bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stability, Not Crisis: Medical Malpractice Claim Outcomes in Texas, 1988–2002
Authors: Black Bernard , Silver Charles , Hyman David A. , Sage William M.
Published: June 2005

Using a comprehensive database of closed claims maintained by the Texas Department of Insurance since 1988, this study provides evidence on a range of issues involving medical malpractice litigation, including claim frequency, payout frequency, payment amounts, defense costs, and jury verdicts. The data present a picture of stability in most respects and moderate change in others. We do not find evidence in claim outcomes of the medical malpractice insurance crisis that produced headlines over the last several years and led to legal reform in Texas and other states. Controlling for population growth, the number of large paid claims (over $25,000 in real 1988 dollars) was roughly constant from 1990–2002. The number of smaller paid claims declined. Controlling for inflation, payout per large paid claim increased over 1988–2002 by an estimated 0.1 percent (insignificant) to 0.5 percent (marginally significant) per year, depending on the data set we use. Jury awards increased by an estimated 2.5 percent (insignificant) to 3.6 percent (marginally significant) per year, depending on the data set, but actual payouts in tried cases showed little or no time trend. Real defense costs per large paid claim rose by 4.2–4.5 percent per year. Real total cost per large paid claim, including defense costs, rose by 0.8–1.2 percent per year.
Jury Sentencing in Noncapital Cases: Comparing Severity and Variance with Judicial Sentences in Two States
Authors: King Nancy J. , Noble Rosevelt L.
Published: June 2005

Recently, commentators have championed sentencing by jury as more democratic and better suited to current theories of punishment than sentencing by judge alone. Yet discussions of noncapital jury sentencing either fail to address empirical questions or rely on outdated and incomplete studies. This study is the first to present basic information on the comparative severity and variance of jury and judge sentencing as practiced in the 21st century. We use archival sentencing data from two of the six states that authorize jury sentencing—Arkansas and Virginia. In both states, voluntary sentencing guidelines govern judicial sentencing after bench trial or guilty plea, but juries select sentences after jury trial. Regression analyses evaluated sentences of incarceration for individual offenses, and included as independent variables available offense, offender, and case characteristics associated with sentence severity. For most of the offenses examined, jury sentences after jury trial were both more varied and more severe than sentences selected by judges after bench trial. The findings also suggest that these disparities may be deliberately maintained by judges and prosecutors, and facilitated by state law that restricts the sentencing options and information provided to juries as compared to judges.
GEOMETRIC GALOIS THEORY, NONLINEAR NUMBER FIELDS AND A GALOIS GROUP INTERPRETATION OF THE IDELE CLASS GROUP
Authors: GENDRON T. M. , VERJOVSKY A.
Published: June 2005

This paper concerns the description of holomorphic extensions of algebraic number fields. After expanding the notion of adele class group to number fields of infinite degree over ℚ, a hyperbolized adele class group [Formula: see text] is assigned to every number field K/ℚ. The projectivization of the Hardy space ℙ𝖧•[K] of graded-holomorphic functions on [Formula: see text] possesses two operations ⊕ and ⊗ giving it the structure of a nonlinear field extension of K. We show that the Galois theory of these nonlinear number fields coincides with their discrete counterparts in that 𝖦𝖺𝗅(ℙ𝖧•[K]/K) = 1 and 𝖦𝖺𝗅(ℙ𝖧•[L]/ℙ𝖧•[K]) ≅ 𝖦𝖺𝗅(L/K) if L/K is Galois. If K ab denotes the maximal abelian extension of K and 𝖢K is the idele class group, it is shown that there are embeddings of 𝖢K into 𝖦𝖺𝗅⊕(ℙ𝖧•[K ab ]/K) and 𝖦𝖺𝗅⊗(ℙ𝖧•[K ab ]/K), the "Galois groups" of automorphisms preserving ⊕ (respectively, ⊗) only.
COMPLEX VARIABLES ANALOGUES OF HILBERT'S SEVENTEENTH PROBLEM
Authors: D'ANGELO JOHN P.
Published: June 2005

We prove several theorems concerning the representation of Hermitian symmetric polynomials as quotients of squared norms of holomorphic polynomial mappings, thus providing complex variables analogues of Hilbert's seventeenth problem. We consider the space of Hermitian symmetric polynomials R on Cn of degree at most d in z, with the Euclidean topology on the space of coefficients. We compare the collections of nonnegative polynomials 𝒫d and quotients of squared norms 𝒬d. We prove, for d ≥ 2, that 𝒬d strictly contains the interior of 𝒫d and is strictly contained in 𝒫d. We provide a tractable precise description of 𝒬d in one dimension. We also give a necessary and sufficient condition in general in terms of F and G in the holomorphic decomposition R = ||F||2 - ||G||2. We provide many surprising examples and counterexamples and briefly discuss some applications.
PROJECTIVE THREEFOLDS WITH HOLOMORPHIC CONFORMAL STRUCTURE
Authors: JAHNKE PRISKA , RADLOFF IVO
Published: June 2005

