bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compositional Strategies in The Angel of Death for Piano, Chamber Orchestra, and Computer-Processed Sound
Authors: Reynolds Roger
Published: November 2004

A composer describes his concerns in relation to a 34-minute musical work (The Angel of Death) written in consultation with perceptual psychologists. This work was conceived, and has served, as an experimental object suited to the testing of a range of issues of interest to composers as well as psychologists: in particular, are the musical materials and the formal structure of a piece of music heard by listeners in the ways that the composer anticipates? The thematic sources of the subject work are described in relation to an overall formal design that was realized in two contrasted ways: Sectional (strongly characterized sections with clear boundaries) and Domain (an interwoven presentation of materials that minimizes formal articulation). These two realizations can be performed in either order (S-D, or D-S), but in either case, a computer component enters at the end of the first part, coexisting with the second.
Effects of a Change in Instrumentation on the Recognition of Musical Materials
Authors: Poulin-Charronnat Bénédicte , Bigand Emmanuel , Lalitte Philippe , Madurell François , Vieillard Sandrine , McAdams Stephen
Published: November 2004

The present study investigates the effect of a change in instrumentation on the recognition of musical excerpts in Western contemporary and tonal music. The critical finding was a strong effect of timbre on the recognition of musical material that is modulated by both the extent of musical expertise and the musical style. Changing the instrumentation of musical excerpts from a piece by Reynolds considerably hampers recognition among musicians (Expts. 1 and 2), but not among nonmusicians, whose recognition was poor regardless of instrumentation. Both musicians and nonmusicians were affected by instrumentation change in excerpts from a symphonic poem by Liszt (Expt. 3). This finding suggests that timbre may contribute, along with pitch and rhythm, to the identity of musical materials. The difference found between musicians and nonmusicians with the Reynolds piece may be parsimoniously explained by the fact that the musicians were considerably more familiar with contemporary music than were the nonmusicians.
The Perceptual Structure of Thematic Materials in The Angel of Death
Authors: Lalitte Philippe , Bigand Emmanuel , Poulin-Charronnat Bénédicte , McAdams Stephen , Delbé Charles , D'Adamo Daniel
Published: November 2004

The perceptual structure of the five themes of Roger Reynolds's The Angel of Death was investigated. We studied how listeners follow the musical progression of each theme and whether or not they perceive the temporal implications. In the first phase, participants performed three tasks on the full themes, one of which consisted of segmenting the musical ideas online. In the second phase, participants were presented with pairs of excerpts from the themes, judged whether both belonged to the same theme, and if they did which one occurred first in the theme. Participants� segmentations corresponded to surface discontinuities in places, but were strongly influenced by the rhetorical structure of the themes in others. Listeners (particularly nonmusicians) encountered difficulties when they were required to perform more abstract tasks out of the musical context such as the belongingness judgment, which depended on surface similarities, and the temporal-order judgment, which depended on previous hearing of the full themes.
Influences of Large-Scale Form on Continuous Ratings in Response to a Contemporary Piece in a Live Concert Setting
Authors: McAdams Stephen , Vines Bradley W. , Vieillard Sandrine , Smith Bennett K. , Reynolds Roger
Published: November 2004

Listeners responded continuously at the world and North American premiere concerts of The Angel of Death by Roger Reynolds using one of two rating scales: familiarity or resemblance of musical materials within the piece and emotional force. Two versions of the piece were tested in each concert in different presentation orders. Functional data analysis revealed the influence of large-scale musical form and context on recognition processes and emotional reactions during ongoing listening. The instantaneous resemblance to materials already heard up to that point in the piece demonstrates strong relations to the sectional structure of the music and suggests different memory dynamics for different kinds of musical structures. Emotional force ratings revealed the impact of computer-processed sounds and a diminution in emotional force with repetition of materials. Response profiles and global preferences across the two versions are discussed in terms of the multifaceted temporal shape of musical experience.
Concept Advancement: Enhancing Inductive Validity
Authors: Hupcey Judith E. , Penrod Janice
Published: November 2004

Enhancing inductive validity while advancing a concept has always been a dilemma for qualitative researchers. This dilemma is paramount for researchers completing a series of small discrete projects all focused on the same concept. How do researchers use knowledge from their earlier research while maintaining an inductive paradigm? Template comparison, a method of sequential triangulation, is proposed as a solution to this problem. Template comparison allows the researcher to use findings from earlier studies, which employed the same or different qualitative methods, as a guide for the data collection, interpretative, and theoretical phases of the new study. The authors’ research of the concept of trust is used as an example of the application of template comparison.
The Delirium Observation Screening Scale: A Screening Instrument for Delirium
Authors: Schuurmans Marieke J. , Shortridge-Baggett Lillie M. , Duursma Sijmen A.
Published: November 2004

