bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Expression of SM22α (Transgelin) in Glomerular and Interstitial Renal Injury
Authors: Inomata Shigeru , Sakatsume Minoru , Sakamaki Yuichi , Wang Xingzhi , Goto Shin , Yamamoto Tadashi , Gejyo Fumitake , Narita Ichiei
Published: October 2010

Background/Aims: SM22α, transgelin, is abundantly expressed in smooth muscle tissues and our previous work demonstrated that it is a novel marker of injured glomerular epithelial cells in rat antiglomerular basement membrane nephritis. In this study, we investigated SM22α expression in models of glomerular and interstitial renal injury. Methods: The 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx) model, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model and puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) nephrosis of rats were studied. Immunohistochemical analyses and immunoelectron microscopic studies of SM22α expression were performed. Results: In the 5/6 Nx model, SM22α was first expressed in peritubular interstitial cells and was also expressed in injured glomerular epithelial cells at 8 weeks. In the I/R model, SM22α expression was induced in peritubular interstitial cells as early as 12 h after I/R with expression sustained at 7 days. However, SM22α was not detected in any glomerular cells or tubular epithelial cells. In PAN nephrosis, SM22α was only expressed in glomerular epithelial cells after 1 week, but expression was transient. Conclusion: SM22α was expressed in glomerular epithelial cells and interstitial cells in renal injury. SM22α is differentially upregulated in various models of renal injury and merits further study.
Generic and Disease-Specific Measures of Quality of Life in Patients with Mild Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Bhattacharya Suvosree , Vogel Asmus , Hansen Marie-Louise H. , Waldorff Frans B. , Waldemar Gunhild
Published: October 2010

Background/Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the pattern of association of generic and disease-specific quality of life (QoL) scales with standard clinical outcome variables in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: The participants were 321 home-living patients with mild AD and their primary caregivers from the Danish Alzheimer Intervention Study. QoL was assessed using the generic EuroQol-5D with visual analogue scale (VAS) and the disease-specific Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease (QOL-AD) scales (both caregiver and patient rated). Depression, activities of daily living, cognitive performance and neuropsychiatric symptom severity were also assessed. Results: All 3 caregiver-rated QoL scales correlated significantly with each other (p < 0.001) and with clinical measures. Patient-rated QoL versions correlated inversely with depression (p < 0.001) but not significantly with any other clinical variables. Conclusion: The caregiver-rated QoL scales showed stronger interscale correlation as well as a similar correlation pattern with standard clinical outcome variables compared to the patient-rated versions. There is some indication that the EQ-5D + VAS could be a suitable alternative to the QOL-AD scale in specific research designs.
EIF2C Is Overexpressed and Amplified in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Chang Steven S. , Smith Ian , Glazer Chad , Hennessey Patrick , Califano Joseph A.
Published: October 2010

Aim: To discover putative oncogenes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) by integrating data from whole-genome comparison of array-based comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and expression microarray analysis of HNSCC. Methods: We integrated published data defining regions of loss/gain identified from the profiling of 21 HNSCC using high-resolution (<1 Mb) CGH arrays and data from an mRNA expression microarray (approx. 12,000 genes) comparing 6 normal tissues and 8 HNSCC tumor tissues. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2C subunit 2 (EIF2C2) was found to be the most significantly overexpressed gene by mRNA expression array, and corresponded to the most common region of amplification found by the CGH array described by Sparano et al. We validated EIF2C2 overexpression in primary tissue, overexpression and amplification in HNSCC lines (JHU-011, JHU-012, FADU) relative to a minimally transformed oral keratinocyte cell line (OKF6) and performed knockdown experiments. Results: The tumor tissues had an average mRNA expression level of 123 (SD = 49) compared to the normal tissues (18.6, SD = 10) (p = 0.0005) by expression array. Quantitative RT-PCR validation of our expression arrays found that normal tissues had an average expression of 0.76 (SE = 0.08) and tumor tissues of 2.1 (SE = 0.35) (p = 0.0008). EIF2C2 was found to be amplified and overexpressed in 3 HNSCC cell lines. Knockdown of EIF2C2 in cell lines (JHU-012 and JHU-011) inhibited proliferation. Conclusion:EIF2C2 is amplified and overexpressed in HNSCC cell lines and primary tumors and functionally significant in cell lines.
Primary Hyperparathyroidism in Patients with Gastric Carcinoid Tumors Type 1: An Unusual Coexistence
Authors: Thomas Dimitrios , Alexandraki Krystallenia , Nikolaou Argiro , Antoniou Stavroula , Kanakis George , Zilos Athanasios , Sougioultzis Stavros , Kaltsas Gregory
Published: October 2010

