families of children with ADHD and comorbid childhood anxiety.
Rejection Sensitivity and Social Outcomes of Young Adult Men With ADHD
Authors: Canu Will H. , Carlson Caryn L.
Published: January 2007

Objective: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been consistently linked to social maladjustment. This study investigated whether elevated rejection sensitivity (RS) could contribute to the relational problems that adults with ADHD encounter.

Method: Undergraduate men in ADHD-Combined Type (ADHD-C; n = 31), ADHD-Primarily Inattentive Type (ADHD-IA; n = 22), and nondiagnosed control (NC; n = 25) groups completed questionnaires concerning RS, relational history, current relationships, and self-esteem.

Results: The hypothesis that those with ADHD would have elevated RS (versus NC peers) was not supported. However, low RS predicted divergent outcomes across groups. Furthermore, ADHD-IA men reported more negative relational outcomes than their ADHD-C peers, although both groups reported lower general self-esteem than controls.

Conclusion: Perhaps the positive illusory bias associated with childhood ADHD could buffer RS development. Findings provide evidence of ADHD-related impairment in adult relationships, further differentiate the principal ADHD subtypes, and extend the RS literature to this clinical population.
Mundane Cyborg Practice
Authors: Petersen Søren Mørk
Published: January 2007

This article focuses on the use of broadband internet in the home, focusing on different material aspects of the internet. Inspired by actor network theory and cyborg theory, a concept of a mundane cyborg practice is developed to outline how the internet is integrated into everyday life and related to other technologies. This concept is used in mapping everyday life through ethno-graphic participant observations and qualitative interviews. Raymond Williams’ concept of flow is used to map how the internet is integrated into everyday life and thereby becomes a mundane technology that bends time and space. The flow-like character of the internet and its frequent use creates new material practices. This article argues that when we look at the internet, we have to take into consideration all the mundane aspects of internet use and sometimes perceive the users as mundane cyborgs.
Revaluating relative deprivation theory
Authors: Webber Craig
Published: January 2007

This article reassesses the concept of relative deprivation and restates its relevance and potential to extend the theoretical boundaries of criminology. Rather than search for causes or attempting to determine the genesis of the problem in either individuals or social structures, relative deprivation can sensitize us to the process and emotion of crime, the fluidity of deviant activity and, as such, connects to the contemporary concerns of cultural and psychosocial criminology. The article is also intended to reacquaint criminologists with the work of W.G. Runciman, a leading theorist of relative deprivation. Runciman's work can be seen as an elaboration of Mertonian strain tradition.
The Fellatio ‘Epidemic’: Age Relations and Access to the Erotic Arts
Authors: Curtis Bruce , Hunt Alan
Published: January 2007

Several decades after oral sex became an ordinary part of the heterosexual repertoire, anxieties about an ‘epidemic’ of casual adolescent fellatio have found public expression in several countries. We examine media reactions to the case of a high-school celebrity athlete accused of receiving oral sex from underage girls. We follow Foucault in arguing that sexuality is constituted discursively but reject his claim that the erotic arts are absent from contemporary culture. Access to such arts on the part of adolescents is at the heart of anxieties around fellatio.