The Delirium Observation Screening (DOS) scale, a 25-item scale, was developed to facilitate early recognition of delirium, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV criteria, based on nurses’ observations during regular care. The scale was tested for content validity by a group of seven experts in the field of delirium. Internal consistency, predictive validity, and concurrent and construct validity were tested in two prospective studies with high risk groups of patients: geriatric medicine patients and elderly hip fracture patients. Among the patients admitted to a geriatric department (N = 82), 4 became delirious; among the elderly hip fracture patients (N = 92), 18 became delirious. The DOS scale was determined to be content valid and showed high internal consistency, α = 0.93 and α = 0.96. Predictive validity against the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV diagnosis of delirium made by a geriatrician was good in both studies. Correlations of the DOS scale with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) were Rs -0.79 (p ≤ 0.001) in the hip fracture patients and Rs -0.66 (p ≤ 0.001) in the geriatric medicine patients. Concurrent validity, as tested by comparison of the research nurse’s ratings of the DOS scale and the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM), for the group of hip fracture patients was 0.63 (p ≤ 0.001). Construct validity of the DOS was tested against the Informant Questionnaire of Cognitive Decline in Elderly (IQCODE), a preexisting psychiatric diagnosis and the Barthel Index. Correlation with the IQCODE was 0.74 (p ≤ 0.001) in the study with the hip fracture patients and 0.33 (p ≤ 0.05) in the study with the geriatric medicine patients. Correlation with the Barthel Index was -0.26 (p ≤ 0.05) in the geriatric medicine patients and -0.55 (p ≤ 0.001) in the hip fracture patients. The overall conclusion of these studies is that the DOS scale shows satisfactory validity and reliability, to guide early recognition of delirium by nurses’ observation.
Partnership in Practice
Authors: Jonsdottir Helga , Litchfield Merian , Pharris Margaret Dexheimer
Published: November 2004

Modern health care has increasingly focused on prescriptive, outcomes-oriented, and cost-effective practices concomitantly obscuring the humanness of the health experience. A reconsideration of partnership between nurse and client as the core of the discipline might call nurses back to what is essential to nursing: a caring relationship centered on that which is meaningful as health. This article points to the significance of the relational nature of partnership, differentiating its features and form from the prevalent understanding associated with prescriptive interventions to achieve predetermined goals and outcomes. The meaning of partnership is presented as nursing practice as it unfolds: a process of nurse and client relationship through which the caring presence of the nurse becomes integral to the health experience of the client as the potential for action. Exemplars provide illustration of this emerging view in practice and research. The article is intended to contribute to the expanding dialogue on nursing practice, inviting discussion of the relevance of partnership in different health systems.
Meaning of Dependency on Care as Narrated by 10 Patients
Authors: Strandberg Gunilla , Norberg Astrid , Jansson Lilian
Published: November 2004

This article is part of an ongoing study that aims to illuminate the meaning of dependency on care. The aim of this particular study is to disclose the meaning of dependency on care as narrated by patients. We conducted interviews with patients (six men and four women) who had been in medical or surgical wards for at least 14 days. Seven of the patients were also interviewed one week after discharge. The participants ranged in age from 41 to 84 years old. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A phenomenological-hermeneutic approach was used to interpret the resulting text. The results show that to be dependent on care is to face the inevitability of not being able to manage by oneself—it is being attached to the nurses and bound to the care they offer. Being dependent on care involves a struggle to get care without treading on the nurses’ toes. The nurses are one’s lifelines and getting care is essential, no matter what. It is better to receive any form of care, good or bad, than to receive nothing. Being dependent on care is to be exposed and subjected to a nurse’s ability and benevolence. One comprehensive understanding of the meaning of dependency on care is simply that “one does not saw off the branch one is sitting on.” Furthermore, dependency on care involves a struggle to move forward in a life that hurts. Patients lose much of their freedom of choice in daily life and grieve their loss of ability and value. Patients may be able, however, to see things they would have never noticed earlier in life. Dependency on care is understood as one kind of “limit situation.” Patients who are dependent on care may reevaluate their potential in life and gain another perspective on life.
Nursing Knowledge and the Problem of Worldviews
Authors: Kikuchi June F.
Published: November 2004

Over the past few decades, nurse scholars have widely embraced the idea of worldviews and of worldviews serving as the bases of conceptions of nursing. Today, worldviews are so much taken for granted as the starting point of nursing inquiry that nurse scholars are continually seeking solutions to epistemological problems within the idea of worldviews. This article argues that, as long as we persist in doing so, the nursing discipline’s aim to develop an organized body of nursing knowledge for nursing practice will remain unrealized. I propose that conceptions of nursing and of nursing inquiry be grounded in the philosophy of moderate realism, which eschews the idea of worldviews.
Caring in Nursing Practice: The Development of a Conceptual Framework
Authors: McCance Tanya V.
Published: November 2004

This article reports the results of a qualitative research study which explored patients’ experience of caring. To elicit stories relating to the experience of caring, a hermeneutic approach was selected incorporating a narrative method. One-to-one interviews were conducted with 24 patients in their homes, shortly after discharge from hospital. The findings uncovered a number of categories comprising the experience of caring in nursing. This resulted in the development of the conceptual framework based on Donabedian’s constructs of structure, process and outcome. Structures included nurse attributes, organizational issues, and patient attributes. Processes comprised the activities of caring, which included providing for patients’ physical and psychological needs, being attentive, getting to know the patient, taking time, being firm, showing respect, and the extra touch. The outcomes emanated from the process of caring and included a feeling of well-being, patient satisfaction, and effect on the environment. The conceptual framework emphasizes a potential link between the three constructs. Data from narrative analysis suggest a positive linear relationship between the structures required for the process that lead to patient outcomes. When compared to current theoretical literature, the findings support elements of existing theories. These include the importance of the nurse attributes for professional caring (structure), the activities of caring, which can be viewed as nurse interventions and the dual nature of caring, which encompasses attitudes and actions (process).
Australian Women’s Prediagnostic Decision-Making Styles, Relating to Treatment Choices for Early Breast Cancer Treatment
Authors: Budden Lea M. , Pierce Penny F. , Hayes Barbara A. , Buettner Petra G.
Published: November 2004