The authors give a complete classification of projective threefolds admitting a holomorphic conformal structure. A corollary is the complete list of projective threefolds, whose tangent bundle is a symmetric square.
MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ACOUSTIC DIFFRACTION BY A MUFFLER CONTAINING PERFORATED DUCTS
Authors: DHIA A. S. BONNET-BEN , DRISSI D. , GMATI N.
Published: June 2005

We consider the three-dimensional scalar problem of acoustic propagation in a muffler. We develop and analyze a Fredholm-type formulation for a stationary fluid in the time-harmonic setting. We prove a homogenization result for a muffler containing periodically perforated ducts. Essentially, the perforated boundaries become completely transparent when the period of perforations, which is assumed to be of the same order as the size of perforations, tends to zero. We also derive a homogenized impedance condition when the perforated duct is coated by an absorbing material. We present numerical examples in two dimensions, obtained from coupling finite elements in the muffler with modal decompositions in the inlet and outlet ducts, which demonstrate the limiting validity of the theoretical results.
FROM SPECIAL BOUNDED DEFORMATION TO SPECIAL BOUNDED HESSIAN: THE ELASTIC–PLASTIC BEAM
Authors: PERCIVALE DANILO , TOMARELLI FRANCO
Published: June 2005

Slender beams with small cracks described by Γ limits: a description of an elastic-perfectly plastic beam or rod is obtained as a variational limit of 2D or 3D bodies with damage at small scale satisfying the Kirchhoff kinematic restriction on the deformations.
DEADLINE EFFECTS IN SEQUENTIAL BARGAINING — AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
Authors: GÜTH WERNER , LEVATI M. VITTORIA , MACIEJOVSKY BORIS
Published: June 2005

This paper reports on an experiment designed to explore the robustness of the deadline effect in multi period bargaining games using constant and decreasing pies, different time horizons, and constant and alternating roles. Our results indicate that decreasing pies and alternating roles lead to earlier agreements (i.e., attenuate the deadline effect) although only alternating roles significantly reduce the number of conflicts.
DYNAMIC ONLINE AND OFFLINE CHANNEL PRICING FOR HETEROGENEOUS CUSTOMERS IN VIRTUAL ACCEPTANCE
Authors: FRUCHTER GILA E. , TAPIERO CHARLES S.
Published: June 2005

We consider a manufacturer's dual distributions channels consisting on the one hand of a virtual (online) channel operated directly by a manufacturer and on the other hand of a real (offline) channel operated by an intermediate retailer. Customers are assumed heterogeneous in their virtual acceptance, deriving a surplus according to the channel they shop at. Assuming that customers' derived benefits are random with a known probability distribution, we obtain a probabilistic model, which is used to construct an inter-temporal model for shopping online. In addition, we suppose that the retailer uses a markup pricing strategy and has a strategic role. This results in a Stackleberg differential game where the manufacturer is leader and the retailer is a follower. The optimal policy shows that the manufacturer charges the same price across both channels. This finding is consistent with classical results in economics. However, our research goes beyond this observation and indicates that the online price, the retailer's markup and the probability to buy are affected by consumers' heterogeneity in a specific manner. Moreover, we show that while the retailer sets a price equal to the product value, the online price is lower and is equal to the product value less the guarantee provided by the manufacturer for the risk the customer take to buy online. This guarantee is not discriminating and is set to the risk of the customer with the lowest virtual acceptance. Finally, we show that the introduction of the online store is a win-win strategy; both the customers and the manufacturer are better off.
Why Dance? Towards a Theory of Religion as Practice and Performance
Authors: LaMothe Kimerer
Published: June 2005

This article engages the dancing and writing of the American modern dance pioneer, Isadora Duncan (1877-1927), and the phenomenology of religion and dance authored by the Dutch phenomenologist, theologian, and historian of religion, Gerardus van der Leeuw (1890-1950), in order to argue that "dance" is a valuable resource for developing theories and methods in the study of religion that move beyond belief-centered, text-driven approaches. By setting the work of Duncan and van der Leeuw in the context of the emergence of the field of religious studies, this article not only offers conceptual tools for appreciating dance as a medium of religious experience and expression, it also plots a trajectory for the development of a theory of religion as practice and performance. Such a theory will benefit scholars eager to attend more closely to the role of bodily being in the life of "religion."
Year-to-Year Variations of the Stable Isotopes in Precipitation in February at Cuiabá, Located on the Northern Fringe of Pantanal, Brazil
Authors: Matsuyama Hiroshi , Miyaoka Kunihide , Masuda Kooiti
Published: June 2005

Large year-to-year variations of δ18O were found in the precipitation recorded in the International Atomic Energy Agency/Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (IAEA/GNIP) database for February at Cuiabá, located on the northern fringe of Pantanal, Brazil. Three depleted years (1963, 1978, and 1968) and three enriched years (1966, 1984, and 1983) were chosen to investigate this phenomenon and to correlate the amount of precipitation, the occurrences of storm precipitation, and the vapor flux field. In the depleted years, precipitation exceeding the long-term mean was observed at Cuiabá, while the southward vapor flux from the Amazon basin was less than the long-term mean. Since d-excesses in these years were large in general, fast evaporation must contribute to the greater precipitation observed in these depleted years. In contrast, such common features were not found in the vapor flux field in the enriched years. The occurrences of storm precipitation are important in 1966, while the amount effect is responsible for 1984. In 1983, enriched meteoric water is attributed to both the occurrences of storm precipitation and vapor flux field.
Development of a Coupled Land Surface and Groundwater Model
Authors: Maxwell Reed M. , Miller Norman L.
Published: June 2005

