bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cerebrospinal fluid cytology in seasonal epidemic West Nile virus meningo‐encephalitis
Authors: Rawal Ajay , Gavin Patrick J. , Sturgis Charles D.
Published: January 2006

The incidence of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection has progressively increased in North America since the first epidemic in 1999. Formal scholarly documentation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology changes in patients with WNV infection is limited. We report our experience with CSF cytospins from a population of consecutive patients with documented CSF WNV‐specific IgM. Thirty‐two patients (12 male, 20 female) with a median age of 52 yr (range, 19–88) diagnosed with WNV meningo‐encephalitis were studied. Symptoms were present for a mean of 5 days (range, 1–14) prior to lumbar puncture. CSF proteins were elevated in 94% of patients (30/32) with a mean value of 79 mg/dl (range, 36–185). CSF glucose was normal to elevated in all cases. All cytomorphologically adequate samples demonstrated a pleocytosis with a mean of 156 cells/mm3 (range, 13–683). Nearly, all (26/28) patients showed increased CSF neutrophils‐ mean 43% (range, 1–83). Mean lymphocyte and monocyte fractions were 44% (range, 8–85) and 14% (range, 2–27), respectively. Three cases showed 1–4% plasma cells. Mean total leukocyte counts (TLC) (197 cells/mm3) and mean neutrophil fractions (50%) were greater in patients sampled within the first 3 days of symptoms than in those sampled beyond day 3 (mean TLC, 126 cells/mm3; mean neutrophil fraction, 37%). Relative lymphocyte proportions increased from a mean of 39 to 48% after 3 days of illness. WNV should be considered as a potential etiology of infectious CSF pleocytosis in the North American late summer and early fall seasons. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2006; 34:127–129. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
FNA diagnosis of recurrent sebaceous carcinoma
Authors: Jain Prashant , Nanda Annu , Handa Uma , Bal Amanjit , Mohan Harsh , Gupta Suresh Kumar
Published: January 2006

We describe fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) diagnosis in a case of sebaceous carcinoma presenting as recurrent swelling eyelid. The patient, a 35‐yr‐old woman, presented with a gradually increasing painless mass in the left upper eyelid. She had a history of excisions of swelling at the same site over a period of 5 years. On FNA, the smears were cellular and demonstrated sheets, three dimensional clusters, and singly scattered polygonal tumor cells having centrally located hyperchromatic and pleomorphic nuclei and cytoplasmic microvacuolations. Oil red‐O stain performed on air‐dried smears showed positivity, confirming the presence of intracellular and extracellular lipid globules. A final impression of sebaceous carcinoma of the left upper eyelid was rendered, based on which the eyelid mass was radically excised. Subsequent histopathology confirmed the diagnosis.

Despite wide excision, such tumors not uncommonly recur and metastasize. An early and accurate diagnosis of such lesions can be established on minimally invasive needle aspiration. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2006; 34:124–126. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Electrocatalytic Characteristics of Hydrazine and Hydroxylamine Oxidation at Coumestan Modified Carbon Paste Electrode
Authors: Zare Hamid R. , Nasirizadeh Navid
Published: January 2006

A coumestan derivative modified carbon paste electrode (CMCPE) was used as a sensitive electrochemical sensor for determination of electrocatalytic of hydrazine and hydroxylamine. The mechanism of electrocatalytic oxidation of both hydrazine and hydroxylamine using CMCPE was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and polarization studies. The kinetic parameters such as the electron transfer coefficient, α, heterogeneous rate constant, k′, and exchange current density, j0, for oxidation of hydrazine and hydroxylamine at the CMCPE surface were determined using cyclic voltammetry. Further more, the linear dynamic range, sensitivity and limit of detection for hydrazine and hydroxylamine detections were evaluated using differential pulse voltammetry.
Maximum a posteriori decorrelating receiver for MC‐CDMA systems
Authors: Boujemâa Hatem , Siala Mohamed
Published: January 2006

In this letter, we propose a maximum a posteriori decorrelating receiver (DR) for multicarrier code division multiple access (MC‐CDMA) systems. The decorrelating receiver consists in a maximum a posteriori combining of an uncorrelated version of the signal demodulated over the different subcarriers. The DR performance is compared to that of the conventional receiver (CR) which is based on a maximum ratio combining strategy. Copyright © 2006 AEIT.
Irradiation as an experimental tool in studies of adult neurogenesis
Authors: Wojtowicz J. Martin
Published: January 2006

“Loss of function” experiments have been the mainstay approach in studies seeking to determine functional roles of various brain regions in learning and memory. The hippocampal formation consists of several distinct regions that are thought to play different, yet interrelated, roles in the memory processes. Ionizing radiation offers a selective and highly flexible, relatively uninvasive method to further advance such studies. Focused applications of the radiation beam to the head under general anesthesia can selectively reduce ongoing adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus without causing any detectable damage to mature neurons. Further refinements of the methodology should offer many opportunities to extend our present knowledge of how and when adult neurogenesis plays a role in learning and memory. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A review of substance use research among those with mental retardation
Authors: McGillicuddy Neil B.
Published: January 2006

This article reviews research conducted on the cigarette, alcohol, and illicit drug use of adolescents and adults with mental retardation (MR). The majority of the research related to substance use conducted on this population has been limited to surveys. Overall, results of these studies suggest that, although substance use is slightly lower among those with MR than among nondisabled comparison groups, it is nonetheless a problem for many individuals. This research is reviewed and a discussion of both the general and specific flaws of these studies follows. Further, the examination of education, prevention, and treatment programs for this population has been overlooked, indicating that individuals with MR are likely not receiving the services most appropriate for them. The article concludes with a discussion of several topics that need to be addressed in future studies, including research on potential best practices in the overlooked areas of substance abuse interventions. MRDD Research Reviews 2006;12:41–47. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acquired immune cytopenias post‐cardiac transplantation respond to rituximab
Authors: Tubman Venée N. , Smoot Leslie , Heeney Matthew M.
Published: January 2006