Women diagnosed with early breast cancer are now asked by their doctors to choose from a range of options for their preferred medical treatment plan. Little information is known about women’s treatment decision-making and therefore nurses do not have evidence to guide this decision support. The aim of this descriptive survey was to investigate the prediagnostic decision-making behavior of a sample (N= 377) of Australian women, regarding their treatment choices for early breast cancer. The data were collected using the Pre-Decision Portfolio Questionnaire (PDPQ) by Pierce (1996), which includes the Michigan Assessment of Decision Styles (MADS). Of 366 participating women, 19.9% strongly agreed to all three items of the MADS factor Deferring Responsibility; 0.3% strongly agreed to all four factors of Avoidance; 32.7% strongly agreed on all four items of Information Seeking; and 63.4% strongly agreed to all five items of Deliberation. Women showed a variety of preferred decision styles, depending on age, education, occupation and employment status. Only 36% of women indicated it was critically important to “get the treatment over as soon as possible;” 55% to “participate in selecting treatment;” and 53% to “read a lot of information.” The understanding of factors that are important to women when they are making decisions for medical treatment is a mandatory step in designing customized evidence-based decision support, which can be delivered by nurses to help women during this distressing experience.
Dynamics of Hope in HIV/AIDS Affected People: An Exploration of Significant Others’ Experiences
Authors: Kylmä Jari , Vehviläinen-Julkunen Katri , Lähdevirta Juhani
Published: November 2004

Hope is an important protective phenomenon in human life, particularly given that long-lasting despair or hopelessness may threaten human existence. However, previous knowledge on the topic related to people affected by HIV/AIDS is scant. The purpose of this study was to explore the dynamics of hope in significant others of people living with HIV/AIDS and persons living with HIV (PLWH) or AIDS (PLWA) from the perspective of significant others in Finland. Eleven interviews were conducted with six significant others. The data were analyzed using the grounded theory method. The dynamics of hope, as it emerged from the data, is constructed of three main elements: hope, despair, hopelessness, and their reciprocal relationships. An alternating balance between hope, despair, and hopelessness based on the factors contributing to them emerged as central in the dynamics of hope. The dynamics of hope are closely connected to the basic process of searching for one’s own way with HIV/AIDS, in becoming HIV-positive, and living with HIV/AIDS. In significant others, the dynamics of hope are closely connected to the basic process of HIV, changing from abstract to concrete in a relationship with a PLWH/PLWA.
Evolving Out of Violence: An Application of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change
Authors: Anderson Cheryl
Published: November 2004

Ending violent relationships can be a difficult and lengthy process. Women use a variety of coping activities, with change generally proceeding in a non-linear direction. Nurses may not recognize this behavior pattern and may expect more from a woman experiencing violence than she is currently able or willing to achieve, thereby hampering change. Studying behavioral patterns of change by women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) was explored through the stages and processes of change conceptually defined within the Transtheoretical Model (TTM).

Using a Delphi technique, the TTM was tested with four White, professional women reporting past IPV. Original stages and processes of change were reviewed and modified to fit the woman’s experience. Research findings supported the TTM as a useful guide to alert health care professionals of the readiness level of women experiencing IPV and determine effective interventions.
Research Process in the Health Sciences: A Focus on Methods
Authors: Antonakos Cathy L. , Kazanis Anamaria S.
Published: November 2004

Research in the health sciences is becoming increasingly challenging as data and methods advance in complexity. This article was written to provide an overview of the research process for complex and intricate projects, with a focus on methods. The insights regarding structuring and managing research projects are intended to guide researchers through all phases of the research process. Our key suggestions include the following: (1) conceptual and methodological complexity must be balanced, (2) skilled project managers and statisticians are needed, and can be rewarded for their contributions to projects in part through authorship, and (3) grants involving multiple investigators present problems related in part to the abstruseness of integrated methods and so require special solutions for effective management. Overall, we conclude that researchers are rewarded in a variety of ways when they remain focused on the original study aims, keep methods simple, utilize skilled staff, and engage in strategic planning.
A LRPAP1 Intronic Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism and Phenotypic Variability in Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Schutte Debra L. , Maas Meridean , Buckwalter Kathleen C.
Published: November 2004