Objective: Although a number of familiar syndromes are associated with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP), there is no information regarding the prevalence of PHP in other sporadic neuroendocrine diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of PHP in our group of patients with gastric carcinoid (GC) type 1 tumors. Methods: Twenty-six patients with biopsy-proven GC type 1 tumors were retrospectively studied. The diagnosis of PHP was suspected following elevated or high-normal serum calcium levels and elevated or inappropriate normal parathyroid hormone levels. Further tests for the localization of the hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands included neck ultrasound, 99mTc-SESTAMIBI scanning, and cervical or upper mediastinal MR imaging studies. Four control groups were also studied: two age- and sex-matched groups of individuals with (n = 49) and without (n = 34) thyroid autoimmunity and normal endoscopy of the stomach, a third group with nongastric neuroendocrine tumors (n = 68), and a fourth group with atrophic gastritis and hypergastrinemia, without gastric endocrine tumors (n = 30). Results: PHP was diagnosed in 4 (15.38%) patients with GC type 1 tumors compared to none of the 4 control groups. Three of the 4 patients with PHP were operated and proved to have a parathyroid adenoma. No statistically significant differences were observed between patients with or without PHP in mean gastrin and chromogranin A levels, number of lesions, ki-67 labeling index expression, and maximum GC type 1 tumor diameter. Conclusion: PHP seems to be relatively common, approximately 15% in the present cohort, in patients with GC type 1 tumors. PHP should be actively looked for in such patients and treated accordingly.
Intonational Differences between L1 and L2 English in South Africa
Authors: Swerts Marc , Zerbian Sabine
Published: October 2010

Previous studies have shown that characteristics of a person’s first language (L1) may transfer to a second language (L2). The current study looks at the extent to which this holds for aspects of intonation as well. More specifically, we investigate to what extent traces of the L1 can be discerned in the way intonation is used in the L2 for two functions: (1) to highlight certain words by making them sound more prominent and (2) to signal continuation or finality in a list by manipulating the speech melody. To this end, the article presents an explorative study into the way focus and boundaries are marked prosodically in Zulu, and it also compares such prosodic functions in two variants of English in South Africa, i.e., English spoken as an L1, and English spoken as an L2/additional language by speakers who have Zulu as their L1. The latter language is commonly referred to as Black South African English. This comparison is interesting from a typological perspective, as Zulu is intonationally different from English, especially in the way prosody is exploited for signalling informationally important stretches of speech. Using a specific elicitation procedure, we found in a first study that speakers of South African English (as L1) mark focused words and position within a list by intonational means, just as in other L1 varieties of English, whereas Zulu only uses intonation for marking continuity or finality. A second study focused on speakers of Black South African English, and compared the prosody of proficient versus less proficient speakers. We found that the proficient speakers were perceptually equivalent to L1 speakers of English in their use of intonation for marking focus and boundaries. The less proficient speakers marked boundaries in a similar way as L1 speakers of English, but did not use prosody for signalling focus, analogous to what is typical of their native language. Acoustic observations match these perceptual results.
A Laryngographic and Laryngoscopic Study of Northern Vietnamese Tones
Authors: Brunelle Marc , Nguyên Duy Duong , Nguyên Khac Hùng
Published: October 2010

A laryngographic and laryngoscopic study of tone production in Northern Vietnamese, a language whose tones combine both fundamental frequency (f0) modulations and voice qualities (phonation types), was conducted with 5 male and 5 female speakers. Results show that the f0 contours of Northern Vietnamese tones are not only attributable to changes in vocal fold length and tension (partly through changes in larynx height), but that f0 drops are also largely caused by the glottal configurations responsible for the contrastive voice qualities associated with some of the tones. We also find that voice quality contrasts are mostly due to glottal constriction: they occasionally involve additional ventricular fold incursion and epiglottal constriction, but these articulations are usually absent.
Urban Modification of Thunderstorms: An Observational Storm Climatology and Model Case Study for the Indianapolis Urban Region
Authors: Niyogi Dev , Pyle Patrick , Lei Ming , Arya S. Pal , Kishtawal Chandra M. , Shepherd Marshall , Chen Fei , Wolfe Brian
Published: October 2010

A radar-based climatology of 91 unique summertime (May 2000–August 2009) thunderstorm cases was examined over the Indianapolis, Indiana, urban area. The study hypothesis is that urban regions alter the intensity and composition/structure of approaching thunderstorms because of land surface heterogeneity. Storm characteristics were studied over the Indianapolis region and four peripheral rural counties approximately 120 km away from the urban center. Using radar imagery, the time of event, changes in storm structure (splitting, initiation, intensification, and dissipation), synoptic setting, orientation, and motion were studied. It was found that more than 60% of storms changed structure over the Indianapolis area as compared with only 25% over the rural regions. Furthermore, daytime convection was most likely to be affected, with 71% of storms changing structure as compared with only 42% at night. Analysis of radar imagery indicated that storms split closer to the upwind urban region and merge again downwind. Thus, a larger portion of small storms (50–200 km2) and large storms (>1500 km2) were found downwind of the urban region, whereas midsized storms (200–1500 km) dominated the upwind region. A case study of a typical storm on 13 June 2005 was examined using available observations and the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5), version 3.7.2. Two simulations were performed with and without the urban land use/Indianapolis region in the fourth domain (1.33-km resolution). The storm of interest could not be simulated without the urban area. Results indicate that removing the Indianapolis urban region caused distinct differences in the regional convergence and convection as well as in simulated base reflectivity, surface energy balance (through sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, and virtual potential temperature changes), and boundary layer structure. Study results indicate that the urban area has a strong climatological influence on regional thunderstorms.
Dynamic Downscaling of the North American Monsoon with the NCEP–Scripps Regional Spectral Model from the NCEP CFS Global Model
Authors: Chan Steven C. , Misra Vasubandhu
Published: October 2010