Hematologic abnormalities following solid organ transplantation are infrequently autoimmune in origin. We present a series of autoimmune cytopenias developing as a late complication of pediatric cardiac transplantation. Autoimmune cytopenias represented include autoimmune hemolytic anemia, acquired Glanzmann thrombasthenia, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Standard therapies were used in each patient without sustainable results. Eventually, each patient was treated with and responded to rituximab. In this report, we review these cases, propose potential mechanisms for development of autoimmune cytopenias, and discuss our experience with rituximab in managing refractory autoimmune cytopenias. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;48:339–344. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Synthesis of cationic water‐soluble copolymers and hydrogels based on [2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride and 2‐hydroxyethylacrylate and their complex formation with poly(acrylic acid)
Authors: Nurkeeva Z. S. , Mun G. A. , Sergaziyev A. D. , Fefelova N. A. , Sarsenbaeva A. S. , Khutoryanskiy V. V.
Published: January 2006

Water‐soluble cationic copolymers and hydrogels were synthesized by radical copolymerization of [2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (MADQUAT) and 2‐hydroxyethylacrylate (HEA). The kinetics of copolymerization has been studied and the reactivity ratios were determined. It was found that MADQUAT exhibits higher reactivity in copolymerization. The complexation between linear MADQUAT‐HEA and linear poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) has been studied in aqueous solutions at different pH. It results in the formation of insoluble polyelectrolyte complexes, whose composition and stability to aggregate depends on MADQUAT content in copolymers and pH. The hydrogels were synthesized by three‐dimensional radical copolymerization of MADQUAT and HEA in the presence of a crosslinker. The effects of the feed mixture composition on yield and swelling properties of the hydrogels were studied. The interactions of these hydrogels with linear PAA result in formation of gel–polyelectrolyte complexes and contraction of the samples. It was found that the contraction depends on copolymer composition, PAA molecular weight, and solution pH. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44:845–853, 2006
Photofluorescence of hyperbranched poly(phenylene sulfide)
Authors: Xu Ranglei , Liu Hewen , Shi Wenfang
Published: January 2006

We synthesized hyperbranched poly(phenylene sulfide) (HPPS) in a simple “one‐pot” way by condensation of potassium 2,4‐dichlorlbenzenthiol. The molecular masses (Mw) of the polymers obtained under the conditions of this work were from 6 × 103 to 1 × 105. XRD pattern indicated substantial loss in crystallinity in HPPS. There was a minimum in the relation of intrinsic viscosity of HPPS in tetrahydrofuran (THF), determined by Ubbelohde viscometer, to molecular mass. Thermal analysis revealed that the HPPSs were very stable with the onset degradation temperature above 400 °C, and remaining weight of about 60% at 800 °C in nitrogen. The maximum emission wavelength of HPPS in THF was about 460 nm, which would red‐shift with the increase of molecular mass or concentration. The quenching behavior of the fluorescence in HPPS quenched by Cu2+ obeyed the Stern–Volmer equation,
${F_0\over F} = 1 + kC_{\rm Cu^{2+}}$, where F0 and F are the fluorescence intensity at the reference condition free of quencher and at condition with a quencher concentration of CCu2+, respectively, and k is a constant. The quenching efficiency was still as high as about 20% at Cu2+ concentration of about 10 ppm. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 826–831, 2006
Risk Criteria for the Shipping Industry
Authors: Trbojevic V. M.
Published: January 2006

This paper proposes dual risk criteria for the shipping industry based on a goal‐setting approach to safety requiring risk in the tolerability region to be as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) within which there is a prescriptive target risk level which should not be reached. The prescriptive target risk level is intended for smaller companies satisfying the current safety and classification rules, while it is expected that leading companies would embrace the dynamic ALARP approach as a means for improving the current practice in a search for a better and more economical solution. Furthermore, it is shown that it is possible to formulate the societal risk criteria fully consistent with often legally imposed individual risk criteria. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Revealing the mechanism of Rh(I)‐catalyzed hydroformylation of 4‐pyridylethene derivatives: DFT study
Authors: Luo Xiaoling , Tang Dianyong , Li Ming
Published: January 2006

A comprehensive theoretical investigation into the mechanism of 1‐phenyl‐1‐(4‐pyridyl)ethene hydroformylation, using a rhodium catalyst employing a nonlocal density functional method (B3LYP), was carried out. The calculated results show that it is strongly exothermic by >90 kJ/mol of the whole catalytic cycle, and the rate‐limited step is H2 oxidative addition. The regioselectivity originates from olefin insertion into the RhH bond. The predominant product is the regiospecifically 3‐phenyl‐3‐(4‐pyridal)propanal determined both thermodynamically and kinetically. These are in agreement with practicality experimental studies. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
Moletronics modeling toward molecular potentials
Authors: Yan Liuming , Seminario Jorge M.
Published: January 2006

Using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we demonstrate two molecular OR gates that are able to process binary signals encoded as molecular potentials. Thus, the possibility to implement logic gates of <1 nm is demonstrated. The advantage of this approach to post‐microelectronics technologies is the tremendous low‐power dissipation, the small feature size of molecular devices, and the compatible nature of input and output signals that would allow the implementation of complex logic. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
A pattern‐mixture model for the analysis of censored quality‐of‐life data
Authors: Li Huiling , Heitjan Daniel F.
Published: January 2006