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by dementia. AD exhibits variability in age at onset, rate of progression, and specific cognitive, functional, and behavioral features. Genetic variants are potential modulators of phenotypic variability. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a polymorphism in the Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor Related Protein-Associated Protein (LRPAP1) gene (4p16.3) and repeated measures of cognition, function, and behavior in persons with AD, using outcome data collected in two caregiver intervention studies. Thirty-seven subjects diagnosed with probable or possible AD were recruited. All subjects were genotyped for a 37 basepair insertion/deletion polymorphism in intron 5 of the LRPAP1 gene. No differences in allele or genotype frequencies by gender or by age at onset were identified. No statistically significant genotype effects upon cognition or behavior were identified. However, trends were noted in measures of language, with the LRPAP1 insertion-positive subjects exhibiting poorer language scores (average score difference = 28%, p = .158). LRPAP1 insertion-positive subjects also were more functionally impaired than subjects without the LRPAP1 insertion allele (F1,7 = 7.36, p = .030). These results suggest genetic variations at the LRPAP1 locus may modulate AD phenotype beyond risk for disease.
Genetic Content in Japanese Language Nursing Textbooks
Authors: Tsujino Kumiko , Tsukahara Masato , Frazier Lorraine , Iino Hidechika , Murakami Kyoko
Published: November 2004

The purpose of this study was to assess the amount of genetic content included in Japanese language nursing textbooks. A total of 222 Japanese nursing textbooks for registered nurses, public health nurses, and nurse midwives published by five publishers in 2001 were evaluated for genetic content. The textbooks were reviewed for content in fundamental knowledge of genetics, genetic diseases, genetic counseling, and nursing care for patients with genetic problems. Results from the review indicated that although information about genetics was found in more than half of the textbooks, descriptions of the roles of nurses in genetic counseling and nursing interventions related mostly to single gene disorders.

These findings suggest that not all Japanese nursing textbooks contain genetic content and that they do not include the latest knowledge concerning common diseases and genetic nursing interventions. Although the study did not review other educational methods, based on these findings, nursing educators in Japan should introduce textbooks with genetic information that will prepare registered nurses, public health nurses, and nurse midwives to remain current in genetic concepts and to apply these concepts to their nursing roles through genetic counseling and patient care.
Hydroxyurea‐induced hemolytic anemia in a patient with essential thrombocythemia
Authors: Jabr Fadi I. , Shamseddine Ali , Taher Ali
Published: November 2004

Hydroxyurea (HU) has been used in patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) to reduce the frequency and severity of thrombotic complications of the disease. It acts by causing bone marrow depression, resulting in a decrease in platelet and leukocyte counts and in anemia with megaloblastosis. Herein we report a case of an 80‐year‐old man with ET who developed severe hemolytic anemia requiring multiple packed RBC transfusions while being treated with HU. The hemolysis persisted until discontinuation of the drug. This case suggests hemolysis as a potential side effect of HU and raises the clinical concern that not all HU‐induced anemia is secondary to erythropoiesis depression. With the increasing use of HU in the management of ET, hemoglobinopathy, and other diseases, the importance of monitoring for hemolysis must be further emphasized in these patients. Am. J. Hematol. 77:374–376, 2004 © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determination of iron in blood serum using ﬂow injection with luminol chemiluminescence detection
Authors: Waseem A. , Yaqoob M. , Nabi A.
Published: November 2004

A simple and rapid ﬂow injection method is reported for the determination of iron in blood serum after acid digestion with HNO3 and HClO4, based on luminol CL detection in the absence of added oxidant. The detection limit (3 s) was 1.0 nmol/L with a sample throughput of 120/h. The calibration graph was linear over the range 0.001–1.0 µmol/L (r2 = 0.9974), with relative standard deviations (RSD) (n = 4) in the range 3.2–5%. The effect of interfering cations (Ca(II), Mg(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), Ni(II), Co(II) and Fe(III)) and anions (Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−, NO3−, NO2−) were studied using a luminol CL system for Fe(II) determination. The method was applied to normal blood serum and the results (1.32 ± 0.08–1.74 ± 0.05 mg/L) were compared with those from a spectrophotometric reference method (1.34 ± 0.06–1.80 ± 0.10 mg/L), which agree fairly well with the overall reference range in blood. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fireﬂy luciferin as antioxidant and light emitter: the evolution of insect bioluminescence
Authors: Dubuisson Marlène , Marchand Cécile , Rees Jean‐François
Published: November 2004

Insects are the main group with luminescent species among terrestrial animals. In this paper, we report that ﬁreﬂy luciferin is endowed with antioxidant properties against oxidative and nitrosative stress. The luciferin reduces linoleate peroxidation in acellular tests and increases the viability of mammalian cells exposed to the oxidant tert‐butyl hydroperoxide. Dehydrorhodamine‐based tests indicate that ﬁreﬂy luciferin also scavenges peroxynitrite, whereas parallel tests on cells showed a marked protection of cells subjected to the peroxynitrite generator SIN‐1. Together, these results suggest that ﬁreﬂy luciferin's antioxidant properties could help photocytes coping with the hyperoxidant conditions to which they are submitted during luminous emissions. These data could also suggest that the evolutionary foundation of the bioluminescent system could have been the luciferin, and not the luciferase, ﬁrst serving as a scavenger of oxidants toxic to the cells, then as a light emitting substrate for luciferase precursors. Similarities with the evolutionary scenario proposed for marine bioluminescent organisms relying on coelenterazine suggest that the surprisingly high success rate observed in the independent emergence of bioluminescent animals could reﬂect the ease of transformation of antioxidant mechanisms into light‐producing systems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Warum gibt es Großmütter?: Das Paradox der zweiten Lebenshälfte
Authors: Voland Eckart , Chasiotis Athanasios , Schiefenhövel Wulf
Published: November 2004