Traditional land surface models (LSMs) used for numerical weather simulation, climate projection, and as inputs to water management decision support systems, do not treat the LSM lower boundary in a fully process-based fashion. LSMs have evolved from a leaky-bucket approximation to more sophisticated land surface water and energy budget models that typically have a specified bottom layer flux to depict the lowest model layer exchange with deeper aquifers. The LSM lower boundary is often assumed zero flux or the soil moisture content is set to a constant value; an approach that while mass conservative, ignores processes that can alter surface fluxes, runoff, and water quantity and quality. Conversely, groundwater models (GWMs) for saturated and unsaturated water flow, while addressing important features such as subsurface heterogeneity and three-dimensional flow, often have overly simplified upper boundary conditions that ignore soil heating, runoff, snow, and root-zone uptake. In the present study, a state-of-the-art LSM (Common Land Model) and a variably saturated GWM (ParFlow) have been coupled as a single-column model.

A set of simulations based on synthetic data and data from the Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS), version 2(d), 18-yr dataset from Valdai, Russia, demonstrate the temporal dynamics of this coupled modeling system. The soil moisture and water table depth simulated by the coupled model agree well with the Valdai observations. Differences in prediction between the coupled and uncoupled models demonstrate the effect of a dynamic water table on simulated watershed flow. Comparison of the coupled model predictions with observations indicates certain cold processes such as frozen soil and freeze/thaw processes have an important impact on predicted water table depth. Comparisons of soil moisture, latent heat, sensible heat, temperature, runoff, and predicted groundwater depth between the uncoupled and coupled models demonstrate the need for improved groundwater representation in land surface schemes.
Mechanical Characterization of Composites with Embedded Optical Fibers
Authors: Silva José M.A. , Devezas Tessaleno C. , Silva AbíLio P. , Ferreira José A.M.
Published: June 2005

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate quantitatively and comparatively the effect of embedding optical fibers (OF) on the mechanical behavior of a carbon fiber-epoxy composite in order to verify whether their presence can possibly degrade the mechanical performance of the host material. The existing literature on this subject is not conclusive about the nature and intensity of this effect. Adding more reliable data to our systematic study contributes to this discussion favoring the conclusion about a harmful influence as a consequence of optical fiber embedment.

Three kinds of mechanical tests have been performed in this work: impact tests, static flexural tests, and fatigue tests. The results of some experiments point to a possible detrimental influence related to the presence of the OF, being it different in nature and intensity for each of these tests. The mechanical behavior in static loading conditions seems to be not significantly affected as a consequence of the presence of the OF, while that in impact and fatigue tests are strongly affected, even though this influence being physically distinct from each other. Based on these results, some discussion is made about the possible failure mechanisms that can explain the detected differences.
Validity of the SWT Parameter for Woven-roving GFRP Subjected to Torsional or Bending Moments
Authors: Nasr M. , Abouelwafa M. N. , Gomaa A. , Hamdy A. , Morsi E.
Published: June 2005

The Smith-Watson-Topper (SWT) parameter, when proved to be valid, has allowed a great reduction in the number of tests required to estimate the effect of mean stress on the fatigue life of metals and some composites. If the SWT parameter is found to be valid, then plotting it, instead of the maximum or the amplitude stress component, against the number of cycles to failure tends to plot a single curve regardless of the value of the mean stress. Torsional fatigue tests were performed on thin-walled tubular specimens, made from woven-roving glass fiber-reinforced polyester (GFRP) with two fiber orientations, [45]2s and [0,90]2s, at different negative stress ratios, R 1/4 1, 0.75, 0.5, 0.25, and 0. The validity of the SWT parameter was also checked for similar specimens subjected to bending moments with the same stress ratios. It has been found that the SWT parameter is valid for torsional and bending fatigue loadings for GFRP with [45] and [0,90] fiber orientations, by plotting a single curve versus the number of cycles to failure for all tested stress ratios. This results in a great reduction in time and effort when studying a similar case in future.
Enterprise Bargaining and Regional Prospects: The Effects of Rescaling Wage Regulation in Australia
Authors: McGrath-Champ Susan
Published: June 2005

This article explores disparities emerging under localized collective (‘enterprise’) bargaining in Australia, and relates these to regional economic prospects. The purpose is to highlight how, driven by a rhetoric of globalization and international competitiveness, the ‘rescaling’ of wage regulation is recasting workers’ well-being and shifting the politics of regional development. This is situated in the context of growing cross-disciplinary dialogue concerning the spatiality of labour (industrial) relations. With the effects of the first decade of enterprise bargaining becoming discernible, the article considers the longer-term influence of increasing wage disparity produced by spatially disaggregated wage setting. The article backgrounds regional economic development in Australia, noting the heritage of a near-century of centralized wage institutions as a possible contributor to the very pronounced metropolitan primacy that has been established in this country. It questions whether increasing geographical wage disparity in Australia will act as a catalyst to rural and regional viability. The challenge for labour is to anticipate, find and create appropriate scales of action that can counter these outcomes.
Korean Version of the Notification Policy on Sexual Offenders: Did It Enhance Public Awareness of Sexual Crimes Against Minors?
Authors: Shin Junseob , Lee Young-Boon
Published: June 2005