The June–September (JJAS) 2000–07 NCEP coupled Climate Forecasting System (CFS) global hindcasts are downscaled over the North and South American continents with the NCEP–Scripps Regional Spectral Model (RSM) with anomaly nesting (AN) and without bias correction (control). A diagnosis of the North American monsoon (NAM) in CFS and RSM hindcasts is presented here. RSM reduces errors caused by coarse resolution but is unable to address larger-scale CFS errors even with bias correction. CFS has relatively weak Great Plains and Gulf of California low-level jets. Low-level jets are strengthened from downscaling, especially after AN bias correction. The RSM NAM hydroclimate shares similar flaws with CFS, with problematic diurnal and seasonal variability. Flaws in both diurnal and monthly variability are forced by erroneous convection-forced divergence outside the monsoon core region in eastern and southern Mexico. NCEP reanalysis shows significant seasonal variability errors, and AN shows little improvement in regional-scale flow errors. The results suggest that extreme caution must be taken when the correction is applied relative to reanalyses. Analysis also shows that North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) NAM seasonal variability has benefited from precipitation data assimilation, but many questions remain concerning NARR’s representation of NAM.
The Boundary Layer Response to Recent Arctic Sea Ice Loss and Implications for High-Latitude Climate Feedbacks
Authors: Kay J. E. , Raeder K. , Gettelman A. , Anderson J.
Published: October 2010

This study documents and evaluates the boundary layer and energy budget response to record low 2007 sea ice extents in the Community Atmosphere Model version 4 (CAM4) using 1-day observationally constrained forecasts and 10-yr runs with a freely evolving atmosphere. While near-surface temperature and humidity are minimally affected by sea ice loss in July 2007 forecasts, near-surface stability decreases and atmospheric humidity increases aloft over newly open water in September 2007 forecasts. Ubiquitous low cloud increases over the newly ice-free Arctic Ocean are found in both the July 2007 and the September 2007 forecasts. In response to the 2007 sea ice loss, net surface [top of the atmosphere (TOA)] energy budgets change by +19.4 W m−2 (+21.0 W m−2) and −17.9 W m−2 (+1.4 W m−2) in the July 2007 and September 2007 forecasts, respectively. While many aspects of the forecasted response to sea ice loss are consistent with physical expectations and available observations, CAM4’s ubiquitous July 2007 cloud increases over newly open water are not. The unrealistic cloud response results from the global application of parameterization designed to diagnose stratus clouds based on lower-tropospheric stability (CLDST). In the Arctic, the well-mixed boundary layer assumption implicit in CLDST is violated. Requiring a well-mixed boundary layer to diagnose stratus clouds improves the CAM4 cloud response to sea ice loss and increases July 2007 surface (TOA) energy budgets over newly open water by +11 W m−2 (+14.9 W m−2). Of importance to high-latitude climate feedbacks, unrealistic stratus cloud compensation for sea ice loss occurs only when stable and dry atmospheric conditions exist. Therefore, coupled climate projections that use CAM4 will underpredict Arctic sea ice loss only when dry and stable summer conditions occur.
Trends in Precipitation Extremes in the Zhujiang River Basin, South China
Authors: Gemmer Marco , Fischer Thomas , Jiang Tong , Su Buda , Liu Lü Liu
Published: October 2010

Spatial and temporal characteristics of precipitation trends in the Zhujiang River basin, South China, are analyzed. Nonparametric trend tests are applied to daily precipitation data from 192 weather stations between 1961 and 2007 for the following indices: annual, monthly, and daily precipitation; annual and monthly number of rain days and precipitation intensity; annual and monthly maximum precipitation; 5-day maximum precipitation, number of rainstorms with >50 mm day−1, and peaks over thresholds (90th, 95th, and 99th percentile).

The results show that few stations experienced trends in the precipitation indices on an annual basis. On a monthly basis, significant positive and negative trends above the 90% confidence level appear in all months except December. Trends in the indices of monthly precipitation, rain intensity, rain days, and monthly maximum precipitation show very similar characteristics. They experience the most distinct negative (positive) trends in October (January). A change of the mean wind direction by 50° from east-southeast to east-northeast explains the downward trend in precipitation in October. Dry October months (months with low precipitation indices) can be observed when the mean wind direction is east-northeast (arid) instead of the prevailing mean wind direction, east-southeast (moist). The former is typical for the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). Nearly 90% of the driest October months can be explained by wind directions typical for the EAWM. The upward trend in precipitation indices in January cannot be explained by changes in large-scale circulation. The analysis of the precipitation indices delivers more detailed information on observed changes than other studies in the same area. This can be attributed to the higher station density, the quality of daily data, and the focus on monthly trends in the current study.
Interactions between Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillations and Synoptic-Scale Disturbances over the Western North Pacific. Part II: Apparent Heat and Moisture Sources and Eddy Momentum Transport*
Authors: Hsu Pang-Chi , Li Tim
Published: October 2010