Nach wie vor ungeklärt ist der evolutionäre Status der Menopause. Ist sie eine biologische Angepasstheit zur Erhöhung des Lebensreproduktionserfolgs (wie ursprünglich angenommen) oder vielmehr eine nicht‐funktionale “Erblast” aus der Stammesgeschichte der Säugetiere (wie neuere Überlegungen nahe legen)? Ist das postmenopausale Überleben eine Art “Nebenprodukt” einer Selektion für prämenopausale Vitalität (“fly‐by”‐Hypothese), oder sind es die innerfamiliären Hilfeleistungen postgenerativer Frauen, die die Evolution der menschlichen Langlebigkeit angetrieben haben (“good‐mother”‐Hypothese und “Großmutterhypothese”)? Übereinstimmend mit soziobiologischer Theorie zeigen neuere Befunde, dass die Hilfeleistungen älterer Frauen für die Familien ihrer Söhne beziehungsweise Töchter unterschiedlich ausfallen. Die Evolution hat ganz offensichtlich nicht die vorbehaltlos hilfsbereite Oma hervorgebracht, sondern eine strategische Akteurin auf der Bühne des sozialen und reproduktiven Geschehens.
Wie Fische Wasser fühlen: Das Seitenliniensystem
Authors: Bleckmann Horst , Mogdans Joachim , Engelmann Jacob , Kröther Sophia , Hanke Wolf
Published: November 2004

Das Seitenliniensystem der Fische besteht aus Epidermal‐ und Kanalneuromasten. Fische registrieren mit dem Seitenliniensystem Wasserbewegungen (Epidermalneuromasten) und Druckgradienten (Kanalneuromasten) entlang ihrer Kopf‐ und Körperoberfläche. Mit Hilfe dieser Informationen können sie Feinde, Beutetiere und Artgenossen wahrnehmen und lokalisieren. Die Antworten von primären Seitenlinienneuronen enthalten Informationen über die Dauer, die Frequenz und die Amplitude von Wasserbewegungen. Während Antworten auf Dipolreize vom Epidermalsystem im Fließwasser maskiert werden, antworten Kanalneuromasten unter Still‐ und Fließwasserbedingungen ähnlich gut. Seitenlinieninformationen werden auf allen Ebenen des Zentralnervensystems verarbeitet. Dabei gibt es zumindest auf der Ebene des Nachhirns getrennte Bahnen für das Kanal‐ und Epidermalsystem.
Eukaryotische Zelle: Symbiose statt Endosymbiose?
Authors: Brennicke Axel
Published: November 2004

Noch heute werden in vielen Lehrbüchern die DNA‐haltigen Organellen Mitochondrien und Chloroplasten als “semiautonome Endosymbionten” bezeichnet. Neue Berechnungen von DNA‐Sequenzdaten zeigen, dass die eukaryotische Zelle und ihre Charakteristika wie Zellkern, Membransysteme und Mitochondrien [1] vermutlich nicht durch Aufnahme/Endosymbiose entstanden, sondern durch eine Fusion aus Archaea‐ und Bakterien‐Zellen.
Eierpiraten
Authors: Knoll Ulrike
Published: November 2004

Bislang klang das Geschlechtsleben des Grasfrosches (Rana temporaria) eher unspektakulär: Fest im Griff des Partners stößt das Weibchen im Wasser seine Eier aus, die das Männchen sogleich befruchtet. Doch nach dem Auflösen des Doppeldeckers schlägt manchmal die Stunde von Piraten, die das frische Gelege kapern.
Was Stadt‐ und Waldamseln unterscheidet
Authors: Irsch Wilhelm
Published: November 2004

Die Amsel war zu Anfang des letzten Jahrhunderts noch ausschließlich als ein scheuer Waldvogel bekannt und ist innerhalb weniger Jahrzehnte plötzlich in die Kernbereiche von Städten und Siedlungen vorgedrungen. Damit gilt sie als ein klassisches Beispiel für die Verstädterung von Tierarten, mit der sich auch das Verhalten der Tiere ändert. Biologen konnten nun nachweisen, dass das jahreszeitlich frühe Brüten von Stadt‐Amseln nicht nur umweltbedingt, sondern vermutlich auch genetisch verursacht ist.
Biologie im Planetarium
Authors: Petrischak Hannes
Published: November 2004

Planetarien waren bislang eine Domäne der Astronomie. Nun ermöglichen technische Innovationen die ansprechend aufbereitete Vermittlung von Erkenntnissen aus anderen Wissenschaftsdisziplinen. Mit der multimedialen Veranstaltung “Faszination Regenwald” ist in Kiel erstmals für den deutschsprachigen Raum ein rein biologisches Thema unter einer Sternenkuppel inszeniert worden.
Accumulation of hRad9 protein in the nuclei of nonsmall cell lung carcinoma cells
Authors: Maniwa Yoshimasa , Yoshimura Masahiro , Bermudez Vladimir P. , Yuki Takeshi , Okada Kenji , Kanomata Naoki , Ohbayashi Chiho , Hayashi Yoshitake , Hurwitz Jerard , Okita Yutaka
Published: November 2004

BACKGROUND

DNA damage sensor proteins have received much attention as upstream components of the DNA damage checkpoint signaling pathway that are required for cell cycle control and the induction of apoptosis. Deficiencies in these proteins are directly linked to the accumulation of gene mutations, which can induce cellular transformation and result in malignant disease.