This study reviewed the public notification policy of sexual offenders against minors in South Korea as compared to community notification programs in the United States. The study then examined the policy’s impact on increasing the general public’s awareness of such sexual crimes. This is based on the assumption that heightening public awareness can be a starting point in combating such crimes. Results of the data, drawn from a sample of 1,409 Koreans across the nation, showed that the notification policy enhanced public awareness. Factors related to this increase in awareness were people’s concern about or familiarity with the policy and people’s experience in identifying the existence of known sexual offenders in their communities. Based on the results of this study, strategies for enhancing public awareness of sexual crimes on minors were formulated. The need to develop treatment programs for sexual offenders was likewise highlighted.
Trauma Groups: An Overview
Authors: Weinberg Haim , Nuttman-Shwartz Orit , Gilmore Martha
Published: June 2005

Beginning with a brief review of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, the authors consider the role of group treatment of trauma. Several models of groups are discussed along with available research regarding efficacy. A discussion of the special dynamics of trauma groups and important considerations for group conducting follows and the issue of vicarious traumatization for the group conductor is addressed. A short discussion regarding the need to integrate traumatized individuals back into society concludes the paper.
Sexual Abuse in Families Today: Group Resonance as a Cure
Authors: Cantarella Giovanna
Published: June 2005

This article focuses on the sexual abuse of females in families within a social context, as a social phenomenon which involves more families than we knew about or believed existed in the past, a phenomenon also involving ‘ordinary’ families we meet in everyday life and which is one aspect of the violence of the world in which we live. Problems arising from alterations in conscience of the victim and for the therapist in recognizing non-verbal communication are examined before the author identifies causes of feelings of self-guilt in the therapist. The therapeutic effectiveness of group resonance is demonstrated in a clinical case study, also showing how group therapy can help a victim of sexual abuse to work through past traumatic experiences.
When Bodies Need Voices: Sharing Stories of Survival
Authors: McCarthy Maria , Weber Zita
Published: June 2005

This article elaborates the theme: ‘Accidentally Learning More About Life’ which was the title of a presentation forum in which the authors met. Links are made between the views of the academic listener with the lived experience of a woman for whom an accident changed her life narrative. Maria’s story demonstrates how adversity can lead to positive outcomes and that in retelling the story, you can make a difference. Maria’s story also exemplifies how a woman can challenge gender-stereotypic assumptions and confirm that the personal is always the political.
“Women Must Endure According to Their Karma”
Authors: Bhuyan Rupaleem , Mell Molly , Senturia Kirsten , Sullivan Marianne , Shiu-Thornton Sharyne
Published: June 2005

Asian populations living in the United States share similar cultural values that influence their experiences with domestic violence. However, it is critical to recognize how differential cultural beliefs in the context of immigration and adjustment to life in the United States affect attitudes, interpretations, and response to domestic violence. This article discusses findings from community-based participatory action research that explores how Cambodian immigrant women talk about domestic violence, what forms of abuse contribute to domestic violence, and what strategies they use to cope with and respond to abuse in their lives. The richness of this research lies in the stories that immigrant women tell about their struggle and their strength in addressing domestic violence.
Online ‘chat’ facilities as pedagogic tools
Authors: Kirkpatrick Graeme
Published: June 2005

This article assesses the pedagogic value of the ‘chat’ facility in the Blackboard integrated learning platform. It draws on a case study carried out by the author in the 2001-2 academic session. A level three class in research methods involved students in group working away from class and student feedback indicated that more support was needed to coordinate this independent work, without compromising its independent character. The ‘chat’ facility seemed to hold out the possibility of enhancing conventional, class-based techniques for generating informal discussion between students and, more particularly, for the coordination of their activities between classes. The lecturer perceived the integration of the facility into delivery of the unit as highly problematic, however. The reasons for this are discussed and a number of explanations are considered. Possible solutions are put forward.
An Ecological Framework for Participatory Ethnobotanical Research at Mt. Kasigau, Kenya
Authors: Medley Kimberly E. , Kalibo Humphrey W.
Published: June 2005

Vegetation changes from Commiphora-Acacia bushland, through farms and homesteads, and to woodland and evergreen forest defined an ecological gradient for investigating woody plant resources on a mountain in the Eastern Arc, southeast Kenya. The authors describe plot sampling on the composition and structure of woody plants, a corresponding floristic inventory, and qualitative methods used to compile ethnobotanical data and validate local knowledge on plant use. Participant observations, mapping exercises, and free listing increased the opportunities for discussion about plant resources. The authors also describe ways to share results with villagers and a collaborative plant guide.
Ferritic nitrocarburising of tool steels
Authors: King P. C. , Reynoldson R. W. , Brownrigg A. , Long J. M.
Published: June 2005