The interactions between the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) and synoptic-scale variability (SSV) are investigated by diagnosing the atmospheric apparent heat source (Q1), apparent moisture sink (Q2), and eddy momentum transport. It is found that the synoptic Q1 and Q2 heating (cooling) anomalies are in phase with cyclonic (anticyclonic) vorticity disturbances, aligned in a southeast–northwest-oriented wave train pattern over the western North Pacific (WNP). The wave train is well organized and strengthened (loosely organized and weakened) during the ISO active (suppressed) phase. The nonlinearly rectified Q1 and Q2 fields due to the eddy–mean flow interaction account for 10%–30% of the total intraseasonal Q1 and Q2 variabilities over the WNP. During the ISO active (suppressed) phase, the nonlinearly rectified intraseasonal Q1 and Q2 heating (cooling) appear to the northwest of the ISO enhanced (suppressed) convection center, favoring the northwestward propagation of the ISO. A diagnosis of the zonal momentum budget shows that the eddy momentum flux convergence forces an intraseasonal westerly (easterly) tendency to the north of the ISO westerly (easterly) center during the ISO active (suppressed) phase. As a result, the eddy momentum transport may contribute to the northward propagation of the boreal summer ISO over the WNP.
Convective Control of ENSO Simulated in MIROC
Authors: Watanabe Masahiro , Chikira Minoru , Imada Yukiko , Kimoto Masahide
Published: October 2010

The high sensitivity of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to cumulus convection is examined by means of a series of climate simulations using an updated version of the Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate (MIROC), called MIROC5. Given that the preindustrial control run using MIROC5 shows a realistic ENSO, the integration is repeated with four different values of the parameter, λ, which affects the efficiency of the entrainment rate in cumuli. The ENSO amplitude is found to be proportional to λ−1 and to vary from 0.6 to 1.6 K.

A comparison of four experiments reveals the mechanisms for which the cumulus convections control behavior of ENSO in MIROC as follows. Efficient entrainment due to a large λ increases congestus clouds over the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and reduces the vertical temperature gradient over the eastern Pacific, resulting in a wetter ITCZ and drier cold tongue via accelerated meridional circulation. The dry cold tongue then shifts the atmospheric responses to El Niño/La Niña westward, thereby reducing the effective Bjerknes feedback. The first half of these processes is identifiable in a companion set of atmosphere model experiments, but the difference in mean precipitation contrast is quite small. On one hand, the mean meridional precipitation contrast over the eastern Pacific is a relevant indicator of the ENSO amplitude in MIROC. On the other hand, the nonlinear feedback from ENSO affects the mean state, the latter therefore not regarded as a fundamental cause for different ENSO amplitudes.
Eye-Safe Diode-Laser-Based Micropulse Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) for Water Vapor Profiling in the Lower Troposphere
Authors: Nehrir Amin R. , Repasky Kevin S. , Carlsten John L.
Published: October 2010

A second-generation diode-laser-based master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) configured micropulse differential absorption lidar (DIAL) instrument for profiling of lower-tropospheric water vapor is presented. The DIAL transmitter is based on a continuous wave (cw) external cavity diode laser (ECDL) master oscillator that is used to injection seed two cascaded tapered semiconductor optical power amplifiers, which deliver up to 2-μJ pulse energies over a 1-μs pulse duration at 830 nm with an average power of ∼40 mW at a pulse repetition frequency of 20 kHz. The DIAL receiver utilizes a commercial 28-cm-diameter Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope, a 250-pm narrowband optical filter, and a fiber-coupled single-photon-counting Avalanche photodiode (APD) detector, yielding a far-field full-angle field of view of 170 μrad. A detailed description of the second-generation Montana State University (MSU) DIAL instrument is presented. Water vapor number density profiles and time–height cross sections collected with the water vapor DIAL instrument are also presented and compared with collocated radiosonde measurements, demonstrating the instruments ability to measure night- and daytime water vapor profiles in the lower troposphere.
A New Bulk Microphysical Scheme That Includes Riming Intensity and Temperature-Dependent Ice Characteristics
Authors: Lin Yanluan , Colle Brian A.
Published: October 2010

A new bulk microphysical parameterization (BMP) scheme is presented that includes a diagnosed riming intensity and its impact on ice characteristics. As a result, the new scheme represents a continuous spectrum from pristine ice particles to heavily rimed particles and graupel using one prognostic variable [precipitating ice (PI)] rather than two separate variables (snow and graupel). In contrast to most existing parameterization schemes that use fixed empirical relationships to describe ice particles, general formulations are proposed to consider the influences of riming intensity and temperature on the projected area, mass, and fall velocity of PI particles. The proposed formulations are able to cover the variations of empirical coefficients found in previous observational studies. The new scheme also reduces the number of parameterized microphysical processes by ∼50% as compared to conventional six-category BMPs and thus it is more computationally efficient.