METHODS

Using 48 sets of tumor tissue specimens and peripheral normal lung tissue specimens from 48 patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) who underwent surgery, the authors investigated the expression of hRad9 protein, a member of the human DNA damage sensor family, using immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses.

RESULTS

Immunohistochemical analysis detected the accumulation of hRad9 in the nuclei of tumor cells in 16 tumor tissue specimens, (33% of tumor tissue specimens examined). Western blot analysis also revealed elevated levels of phosphorylated hRad9 protein in NSCLC cells that was accompanied by the detection of phosphorylated Chk1, a protein kinase that regulates the downstream signaling of the DNA damage checkpoint pathway. Furthermore, strong expression of hRad9 was correlated with an increase in Ki‐67 expression index in the tumor cells that were examined.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings made in the current study suggest that Rad9 expression may play an important role in cell cycle control in NSCLC cells and may influence NSCLC cell phenotype. Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Gemcitabine, 5‐fluorouracil, and leucovorin in advanced biliary tract and gallbladder carcinoma
Authors: Alberts Steven R. , Al‐Khatib Hani , Mahoney Michelle R. , Burgart Lawerence , Cera Peter J. , Flynn Patrick J. , Finch Tom R. , Levitt Ralph , Windschitl Harold E. , Knost James A. , Tschetter Loren K.
Published: November 2004

BACKGROUND

Gemcitabine has broad activity in a variety of solid tumors including biliary tract carcinomas. The authors evaluated 6‐month survival, response, and toxicity associated with a combination of gemcitabine, 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU), and leucovorin (LV) in patients with unresectable or metastatic biliary tract or gallbladder adenocarcinoma (ACA).

METHODS

A 4‐week course included 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine by intravenous infusion over 30 minutes on Days 1, 8, and 15, 25 mg/m2 LV by intravenous push, and 600 mg/m2 5‐FU by intravenous push after LV.

RESULTS

Forty‐two patients were enrolled in 6 months, 35 of whom had metastatic disease. Patients with biliary tract ACA included 24 with hepatic disease (19 patients had intrahepatic disease and 5 patients had extrahepatic disease) and 4 with disease in the ampulla of Vater. All patients were evaluable and received a median of 4 courses of treatment (range, 1–21 courses). Commonly occurring severe toxicity (NCI CTC Grade 3 or worse) included: dyspnea (four patients), nausea (four patients), fatigue (seven patients), thrombocytopenia (six patients), emesis (four patients), and diarrhea (four patients). Five partial responses (9.5%) occurred, 3 of which were sustained for ≥ 8 weeks. No treatment‐related deaths occurred. Thirty‐two patients had disease progression and 38 died after a median follow‐up of 20 months (range, 1.4–24 months). The median time to disease progression was 4.6 months (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.4–6.6%). The median survival period was 9.7 months (95% CI, 7–12%).

CONCLUSIONS

This combination regimen was manageable in patients with advanced biliary tract and gallbladder ACA. Of 42 patients, 24 (57%) survived ≥ 6 months, satisfying the primary end point of the trial. The length of survival suggested that gemcitabine, 5‐FU, and LV had benefit equivalent to gemcitabine alone. Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Phase II trial of irinotecan plus celecoxib in adults with recurrent malignant glioma
Authors: Reardon David A. , Quinn Jennifer A. , Vredenburgh James , Rich Jeremy N. , Gururangan Sridharan , Badruddoja Michael , Herndon James E. , Dowell Jeannette M. , Friedman Allan H. , Friedman Henry S.
Published: November 2004

BACKGROUND

In the current study, the authors report a Phase II trial of irinotecan (CPT‐11), a topoisomerase I inhibitor active against malignant glioma (MG), with celecoxib, a selective COX‐2 inhibitor, among MG patients with recurrent disease.

METHODS

Patients with MG at any type of recurrence received CPT‐11, administered as a 90‐minute intravenous infusion on Weeks 1, 2, 4, and 5 of each 6‐week cycle plus celecoxib, which was administered continuously at a dose of 400 mg twice a day. CPT‐11 was given at a dose of 350 mg/m2 for patients receiving enzyme‐inducing antiepileptic drugs (EIAEDs) and at a dose of 125 mg/m2 for those patients not receiving EIAEDs. Assessments were performed after every cycle. The primary endpoint was radiographic response and the secondary endpoints were progression‐free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and therapeutic safety.