Four different tool steel materials, P20, H13, M2 and D2, were nitrocarburised at 570°C in a fluidised bed furnace. The reactive diffusion of nitrogen and carbon into the various substrate microstructures is compared and related to the different alloy carbide distributions. The effect of carbon bearing gas (carbon dioxide, natural gas) on carbon absorption is reported, as well as its influence on compound layer growth and porosity. Partial reduction of Fe3O4 at the surface resulted in the formation of a complex, ϵ-nitride containing oxide layer. In H13, carbon was deeply absorbed throughout the entire diffusion zone, affecting the growth of grain boundary cementite, nitrogen diffusivity and the sharpness of the compound layer: diffusion zone interface. When natural gas was used, carbon became highly concentrated in the compound layer, while surface decarburisation occurred with carbon dioxide. These microstructural effects are discussed in relation to hardness profiles, and compound layer hardness and ductility. The surfaces were characterised using glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy, optical and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction.
Multidrug resistance-associated protein MRP-1 regulates dauer diapause by its export activity inCaenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Yabe Tomoko , Suzuki Norio , Furukawa Tatsuhiko , Ishihara Takeshi , Katsura Isao
Published: June 2005

Multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs), when overexpressed, confer drug resistance to cancer cells by exporting anti-cancer agents through the cell membrane, but their role in animal development has not been elucidated. Here we show that an MRP homolog regulates larval development in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans forms a special third-stage larva called a dauer larva under conditions inappropriate for growth. By contrast, we found that mutants in mrp-1, an MRP homolog gene, form dauer larvae even under conditions appropriate for growth, in the background of certain mutations that partially block the insulin signaling pathway. A functional mrp-1::GFP gene was shown to be expressed in many tissues, and the wild-type mrp-1 gene must be expressed in multiple tissues for a wild-type phenotype. Human MRP1 could substitute for C. elegans MRP-1 in dauer larva regulation, and an inhibitor of the human MRP1 transport activity impaired this function, showing that export activity is required for normal dauer larva regulation. Epistasis studies revealed that MRP-1 acts in neither the TGF-β nor the cGMP signaling pathway. mrp-1 mutations enhanced the dauer-constitutive phenotype of mutants in the insulin signaling pathway more strongly than that in other pathways. Thus, MRP-1, through its export activity, supports the induction of the normal (non-dauer) life cycle by the insulin signaling pathway.
Catalytic Tricarbonylation of Alkynes with Palladium Catalysts
Authors: Izawa Yusuke , Shimizu Isao , Yamamoto Akio
Published: June 2005

A novel catalytic process of introducing three CO units into alkynes by palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation was developed. Based on the fundamental studies on the behavior of organopalladium complexes, mechanisms to account for the mono- and tricarbonylation processes are proposed.
Herpes zoster as an immune restoration disease in AIDS patients during therapy including protease inhibitors
Authors: Dunić Ivana , Djurković-Djaković Olgica , Vesić Sonja , Žerjav Sonja , Jevtović Djordje
Published: June 2005

A prospective study to evaluate the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) as an immune restoration disease in patients with AIDS during highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was conducted in a series of 115 patients diagnosed with AIDS initiated on HAART between 1 January 2000 and 31 July 2001. Of these, a single dermatomal HZ episode occurred in 14 (12%) patients within one and 15 months of HAART (median eight months). The HZ patients were similar to the non-HZ patients in age, sex, and HIV transmission risk factor, but had a more advanced disease. Compared with the baseline values, the viral loads significantly ( P<0.01) decreased, while the mean CD4+ T-cell counts increased by almost four-fold ( P<0.01) in both groups at the time of the HZ episode (or equivalent in non-HZ), but remained below 400/mL in the HZ patients. HZ during HAART is an immunopathological consequence of the improvement of the host immune response, correlating with the beginning of immune restoration.
Systematically reviewing qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform management and policy-making in the health field
Authors: Mays Nicholas , Pope Catherine , Popay Jennie
Published: June 2005

Policy-makers and managers have always used a wide range of sources of evidence in making decisions about policy and the organization of services. However, they are under increasing pressure to adopt a more systematic approach to the utilization of the complex evidence base. Decision-makers must address complicated questions about the nature and significance of the problem to be addressed; the nature of proposed interventions; their differential impact; cost-effectiveness; acceptability and so on. This means that Cochrane-style reviews alone are not sufficient. Rather, they require access to syntheses of high-quality evidence that include research and non-research sources, and both qualitative and quantitative research findings.