We propose a pattern‐mixture model for describing the joint distribution of incomplete repeated measurements of quality of life (QoL) and right‐censored survival times. The model assumes that the survival times follow a multinomial distribution and that the quality of life outcome follows a multivariate normal distribution conditional on the survival time. We estimate the model using a Bayesian approach by importance sampling. We then use simulated parameters to create multiple imputations of the censored QoL outcomes, which can then be used to calculate individual values of quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALYs). We apply the method to data from the Randomized Evaluation of Mechanical Assistance in the Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure (REMATCH) clinical trial. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An elliptic spatial scan statistic
Authors: Kulldorff Martin , Huang Lan , Pickle Linda , Duczmal Luiz
Published: January 2006

The spatial scan statistic is commonly used for geographical disease cluster detection, cluster evaluation and disease surveillance. The most commonly used shape of the scanning window is circular. In this paper we explore an elliptic version of the spatial scan statistic, using a scanning window of variable location, shape (eccentricity), angle and size, and with and without an eccentricity penalty. The method is applied to breast cancer mortality data from Northeastern United States and female oral cancer mortality in the United States. Power comparisons are made with the circular scan statistic. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Multiple imputation for correcting verification bias
Authors: Harel Ofer , Zhou Xiao‐Hua
Published: January 2006

In the case in which all subjects are screened using a common test and only a subset of these subjects are tested using a golden standard test, it is well documented that there is a risk for bias, called verification bias. When the test has only two levels (e.g. positive and negative) and we are trying to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of the test, we are actually constructing a confidence interval for a binomial proportion. Since it is well documented that this estimation is not trivial even with complete data, we adopt multiple imputation framework for verification bias problem. We propose several imputation procedures for this problem and compare different methods of estimation. We show that our imputation methods are better than the existing methods with regard to nominal coverage and confidence interval length. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bcr interferes with β‐catenin–Tcf1 interaction
Authors: Ress Angelika , Moelling Karin
Published: January 2006

The β‐catenin/Tcf complex is a downstream effector of the Wnt signalling pathway. It is a transcription complex, which activates gene expression and contributes to proliferation and tumor progression. Tcf1 in complex with β‐catenin is able to activate β‐catenin‐dependent gene expression. We demonstrate that expressed Bcr is able to bind the transcription factor Tcf1 to disrupt the Tcf1/β‐catenin complex. Phosphorylation of Bcr by the tyrosine kinase pp60src can lead to dissociation of the transcriptionally inactive Bcr/Tcf1 complex. Thus two independent mechanisms may regulate Tcf/β‐catenin‐mediated transcription via Bcr: binding to β‐catenin as we have previously shown and to Tcf1 as shown here.
Interaction of metallothionein with tumor suppressor p53 protein
Authors: Ostrakhovitch Elena A. , Olsson Per-Erik , Jiang Sean , Cherian M. George
Published: January 2006

Previous reports have shown that metallothionein (MT) may modulate p53 activity through zinc exchange. However, little is known on a direct interaction between MT and p53 in cells. The results demonstrate an interaction between MT and p53 can occur in vitro. The complex between MT and p53 was observed in breast cancer epithelial cells with both wild and inactive type of p53. Furthermore, it was shown that wt‐p53 was preferentially associated with Apo‐MT. Our data suggest that co‐expression of MT and p53 and their complex formation in tumor cells may be involved in regulation of apoptosis in these cells.
Clusters of PE and PPE genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are organized in operons: Evidence that PE Rv2431c is co‐transcribed with PPE Rv2430c and their gene products interact with each other
Authors: Tundup Smanla , Akhter Yusuf , Thiagarajan Dorairajan , Hasnain Seyed E.
Published: January 2006

About 10% of the coding capacity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) genome is devoted to the PE/PPE family of genes scattered throughout the genome. We have identified 28 PE/PPE operons which are organized within the M. tb genome in such a way that most PE members are upstream to PPE members. One example of such a gene arrangement is the PPE gene Rv2430c, earlier shown by us to code for a highly antigenic protein eliciting strong B‐cell responses in TB patients [Choudhary, R.K., Mukhopadhyay, S., Chakhaiyar, P., Sharma, N., Murthy, K.J.R., Katoch V.M. and Hasnain, S.E. (2003) PPE antigen Rv2430c of Mycobacterium tuberculosis induces a strong B cell response. Infect. Immun. 71, 6338–6343], situated downstream to PE gene Rv2431c. Rv2431c and Rv2430c are transcribed as an operon. Expression of either rRv2431c or rRv2430c alone in E. coli limited their localization to the inclusion bodies. However, when they were co‐expressed, both the proteins appeared in the soluble fraction. These two proteins interact with each other and form oligomers when alone, however, when present together they exist as heteromer.
Impact of pregnancy on primary dysmenorrhea
Authors: Juang Chi‐Mou , Yen Ming‐Shien , Twu Nae‐Fong , Horng Huann‐Cheng , Yu Hung‐Chuan , Chen Chih‐Yao
Published: January 2006

Objective: Because it has been observed that dysmenorrhea can improve after childbirth, this investigation was intended to quantify the impact of both gestational length and mode of delivery on primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: This is an 8‐year prospective observational study. Patients with a history of dysmenorrhea who later gave birth were evaluated for improvement on the severity of dysmenorrhea, with use of visual analogue scale (VAS), and Likert‐type scale. Result: Final analysis involved 3694 patients. Women who had spontaneous delivery would have significantly more improvement than women with cesarean delivery per VAS (term delivery, 51 vs. 33, P < 0.001; preterm delivery, 17 vs. 10, P < 0.001). For first delivery, patients in the spontaneous delivery subgroup were the most likely to have improvement in severity of dysmenorrhea. For second delivery, only patients in the spontaneous delivery subgroup had statistically significant improvement. Conclusion: Both length of gestation and mode of delivery have an impact on primary dysmenorrhea. The most significant improvement occurred after the first delivery.
The expression of fractalkine in the endometrium during the menstrual cycle
Authors: Watanabe M. , Shimoya K. , Zhang Q. , Temma‐Asano K. , Kimura T. , Murata Y.
Published: January 2006

Objective

The objective of the study was to evaluate the presence of fractalkine in the endometrium of the uterus and the change of fractalkine protein levels during menstrual cycle.