The new scheme (called SBU-YLIN) has been implemented in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and compared with three other schemes for two events during the Improvement of Microphysical Parameterization through Observational Verification Experiment (IMPROVE-2) over the central Oregon Cascades. The new scheme produces surface precipitation forecasts comparable to more complicated BMPs. The new scheme reduces the snow amounts aloft as compared to other WRF schemes and compares better with observations, especially for an event with moderate riming aloft. Sensitivity tests suggest both reduced snow depositional growth rate and more efficient fallout due to the contribution of riming to the reduction of ice water content aloft in the new scheme, with a larger impact from the partially rimed snow and fallout.
Diagnosing the Relative Impact of “Sneaks,” “Phantoms,” and Volatility in Sequences of Lagged Ensemble Probability Forecasts with a Simple Dynamic Decision Model
Authors: McLay Justin G.
Published: October 2010

Monte Carlo simulation of sequences of lagged ensemble probability forecasts is undertaken using Markov transition law estimated from a reforecast ensemble. A simple three-state, three-action dynamic decision model is then applied to the Monte Carlo sequence realizations using a basket of cost functions, and the resulting expense incurred by the decision model is conditioned upon the structure of the sequence realizations. Findings show that the greatest average expense is incurred by “sneak” and “volatile” sequence structures, which are structures characterized by large and rapid increases in event probability at short lag times. These findings are simple quantitative illustration of the adage that large run-to-run variability of forecasts can be troublesome to a decision maker. The experiments also demonstrate how even small improvements in the amount of advance warning of an event can translate into a substantial reduction in decision expense. In general, the conditioned decision expense is found to be sensitive to sequence structure for a given cost function, to the parameters of a given cost function, and to the choice of cost function itself.
Mothers’ Depression and Educational Attainment and their Children’s Academic Trajectories
Authors: Augustine Jennifer March , Crosnoe Robert
Published: October 2010

In this study, we take a dynamic approach to studying the connections among mothers’ education, their depression, and their children’s academic trajectories during elementary school. Applying latent growth curve modeling to longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,012), we find that maternal depression does not mediate the association between mothers’ education and children’s achievement. Instead, maternal education moderates the association between maternal depression and children’s achievement. Specifically, maternal depression only predicted lower achievement for children of women who did not pursue higher education. These results highlight the role of mothers’ mental health in the intergenerational linkage between mothers’ and children’s educational experiences.
Collective Efficacy, Family Attachment, and Urban Adolescent Suicide Attempts
Authors: Maimon David , Browning Christopher R. , Brooks-Gunn Jeanne
Published: October 2010

The suicide rate among American adolescents between the ages of 14–25 has dramatically increased during the last 50 years, and this fact has been the focus of extensive social-scientific investigation. To date, however, research focusing on the joint effects of mental health, family, and contextual-level predictors on adolescents’ suicidal behaviors is scarce. Drawing on Durkheim’s classic macro-level approach to suicide and collective efficacy theory, we use data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) to examine the effect of informal social controls on adolescents’ suicide attempts. Analyzing reports from 990 youth, we examine the hypothesis that neighborhood-level collective efficacy and family-level integration and social control independently affect suicide attempts. We also examine the extent to which they interact in their effects on suicidal behavior. Overall, results from multilevel logit models support the Durkheimian expectation that family attachment reduces the probability that adolescents will attempt suicide. The effect of collective efficacy is interactive in nature. Specifically, we find that collective efficacy significantly enhances the protective effect of family attachment and support on adolescent suicidal behaviors. We discuss findings within the context of social control theory.
High-cost Religion, Religious Switching, and Health
Authors: Scheitle Christopher P. , Adamczyk Amy
Published: October 2010

Previous research has devoted significant attention to understanding the link between health and personal religious beliefs and practices, typically finding that more religious people tend to have better health. However, almost no attention has been given to how switching religious groups or leaving religion altogether is related to self-reported health. Due to selection and causation mechanisms, switching from high-cost groups that are theologically and culturally exclusive could be associated with poor health more than switching from other religious groups. Using data from the 1972 through 2006 General Social Surveys, we examine the relationship between health and religious switching as moderated by the religious tradition of origin. We find that people who are raised and stay in high-cost sectarian groups, such as the Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses, have better self-reported health than those raised and staying in other religious traditions. However, people who leave such groups are more likely to report worse health than those who leave other groups.
Depression, Anxiety, and Religious Life
Authors: Sternthal Michelle J. , Williams David R. , Musick Marc A. , Buck Anna C.
Published: October 2010

We examine several potential mechanisms linking religious involvement to depressive symptoms, major depression, and anxiety. Logistic and OLS regression estimations test five sets of potential psychosocial religion mediators: perceived attitudes toward and motivations for attendance; positive and negative religious coping; religious attitudes, beliefs, and spirituality; congregational support and criticism; and interpersonal and self-forgiveness. Compared to attending services less than once a month or never, attending services once a week but no more is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. Hypothesized mediators, including meaning, interpersonal and self-forgiveness, congregational criticism, social attendance beliefs, and negative coping are independently associated with one or more mental health outcomes.
Brick Lane: a materialist reading of the novel and its reception
Authors: Ahmed Rehana
Published: October 2010