RESULTS

Thirty‐four of the 37 patients enrolled in the current study (92%) were diagnosed with recurrent GBM and 3 patients (8%) were diagnosed with recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma (AA). Twenty‐one patients were receiving EIAEDs and 16 patients were not. The median follow‐up time was 76.9 weeks. Concomitant CPT‐11 plus celecoxib was found to be well tolerated and safe. Hematologic toxicities of ≥ Grade 3 (according the second version of the Common Toxicity Criteria of the National Cancer Institute) reportedly complicated 8.6% of treatment courses. Grade 3 diarrhea, the most commonly reported nonhematologic toxicity, occurred with equal frequency (8%), regardless of whether the patient was receiving EIAED. Six patients (16%), all whom were diagnosed with recurrent GBM, achieved an objective radiographic response whereas an additional 13 patients (35%) achieved stable disease. The median PFS was 11.0 weeks and the 6‐month PFS was reported to be 25.1%. The median OS was 31.5 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the current study confirm that CPT‐11 plus celecoxib can be safely administered concurrently at full dose levels, and that this regimen has encouraging activity among heavily pretreated patients with recurrent MG. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
The correlation between fatigue, physical function, the systemic inflammatory response, and psychological distress in patients with advanced lung cancer
Authors: Brown Duncan J. F. , McMillan Donald C. , Milroy Robert
Published: November 2004

BACKGROUND

Functional disability is reported frequently in fatigued cancer patients, but little is known about the correlation between fatigue and objective physical function. In addition, from previous work, the systemic inflammatory response and psychological distress appear to be related to fatigue.

METHODS

Thirty‐eight patients with metastatic or locally advanced lung carcinoma and 15 age‐matched and gender‐matched, healthy controls completed the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy‐Fatigue scale, a visual analogue weakness score, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. Hemoglobin concentrations, C‐reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, creatine kinase concentrations, white blood cell count, body composition, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), grip strength, and chair‐rise time also were measured in both groups. The cancer patients were then grouped into tertiles on the basis of fatigue scores.

RESULTS

The cancer patients had greater fatigue compared with the control group (P < 0.001). They also weighed less, had lower hemoglobin and creatine kinase levels and higher CRP levels, and had lower KPS, poorer grip strength, longer chair‐rise times, and increased HAD scale scores (all P < 0.01). KPS and chair‐rise time were correlated strongly (r2 = 0.565; P < 0.001). With increasing fatigue, KPS was lower, and chair‐rise time and HAD scale scores were greater (P < 0.01). On multiple regression analysis, only KPS, weakness, and HAD scale scores were correlated independently with fatigue (r2 = 0.570; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Objective physical function (as measured by chair‐rise time) in patients with advanced lung cancer was poorer with increasing fatigue. Results of the current study suggest that fatigue is not a result primarily of weight loss or anemia but is related to KPS and psychological distress. [See editorial on pages 213–5, this issue.] Cancer 2005. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Quantitative analysis of neuronal morphologies in the mouse retina visualized by using a genetically directed reporter
Authors: Badea Tudor Constantin , Nathans Jeremy
Published: November 2004

An alkaline phosphatase (AP) reporter has been used to visualize detailed morphologies for all major classes of retinal neurons in the adult mouse. The analysis was performed on retinas in which AP expression was activated by Cre‐mediated DNA recombination in a small fraction of cells. Recombination was controlled pharmacologically and, to a first approximation, appears to have occurred randomly. The morphologies of 794 inner retinal neurons have been analyzed by measuring arbor area, stratification level, and neurite branching patterns. When analyzed in this multidimensional parametric space, the cells can be clustered into subgroups by visual inspection and by using the Ward's and K‐means algorithms. One application of this cell morphology data set and cluster analysis is as a standard for comparison with the retinas of genetically altered mice. This work illustrates the utility and feasibility of genetically directed marking methods for large‐scale surveys of neuronal morphology. J. Comp. Neurol. 480:331–351, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Commissural propriospinal connections between the lateral aspects of laminae III–IV in the lumbar spinal cord of rats
Authors: Petkó Mihály , Veress Gábor , Vereb György , Storm‐Mathisen Jon , Antal Miklós
Published: November 2004

It has been established that there is a strong functional link between sensory neural circuits on the two sides of the spinal cord. In one of our recent studies we provided a morphological confirmation of this functional phenomenon, presenting evidence for the presence of a direct commissural connection between the lateral aspects of the dorsal horn on the two sides of the lumbar spinal cord. By using a combination of neural tracing and immunocytochemical detection of neural markers like vesicular glutamate transporters, glutamic acid decarboxylase, glycine transporter, and met‐enkephalin (which are characteristic of various subsets of excitatory and inhibitory neurons), we investigated here the distribution, synaptic relations, and neurochemical characteristics of the commissural axon terminals. We found that the cells of origin of commissural fibers in the lateral aspect of the dorsal horn were confined to laminae III–IV and projected to the corresponding area of the contralateral gray matter. Most of the commissural axon terminals established synaptic contacts with dendrites. Axospinous or axosomatic synaptic contacts were found in limited numbers. We demonstrated that interactions among commissural neurons also exist. More than three‐fourths of the labeled axon terminals were immunostained for glutamic acid decarboxylase and/or glycine transporter, but none of them showed positive immunoreaction for met‐enkephalin and vesicular glutamate transporters. The results indicate that there is a substantial reciprocal commissural synaptic interaction between the lateral aspects of laminae III–IV on the two sides of the lumbar spinal cord and that this pathway may transmit both inhibitory and excitatory signals to their postsynaptic targets. J. Comp. Neurol. 480:364–377, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reporting sick: are sporting events contagious?
Authors: Thoursie Peter Skogman
Published: November 2004