Methods

Twelve samples of endometrium of the uterus were obtained from gynecological patients who underwent total hysterectomy. Western blotting, RT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry were performed.

Results

Fractalkine protein was detected in the endometrium of the uterus. Positive staining was confirmed in the epithelial cells and grandular cells in the endometrium. Expression levels of fractalkine protein and mRNA in the endometrium during secretory phase were significantly higher than those during proliferative phase. Immunohistochemical analysis using an anti‐CX3CR1 antibody demonstrated positive staining in the glandular cells of the endometrium of the uterus.

Conclusion

Fractalkine was expressed in the endometrium and its production was up‐regulated during secretory phase.
The Consistency of RAE Outcomes in the Social Sciences: A Quantitative Comparison of Social Policy and Cognate Subjects in the RAE 2001
Authors: McKay Stephen
Published: January 2006

In the RAE 2001, widely differing proportions of staff were judged internationally excellent in different academic subjects. This has important financial and other implications, and in 2008 a hierarchical structure will aim to increase consistency. We look at those subjects that will be part of a super-unit with social policy in 2008, and consider what objective rationale may explain the wide differences in ratings in 2001. A quantitative analysis found no such rationale, indeed some variations appear perverse. This highlights the need for greater consistency of judgements, perhaps steered by a ‘super-panel’.
Reconsidering State Intervention in Domestic Violence Cases
Authors: Stark Evan
Published: January 2006

This review assesses a law and criminal justice based approach to domestic violence from the vantage of recent reports from the advocacy movement in the United States (DasGupta, ‘Safety and justice for all’) and Amnesty International (It's in your hands: stop violence against women) and the work of legal scholar Linda Mills. The US movement is hardly alone in wrestling with how to reconcile the state's indispensable role in securing safety, support and liberty for victims with its equally undeniable role in perpetuating the patterns of sex, race and class inequality and privilege from which woman abuse stems and from which it continues to derive legitimacy.
Drogen in der Schwangerschaft
Authors: von Mandach
Published: January 2006

Drogenkonsum in der Schwangerschaft ist vergesellschaftet mit erheblichen Problemen für Mutter und Kind. Gesicherte Angaben zur schädigenden Wirkung auf die Mutter bzw. den Schwangerschaftsverlauf und den Feten existieren vor allem für Alkohol, Cannabis, Cocain, Opiate und Tabak. Die Daten weisen für viele Drogen gemeinsam auf die Gefahr von plazentaren Durchblutungsstörungen hin, die sich in Mangelentwicklung, Wachstumsretardierung, vorzeitiger Wehentätigkeit, Früh- oder Totgeburt manifestieren können. Bei mehreren Drogen beschrieben sind postnatale Effekte in Form von motorischen und vor allem intellektuellen Entwicklungsstörungen. Wenig bekannt sind die Auswirkungen des Konsums der neueren Partydrogen Ecstasy und LSD. Mit Ausnahme des Alkohols sind Angaben zu Fehlbildungen bei den meisten Drogen noch ungesichert. Sie dienen aber als Orientierungshilfe bei der ausgedehnten Fehlbildungsdiagnostik, die in jedem Fall angezeigt ist. Erschwerend dürfte die Tatsache sein, dass selten nur eine Droge konsumiert wird, sondern meistens ein Mischkonsum vorliegt. Neben allen potentiellen Wirkungen darf bei der Betreuung einer Drogen konsumierenden Schwangeren zudem nicht unbeachtet bleiben, dass der Allgemeinzustand der Schwangeren oftmals erheblich reduziert und besonders bei i.v. Drogen mit zusätzlichen Gefahren (z.B. HIV) verbunden ist. Drogen konsumierende Schwangere bedürfen also einer intensiven Betreuung und Beratung der Geburtshelfer meist in Zusammenarbeit mit anderen medizinischen Disziplinen inkl. der Sozialpsychiatrie.
Free and Total Carnitine Concentrations in Pig Plasma after Oral Ingestion of Various L-Carnitine Compounds
Authors: Eder Klaus , Felgner Juliane , Becker Karin , Kluge Holger
Published: January 2006