Monica Ali’s 2003 novel Brick Lane was feted by the literary establishment but prompted protests on Brick Lane itself. In a now familiar pattern, such protests were generally regarded as reflecting a conflict between creative freedom and religious or cultural minority rights. In this article, the underlying assumptions of such an interpretation are challenged, suggesting that, in a context of racial and religious inequality, where access to the public sphere is unevenly distributed, the protests are better understood as symptomatic of a subordinate social position. The occlusion of social and historical context in the mainstream response to the protests is mirrored in the novel’s obscuring of the power relations between the Bangladeshi community it focuses on and wider British society. It is argued that, by focusing on the patriarchy of that community in isolation, the novel fosters a culturalism that allows it to be read as an allegory of a woman’s individual liberation from community oppression and her journey into the neutral space of an ‘inclusive’ multicultural Britain. The necessity of a collective politics of self-representation is thus elided.
Going green to stay in the black: transnational capitalism and renewable energy
Authors: Harris Jerry
Published: October 2010

Sustainable energy use is rapidly developing, often accompanied by state support and patriotic political rhetoric. But the solar and wind energy industries are highly transnationalised and already inserted into global patterns of accumulation. This article argues that, while possibly resolving some of the most pressing conflicts between capitalism and environmental sustainability, green capitalism nevertheless fails to address the contradiction between labour and capital. Therefore, any progressive strategy for social transformation must link together the fair treatment of both nature and labour.
Review: Efficacy and tolerability of olmesartan/amlodipine combination therapy in patients with mild-to-severe hypertension: focus on 24-h blood pressure control
Authors: Parati Gianfranco , Ochoa Juan Eugenio , Ramos Carlos , Hoshide Satoshi , Lonati Laura , Bilo Grzegorz
Published: October 2010

European guidelines recommend that treating patients with hypertension to blood pressure (BP) goal is an important target for cardiovascular (CV) risk reduction. However, office BP may be a suboptimal target, given its limitations. Indeed, there is evidence that 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) parameters may score better in this regard, representing more accurate predictors of CV risk. In particular, mean 24-h BP and BP variability both correlate closely with hypertension end-organ damage and rate of CV events, which suggests that antihypertensive therapy should provide smooth BP control over the full 24-h dosing interval. The use of ABPM has demonstrated that fixed-dose combination therapy, comprising agents with complementary mechanisms of action, may overcome the challenge of suboptimal BP control by providing improvements in antihypertensive efficacy and tolerability throughout the 24-h period. Olmesartan/amlodipine is one of the latest combination therapies to be approved, and a number of large clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy and tolerability of this combination in patients with mild-to-severe hypertension. Furthermore, recent ABPM studies of olmesartan/amlodipine-based treatment algorithms have shown the satisfactory 24-h antihypertensive efficacy of this fixed-dose combination. This review provides an overview of recent clinical data on the efficacy and tolerability of fixed-dose olmesartan/amlodipine combination therapy for the treatment of mild-to-severe hypertension, with a focus on sustained 24-h BP control.
Language Variation and Complex Systems
Authors: Kretzschmar William A.
Published: October 2010

Modern notions of language and linguistics embody a paradox, that language appears to be systematic and yet, at the same time, we know it to be variable. The paradox results when we attempt to apply rule-bound systems, the “axiom of categoricity,” to language in use, to speech as people actually use it. Taken together, the basic elements of speech correspond to what has been called a “complex system” in sciences ranging from physics to ecology to economics. Order emerges from such systems by means of self-organization, but the order that arises from speech is not the same as what linguists study as grammars. In both texts and regional/social groups, the frequency distribution of features occurs as the same curve: an asymptotic hyperbolic curve, or “A-curve.” Speakers perceive what is “normal” for regional/social groups and for text types according to the A-curve: the most frequent variants are perceived as “normal,” less frequent variants are perceived as “different,” and because particular variants are more or less frequent among different groups of people or types of discourse, the variants come to mark identity of the groups or types by means of these perceptions. Our perceptions of the whole range of “normal” variants, at any level of scale, create “observational artifacts.” That is, the grammars we describe are actually observational artifacts that come from our perceptions of the available variants, at one point in time and for a particular group of speakers, as mediated by the A-curve. Thus, the regularities we observe in speech are not the product of speakers' prior agreement on a systematic grammar, but rather what we perceive as a linguistic system is a consequence of how we perceive our language behavior.
Assessing the Authenticity of Joel Chandler Harris's Use of Gullah
Authors: Troike Rudolph C.
Published: October 2010

Few linguists have analyzed the famous African American folktales published by Joel Chandler Harris, but most who have done so have strongly supported the authenticity of Harris's representation of the language used in the stories. Harris's use of Gullah in some of his stories, however, has escaped professional attention except by one linguist, Sumner Ives, who confirmed the phonological accuracy of the representation. The in-depth analysis undertaken here of one of Harris's “Daddy Jack” tales (1881), comparing the language used with other more modern sources, linguistic as well as literary, and with data on other creoles, demonstrates overwhelmingly that Harris's “constructed Gullah,” while slightly biased toward a “basilectal” version (as was Lorenzo Dow Turner's), is extraordinarily accurate in most respects, and should be recognized as the earliest extensive valid record of this variety.
Of Jean Giono and Collaboration: A Response to Meaghan Emery
Authors: Golsan Richard J.
Published: October 2010

Even though Jean Giono's admirers, including his biographer Pierre Citron, insist that Giono was neither a collaborator nor favorably disposed to Vichy's National Revolution and that he was in fact a resister, his activities and wartime writings confirm that he was not only sympathetic to the occupant's presence but also ideologically complicit with the principles of the National Revolution. Giono's Journal de l'Occupation as well as his prewar pacifist writings also reveal a dangerous historical nihilism that refused to recognize the bellicosity of Adolf Hitler's Germany. Giono's blindness in this instance lasted until the end of the war.