There is no single, agreed framework for synthesizing such diverse forms of evidence and many of the approaches potentially applicable to such an endeavour were devised for either qualitative or quantitative synthesis and/or for analysing primary data. This paper describes the key stages in reviewing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative evidence for decision-making and looks at various strategies that could offer a way forward. We identify four basic approaches: narrative (including traditional ‘literature reviews’ and more methodologically explicit approaches such as ‘thematic analysis’, ‘narrative synthesis’, ‘realist synthesis’ and ‘meta-narrative mapping’), qualitative (which convert all available evidence into qualitative form using techniques such as ‘meta-ethnography’ and ‘qualitative cross-case analysis’), quantitative (which convert all evidence into quantitative form using techniques such as‘quantitative case survey’ or ‘content analysis’) and Bayesian meta-analysis and decision analysis (which can convert qualitative evidence such as preferences about different outcomes into quantitative form or ‘weights’ to use in quantitative synthesis). The choice of approach will be contingent on the aim of the review and nature of the available evidence, and often more than one approach will be required.
Cigarette Smoking among Marijuana Users in the United States
Authors: Richter Kimber P. , Kaur Harsohena , Resnicow Ken , Nazir Niaman , Mosier Michael C. , Ahluwalia Jasjit S.
Published: June 2005

The vast majority of drug users smoke cigarettes. Most use marijuana and no other illicit drug. We analyzed adult responses to the 1997 NHSDA (n = 16,661) to explore relationships between marijuana use and cigarette smoking. Multivariate analyses controlled for other illicit drug use and other potential covariates. Nearly three-quarters of current marijuana users (74%) smoked cigarettes. Compared to nonusers, the adjusted odds of being a smoker were 5.43 for current marijuana users, 3.58 for past year marijuana users, and 2.02 for former marijuana users. Odds for cigarette smoking among current poly-drug users, compared to nonusers, were 2.3 to 1. Level of cigarette smoking was directly associated with frequency of marijuana use. Nationwide, an estimated 7 million adults smoke both substances and are at increased risk for respiratory illnesses and mortality. Cigarette smoking is a major co-morbidity of marijuana use and smoking cessation should be addressed among marijuana users in addition to their other illicit drug involvement.
Assessing cognitive representations of mental health problems. II. The illness perception questionnaire for schizophrenia: Relatives' version
Authors: Lobban Fiona , Barrowclough Christine , Jones Steven
Published: June 2005

Objective. To design a questionnaire to assess cognitive representations of mental health problems held by relatives of people diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Background. The ways in which relatives respond to patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia has been shown to impact on outcome. Understanding variation in relatives' responses is essential if successful interventions are to be developed. This study builds on previous research exploring attributions that relatives make about symptoms. The development of a new measure to assess beliefs that relatives have about schizophrenia is reported; The Illness Perception Questionnaire for Schizophrenia – Relatives version (IPQS‐Relatives).

Method. Sixty‐two relatives completed the IPQS‐Relatives, along with measures of general psychopathology, burden, appraisal of coping, and expressed emotion. The psychometric properties of the IPQS‐Relatives were analysed, including internal consistency, test‐retest reliability, and discriminant and concurrent validity.

Results. IPQS‐Relatives subscales were shown to be internally consistent and stable over time. Correlations with measures of general psychopathology, distress, burden, coping, and criticism indicate that the subscales have good concurrent validity.

Conclusions. The IPQS‐Relatives can be used to assess relatives' beliefs about schizophrenia. This measure may aid family interventions that target beliefs associated with negative outcome for patients and their relatives.
Self‐disclosure as a situated interactional practice
Authors: Antaki Charles , Barnes Rebecca , Leudar Ivan
Published: June 2005

Self‐disclosure has long been a site of research in clinical and social psychology, where it suffers the fate of many interactional phenomena. It is operationalized (typically, into a set of bald statements of varying intimacy), and measured as a dependent variable (subject to the operation of factors like the age or gender of the discloser, the degree of acquaintance with the disclosed‐to recipient, the expectation of reciprocity and so on), or manipulated as a causative independent variable (which affects such things as the perception of the discloser, the effectiveness of therapy, and so on). This treatment of self‐disclosure, embedded in a research culture of a‐contextual, experimenter‐defined phenomena, risks missing the point that in ordinary life, self‐disclosure is a social performance which must be brought off in interaction, and has its interactional context and its interactional consequences. When we examine examples of such brought‐off disclosures, we start to see patterns in their design as voluntary revelations of personal data, and patterns in their social function, which are invisible to the standard factors and measures paradigm of experimental social psychology.
Discrimination between dominant and subordinate groups: The positive–negative asymmetry effect and normative processes
Authors: Amiot Catherine E. , Bourhis Richard Y.
Published: June 2005

Research using the minimal group paradigm (MGP) demonstrates that categorization and in‐group identification can suffice to foster intergroup discrimination. However, the positive–negative asymmetry effect (PNAE) shows that less discrimination occurs when negative than when positive outcomes are distributed between group members. Combining the polarization paradigm and the MGP, this study investigated the discriminatory behaviour of dominant and subordinate group members (N =197) on positive and negative outcome distributions. During private outcome distributions at pre‐consensus, dominant groups discriminated more than subordinate groups while the PNAE was not replicated. Positive/negative outcome distributions were sought during intragroup discussion in the consensus phase, while post‐consensus involved private outcome distributions. The PNAE emerged in both consensus and post‐consensus phases: group members discriminated less on salary cuts than on salary increases, whereas the power effect disappeared in those phases. The emergence of in‐group norms during face‐to‐face discussions at consensus as well as social identity processes help account for the results obtained in this study.
Immigration discourses and their impact on multiculturalism: A discursive and experimental study
Authors: Verkuyten Maykel
Published: June 2005