This study was undertaken to investigate the bioavailability of various L-carnitine esters (acetyl-L-carnitine and lauroyl-L-carnitine) and salts (L-carnitine L-tartrate, L-carnitine fumarate, L-carnitine magnesium citrate) relative to base of free L-carnitine. Six groups of five or six piglets each were administered orally a single dose of 40 mg L-carnitine equivalents/kg body weight of each of those L-carnitine compounds. A seventh group served as a control. Free and total plasma carnitine concentrations were determined 1, 2, 3.5, 7, 24, and 32 hours after administration of the single dose. Area-under-the-curve (AUC) values were calculated to assess the bioavailability of the L-carnitine compounds. AUC values, calculated for the time interval between 0 and 32 hours, for both free and total carnitine were similar for base of free L-carnitine and the three L-carnitine salts (L-carnitine L-tartrate, L-carnitine fumarate, L-carnitine magnesium citrate) while those of the two esters (acetyl-L-carnitine, lauroyl-L-carnitine) were lower. Administration of L-carnitine L-tartrate yielded a higher plasma free carnitine AUC value for the time interval between 0 and 3.5 hours than administration of the other compounds. The data of this study suggest that L-carnitine salts have a similar bioavailability to that of free L-carnitine while L-carnitine esters have a lower one. The study also suggests that L-carnitine L-tartrate is absorbed faster than the other L-carnitine compounds.
Development, validation and clinical use of the FLQA-l, a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire for patients with lymphedema
Authors: Augustin  , Bross  , Földi  , Vanscheidt  , Zschocke
Published: January 2006

Background: It is known from clinical practice that lymphatic diseases can be associated with reductions of quality of life (QoL). Due to the lack of validated methods, only few studies however have systematically investigated the QoL in lymphedema. The aim of the study was 1) to develop a standardized QoL questionnaire specific for lymphedema and 2) to assess the QoL in these patients. Patients and methods: We developed and tested the FLQA-l, a novel QoL questionnaire developed specific for use in lymphedema on the basis of the previously validated FLQA vein questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 92 items that refer to the following scales: Physical status, everyday life, social life, emotional well-being, treatment, satisfaction and profession/ household. 392 patients with primary (n = 246) and secondary (n = 146) lymphedema were included in the validation study. Results: The FLQA-l showed good internal consistency; Cronbach's alpha was higher than 0.75 in all scales. There were no floor and ceiling effects and satisfactory item selectivity. The test-retest reliability, sensitivity to change and convergent validity with other psychometric instruments were satisfactory. Clinically, patients with lymphedema showed markedly impaired QoL in all fields, compared to persons with early stage venous insufficiency, and comparable reductions of QoL, compared to patients with venous leg ulcer. Conclusion: These data indicate that the FLQA-l is a reliable and valid questionnaire for the assessment of QoL in lymphedema. Since the QoL is impaired in many patients with lymphedema, QoL evaluation may be helpful for clinical diagnostics as well as for outcome measurement of specific edema therapy.
Distinct factors correlating with adverse cardiac events after major vascular surgery
Authors: Wunderlich  , Gossrau  , Wunderlich  , Altmann
Published: January 2006

Introduction: Cardiovascular complications remain the principal cause of both morbidity and mortality after major vascular surgery. The well-known coincidence between vascular disease and coronary artery disease provided the rationale for a detailed analysis of major perioperative cardiovascular complications in their relation to preoperative and intraoperative parameter. Methods and Patients: 90 patients scheduled to undergo either femoral-popliteal bypass (n = 74) or repair of an infrarenal aortic aneurysm (n = 16) were prospectively included in the study. All patients had no signs of unstable cardiac disease and required no cardiac testing. Both preoperative and intraoperative parameter were correlated to adverse cardiac events (cardiac death and myocardial infarction -MI). Results: Univariate analysis identified the following parameter to be significantly related to cardiac complications: prior MI and intraoperative hypertension (systolic blood pressure above 200 mmHg). In contrast perioperative betablocker therapy was revealed to be protective. In multivariate analysis the history of MI and intraoperative hypertension correlated with poor cardiac outcome. Conclusions: Our results underline the importance of the individual history in predicting perioperative risk and corroborate the beneficial effects of long-standing beta-blocker therapy. Additionally the significance of stable intraoperative hemodynamic parameter is demonstrated.
Perineal bruising: A sinister sign for leaking iliac aneurysms?
Authors: Amer  , Shami
Published: January 2006

Ruptured false iliac aneurysms carry high mortality of up to 57%. It should be suspected whenever a patient who had previous aortic aneurysm repaired presents with bizarre lower abdominal symptoms. In the literature, different presentations have been reported, e.g progressive hydronephrosis, small intestinal obstruction, chronic venous insufficiency, arterio-venous fistula, and gross haematuria from arterio-vesical fistula. We report a patient suffering from a ruptured iliac aneurysm associated with a new sign that has not been described hitherto: perineal bruising.
Erfahrungen und Resultate von standardisierten Beobachtungen konventioneller und kinästhetischer Pflege auf einer radioonkologischen Abteilung
Authors: Christen Lisanne , Scheidegger Judit , Grossenbacher Georgette , Christen Stephan , Oehninger Ruth
Published: January 2006