Bien que ses admirateurs, y compris son biographe Pierre Citron, insistent sur le fait que Jean Giono n'était ni collaborateur ni favorable à la « Révolution nationale » de Vichy, et qu'il était effectivement un « résistant, » les activités aussi bien que les écrits de l'écrivain pendant l'Occupation confirment non seulement une sympathie à l'égard de l'occupant, mais une complicité idéologique avec les principes de la Révolution nationale. Son Journal de l'Occupation et ses essais pacifistes d'avant-guerre font preuve également d'un dangereux nihilisme historique refusant de reconnaître le bellicisme fondamental de la dictature nazie. Cette cécité de la part de Giono durera jusqu'à la fin de la guerre.
The development of a descriptive evaluation tool for clinical ethics case consultations
Authors: Pedersen R , Hurst S A , Schildmann J , Schuster S , Molewijk B
Published: October 2010

There is growing interest in clinical ethics. However, we still have sparse knowledge about what is actually going on in the everyday practice of clinical ethics consultations. This paper introduces a descriptive evaluation tool to present, discuss and compare how clinical ethics case consultations are actually carried out. The tool does not aim to define ‘best practice’. Rather, it facilitates concrete comparisons and evaluative discussions of the role, function, procedures and ideals inherent in clinical ethics case consultation practices. The tool was developed during meetings of the European Clinical Ethics Network. Based on written reports and participation in the network meetings, the development and the content of the tool and the results of its application in presenting and discussing 10 case consultations are summarized. The tool facilitated understanding of the details of clinical ethics case consultations across individuals and institutions with various experiences and cultures, and comparison between various practices.
Being open with patients about medical error: challenges in practice
Authors: Ottewill M , Vaughan C
Published: October 2010

There is a significant body of evidence showing that patients want to know when they are harmed as a result of their medical care. In 2005 the National Patient Safety Agency issued guidance on the process to be followed when communicating errors to patients and their carers. However, there is still a significant gap between the rhetoric of being open and clinical practice. This gap reflects the competing interests arising from the concept of being open and the difficulties involved in the process itself. This paper presents several case studies to explore the complexities of being open and the organizational support required to overcome these.
Recent advances in the total synthesis of agelastatins
Authors: Dong Guangbin
Published: October 2010

Agelastatins represent an important family of marine alkaloids in terms of both exceptional biological activity and intriguing chemical structure. In this article, the isolation and biological activity of agelastatins are reviewed, and proposed biosynthetic pathways are summarized. The main focus is given to comparative evaluation of recent total syntheses, mainly of agelastatin A. To date, this has been accomplished by 11 research groups. Their synthetic routes are analyzed and summarized, with a view to furnishing the reader with insight into different strategic design approaches to assembly of a densely functionalized and compact structure.
Triaxial Testing of Soft Rocks
Authors: Berre Toralv
Published: October 2010

The main purpose of this paper is to describe the present practice for triaxial testing at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute with particular reference to testing of soft rocks from the oil reservoirs in the North Sea. The following aspects related to this testing are described: (a) testing equipment, (b) procedures for typical stages of the testing, (c) estimation of the allowable rate of loading to control excess pore pressures, (d) means to speed up the expulsion of pore liquid from low permeability rocks, (e) local measurements of strains with LVDTs, and (f) testing at high temperatures.
Prevalência de subtipos do HIV-1 em amostra de pacientes de um centro urbano no sul do Brasil
Authors: Simon Daniel , Béria Jorge Umberto , Tietzmann Daniela Cardoso , Carli Rafaela de , Stein Airton Tetelbom , Lunge Vagner Ricardo
Published: October 2010