The present research examines discourses about immigration and their consequences for the evaluation of multiculturalism. It discusses two studies that were conducted among native Dutch people. The first study uses interviews and examines the discursive construction of categories of immigrants, and the rhetorical consequences of these constructions for the way people evaluate cultural diversity and the assimilation of immigrants. Immigration was found to be defined in relation to the repertoires of ‘personal choice’ or ‘lack of choice’, and the distinction between these repertoires provided the ideological arguments about rights and responsibilities. Furthermore, and for the participants themselves, an interpretative framework in terms of ‘personal choice’ involved a plea in the direction of assimilation, whereas ‘lack of choice’ involved arguments for cultural diversity. These consequences were examined further in a second experimental study. In this study, the endorsement of multiculturalism was found to depend on whether the notion of ‘personal choice’ or that of ‘lack of choice’ was elicited. The endorsement of multiculturalism was greater in the latter condition than in the former. By using different methods, the research tries to combine different theoretical approaches to social psychology.
Current distribution in PEM fuel cells. Part 1: Oxygen and fuel flow rate effects
Authors: Natarajan Dilip , Van Nguyen Trung
Published: June 2005

A segmented electrode/current collector setup was used to examine the effect of oxygen flow rate, anode sparger temperature, and hydrogen starvation on the spatial and temporal distribution of local current densities along a single gas channel in a PEM fuel cell operated on pure hydrogen and oxygen. Uniformity in local current densities at a given voltage was sustained over longer periods of time with higher oxygen flow rates that enhanced liquid water removal. When water removal rate was not sufficient, electrode flooding occurred in segments that were farthest from the gas inlet. Increasing anode sparger temperature resulted in reduction of water removal rate from the cathode by back diffusion leading to performance reduction of downstream segments. When fuel was in excess, the current density distribution was dominated by the hydration pattern of the membrane electrode assembly. When fuel supply was less than the electrochemical reaction demand, segments furthest from the inlet suffered fuel starvation, resulting in loss of performance. The use of one of the electrode segments as a novel in‐line voltage sensor to reflect available reactant concentrations was also demonstrated. Air operation and effect of cell temperature were also examined and the results are presented in the second part of this series. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2005
Amphiphysin autoimmunity: Paraneoplastic accompaniments
Authors: Pittock Sean J. , Lucchinetti Claudia F. , Parisi Joseph E. , Benarroch Eduardo E. , Mokri Bahram , Stephan Christina L. , Kim Kwang‐Kuk , Kilimann Manfred W. , Lennon Vanda A.
Published: June 2005

Amphiphysin‐IgG was identified in 71 patients among 120,000 evaluated serologically for paraneoplastic autoantibodies. Clinical information was available for 63 patients. Cancer was detected in 50 (mostly limited), proven histologically in 46, and was imaged intrathoracically in 4 patients (lung, small–cell [27] and non–small cell [1]), breast [16] and melanoma [2]). Neurological accompaniments included (decreasing frequency): neuropathy, encephalopathy, myelopathy, stiff‐man phenomena, and cerebellar syndrome. In a case examined neuropathologically, parenchymal T‐lymphocyte infiltration (predominantly CD8+) was prominent in lower brainstem, spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglion. Coexisting paraneoplastic autoantibodies, identified in 74% of patients, predicted a common neoplasm and indicated other neuronal autoantigen targets that plausibly explained several neurological manifestations; for example, P/Q‐type Ca2+‐channel antibody with Lambert–Eaton syndrome (n = 5), anti‐neuronal nuclear antibody type 1 with sensory neuronopathy (n = 7), K+‐channel antibody with limbic encephalitis (n = 1) or neuromyotonia (n = 1), and collapsin response‐mediator protein‐5‐IgG with optic neuritis (n = 3). Patients with isolated amphiphysin‐IgG (n = 19) were more likely to be women (with breast cancer, p < 0.05) and to have myelopathy or stiff‐man phenomena (p < 0.01). Overall, a minority of women (39%) and men (12%) had stiff‐man phenomena. Only 10% of women (some with lung carcinoma) and 4% of men fulfilled diagnostic criteria for stiff‐man syndrome. Ann Neurol 2005;58:96–107
Selective vulnerability of preterm white matter to oxidative damage defined by F2‐isoprostanes
Authors: Back Stephen A. , Luo Ning Ling , Mallinson Rebecca A. , O'Malley Jean P. , Wallen Linda D. , Frei Balz , Morrow Jason D. , Petito Carol K. , Roberts Charles T. , Murdoch Geoffrey H. , Montine Thomas J.
Published: June 2005