Moral hazard is easy to justify theoretically but difficult to detect empirically. Individuals may report sick due to illness as well as for moral hazard reasons. Potential abuse of the sickness insurance system in Sweden is estimated by comparing the change between the number of men and women who report sick during a popular sporting event and a preceding time period. Difference‐in‐differences estimates provide clear evidence that the number of men who reported sick increased in order to watch the sporting event on television. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A structural dynamic analysis of retirement behaviour in the Netherlands
Authors: Heyma Arjan
Published: November 2004

This study focuses on determinants of elderly labour force participation and retirement decisions in the Netherlands. This is analysed by a dynamic programming model for the simultaneous choice of retirement age and route, which includes social insurance and private pensions, eligibility conditions for early retirement, lifecycle wage and health profiles, and layoffs. Special attention is given to opportunities for and the effect of participation policies. Results show that institutional structures of benefit and pension programmes are prime determinants of retirement, particularly eligibility conditions and potential substitution between exit routes, and that dynamic aspects are relevant for understanding retirement behaviour. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Retirement behaviour of Dutch elderly households
Authors: Mastrogiacomo Mauro , Alessie Rob , Lindeboom Maarten
Published: November 2004

We specify and estimate retirement models for singles and married couples and estimate these on data from the Dutch Socio‐Economic Panel. We perform some simulations and find strong effects of retirement options in determining the retirement behaviour within different household types. Model estimates are used to simulate the effect of relevant retirement policies across subgroups. We find that the disadvantageous treatment of the old age pension in the Netherlands for married households with two earners has unintended perverse effects on the labour market behaviour of couples. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A dynamic programming approach to model the retirement behaviour of blue‐collar workers in Sweden
Authors: Karlstrom Anders , Palme Marten , Svensson Ingemar
Published: November 2004

This paper presents an empirical analysis of how Sweden's public old age pension system affects the retirement decision. We focus on male blue‐collar workers whose dominant income source as retired comes from the public old age pension system. We develop a dynamic programming model using the rules for the public pension system. In addition to the effects of economic incentives through the pension systems the DP model also measures the effect of the mandatory retirement age of 65—which applies to most parts of Sweden's labour market—on retirement behaviour. The estimated model fits within‐sample retirement patterns remarkably well. A simulation of a hypothetical reform, where all retirement incentives in the pension schemes are delayed by three years, shows that economic incentives affect retirement behaviour. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Selective regulation of 14‐3‐3η in primary culture of cerebral cortical neurons and astrocytes during development
Authors: Chen Xiao Qian , Liu Shuang , Qin Lu Ye , Wang Chen Ran , Fung Yin‐Wan Wendy , Yu Albert Cheung‐Hoi
Published: November 2004

The 14‐3‐3 proteins exist predominantly in the brain and may play regulatory roles in cellular processes of growth, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The biological functions, however, of the various 14‐3‐3 isoforms (β, ϵ, η, γ, and ζ) in the brain remain unclear. We have reported previously upregulation of 14‐3‐3γ in ischemic astrocytes. In the present study, we report selective regulation of 14‐3‐3η in cultured cerebral cortical neurons and astrocytes during in vitro development. In cultured neurons, gene expression levels of 14‐3‐3η increase with culture age (0–10 days). Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin‐3 upregulate 14‐3‐3η gene expression. In cultured astrocytes, 14‐3‐3η is downregulated with culture age (1–5 weeks). The gene expression level of 14‐3‐3η is not affected by scratch injury in astrocytes or by ischemia in neurons. These data suggest a possible role of 14‐3‐3η in growth and differentiation of neurons and astrocytes, indicating an intricate mechanism governing coordinated and well‐controlled developmental events in the brain to ensure normal neural functions. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of brain mitochondrial glutamate and α‐ketoglutarate transport under physiologic conditions
Authors: Berkich Deborah A. , Xu Yuping , LaNoue Kathryn F. , Gruetter Rolf , Hutson Susan M.
Published: November 2004

Some models of brain energy metabolism used to interpret in vivo 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data assume that intramitochondrial α‐ketoglutarate is in rapid isotopic equilibrium with total brain glutamate, most of which is cytosolic. If so, the kinetics of changes in 13C‐glutamate can be used to predict citric acid cycle flux. For this to be a valid assumption, the brain mitochondrial transporters of glutamate and α‐ketoglutarate must operate under physiologic conditions at rates much faster than that of the citric acid cycle. To test the assumption, we incubated brain mitochondria under physiologic conditions, metabolizing both pyruvate and glutamate and measured rates of glutamate, aspartate, and α‐ketoglutarate transport. Under the conditions employed (66% of maximal O2 consumption), the rate of synthesis of intramitochondrial α‐ketoglutarate was 142 nmol/min·mg and the combined initial rate of α‐ketoglutarate plus glutamate efflux from the mitochondria was 95 nmol/min·mg. It thus seems that much of the α‐ketoglutarate synthesized within the mitochondria proceeds around the citric acid cycle without equilibrating with cytosolic glutamate. Unless the two pools are in such rapid exchange that they maintain the same percent 13C enrichment at all points, 13C enrichment of glutamate alone cannot be used to determine tricarboxylic acid cycle flux. The α‐ketoglutarate pool is far smaller than the glutamate pool and will therefore approach steady state faster than will glutamate at the metabolite transport rates measured. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.