In der radiotherapeutisch-nuklearmedizinischen Klinik des Zürcher Stadtspitals Triemli führten wir eine kontrollierte Beobachtungsstudie durch. Ziel war es, konventionelle mit kinästhetischer Pflege zu vergleichen bezüglich Wirkung auf Bewegung und Körperorientierheit der Gepflegten sowie hinsichtlich der Interaktionsfähigkeit mit den Pflegenden. Die Beobachtungen beschränkten sich auf die drei Pflegeinterventionen Waschen, Umbetten und Mobilisieren und dauerten 20 bis 60 Minuten. In dieser Zeit füllte eine erfahrene, nicht zum Pflegeteam gehörende Pflegefachfrau eine Checkliste aus. Die Items der Checkliste sind einerseits operationalisierte Kriterien des Kinästhetikkonzepts von Hatch und Maietta, andererseits zwei Patientenbeurteilungen. Die Beurteilung von Beweglichkeit und Körperorientiertheit der Gepflegten vor bzw. nach der Pflege erfolgte mit derselben Skala bestehend aus 12 Beobachtungskriterien. Die Beurteilung der Interaktion zwischen Pflegenden und Gepflegten erfolgte mit einer weiteren Skala aus 10 Beobachtungskriterien. Gruppe 1 (13 Patienten und Patientinnen) wurde im Zusammenhang mit konventioneller Pflege beobachtet, Gruppe 2 (13 andere Patienten und Patientinnen) rund ein halbes Jahr später im Zusammenhang mit kinästhetischer Pflege. Die Datenerhebung erfolgte in beiden Gruppen mit derselben Checkliste. Kinästhetische Supervision war nicht gewährleistet. In allen Zielgrößen der Untersuchung zeigte sich die allgemein positive Wirkung von Pflege. Kinästhetische Pflege wies aber höchstens «tendenzielle» Vorteile gegenüber der konventionellen Pflege auf. Die Resultate werden im Zusammenhang mit einer unlängst veröffentlichten Studie mit objektiver Messung von Kinästhetik-Wirkung diskutiert. Es besteht eine Diskrepanz zwischen der bekanntermaßen äußerst positiven subjektiven Bewertung kinästhetischer Pflege durch die Pflegenden und den gemessenen Effekten. Diese Diskrepanz lässt sich nicht allein durch Stichprobengröße, Messmethode oder die Erfahrung der Pflegenden mit der Pflegemethode erklären.
Sich-verantwortlich-Fühlen als zentrale Pflegemotivation. Warum Töchter ihre Mütter pflegen
Authors: Geister Christina
Published: January 2006

Die Pflegebereitschaft von Töchtern in Deutschland ist nach wie vor sehr hoch. Dabei werden von den Töchtern immer wieder Selbstverständlichkeit und Pflichtgefühl als zentrale und relativ unspezifische Motive genannt. In einer fallrekonstruktiven Studie, deren primäre Zielsetzung es war, den Übergang von der Tochter zur pflegenden Tochter zu analysieren (Geister, 2004), konnte auch die Motivation der Frauen genauer beleuchtet werden. In diesem Beitrag, der lediglich einen Ausschnitt der Untersuchung beleuchtet, wird der Zusammenhang zwischen dem Verantwortungsgefühl und der Motivation zu pflegen am Beispiel von zwei Frauen dargestellt. Die Datengewinnung erfolgte mittels biografisch-narrativer Einzelinterviews mit zwölf pflegenden Töchtern. Die anschließende Auswertung des Datenmaterials wurde in Anlehnung an die von Gabriele Rosenthal (1987; 1995) entwickelte Methode der biografischen Fallrekonstruktion durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse der beiden Fallrekonstruktionen zeigten, dass die Motivation dieser Frauen, ihre Mütter zu pflegen, aus ihrer Lebensgeschichte abgeleitet werden kann. Das traf auch für die anderen zehn befragten Frauen zu. Es stellte sich bei allen Töchtern im Verlauf des Lebens, meistens lange vor Eintritt der Pflegebedürftigkeit, das Gefühl ein, für die Mutter verantwortlich zu sein. Aus dem Verantwortungsbewusstsein erwuchs eine sorgende Haltung, die sich in fürsorgendem und zunehmend versorgendem Handeln der Tochter gegenüber der Mutter auswirkte. Die Pflege stellte eine Intensivierung dieses verantwortungsmotivierten Sorgens dar. Das Bewusstsein, persönlich für die Mutter verantwortlich zu sein, implizierte das Einverständnis mit einer möglichen Pflege. Zukünftige Konzeptentwicklungen zur Unterstützung pflegender Töchter müssen deren individuelle Verantwortungsmotivation stärker berücksichtigen.
Explorative Studie: Sichtweisen zur Defäkation – Vergleich von Patienten und Pflegepersonen
Authors: Them Christa , Fritz Elfriede , Roner  Annette , Hackl Johann Michael
Published: January 2006

Die Studie verfolgte das Ziel, Sichtweisen zu Stuhlgewohnheiten von Patienten und Pflegenden zu erfassen und einem Vergleich zu unterziehen. Methodik: Mittels Fragebogen wurden demographische und stuhlrelevante Daten erhoben. In die statistische Auswertung wurden die Fragebögen von 122 Pflegepersonen und von 168 Patienten aufgenommen. Die Daten wurden mittels SPSS ausgewertet und nach Probandengruppen dargestellt und verknüpft (Chi-Quadrat). Ergebnisse: Beim Vergleich beider Gruppen zeigen sich signifikante Unterschiede in der Einschätzung, was noch als «normal» bzw. was bereits als «pathologisch», angesehen wird. So unterscheiden sich beide Gruppen hinsichtlich der Einschätzung der «normalen» Stuhlfrequenz signifikant bei den Items «mehrmals täglich», «jeden zweiten Tag» und «zweimal pro Woche». Ferner stufen Pflegepersonen im Vergleich zu Patienten eine «unregelmäßige» Stuhlentleerung eher als «normal» ein. Signifikante Unterschiede ergaben sich bezüglich der Einschätzung von «dünnflüssigem Stuhl» und «geformtem Stuhl». Die Ergebnisse zur Frage nach möglichen Stuhlfarben machen deutlich, dass Patienten «pathologische» Farbveränderungen («ockergelb» und «braunrot bis schwarz») häufiger als Pflegepersonen als «normal» betrachten.
Die Fallibilität empirischer Daten und die Notwendigkeit der Kontrolle der Wahrscheinlichkeiten falscher Entscheidungen
Authors: Hager Willi
Published: January 2006