Periventricular white matter injury (PWMI) is the leading cause of cerebral palsy and chronic neurological disability in survivors of prematurity. Despite the large number of affected children, the pathogenetic mechanisms related to PWMI remain controversial. Through studies of 33 human autopsy brains, we determined that early PWMI was related to oxidative damage that particularly targeted the oligodendrocyte lineage, whereas other neuronal and glial cell types were markedly more resistant. F2‐isoprostanes, an arachidinate metabolite/lipid peroxidation marker of oxidative damage, were significantly increased in early PWMI lesions but not in cerebral cortex. That deleterious lipid peroxidation accompanied early PWMI was supported by similar increases in F2‐isoprostanes levels in the cerebral cortex from term infants with hypoxic‐ischemic cortical injury. Detection of F4‐neuroprostanes, a neuronal‐specific oxidative damage marker, confirmed that neuroaxonal elements were resistant to injury in cerebral cortex and white matter. Significant protein nitration was not detected in PWMI lesions by 3‐nitrotyrosine staining. Significant cellular degeneration was confirmed in early PWMI lesions by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase–mediated dUTP nick end labeling and a marked depletion of oligodendrocyte progenitors of 71 ± 8%. Hence, the predilection of preterm infants for PWMI is related to selective lipid peroxidation–mediated injury of cerebral white matter and targeted death of oligodendrocyte progenitors. Ann Neurol 2005;58:108–120
Mental retardation and ataxia due to normotriglyceridemic hypobetalipoproteinemia
Authors: Homer Vivienne M. , George Peter M. , Du Toit Stephen , Davidson James S. , Wilson Callum J.
Published: June 2005

A 12‐year‐old boy with mental retardation, obesity, ataxia, and visual impairment was shown to have normal fasting plasma triglyceride but low cholesterol and vitamin E levels. Investigations indicated that he was compound heterozygous for two mutations in the apolipoprotein B gene (APOB), resulting in a failure to express apolipoprotein B‐100, yet retain apolipoprotein B‐48 production. The proband therefore was able to form chylomicrons, but not a low‐density lipoprotein capable of receptor‐mediated endocytosis. This resulted in chronic vitamin E deficiency. We suggest the term normotriglyceridemic hypobetalipoproteinemia for this easily recognizable condition. Ann Neurol 2005;58:160–163
Secondary pneumatization of the maxillary sinus in callitrichid primates: Insights from immunohistochemistry and bone cell distribution
Authors: Smith Timothy D. , Rossie James B. , Cooper Gregory M. , Mooney Mark P. , Siegel Michael I.
Published: June 2005

The paranasal sinuses remain elusive both in terms of function and in the proximate mechanism of their development. The present study sought to describe the maxillary sinuses (MSs) in three species of callitrichid primates at birth, a time when secondary pneumatization occurs rapidly in humans. The MSs were examined in serially sectioned and stained slides from the heads of two Callithrix jacchus, one Leontopithecus rosalia, and two Saguinus geoffroyi. Specimens were examined microscopically regarding the distribution of osteoclasts and osteoblasts along the osseous boundaries of the MS and other parts of the maxillary bone. Selected sections were immunohistochemically evaluated for the distribution of osteopontin (OPN), which facilitates osteoclast binding. Taken together, OPN immunoreactivity and bone cell distribution suggested trends of bone resorption/deposition that were consistent among species for the superior (roof) and inferior (floor) boundaries of the MS. Expansion at the roof and floor of the MS appeared to correspond to overall vertical midfacial growth in callitrichids. Much more variability was noted for the lateral (alveolar) and medial (nasal walls) of the MS. Unlike the other species, the nasal wall of Saguinus was static and mostly composed of inferior portions of the nasal capsule that were undergoing endochondral ossification. The variation seen in the alveolar walls may relate to the presence or absence of adjacent structures, although it was noted that adjacency of deciduous molars influenced medial drift of the alveolar wall in Saguinus but not Leontopithecus. The results of this study are largely consistent with the “structural” or “architectural” hypothesis of sinus formation with respect to vertical MS enlargement, and the variable cellular/OPN distribution found along the nasal and alveolar walls was evocative of Witmer's (J Vert Paleontol 1997;17:1–73) epithelial hypothesis in revealing that most expansion occurred in regions unopposed by adjacent structures. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stress and Active Oxygen Species – Effect of α‐Tocopherol on Stress Response
Authors: Tsiakitzis Karyofyllis , Kourounakis Angeliki P. , Tani Ekaterini , Rekka Eleni A. , Kourounakis Panos N.
Published: June 2005

Stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous disorders such as cardiovascular diseases or neurodegeneration. The extensive overlap between diseases attributed to stress and oxidative damage is indicative of their potential relationship. We hereby study the influence of α‐tocopherol (α‐toc) on the development of stress biomarkers (morphological and biochemical), on specific biomarkers of radical insult (lipid peroxidation, oxidized proteins, or glutathione content in brain and liver), as well as on drug metabolism. In our experimental protocol two groups of female rats are exposed to stress conditions, i.e. cold plus starvation. Before stress and during its application one group is treated with α‐toc for 20 d (0.42 mmol/kg per os, once daily). Our results indicate that oxidative damage accompanies the development of stress, while treatment with α‐toc completely prevents stress‐induced radical attack and reduces stress indices like plasma corticosterone, uropepsinogen, and morphological changes. It is found that stress increases the drug metabolic potential of the liver (total P450, CYP2E1, or CYP3A1 activity). Administration of α‐toc, in combination with stress, further increases erythro mycin N‐demethylation (CYP3A1) compared to stress control, while 4‐nitrophenol hydroxylation (CYP2E1) is not affected significantly.