OBJETIVO: Estimar a prevalência dos subtipos do HIV-1 e analisar fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado um estudo transversal com amostra de conveniência de 80 pacientes adultos HIV-positivos atendidos em serviço especializado em DST/Aids em Canoas, RS, no período de julho de 2008 a janeiro de 2009. A determinação dos subtipos do HIV foi realizada por amplificação de fragmento do genoma viral pela reação em cadeia da polimerase seguida do seqüenciamento dos fragmentos amplificados. Variáveis sociodemográficas, clínicas e comportamentais foram coletadas em questionário estruturado. Foi realizada análise estatística univariada utilizando os testes de qui-quadrado e t de Student. RESULTADOS: Foi observada uma prevalência maior do subtipo C (43,8%; IC 95%: 32,9;54,6), seguida pelo CRF31_BC (35,0%; IC 95%: 24,6;45,5) e subtipos B (18,8%; IC 95%: 10,2;27,3) e F (2,4%; IC 95%: 0;5,9). Outros subtipos de HIV-1 não foram observados. Pacientes infectados com CRF31_BC apresentaram diagnóstico mais recente do que os pacientes infectados com o subtipo B (p < 0,05). Observou-se também maior freqüência de co-infecção com outros vírus (hepatites B e C e T-linfotrópicos humanos) nos indivíduos portadores do CRF31_BC do que nos demais subtipos. Com relação aos aspectos sociodemográficos, não foram observadas diferenças na distribuição dos subtipos e formas recombinantes quanto ao sexo e práticas sexuais. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados obtidos indicam uma freqüência maior do subtipo C e do CRF31_BC nesse centro urbano do sul do Brasil, com possíveis vias de transmissão diferentes.
Análisis político del Programa de Control del dengue en Morelos, México
Authors: González Fernández Mariana I , Orozco Núñez Emanuel , Cifuentes Enrique
Published: October 2010

OBJETIVO: Analizar medidas municipales implementadas para el control de la epidemia del dengue, sobretodo las de coordinación sectorial, gobernanza y participación de grupos sociales. MÉTODOS: Estudio de observación, realizado en Morelos, México, 2007. Los datos colectados en entrevistas y observaciones directas fueron sometidos a análisis de contenido y mapeo político. El software Policy Marker fue utilizado para evaluar los pesos atribuidos a los datos de desempeño (e.g. criterios alto, medio y bajo) y el papel de actores (acciones realizadas sean ellas de vigilancia, control o administrativas). Se realizó análisis estratégico de las oportunidades y desafíos en el cumplimiento de las políticas públicas y control del dengue. RESULTADOS: Las bases jurídicas indican que la respuesta a la epidemia es una tarea multisectorial. Sin embargo, la respuesta está centrada en actividades de los servicios de la salud, que están forzados a dar mayor apoyo financiero y derivar los recursos humanos necesarios, en contraste con la contribución de otros sectores (e.g. agua y saneamiento básico), que desconocen sus responsabilidades. El sector de la salud presenta alto nivel de factibilidad para la vinculación intra?institucional, en términos de optimización de recursos y cumplimiento de objetivos, particularmente entre autoridades de salud en los niveles estatal, jurisdiccional, municipal y local. CONCLUSIONES: El abordaje multidisciplinario y el fortalecimiento de las responsabilidades políticas permitirán la respuesta eficaz ante la epidemia del dengue, sustentada en la coordinación sectorial e involucramiento activo de la población afectada.
Política Nacional de Saúde Bucal: fatores associados à integralidade do cuidado
Authors: Chaves Sônia Cristina Lima , Barros Sandra Garrido de , Cruz Denise Nogueira , Figueiredo Andreia Cristina Leal , Moura Bárbara Laisa Alves , Cangussu Maria Cristina Teixeira
Published: October 2010

OBJETIVO: Analisar fatores relacionados à integralidade na assistência à saúde bucal em centros de especialidades odontológicas segundo os princípios norteadores da Política Nacional de Saúde Bucal. MÉTODOS: Estudo exploratório transversal baseado em entrevista com 611 usuários de quatro centros de especialidades odontológicas da Bahia em 2008. A variável dependente foi descrita como "integralidade na saúde bucal", correspondente à realização de tratamento odontológico básico antes do tratamento especializado ou concomitante a este. As principais co-variáveis se referiram a cobertura da estratégia saúde da família no município, características sociodemográficas dos usuários, acessibilidade organizacional e geográfica ao serviço, além do tipo de especialidade demandada. RESULTADOS: Residentes de cidades em que o Programa Saúde da Família tinha cobertura > 50% tiveram mais chance de concluir o tratamento odontológico (RP = 2,03, IC 95%: 1,33;3,09) em relação àqueles residentes em locais com cobertura menor. Quem buscou tratamento endodôntico teve mais chance de receber assistência integral à saúde bucal do que os usuários em busca de outras especialidades (RP = 2,31, IC 95%: 1,67;3,19). Os usuários com maior facilidade no acesso geográfico ao serviço especializado (RP = 1,22, IC 95%: 1,03;1,41), com ficha de referência (RP = 2,95, IC 95%: 1,82;4,78) e oriundos da atenção primária (RP = 3,13, IC 95%: 1,70;5,77) tiveram mais chance de alcançar a integralidade na assistência à saúde bucal em relação aos demais usuários. CONCLUSÕES: Usuários com facilidade de acesso geográfico, mais jovens e necessidade de serviço endodôntico tiveram mais chance de receber assistência integral. A implantação de centros de especialidades odontológicas em municípios nos quais a atenção primária à saúde não esteja adequadamente estruturada não é recomendada, visto que a atenção secundária estaria atendendo a livre demanda e executando procedimentos básicos e, portanto, não cumprindo o princípio da integralidade pretendida.
Directed free pseudospaces
Authors: Grunert Romain
Published: October 2010

We show that the free pseudospace is a reduct of a 1-based theory. This answers a question of David M. Evans. The theory is superstable, but not ω-stable.