Zusammenfassung. Empirisch-psychologische Daten sind durchgängig fallibel, also fehlerbehaftet, und zudem Theoriegetränkt. Aus diesem Grund ist es logisch nicht möglich, im Popperschen Sinne psychologische Hypothesen zu falsifizieren, und Verifikationen im Sinne Carnaps sind logisch ebenfalls nicht möglich. Ein Ausweg aus diesem Dilemma besteht darin, Beurteilungen psychologischer Hypothesen nicht mittels logischer Schlussfiguren herbeizuführen, sondern mittels Entscheidungen. Für diese sind jedoch Regeln festzulegen, die festlegen, ab wann man eine festgestellte Variation als systematisch ansehen will und nicht mehr als unsystematisch. Die von Psycholog/inn/en mehrheitlich eingesetzten statistischen Tests können als derartige Entscheidungsregeln fungieren, da sie die Trennung von systematischer und unsystematischer Variation nach allgemein akzeptierten probabilistischen Kriterien ermöglichen. Üblicherweise werden in der psychologischen Forschungspraxis die Signifikanztests nach R. A. Fisher eingesetzt, mit denen die Kontrolle der Wahrscheinlichkeit α möglich ist, dass man irrtümlich auf das Vorliegen von systematischer Variation erkennt. Vor allem aus der Sicht der Versuchsplanung, deren allgemeines Ziel die Kontrolle und Geringhaltung der Wahrscheinlichkeiten für falsche Entscheidungen darstellt, ist es unabdingbar, die Wahrscheinlichkeiten für beide Arten von falschen Entscheidungen zu kontrollieren. Dies ist unter der Fisher-Theorie nicht möglich, wohl aber unter der Testtheorie von Neyman und Pearson, innerhalb derer auch eine Kontrolle der Wahrscheinlichkeit β für die falsche Entscheidung für das ausschließliche Vorliegen von unsystematischer Variation vorgesehen und möglich ist. Beide Fehlerwahrscheinlichkeiten stehen in direkter Beziehung zu den Wahrscheinlichkeiten falscher Entscheidungen über die zu prüfenden psychologischen Hypothesen, und lässt man eine von ihnen unberücksichtigt, ist es auch nicht möglich, die Wahrscheinlichkeiten für die falschen Entscheidungen “psychologische Hypothese bewährt“ bzw. “nicht bewährt“ zu kontrollieren und gering zu halten.
Recognition of briefly exposed digits, Latin letters, and Chinese characters:
Authors: Lass Uta , Yan Song , Yang Yufang , Chen Guopeng , Sun Pei , Becker Dietrich , Fang Yunqiu , Lüer Gerd
Published: January 2006

Abstract. German and Chinese students took part in four experiments. In Experiment 1, which was based on the Sperling paradigm, the participants were asked to report as many digits as possible from a briefly presented matrix. In contrast to previous experiments which had made use of Latin letters, the Chinese clearly outperformed the Germans this time. In Experiment 2, memory span for digits and Latin letters was measured. With Latin letters, the Germans achieved higher scores than the Chinese. The opposite was true for digit memory span. Taken together, the results indicate that performance in the Sperling task is not solely determined by encoding efficiency but also by rehearsal speed. In Experiment 3, the participants had to recognize only one item from briefly exposed stimulus displays. Besides Latin letters, language-specific stimuli were used consisting of combinations of letters for Germans and components of Chinese characters for Chinese. Based on the data from Experiment 3, two language-specific item sets comperable in terms of task difficulty, were chosen for use in the Sperling task in Experiment 4. Under these conditions, there was no significant difference in the overall level of performance between the two language groups. Performance was influenced, however, by the position of the items to be reported and this in a slightly different way in each language group. We discuss to what extent reading habits influenced the allocation of attention and adaptive processes caused differences in item recognition.
Entwicklungsregulation im jungen Erwachsenenalter
Authors: Seiffge-Krenke Inge , Gelhaar Tim
Published: January 2006

Zusammenfassung. Die vorliegende Längsschnittstudie untersucht die Realisierung von Entwicklungsaufgaben zu zwei Zeitpunkten im jungen Erwachsenenalter. An einer Stichprobe von N = 102 Probanden wurde der gegenwärtige Entwicklungsstand und die intendierte Entwicklungsnorm in acht alterstypischen Entwicklungsaufgaben überprüft. Drei Entwicklungsaufgaben von besonderer Wichtigkeit (Partnerschaft, Berufseinstieg und Gründung eines eigenen Haushalts) wurden genauer analysiert. Zwei verschiedene Modelle zum Zusammenhang zwischen Entwicklungsstand und Entwicklungsnorm, das Realisierungsmodell (je höher die Entwicklungsnorm, desto höher der Grad der Realisierung) und das Adjustierungsmodell (die Entwicklungsnorm wird in Abhängigkeit des Entwicklungsstands adjustiert) wurden geprüft. Die Ergebnisse sprechen für die Bereichsspezifität der Modelle, zeigen jedoch auch die Bedeutung von Entwicklungsfristen auf. Der Entwicklungsstand im Alter von 23 Jahren ließ sich erwartungsgemäß durch den Entwicklungsstand zwei Jahre zuvor sowie durch soziodemografische Variablen vorhersagen. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen eine der zentralen Thesen Havighursts (1948) , dass Entwicklungsaufgaben zeitlich aufeinander aufbauen.
Intergenerationale Transmissions- und Projektionsprozesse intoleranter Einstellungen zu Ausländern in der Familie
Authors: Gniewosz Burkhard , Noack Peter
Published: January 2006

Zusammenfassung. Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Zusammenhängen zwischen Einstellungen gegenüber Ausländern von Jugendlichen und wahrgenommenen sowie tatsächlichen Positionen der Eltern zu diesen Fragen. Fragebogenauskünfte von 1312 Thüringer Sechst-, Acht- und Zehntklässlern sowie von 772 Müttern und 648 Vätern bilden die Basis von SEM-Analysen, die die Transmissions- und Projektionsprozesse untersuchten. Die Ergebnisse legen eine komplette Mediation der elterlichen Einstellungen über deren Wahrnehmung auf die Haltungen der Jugendlichen nahe. Gleichzeitig spielen projektive Prozesse eine wichtige Rolle für die subjektive Repräsentation der elterlichen Einstellungen. Projektionen verlieren mit steigender Klassenstufe an Bedeutung, während die Wahrnehmung der tatsächlichen Einstellungen der Eltern akkurater wird.
Disclosure und wahrgenommene gesellschaftliche Wertschätzung als Opfer als Prädiktoren von PTB bei Kriminalitätsopfern
Authors: Müller Julia , Maercker Andreas
Published: January 2006

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Traumatisierte fühlen sich oft ungenügend unterstützt und wertgeschätzt und ziehen sich von zwischenmenschlichen Kontakten zurück. Es wird angenommen, dass dies die Traumaverarbeitung und Genesung von der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung (PTB) verhindern kann. Fragestellungen: Lässt sich PTB-Symptomatik durch interpersonelle Variablen vorhersagen? Besitzen diese Variablen zusätzlichen Erklärungswert zu schon bekannten PTB-Prädiktoren? Methode: Mittels Fragebogenstudie wurden zwei interpersonelle Konzepte “Gesellschaftliche Wertschätzung als Opfer/Überlebender“ und “Offenlegen traumatischer Erfahrungen (Disclosure)“ zusammen mit posttraumatischen kognitiven Veränderungen (PTCI - Foa, Ehlers, Clark, Tolin & Orsillo, 1999 ) bei 151 Kriminalitätsopfern untersucht. Daneben wurden Traumacharakteristika, PTB-Symptomatik (IES-R), allgemeine Psychopathologie (BSI), Gesundheitsstatus (SF-36), und soziale Unterstützung (F-SozU) erhoben. Ergebnisse: Disclosure und gesellschaftliche Wertschätzung klärten zusätzlich zu den bekannten Variablen bis zu 11% der Störungsvarianz auf. Schlussfolgerung: Die Ergebnisse demonstrieren den klinisch vermuteten Einfluss interpersoneller Faktoren auf die PTB-Symptomatik. Die Studie zeigt Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Erfassung dieser Variablen im Self-report auf.
Assessing the uncertainty associated with intermittent rainfall fields
Authors: Pardo‐Igúzquiza Eulogio , Grimes David I. F. , Teo Chee‐Kiat
Published: January 2006

In many practical situations where spatial rainfall estimates are needed, rainfall occurs as a spatially intermittent phenomenon. An efficient geostatistical method for rainfall estimation in the case of intermittency has previously been published and comprises the estimation of two independent components: a binary random function for modeling the intermittency and a continuous random function that models the rainfall inside the rainy areas. The final rainfall estimates are obtained as the product of the estimates of these two random functions. However the published approach does not contain a method for estimation of uncertainties. The contribution of this paper is the presentation of the indicator maximum likelihood estimator from which the local conditional distribution of the rainfall value at any location may be derived using an ensemble approach. From the conditional distribution, representations of uncertainty such as the estimation variance and confidence intervals can be obtained. An approximation to the variance can be calculated more simply by assuming rainfall intensity is independent of location within the rainy area. The methodology has been validated using simulated and real rainfall data sets. The results of these case studies show good agreement between predicted uncertainties and measured errors obtained from the validation data.
Two different features of discharge of equatorial upper ocean heat content related to El Niño events
Authors: Hasegawa Takuya , Horii Takanori , Hanawa Kimio
Published: January 2006

Oceanic and atmospheric anomaly fields in the tropical Pacific are investigated to extract some characteristics from twelve El Niño events in the past 49 years. The results show that entire equatorial upper ocean heat content (Teq) is discharged after the mature phase of seven El Niño events (A‐type events), while Teq is not well discharged in other five events (B‐type events). Furthermore, A‐type events generally have larger amplitudes of tropical oceanic and atmospheric anomalies than B‐type events. In addition, the durations of A‐type events are longer than those of B‐type events. It is also found that A‐type events accompany large positive wind stress curl anomaly and resultant poleward Sverdrup transport in the tropical South Pacific after the mature phase of El Niño events, while B‐type events do not. This appearance of large positive wind stress anomaly should be one of the reasons why Teq is well discharged in A‐type events.
Abrupt increase in permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaska
Authors: Jorgenson M. Torre , Shur Yuri L. , Pullman Erik R.
Published: January 2006

Even though the arctic zone of continuous permafrost has relatively cold mean annual air temperatures, we found an abrupt, large increase in the extent of permafrost degradation in northern Alaska since 1982, associated with record warm temperatures during 1989–1998. Our field studies revealed that the recent degradation has mainly occurred to massive wedges of ice that previously had been stable for 1000s of years. Analysis of airphotos from 1945, 1982, and 2001 revealed large increases in the area (0.5%, 0.6%, and 4.4% of area, respectively) and density (88, 128, and 1336 pits/km2) of degrading ice wedges in two study areas on the arctic coastal plain. Spectral analysis across a broader landscape found that newly degraded, water‐filled pits covered 3.8% of the land area. These results indicate that thermokarst potentially can affect 10–30% of arctic lowland landscapes and severely alter tundra ecosystems even under scenarios of modest climate warming.